Thursday, February 7, 2008

View from 315A

Yesterday was National Signing Day. Tennessee football faired horribly according to most experts. In fact, ESPN featured Tennessee due to its disappointment. Rivals.com ranks us 36th nationally with zero five-star recruits. Scouts Inc. Graded us at a C and only ninth in a 12-team conference.

To make matters worse, rival Alabama ranked first nationally in some polls. On the surface, it appears the football program has taken another step backwards.

In the last decade, Tennessee has transposed athletic programs with Kentucky. Kentucky basketball has not really been Kentucky basketball since 1997 when Rick Pitino left, though they won the national championship the following year. Tennessee football has not really been Tennessee football since 1997, when Peyton Manning left, though we won the national championship the following year. Conversely, Kentucky’s football program has upgraded as has Tennessee’s basketball program.

On a more hopeful, Tennessee has had great recruiting classes in the recent past that evidently did not translate into blue chip players. Perhaps some of the signees this year will maturate into superstars. Well, I can hope anyway...

1 comment:

Chandler Vinson said...

Tennessee Signees: (Rankings from Rivals.com)

•Aaron Douglas, 6-6, 245 TE, Maryville, 4 Stars
•Marlon Walls, 6-2, 225 LB, Olive Branch, Miss., 4 Stars
•Gerald Williams, 6-4, 245 LB, San Francisco CC, 4 Stars
•E.J. Abrams-Ward, 6-5, 210 WR, Thomasville, N.C., 4 stars
•Rodriguez Wilks, 6-1, 195 WR, Smyrna, Tenn. 3 Stars
•Preston Bailey, 6-5, 315 OL, Nashville, 3 Stars
•Ben Bartholomew, 6-3, 225 FB, Nashville, 3 Stars
•Willie Bohannon, 6-3, 230 DE, Mobile, Ala., 3 Stars
•Steve Fowlkes, 6-5, 213 DE, College Park, Ga., 3 Stars
•Austin Johnson, 6-3, 235 FB, Hickory, N.C., 3 Stars
•Casey Kelley, 6-2, 191 QB, Sarasota, Fla., 3 Stars
•Herman Lathers, 6-0, 192 LB, Baton Rouge, La., 3 Stars
•Tauren Poole, 5-10, 194 RB, Toccoa, Ga., 3 Stars
•Prentiss Wagner, 6-2, 170 DB, Clinton, La., 3 Stars
•Dallas Thomas, 6-6, 260 OL, Baton Rouge, La., 3 Stars
•StePhaun Raines, 6-0, 180 DB, Coffeyville, Kans., 2 Stars
•Carson Anderson, 6-3, 270 OL, Florence, Ala., 2 Stars
•Montori Hughes, 6-5, 255 DT, Murfreesboro, 2 Stars