re: Excuse my ignorance but why is there so little football talent in Tennessee?

A lot of the talent that Tennessee has is from private schools in the Memphis and Nashville areas. Knoxville is decent, but most of the talent is from a few schools like Maryville & Alcoa. It seems like UT doesn't seem to go after the local talent, especially around Knoxville. For example, Randall Cobb is from Alcoa and UT let snatch him up from their own backyard. Harrison Smith (current Vikings safety) is from Catholic HS in Knoxville and Notre Dame got him.

The talent in Knoxville has dropped since about 2007/2008 though.