Started By
Message
Tennessee and South Carolina: Inverse Relationship?
Posted on 5/23/13 at 3:36 pm
Posted on 5/23/13 at 3:36 pm
Things began going south for Tennessee in 2008. Two seasons later, South Carolina won the SEC East. Tennessee has continued to finish in the second half of the East since then, while SC has remained near the top of the East.
Why? A lot of it has to do with shared recruiting grounds. IIRC, before Tennessee's downfall, they used to pull many top recruits out of South Carolina and North Carolina. Today, those recruits that want to play for a top SEC team and be somewhat close to home would've gone to Tennessee in years past. Now they go to South Carolina.
Additionally, the recruits from Florida and Georgia that are willing to leave their home state for another SEC program would have once chosen Tennessee. Nowadays, SC is a popular destination, like Tennessee once was, for those recruits that don't mind leaving Florida or Georgia. Mind you, I'm not talking about the 5 star recruits. Those typically go to Bama/LSU if they wish to leave Florida or Georgia at all. I'm talking about 4 star and high 3 star recruits that don't mind playing out of state.
Now, I'm well aware that poor coaching hires is one of the main reasons for Tennessee's lack of recent success, just as Steve Spurrier is one of the main reasons South Carolina has been so successful.
However, having shared recruiting areas is almost as important as the coaching hires made by the two schools. Remember, Spurrier had been at SC for five seasons before they had any amount of success. Tennessee falling off the college football map surely helped propel SC to the top of the SEC East.
Agree? Disagree?
Why? A lot of it has to do with shared recruiting grounds. IIRC, before Tennessee's downfall, they used to pull many top recruits out of South Carolina and North Carolina. Today, those recruits that want to play for a top SEC team and be somewhat close to home would've gone to Tennessee in years past. Now they go to South Carolina.
Additionally, the recruits from Florida and Georgia that are willing to leave their home state for another SEC program would have once chosen Tennessee. Nowadays, SC is a popular destination, like Tennessee once was, for those recruits that don't mind leaving Florida or Georgia. Mind you, I'm not talking about the 5 star recruits. Those typically go to Bama/LSU if they wish to leave Florida or Georgia at all. I'm talking about 4 star and high 3 star recruits that don't mind playing out of state.
Now, I'm well aware that poor coaching hires is one of the main reasons for Tennessee's lack of recent success, just as Steve Spurrier is one of the main reasons South Carolina has been so successful.
However, having shared recruiting areas is almost as important as the coaching hires made by the two schools. Remember, Spurrier had been at SC for five seasons before they had any amount of success. Tennessee falling off the college football map surely helped propel SC to the top of the SEC East.
Agree? Disagree?
9
Posted on 5/23/13 at 3:40 pm to MC Ride
I'm not reading that, but UT got rid of a good coach and USCe hired one. UT needs to find the right fit at coach to get back to being a power.
Posted on 5/23/13 at 3:43 pm to MC Ride
It's a combination of a bunch of things. Recruiting has played a part, but only a certain part. Also the fortunes of the coaching staffs for both programs have played a large part, as USC has had stability while UT has not. That can directly impact recruiting, not just in how successful the Vols have been on the field, but also having program relationships between recruiters and prep regions being torn up and torn up again...
Overall IMO USC is doing better in recruiting in-state talent because it is doing better on the field. Which in turn improves the in-state recruiting. Even when Fulmer was at his prime at UT, had USC been having winning seasons and being in the top 25 more consistently, a lot of those top in-state prospects that went elsewhere would've most likely chosen USC. In many of those cases, those kids had USC highly but chose to go elsewhere because they didn't think they would win at USC...
Overall IMO USC is doing better in recruiting in-state talent because it is doing better on the field. Which in turn improves the in-state recruiting. Even when Fulmer was at his prime at UT, had USC been having winning seasons and being in the top 25 more consistently, a lot of those top in-state prospects that went elsewhere would've most likely chosen USC. In many of those cases, those kids had USC highly but chose to go elsewhere because they didn't think they would win at USC...
Posted on 5/23/13 at 3:44 pm to WDE24
UT - Fat Man = downhill
USC + Ole Ball Coach = uphill
Things run in cycles
USC + Ole Ball Coach = uphill
Things run in cycles
Posted on 5/23/13 at 3:46 pm to MC Ride
Tennessee's decline and continued mediocrity are the result of much more than just South Carolina's rise.
