Tennessee fires Jeremy Pruitt / hires Josh Heupel

[GoSU96]

Marrone used to express opinions all the time about recruiting. He wasn't fond of it.

I went to some of those, don't remember his saying he hated recruiting. I think he hated losing recruits to places like Rutgers.

He was definitely frustrated with how hard it was to get kids here.

 

[money3189]

Marrone's dislike of recruiting is a board myth

He was sharp and methodical in recruiting. He knew his stuff but I can see why people would interpret the things they think about him. He doesn't have that engaging personality.

 

[money3189]

I went to some of those, don't remember his saying he hated recruiting. I think he hated losing recruits to places like Rutgers.

He was definitely frustrated with how hard it was to get kids here.

I would like to hear the sound bite of that. No coach would ever tell someone they hate recruiting. You are right on. He was frustrated. He left Syracuse right at the time when it was going to get easier for him to recruit.

 

[CousCuse]

Regarding DM's recruiting ability. If he were to be kept in place, he would develop a o-line development program that would be top notch and would be a conduit to the NFL. That's why Saban wants him, and once you have that in place, QB's WR's and RB's recruit themselves. You got to put the horse before the cart.

 

[whobut03]

Marrone would still be here if it wasn't for Gross. That's a fact. Blame Daryl.

 

[Alsacs]

Marrone would still be here if it wasn't for Gross. That's a fact. Blame Daryl.

Marrone left for the NFL.
Not many coaches would turn down the job he got when he left here.
He didn’t leave for another college job.
He missed out on IPF and more resources for football operations but this wasn’t a good job for him.

 

[whobut03]

Marrone left for the NFL.
Not many coaches would turn down the job he got when he left here.
He didn’t leave for another college job.
He missed out on IPF and more resources for football operations but this wasn’t a good job for him.

If he wanted to be in Buffalo so bad why didn't he stay there? The relationship between him and Daryl was so bad that he moved his office as far away from Gross's as possible and was interviewing for OC positions in the NFL during the 2012 season.

He was promised more resources and an IPF when he got hired. It was a big point Doug made while being interviewed. Gross didn't deliver.

 

[Briancuse]

He may not hate it as much at a place that is easier to get recruits. And he may enjoy coaching more when he has more say over who he coaches and has a chance to have a talent advantage in a number of games.

Really, I have no clue what he will look for in his next job. Maybe he's a pro guy through and through or maybe his time away from the college game has allowed him to forget some of the aspects he didn't like about it and he' ready to return.

Tennessee isn't what it used to be, it no longer sells its self. You have to deal with Florida, Georgia, Bama, Clemson, Mac is next door recruiting well at Unc. You have to work at it now, not Dougs forte.

 

[Alsacs]

If he wanted to be in Buffalo so bad why didn't he stay there? The relationship between him and Daryl was so bad that he moved his office as far away from Gross's as possible and was interviewing for OC positions in the NFL during the 2012 season.

He was promised more resources and an IPF when he got hired. It was a big point Doug made while being interviewed. Gross didn't deliver.

Marrone left Buffalo because his agent is smart and saw the team was going to change ownership groups.
He put a clause in the contract if the ownership group changed he could get out of the contract while being paid the amount due in the contract for no penalty.
Marrone’s agent did this for Bill Parcells when he was with the Dolphins and they got a new owner.
Parcels didn’t want to be locked into working for someone he didn’t agree to work for.

Marrone used Parcells as a mentor when he got the Bills job thru the mutual friendship with Sean Payton.

Marrone used the clause with Pegulas bought the Bills.
He got paid his full amount to not coach.
Then he thought he would the get the NY Jets job but Manish Metta used people who had an axe to grind with Marrone to kill his chances at that job because Marrone wouldn’t play ball with Metta.

Metta has a really shady past and he finally got his this year.

Marrone didn’t get the Jets job and worked his way to get the Jaguars job after being the assistant HC and OL coach.

Marrone is a pro coach. I mean if he goes Alabama he is coaching pros.

 

[Alsacs]

Tennessee isn't what it used to be, it no longer sells its self. You have to deal with Florida, Georgia, Bama, Clemson, Mac is next door recruiting well at Unc. You have to work at it now, not Dougs forte.

