Tennessee on its way back to power? Paul Finebaum believes so based on the response from SEC rivals
Thanks to an outstanding week on the recruiting trail, with more good news expected in the days to come, Tennessee has captured the national spotlight in recent days.
Landing several elite prospects in recruiting in quick fashion isn’t that unheard of in SEC recruiting but given the fact that there’s simply no other sports to entertain us at the moment, Tennessee’s splash on the recruiting trail has been causing waves.
It’s not just Paul Finebaum that’s taken notice, either. Since Tennessee’s rise in the recruiting rankings began a Florida staffer mocked one of Tennessee’s commits, an Oklahoma staffer called out the hype created by the Vols’ momentum and Georgia has subtweeted Tennessee with a highlight video as Jeremy Pruitt’s program has surged passed them all on the recruiting rankings.
Tennessee’s recruiting class currently ranks No. 1 in the SEC and is on the cusp of overtaking North Carolina for the No. 2 ranking nationally.
During his weekly appearance on Birmingham-based WJOX 94.5 FM radio program “The Roundtable,” Finebaum shared his thoughts on Tennessee’s recent success and noted that the best sign that Pruitt’s program is on the rise comes from all the other rivals calling out the Vols.
“He’s getting players that Tennessee has not gotten in a long time so he’s learned from others, especially his old boss in Tuscaloosa,” Finebaum said on the show. “I think he feels and senses the momentum, so he’s playing to it and no matter how you slice it, Jeremy Pruitt’s recruiting has been the story of this spring. And the reason why I’m convinced that Tennessee is on the cusp of returning to power is I am hearing criticism from other schools, competing schools – from rivals, that he’s not doing that great.
“I haven’t heard anybody mentioned Tennessee recruiting in so long, I mean you have to go back almost to me outside of a brief moment with Butch Jones and Lane Kiffin for about 20 minutes, you have to go back to the heyday of Phil Fulmer. It is amazing — the perception out there right now. There’s nothing going on so if you create a perception, it is going to carry you and I think they’re building off of it.”
Pruitt, of course, has a long history of coaching in the state of Alabama and around the South, so Finebaum is no stranger to the former Crimson Tide assistant coach.
The way the SEC Network host views things, the key to Tennessee’s success in recruiting rests on Pruitt’s ability to identify prospects early on during the recruiting process. That’s something that gives Tennessee an edge few SEC programs have at this time, according to Finebaum.
“I’m not really that surprised when you know Jeremy Pruitt, and all of us on this program know him,” Finebaum added. “He’s always been a really good recruiter — he may be even a better evaluator, I mean he is in the Nick Saban class, in terms of Nick Saban protegees, I think he may be the best evaluator. And that really makes a big difference in recruiting and Tennessee fans have been hungry and thirsty, and they’ve had a voracious attitude appetite for a long time and I think they’re finally getting a return.”
Following up those comments, Finebaum was then asked which program has more momentum heading into the 2020 season, Florida or Tennessee?
“I think it’s Tennessee, because they’re coming from so far back,” Finebaum answered. “And I don’t mean to diminish Dan Mullen, I mean his program is already there. His program right now is right behind Georgia nipping at Georgia’s heels trying to take over, so momentum is an interesting word to use.”
Finebaum just won himself some new fans on Rocky Top with that comment.
Maybe next year it’ll be time “To Fear the Pumpkin” again…we’ll see.
“The team with the Best Players Usually Wins unless We Coaches screw it up”-Bobby Bowden of Florida State.
Good ole Bobby. That could have been said by Kirby Richt as well
I’m not sure about 2020 in particular, but I do believe Tennessee will be a power again very soon. Pruitt has a great staff and is very quickly upgrading the roster. Things in the East are going to be very interesting this decade and I expect and hope for some monumental divisional games.
LOL. Pruitt has “gotten” anyone yet.
‘Memba last year when Floriduh had a “top-3” recruiting class at this time? ‘Memba?
I ‘memba.
But you keep on believin’, Michael Wayne Bratton. It’s literally all you have.
Cocks beat GA.
GA beat TN.
TN beat Cocks.
Cocks beat GA.
And the only thing that matters between you and I is that Georgia owns you, and have since 2000. Twenty years of ownage, son.
But sure, you go crow about a class with a composite score of 89. And then enjoy finishing outside the top-10 in recruiting in December and then outside the top-25 in the rankings after losing a Gator Bowl or whatever.
Do you know what Tennessee means? It’s an Indian word for “8 wins a season.”
You own us huh? Tell that to Josh Dobbs
Memba when UGA blew the National Championship game?
Memba when UGA blew the SEC Championship game?
Memba when you used a racist name?
I memba them all.
What I don’t memba was when you posted a non-jag nut comment.
You can’t fix stupid, and this Moron is the personification of stupid. He still doesn’t realize his latest name is dumb and wrong, another of his predictions that never came true
How is making fun of Urban Meyer racist?