Actually, South Carolina's rise may be more attributable to Tenn's fall than the other way around.
Actually, South Carolina's rise may be more attributable to Tenn's fall than the other way around.
Posted on 5/23/13 at 5:10 pm to MC Ride
It's simple. Spurrier is better than both Fulmer and Dooley. That's why South Carolina has been beating Tennesee.
Posted on 5/23/13 at 5:16 pm to WDE24
quote:
I'm not reading that, but UT got rid of a good coach and USCe hired one. UT needs to find the right fit at coach to get back to being a power.
Anyone who thinks Tennessee should have kept Fulmer simply wasn't paying attention.
Posted on 5/23/13 at 5:17 pm to MC Ride
tl;dr
Posted on 5/23/13 at 5:19 pm to ohiovol
quote:Well, they at least needed a better plan in place before getting rid of him. The records don't lie.
Anyone who thinks Tennessee should have kept Fulmer simply wasn't paying attention.
This post was edited on 5/23/13 at 5:20 pm
Posted on 5/23/13 at 5:21 pm to WDE24
quote:
Well, they st least needed a better plan in place before getting rid of him. The records don't lie.
The right plan would have been firing him after 2005 before he cratered the program.
Posted on 5/23/13 at 5:24 pm to ohiovol
2007 SEC East Champs
Never forget!!!
Never forget!!!
Posted on 5/23/13 at 5:24 pm to MC Ride
Tennessee have always recruited well. Fulmer recruited like a rock star. Kiffin recruited like a rock star in his short tenure, landing 2 5* in 2 months. Butch Jones is recruiting like a rock star and currently UT is #1 in the SEC in rivals.com. Even the worst hire in UT history Dooley pulled in top 10, top 15 classes without even trying. Hell, my dog could pull top 20 classes at UT.
Series of abysmal hires and attrition has caused the downfall of Tennessee. It could happen to anyone. (Dubose, Fran, Price, Shula, etc)
Series of abysmal hires and attrition has caused the downfall of Tennessee. It could happen to anyone. (Dubose, Fran, Price, Shula, etc)
Posted on 5/23/13 at 5:26 pm to ohiovol
He had 2 bad years out of like 16. Program would probably be in a better place with him still around.
Posted on 5/23/13 at 5:30 pm to WDE24
quote:
He had 2 bad years out of like 16. Program would probably be in a better place with him still around.
Maybe, but that would only be because we would have never hired Dooley.
And it's not like we fired him in the 90's. When he was fired, it was obvious how far behind Tennessee had fallen.
Posted on 5/23/13 at 5:33 pm to MC Ride
You've put entirely too much thought into this. Tennessee made two bad coaching hires. South Carolina has Steve Spurrier. End of discussion.
Posted on 5/23/13 at 6:01 pm to ChicagoVol
I've always thought UT's decline benefited USC, but USC definitely didn't cause it.
USC landing recruits that UT typically landed in the 90s and early 2000s may be playing a factor in why UT has stayed down for so long though.
DJ Swearenger was going to UT before Fulmer got fired for instance, and thats right around the time that we flipped the switch in keeping the top instate talent from going elsewhere
USC landing recruits that UT typically landed in the 90s and early 2000s may be playing a factor in why UT has stayed down for so long though.
DJ Swearenger was going to UT before Fulmer got fired for instance, and thats right around the time that we flipped the switch in keeping the top instate talent from going elsewhere
Posted on 5/23/13 at 6:08 pm to ChicagoVol
quote:
Tennessee made three bad coaching hires.
Posted on 5/23/13 at 6:13 pm to ChicagoVol
quote:
You've put entirely too much thought into this. Tennessee made two bad coaching hires. South Carolina has Steve Spurrier. End of discussion.
This X a million. Its really very simple. No one has kept UT down, just its shitty coach over the past three years.
Posted on 5/23/13 at 6:43 pm to Swoopin
Posted on 5/23/13 at 6:45 pm to MC Ride
quote:
Things began going south for Tennessee in 2008.
lolololol
Page 1 of 2
Popular
Back to top
Follow SECRant for SEC Football News