Tennessee gets top 10 recruiting classes a lot.
Butch Jones got multiple top 5 classes.
Talent isn’t the issue at Tennessee it’s coaching.

 

[Briancuse]

Tennessee gets top 10 recruiting classes a lot.
Butch Jones got multiple top 5 classes.
Talent isn’t the issue at Tennessee it’s coaching.

He recruited hard, he just couldn't coach them up.

 

[Alsacs]

He recruited hard, he just couldn't coach them up.

Tennessee recruits for itself.
Pretty much every SEC team outside of Vandy gets annual top 25 classes.

Marrone wouldn’t have to recruit hard if he got the job.
Talent wouldn’t be an issue at Tennessee.

 

[Briancuse]

Tennessee recruits for itself.
Pretty much every SEC team outside of Vandy gets annual top 25 classes.

Marrone wouldn’t have to recruit hard if he got the job.
Talent wouldn’t be an issue at Tennessee.

Im not so sure it does anymore, this isn't 2000, its been a while since they have been relevant. In that area you have to deal with all those schools I mentioned above, you still have to work hard in recruiting. Jones and Pruitt did they just couldn't coach.

 

[sufandu]

Tennessee isn't what it used to be, it no longer sells its self. You have to deal with Florida, Georgia, Bama, Clemson, Mac is next door recruiting well at Unc. You have to work at it now, not Dougs forte.

It's not what it used to be, but, if you look at recent classes across a number of recent coaches, they've still been highly ranked. The resources are still there to be elite, similar to Alabama before Saban got there. If the right coach/staff is ever put in place, and I hate saying this since I live in Knoxville, they could be a SEC and national contender fairly quickly.

 

[Alsacs]

Im not so sure it does anymore, this isn't 2000, its been a while since they have been relevant. In that area you have to deal with all those schools I mentioned above, you still have to work hard in recruiting. Jones and Pruitt did they just couldn't coach.

Tennessee has a top 10 class THIS year.

2020 Recruit Football Team Rankings

In order to create the most comprehensive Team Recruiting Ranking without any notion of bias, 247Sports Team Recruiting Ranking is solely based on the 247Sports Composite Rating.

247sports.com

They recruit every year.
They can’t coach and don’t have any discipline in the locker room.

Marrone wouldn’t have to recruit if he took the job. I think Bill O’Brien could be a candidate for it not Marrone.

 

[Briancuse]

It's not what it used to be, but, if you look at recent classes across a number of recent coaches, they've still been highly ranked. The resources are still there to be elite, similar to Alabama before Saban got there. If the right coach/staff is ever put in place, and I hate saying this since I live in Knoxville, they could be a SEC and national contender fairly quickly.

Its still a great place to go to school for 4 years, but they haven't been relevant in quite some time, you aren't going to just get a kid because Peyton Manning went there 20 plus years ago. Bama, Clemson, Uga and Florida have been much much better programs, you still have to work hard to get kids, That isn't Doug's thing.

 

[sufandu]

It's not what it used to be, but, if you look at recent classes across a number of recent coaches, they've still been highly ranked. The resources are still there to be elite, similar to Alabama before Saban got there. If the right coach/staff is ever put in place, and I hate saying this since I live in Knoxville, they could be a SEC and national contender fairly quickly.

Their class was 10th in 2020 and 4th in 2015. Your perception of them does not match the regional perception of them. And regional perception is most important since most of their recruits will come from the the southeast.

 

[Briancuse]

Tennessee has a top 10 class THIS year.

2020 Recruit Football Team Rankings

In order to create the most comprehensive Team Recruiting Ranking without any notion of bias, 247Sports Team Recruiting Ranking is solely based on the 247Sports Composite Rating.

247sports.com

They recruit every year.
They can’t coach and don’t have any discipline in the locker room.

Marrone wouldn’t have to recruit if he took the job. I think Bill O’Brien could be a candidate for it not Marrone.

Marrone could take over that roster right now and win some games, but it still comes down to recruiting, and Marrone has even come out and said he doesn't like it. Pruitt was an awful coach but had great relationships because of what he did at Alabama and recruited well.