Could be because “corch” is how some black folk pronounce “coach” and that is not making fun of Meyer but on those who speak that way
Ehh, I’ll start saying they’re doing a significantly better job of recruiting when the average player ranking gets over 90. It’s not hard to have the #1 class in the SEC when you have 17 commits in May. In March, everyone was excited about Florida’s class and now they’re not. Tennessee is currently on par with last year’s recruiting class (also avg. 89) and I don’t recall Finebaum getting overly excited about that one.
For comparison, Bama is currently 12th in the SEC. Is Nick Saban doing a terrible job of recruiting? No.
Disclaimer for talking about “improved”: Better than Butch? Yeah. Good enough to push Florida for second in the East? Probably. Enough to put them at the top of the East? Not that I’m seeing.
I’m ok with Pruitt turning things around in Knoxville and getting TN back in Championship form. It’s time for someone else from the East to not only represent in the SEC Championship Game, but actually win it. Mizzou 2 years in a row couldn’t, FLA the following 2 couldn’t, GA won one but that didn’t last long getting splattered the last 2 yrs. Next.
Is there any team ever that had more talent and did less with it year after year than Georgia? They might as well have Richt back.
Go Vols.
Well, we’ve beaten the Vols 122 – 26 over the last 3 years. I’d say that’s doing something with it.
Like I said. Can’t win the big ones. When was the last time GA won a natty? ’80?
Vols won one in ’98.
Should have kept Richt.
He’s cheaper.
Go Cocks.
Winning the NC in 1998 provides very little footing to criticize UGA’s 1980 NC.
AND, there was a span of 7 years where the Vols beat the puppies 576-151, want to go another round????
LOL. Man you hillbillies are dumb.
You’ve got your fair share of dorks. Don’t kid yourself. People move to Nashville not Atlanta
You’re joking right? The Atlanta metro area has been one of the fastest growing areas in the country for the better part of 2 decades. The metro population went from 4 million to 6 million in that time. How did Nashville do in that time? I can guarantee not as good as Atlanta.
Man you are a racist.
For the last time that is not racist
Yea, and you jawja mobile home dwellers, married to your first cousin idiots are dumber….
GA is 4th best state for putting out college players. It has to be dissappointing.
GA is still better than TN at putting out recruits though
Less with more, a Georgia thing since 1980
Man balls back at it again. As bad as corch is, you’re the Florida version of him
102-41
Just think if Schiano had been hired. This all started with bring Phillip back.
Is that an error or does it say they are almost overtaking North Carolina at #2 nationally? Great recruiting for UT? Absolutely! UNC at #2 nationally show this is a smidge early for everyone to get all upset.
10 4 stars at UNC. Is it early? Of course. Should anyone scoff at 10 four stars? No.
It also shows Mack Brown is the real deal and he’s still got it.
Mack Brown is a force and will have UNC all up in the face of everyone soon. Pruitt is another that will start making some waves soon. The pecking order will change soon and I’m glad to see it. CFB has become a little stale , but times are changing . If Smart doesn’t poop soon he’s going to get knocked off the pot.
Agreed 100%
Mack my boy from Cookeville TN his brother Watson lost more games then anyone in NCAA I think here at Tech
Any team would rather be where Vols are today than below them.
Will ranking change?
Surely.
Is it great for now?
Absolutely.
Would Bama and GA and _______ fans love to be there?
You betcha.
No, I want to be in the top-3 after New Signing Day in December. Where Kirby’s finished the last three years. You can have this literally means nothing ranking. Just like Floriduh last year.
Also, this class so far ain’t that great. Composite 89 will get you maybe to the Citrus Bowl. Congrats.
Please explain all the losing in championship games and bowl games with all those top 3 classes. Doing less with more is nothing to brag about.
Georgia, where 5 stars go to waste, or the transfer portal
So far I really like the look of this recruiting class, but if we are going to stay up at the top nationally we need some blu chip offensive lineman. That is the one position group that is currently missing from this group.
Spot on 98. we need a few of the big uglies. One is announcing right now that we have a good chance at. need to get off here and turn on the radio. I really think the Mo is going to continue and we are going to end up having to say adios to some of the 3 star commits. Would like to see that sooner than later so they have ample time to go to another desirable location. In the end we should maintain another top 10 class and quite possibly a top 5 or better. For now its nice being where we are.
Not to pee on UTs’ picnic, but ole Butch hauled in some really good classes too, and we know what happened with him. The following were Jones’ recruiting class rankings per 247 composite. ( I omitted 2013 since that was Jones’ first class where he only had 2 months till signing day.)
