VTTW Board Index

No surprise there.  Now the million dollar question is, who will replace him?  It's the most important hire Pruitt will make. 

Word is we're also about to land LSU's "GM" Austin Thomas.  Nobody really seems to "know" what he officially does there, but apparently he's really important- some sort of "recruit whisperer".  Someone on Voltwitter called him "The Worldwide Wes of CFB".  That doesn't make me feel uneasy about him.  Not one little bit. :inughout:

Also, Chris Weinke is not a done deal.  Sounds like Pruitt wants him for an analyst position similar to what he did for Saban, and he wants to be a fulltime coach.  Can't blame him for that.  FSU may be a player there.

Other than that, I would guess we won't hear much more news on the staffing front until bammer's season is over and Pruitt is back in Knoxville full-time.

https://twitter.com/volquest_rivals/status/940659569142960129

This will be around the 5th S&C coach in the past 6-7 years....Need someone that will be here. Changing S&C coaches with different styles isn't for the good for the program. Same with a OC....Butch had 3 in 5 years.

The main reason everyone wants Weinke is because he was the HC at IMG Academy for five years, and he obviously still has strong connections at the country's #1 HS football factory.  It really has nothing to do with his coaching ability.  That's probably why Saban and Pruitt didn't want him on their fulltime staff.

Hopefully we get some great recruiters onboard. Lots of decommits lately. Hopefully we can salvage some of them.

I saw a video of Fulmer discussing this "new" GM concept. I don't know when the video/interview was done, but it was before he became AD. It would be nice to see UT get out in front of a new trend for once! I take it as sort of a recruiting coord/talent evaluation/scout position that doesn't have to be counted against coaching limit.

https://247sports.com/college/lsu/Article/LSUs-31-year-old-GM-Austin-Thomas-is-changing-the-game-52160550

From what I have seen, Austin Thomas really is a GM jack of all trades.  He was allowed to recruit since LSU was short a coach, and was ranked #2 recruiter in the SEC for that year.  But his main job is to keep everything smooth off the field.  Scheduling, mediating, first point of contact for press and for high school coaches, etc. etc. etc.  I have seen nothing to indicate even remotely the World Wide Wes comment.  I do think his position makes a lot of sense, let the coaches coach and the AD do his ADing, and the GM takes care of the day to day nuances (or nuisances).

Acree 100%

If it will help us win, I'm all for it.  He has a clean record, so as far as I'm concerned, we should hire him.  All I'm saying is, there are whispers about him that are out there. 

There are also whispers about Cochran.  I'm one of the people doing the whispering.  And I want to hire him, too. :dance:

Everyone harps on the strength coach underachievement contributing to injuries, but injuries also go up with the number of plays.  Which is to say, while i think the HUNH has it's place and can and should be used at times, using it all the time leaves your team open to injuries.  Butch Jones teams generally played a lot of plays, well over the average, and this likely contributed to all the injuries.

We didn't run a hurry-up much this past season.  No huddle sometimes, yes, but not a hurry up.  And even if we had, our offense couldn't stay on the field anyway.  I'm sure we had to have set a UT record for 3 and outs in a single season.

Went 14 quarters without a offensive TD? That has to be a record. In 14 quarters you should screw up a play and score by accident.

I don't buy that at all, not even for a dollar!...recent changes in NCAA rules regarding timekeeping greatly reduced number of plays overall.  The injury thing is not just this swason, it is every CBJ season.  Play numbers just doesn't adequetly explain it all or even begin to, IMO.  How many injuries did we have in practice?  A lot of that happened.  It would be worth doing a study on, for sure - valuable info there.  Something was being done wrong.  It was not just bad luck.  Strength, conditioning, flexibility are the most likely culprits.  And then there is playing surface and equipment.

Actually there was a study on number of plays vs. injuries that came out a couple years ago, and it showed a clear correlation.  I can't find it now, but really there is no need, it's just common sense.

Regardless it likely was more than that, but I am certain it was a contributor.  I'll keep looking for the study. and post if I find it.  I am certain it's somewhere below also.

If you can shut down the run, you're gonna get a lot of 3 and outs, thereby reducing your defensive snaps.  Conversely, if you're giving up 5 yards a carry, you're gonna be out there longer AND you're gonna get fatigued, amplifying the injury potential.  On offense, running success shortens the game by keeping the clock running, and it allows you to play more aggressively, shifting the likelihood of injuries to the defense.