Disturbing Comments From Jeremy Pruitt
Let’s get right to the bottom of Jeremy Prutt saying the offensive coordinator is sometimes “overrated” during early signing period yesterday.
He’s trying to save face because he doesn’t have an offensive coordinator yet.
It wasn’t overrated when he was trying to lure Hugh Freeze. It wasn’t overrated when Eli Drinkwitz, Dan Enos, Mike Yurcich, or any number of coaches were mentioned.
Dismissing the role of offensive coordinator isn’t what I want to hear from a defensive minded coach who saw the Vols’ offense crumble at the end of the season.
The latest spin from Knoxville was not having an offensive coordinator was a product of focusing on recruiting.
Wouldn’t it help out recruiting if recruits knew who was in place on the coaching staff? If the team was going to run or pass?
As it is the Vols picked up six offensive linemen including the two tight ends who obviously were motivated to play on a team with lots of opportunities to start right away, but also perhaps that the highest ranking offensive assistant at Tennessee, Will Friend, is the offensive line coach.
Tennessee currently has no running backs coming in on a team that could use some. Noah Cain chose Penn State instead of the Vols, who never really were at the top of his list despite the fact he probably could have an immediate chance at playing time in Knoxville.
Would Cain be a Vol if there was on offensive coordinator in place? Who knows? But it certainly didn’t help matters any.
Still, Tennessee is hoping Eric Gray of Memphis will commit today at 1 p.m. Eastern.
The good news for Vols fans is if Gray does come to Knoxville, he’s likely a superior back to Cain.
The fact Cain is ranked higher than Gray in recruiting rankings shows their failings. While Gray actually has a 3,000 yard rushing season in high school and averaged more than 10 yards a carry last year playing at a Tennessee prep school, Cain didn’t even play that much, failing to rush for 1,000 yards in either of his past two seasons.
But Cain went to IMG Academy in Bradenton, the fifth ranked high school football program in the country this season, and the leading prep school for football prospects.
Doesn’t matter his 40 time is slower than Gray’s. Doesn’t matter Gray comes from a football family with his uncle a former Ohio State Buckeye.
Cain is ranked the 68th best prospect in the country and Gray is 171st.
Common sense indicates if you’re ranking the 68th best prospect in the country, let alone the 171st, it’s a crapshoot. Common sense also indicates this ranking is more of a product of the relationship IMG Academy has with the likes of the recruiting services than anything else.
It’s really amazing so many put so much stock in recruiting rankings when they are so obviously flawed. Right now 11 of the top 24 rated Rivals recruiting classes are from the Southeastern Conference, 12 of the first 28, and 13 of the first 31.
Is that because they really are the best recruiting classes, or is it because the SEC is so popular and SEC fans buy subscriptions to recruiting websites and fans of say, Central Florida do not?
The Golden Knights have the 50th ranked recruiting class.
But the same fan who will say they deserve a chance at the national title will often take recruiting rankings to be gospel.
Point is, don’t use a recruiting ranking to defend Pruitt’s claim an offensive coordinator is overrated. It isn’t.
As of now the prognosticators are saying Gray is likely to choose the Vols. But if he doesn’t, can one really dismiss the fact his other suitor, South Carolina, has an offensive coordinator in place who played in the NFL and was once a running backs coach?
Marky Billson hosts Tri-Cities Sports NOW 12–2 p.m. ET weekdays on 1420 WEMB Sports Radio. Watch him here and here, live and archived.