2014 #7 nationally #5 in SEC
2015 #4 nationally #2 in SEC
2016 #14 nationally #7 in SEC
2017 #17 nationally #7 in SEC
Tip of the cap to Pruitt and his crew, but you still have to develop, scheme and coach. While Tenn. did show improvement in many areas last season, I think most would agree it’s still too early to tell if Pruitt is gonna return Tennessee to elite status.
Butch had some good classes…but man did he run a lot players off, showed favoritism. You have to develope the talent too, and I think he’s doing a better job of that, especially on defense.
Butch Jones is not a coach. Pruitt can coach. 3 recruiters of the year on his staff. There are 30 five stars. Vols have 2. Will probably get another. Pruitt doesn’t lose commits.
Vols have been down 10-12 years. All teams go up and down.
Remember when Bama couldn’t win a game?
GA leads series by ONE game after worse period in Tennessee history.
What Pruitt has done is doubly impressive given the fact that because of playoffs, only a handful of same old teams attract blue chippers.
Got to expand playoffs.
BTW 4 star OL Colby Smith just committed to UT Vols.
It’s great to be a Vol.
With signing of 4 star OL Colby Smith, Vols #2 in nation.
Checks the calendar… it’s May 4th. Not December 4th.
Man, it’s gonna be fun when Georgia finishes in the top-3 again, with a class that dwarfs Tennessee’s.
Kirby’s a closer. So keep crowing about your “Number 2” ranked class in May. Just like all the dumb Floriduh fans did last year. LOL.
Dumb
Calling corch dumb is an insult to dumb people everywhere. Even most UGA fans can’t stand him.
UGA fans keep crowing about top 3 recruiting classes. Bama, LSU, Texas and USC fans keep crowing about beating them. UGA is as bad as Texas claiming they are back. 1 SEC championship versus 2 losses doesn’t make you back. It just makes you average.
Uga has recruited at the highest level for a long time. They also have the obvious benefit of in state talent that rivals most anyone in the country. You have to really suck to not be able to recruit a top 5 class at Georgia. The problem for UGA is Dan Mullen and Jeremy Pruitt are both capable of recruiting right with him and both might be better coaches when all else is equal.
The Vols have had some great grabs on the recruiting trail. Anything can happen when signing day comes around but it’s a good day for them right now…
It’s funny watching the UGA fans trying to throw trash at the Vol fans for being happy at what appears to be a positive direction for their program.
lol poor ole corch can’t stand the Vols outshining the dogs this early. Everyone with half a brain, like corch, knows it’s our numbers right now. He just can’t stand UT or anyone else doing better than UGA for even a second.
Poor corch and his band of Georgia Morons are just upset you may take their 2021 recruiting national championship and leave them with nothing to brag about
There are no UGA “fans”. It’s just Corch. Don’t throw out dumb group comments. That’s just like me saying everyone in Alabama is a hillbilly. Are there hillbillies in Alabama? Probably. Is everyone in Alabama a hillbilly? No. If you want to call out corch then call him out but don’t throw out blanket statements.
Except it’s not just corch… Look at the articles about players committing to Vols.. You will find shots from LeghumperU, and kirbysmart at them as well just to name a few..
If you want to ignore the post of UGA fans that’s fine but they’re spread out through the commitment articles and it’s not just one person…
Besides you’re the guy that changed his screen name from 30014 to a Vols screen name and trolled them for months…
You’re part of that group of UGA fans that have people tired of the garbage.
You keep bringing me changing my screen name up as if I tried to hide it or something. You’re doing the same thing that you are “trying” to call UGA fans out for. It’s even worse because neither the article nor the comments had anything to do with bama. UGA lives in your head rent free the same as it does in TheRealcojones’ head.
And don’t forget how the ENTIRE comments section buried you and made you take time off from posting.
I didn’t bash the Vols and I haven’t taken any time off from posting so you’re wrong on both accounts…
Just because you admit that you trolled the Vols doesn’t make it better… Like I said you’re part of the group that got people tired of the garbage from UGA fans..
Once again you are wrong on several counts. It’s a whole lot more Georgia Morons than just corch, DumbsOfWar is at the same level and there’s a heck of a lot more.
BTW UGA does not live in my head I just like to give you Morons some payback.
Do you wonder why Gator, Bama, UT, Auburn and even some LSU fans seem to be uniting lately and calling out Georgia fan for the massive D bags you are as a whole with very few exceptions of which you are not one?
Georgia: The “We Almost Did It” state.
Georgia: The red-headed step – cousin of the SEC. You know, the one who has a story and an opinion about everything, but they never really produce results.
Georgia: Blowing it when it counts!
Georgia: biggest D bag fanbase on SDS
This statement checks out 100%
Says the biggest D bag on SDS
And what has Tennessee produced other than laughs and embarrassment?
2020: probably a decent season not great not terrible, decent bowl game
2021: a little better than 2020 2nd or 3rd in the east and a good bowl game
2022: serious contender for SEC East
2023: serious SEC champion and CFP contender