 

[Alsacs]

Their class was 10th in 2020 and 4th in 2015. Your perception of them does not match the regional perception of them. And regional perception is most important since most of their recruits will come from the the southeast.

Tennessee is Texas A&M before they left the Big XII for the SEC.
Their rivals own them and that is what kills that fanbase.
Alabama and Florida now Georgia as well.

The team has talent and oozes potential every year.
Their QB from NJ has killed them with terrible games in big spots.

The talent is there it’s a poor structure because of culture and leadership.

Marrone would gameplan the talent well and they would be better.
Now they wouldn’t be Alabama but Tennessee has no business not going 9-3 annually.

 

[GoSU96]

Marrone would still be here if it wasn't for Gross. That's a fact. Blame Daryl.

i don’t know about that, but he would have been here a couple of seasons longer if they had come through on facilities

 

[Alsacs]

Marrone could take over that roster right now and win some games, but it still comes down to recruiting, and Marrone has even come out and said he doesn't like it. Pruitt was an awful coach but had great relationships because of what he did at Alabama and recruited well.

Cmon man they would recruit fine with Marrone as the HC.
Recruiting is the only thing Tennessee does well right now.

Their problem is coaching.
It’s perfect stop for Marrone.
Put 2009 Doug Marrone at Tennessee that program is good.

He would coach them up and be competitive. They wouldn’t beat Alabama but nobody does.

 

[Briancuse]

Cmon man they would recruit fine with Marrone as the HC.
Recruiting is the only thing Tennessee does well right now.

Their problem is coaching.
It’s perfect stop for Marrone.
Put 2009 Doug Marrone at Tennessee that program is good.

He would coach them up and be competitive. They wouldn’t beat Alabama but nobody does.

They have recruited well because they have had good recruiters there. Tennessee no longer sells itself its been 15 years since they have played for an sec title. There is no doubt Doug would steal some games because of his coaching ability. But I just don't see him hitting the recruiting trail hard.

 

[sufandu]

Its still a great place to go to school for 4 years, but they haven't been relevant in quite some time, you aren't going to just get a kid because Peyton Manning went there 20 plus years ago. Bama, Clemson, Uga and Florida have been much much better programs, you still have to work hard to get kids, That isn't Doug's thing.

You're comparing them to Alabama and Clemson. Compare them to what it was like for him at Syracuse in 2010. That's what matters. Tennessee is still thought of well enough in the southeast that recruiting wouldn't be an issue. Their perception isn' as bad as you think it is. They started this season in the top 25 and were in the top 10 as recently as the middle of the 2016 season.

If he was an assistant and not the head guy, he wouldn't have to deal with the boosters as much. They're not that far from getting over the hump to get them to where Florida or Georgia are.

 

[Alsacs]

They have recruited well because they have had good recruiters there. Tennessee no longer sells itself its been 15 years since they have played for an sec title. There is no doubt Doug would steal some games because of his coaching ability. But I just don't see him hitting the recruiting trail hard.

Remember Greg Atkins?
Marrone would have a coaching staff full of them that could recruit in the SEC.

He wouldn’t have to recruit hard at Tennessee they would recruit for themselves.

Marrone would have them 8-4 to 10-2 a lot.
They play Alabama, Georgia, Florida every year.

 

[Briancuse]

You're comparing them to Alabama and Clemson. Compare them to what it was like for him at Syracuse in 2010. That's what matters. Tennessee is still thought of well enough in the southeast that recruiting wouldn't be an issue. Their perception isn' as bad as you think it is. They started this season in the top 25 and were in the top 10 as recently as the middle of the 2016 season.

If he was an assistant and not the head guy, he wouldn't have to deal with the boosters as much. They're not that far from getting over the hump to get them to where Florida or Georgia are.

They are competing with those schools for players, yes they started the season in the top 25, there was a time where they started every season in the top 15. Like I said its been 15 years since they played for an sec title. I love Knoxville I think its a great place to go to school but its not the same sell job that it used to be. Those top 10 recruiting classes didn't just magically end up there, both Butch Jones and Pruitt are regarded as very good recruiters, part of the reason both were hired. Now if Doug hired some really good recruiting assistants, could it work out? Sure, I just dont see him going there.