I am glad for everyone we signed but if we don't make some huge strides

[Inspector Vol]

next year in recruiting, it is gonna get even tougher for Vol fans. If we can't keep teams from cherry picking our best in state talent we will never get back.

Hamilton just made a blooming mess of things.     

[Creek Walker]

Next year is THE year for Butch. There is more in-state talent in the 2014 class than there has been in a while and we're going to be going head-to-head with Franklin and Vandy. If Butch can't lock down the recruits he wants, it's going to be tough for him to succeed here.

I'm not disappointed with this class, though. I haven't followed closely but it seems that UT got many of the guys they wanted. Bell is obviously a disappointment but there is only so much you can do when you're coming in late and your predecessor did you no favors. Dooley locked down a top 10 class in his first rodeo but Kiffin had done a lot of work towards that class.

[Inspector Vol]

I feel better about the amount of work Butch puts in recruiting and his style of letting people know what he is doing. I am just ready for us to win some of these battles instead of having to search for diamonds in the rough that rarely work out. I want to strike gold again.

[Clockwork Orange]

There are some good players in this class, and it amazes me how much stock fans can put into the college choice of a single player. Vonn Bell is the difference between UT fans celebrating and moaning right now, and when you think about the grand scheme . . . 85 scholarship players signed over 4-5 years . . . one player is simply not that important. This is the biggest day of the year for overreaction in the UT fanbase and always has been. Not so much on VTTW, but if you look around the other Vol sites you'd think the average age of UT fans was about 13 with the childish reactionary responses.

I'm not trying to put lipstick on a pig here . . . I would rather be up there in the top 10 rather than around 20-25, but one kid does not make or break a class, a team, or a program. I think Jones did a pretty good job locking down the guys we needed to keep and added several quality players that we were not in on before.

I agree that next year's class is big, and it's big for a number of reasons. Thankfully Jones and staff will have a whole year to establish and cultivate those relationships rather than having to pull a rabbit out of their hats in less than 2 months.

Lesser recruiting classes have led to championships, and greater classes have been huge flops. If we have a staff that can coach then the evidence will be on the field and the talent will follow.

[Inspector Vol]

My cherry picking comment wasn't really about Bell, but next year when the state of TN is supposed to be loaded. saban  ,meyer  and every other SEC coach will be after them. We may not get them all but we need to get a lot of them to put us back on the map.

I try to stay indifferent to the ongoing struggles because I know its cyclical, but my patience wears thin at times. I hope Butch can improve the on field product and cause some excitement in the program. If he can do that this next year then maybe he can be the guy who turns it around. Just glad I don't have to watch dooley jumping around like a doofus anymore. He helped us get over kiffin some but turned out to be a position coach at best. That is why I blame hamilton for our fails in football, he was the one constant.

[Clockwork Orange]

My rant wasn't aimed at you, IV. It just seemed a convenient place to put it. Nobody here has been displaying the kind of silliness I'm talking about.

[Hollerboy]

Every player is important....we dont have the depth of talent to keep missing out on our share of 4 and 5 star players.  We needed a big-time commit in order to have some feelings of hope.  I understand all the stuff about new staff, etc. but it seems like a long time since we had a top 10 class....oh wait, it has been a long time since we had a top 10 class.  I am simply disappointed that we didnt have a better class....not blaming CBJ at all, but I really needed/wanted a good class with a few big time surprises....we got some surprises but not what I would call "big-time".  This fan base cant keep on hoping for next year to be better, or that the next coach will be better, or the next AD or Chancellor will be better.  I am fairly disappointed...but then again, I am usually disappointed these days.  We will probably lose the Orange and White game this year. 

[UTnbama]

Congrats to all those players who signed with UT, hope you have stellar UT and NFL careers. Not disappointed with this year, all things considered, but believe CBJ will have a great 2014. 2014 is ground zero for this staff, and this football program. This staff gets it as far as recruiting is concerned, and everything else they've done is right on. CBJ has shown he can coach players to a higher level and win championships. Very proud to have CBJ and staff.

[droner]

After what this program has been through, it will have to climb back on its feet before we can run with the big boys in recruiting. Butch did pretty well considering what he walked into and how much time he had. Next year he has to do better. Then he has to maintain it.

For now, it's about as good as we could expect from this mess. Perhaps better, all things considered.