ADVERTISEMENT

FB RECRUITING Tennessee is in the top 10...

We are looking for guys that can compete...not necessarily those that have talent.
 
With the article stating that Murfreesboro is the center of top talent in the state, you would expect we could get a few top players based on location alone.
 
I've accepted that MT doesn't sign any of The Tennessean's "Dandy Dozen mid-state players. Heck, we don't even get mentioned as having offered any of them, much less been on their final list.

And not any on this list of the top 50 Tennessee recruits are signed by MT yet three are signed by conference rivals.

And we have a HC whose recruiting prowess was touted when he was hired???
 
  • Like
Reactions: mtfblue
Yeah very surprising that you wouldn't at least make an offer to a local kid or more kids in TN. Even the highly ranked kids. You might get someone to look at you just based on location. Also, if they commit somewhere else and later want to transfer at least you have some sort of connection with them already. You never know who is going to get homesick and want to come back to the area. Makes a lot of sense to me to at least try.
 
Guys, come on. If you 18, MOST want to go away and see something new. The idea that we don't try to reach the kids that we think we can get is wrong.

Right now its a tough sell because the local kids see the good, bad and ugly of MT.

I am sure they try. In general, recruiting isn't a big problem for us compared to many G5 schools. This year, it looks like our class will be in the 60s - that is more than acceptable.
 
Mike; I agree that possibly MOST prospects want to go away but SOME of them want to play relatively close to home so family, friends, etc. can inexpensively see them play in person. Shouldn't we be able to convince even a small percentage to stay close to home or in-state on a regular basis?

As for local players seeing the bad aspects of MT: Yes, in the area it's common knowledge that we have attendance problems, resulting money woes, and that we get virtually no mid-state press which among other negatives are reasons they might write off MT as a destination. No doubt some other school's recruiters use any negative to turn kids away as do some of the hangers-ons which athletes attract. But, TN is a wide state and even if we can't attract players from Nashville and The Boro who are close enough to see our warts surely we can reach out across the state. (as an aside: wonder how these lists looked when MT did sign in-state kids - the two from Knox Fulton for example)

My major beef with the local recruiting is that WKU, and recently Memphis, do as well or better that we do in our own backyard. UT-K and the school on West End I understand; Non "power" conference schools, not so much.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SpaceRaider
Many of the top 50 recruits in Tn wouldn't crack the top 100 in Ga or Fla.

That said, if an MT coach signs an out-of-state kid over one from Tn then I figure the coach has a good reason - be it grades, attitude, ability or a combination of the three.
 
  • Like
Reactions: C-Bow
I don’t pretend to have any expertise on evaluating players, but I do think there is a real situation that the perception of MT among potential recruits is perhaps better in Georgia or Florida than it is in Tennessee. If my theory is correct, that opens up the question of why, which has been discussed plenty of times over the years on the board.
 
whats weird is, in-state players can take advantage of the HOPE Lottery scholarships which is a ton of extra money for school. This is a huge recruiting advantage. This extra money alone should be a huge reason why a kid would choose us over a conference rival. Vast majority of these are poor and getting an extra $5000+ per year is a MASSIVE recruiting advantage. This is literally money in their pockets. Thousands of dollars in their pocket, completely legal, no questions asked.

It baffles me we do not sign more quality players from Tennessee. I do not understand how so many conference rivals steal players from us in Tennessee. It shouldn't happen, ever. Maybe very rarely, but not like it is right now. Something isn't adding up here.
 
For kicks and giggles, I just looked up our roster...I counted 36 players on our team from Tennessee (may have been off a few up or down). While many of these guys are not starters I think the idea we don't try to sign TN guys is not accurate.
 
whats weird is, in-state players can take advantage of the HOPE Lottery scholarships which is a ton of extra money for school. This is a huge recruiting advantage. This extra money alone should be a huge reason why a kid would choose us over a conference rival. Vast majority of these are poor and getting an extra $5000+ per year is a MASSIVE recruiting advantage. This is literally money in their pockets. Thousands of dollars in their pocket, completely legal, no questions asked.

It baffles me we do not sign more quality players from Tennessee. I do not understand how so many conference rivals steal players from us in Tennessee. It shouldn't happen, ever. Maybe very rarely, but not like it is right now. Something isn't adding up here.

its my understanding if you're a full scholarship athlete you can only get your scholarship money and FA. anything else is not allowed.
 
its my understanding if you're a full scholarship athlete you can only get your scholarship money and FA. anything else is not allowed.

could have sworn that my friends on the team still got the HOPE lottery scholarship when I was in school. Maybe things have changed but I'm almost certain when I was school at MT(2003 - 2008) that some players were getting HOPE money.
 
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT