Lane Kiffin with the ultimate troll job of Tennessee on Twitter
Kiffen is Savage. Tweets about Tennessee written article....Basically how UT has top level recruits and they are all leaving the state to player for better programs. SAVAGE!
Lane Kiffin just canāt help himself, and it seems Tennessee is in the crosshairs of his social media campaign this offseason.
Coaches rarely use Twitter for any type of public statements other than riling up the fan base or building the brand for their program.
But Lane Kiffin just doesnāt care, and itās a beautiful thing.
On Monday, Kiffin again trolled Tennessee reposting a Gridiron Now article detailing how the top recruits in the Volunteer State are actually leaving the state to play football.
Tennessee loaded with top-level recruits ā but they're leaving the stateTennessee loaded with top-level recruits -- but they're leaving the state
ā Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) August 1, 2016
Kiffin isnāt afraid to take anything to the next level, and Iām sure that will be well received in Knoxville.
this is the article he was referencing
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. ā With one of the best group of recruits in history, in-state recruiting certainly has changed in Tennessee.
The mid-state area surrounding Nashville is chock full of talent, but that doesnāt necessarily mean prospects will flock to play for the Vols. Nashville is much like Atlanta a few decades ago: Both cities are filled with families that have moved into the area, not born and raised there.
Nashville has seen economic growth while other areas of the country have struggled. That means more families have moved in. But those families ā and the prospects from those families ā have previous allegiances.
Five-star prospect JaCoby Stevens is a prime example. He stars at Mufreesboroās Oakland High, but his family originally is from Louisiana, which is part of the reason he committed to LSU last September. The Les Miles fiasco caused Stevens to change his mind. Stevens is set to announce his college choice August 8, and the Vols arenāt even in the running. Stevens, who is one of the top three players in Tennessee and also one of the top 25 nationally, said Alabama, Auburn, Georgia and LSU are his finalists.
Amari Rodgers stars at Knoxville Catholic and his dad is former Vols QB Tee Martin. But Rodgers has committed to Clemson. COURTESY OF 247SPORTS.COM
Recruiting in the state of Tennessee is even more complicated because the improvement in talent is no secret. Alabama took advantage of some lean years in Knoxville by picking up linebacker Dontāa Hightower from Lewisburg, Tenn. The Crimson Tide also secured the Jones brothers ā Barrett, Harrison and Walker ā from Memphis. All three picked Alabama despite a strong push by the Vols.
Alabama now is trying to do the same with four-star offensive lineman Trey Smith from Jackson, Tenn. He has spoken glowingly about the Crimson Tide throughout his recruitment.
Clemson also has taken note. The Tigers have three commitments from Tennesseeans in the 2016 class: receivers Tee Higgins from Oak Ridge High and Amari Rodgers from Knoxville Catholic and running back Cordarrian Richardson from Memphis Trezevant. Higgins ā whose high school is about 25 miles from UTās campus ā is considered the top prospect in Tennessee, and Richardson and Rodgers are among the top seven. Higgins is a five-star prospect, while Richardson and Rodgers (whose dad is former Vols quarterback Tee Martin) are four-star prospects.
So where does that leave the Vols? Well, theyāre not going to throw in the towel when it comes to in-state recruiting. Theyāre still in the running with Smith, arenāt going to give up on Higgins and have four current in-state commitments, led by four-star safety Maleik Gray from LaVergne High, in the Nashville suburbs. Gray āwho lived in in Louisiana and was an LSU fan before moving ā is considered one of the stateās top five prospects.
But it does make one wonder if the Vols can depend on the mid-state area as much as it seemed when they landed nine of the top 11 prospects in the state in 2014. The competition may be too fierce moving forward for that to happen with any sort of regularity.
RELATED: Tennesseeās 3 biggest position battles in fall camp
RELATED: Jones: āI told our staff we need to embrace the expectationsā
RELATED: Reeves-Maybin: āWe got every game circledā
Immediate playing time was the main selling point then. Now, with a deeper roster, thatās no longer the case. The Vols need to prove ā sooner rather than later ā that they can compete with the nationās best teams, such as Alabama and Clemson. Then, the Vols can expect to have more in-state success and widen their reach a bit as well.
Actually, the Vols already have started to do that. Tennessee has commitments from prospects from nine states. Defensive tackle Breyon Gaddy from Virginia Beach, Va., was an impressive recent pickup. That could be a sign of things to come. The Vols have three commitments from Virginia Beach after signing just two prospects from the state of Virginia since 2011.
Clearly, in-state recruiting is evolving in Tennessee. The key for the Vols is to adapt. Winning even more would be a good start.
Kiffen is Savage. Tweets about Tennessee written article....Basically how UT has top level recruits and they are all leaving the state to player for better programs. SAVAGE!
Lane Kiffin just canāt help himself, and it seems Tennessee is in the crosshairs of his social media campaign this offseason.
Coaches rarely use Twitter for any type of public statements other than riling up the fan base or building the brand for their program.
But Lane Kiffin just doesnāt care, and itās a beautiful thing.
On Monday, Kiffin again trolled Tennessee reposting a Gridiron Now article detailing how the top recruits in the Volunteer State are actually leaving the state to play football.
Tennessee loaded with top-level recruits ā but they're leaving the stateTennessee loaded with top-level recruits -- but they're leaving the state
ā Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) August 1, 2016
Kiffin isnāt afraid to take anything to the next level, and Iām sure that will be well received in Knoxville.
this is the article he was referencing
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. ā With one of the best group of recruits in history, in-state recruiting certainly has changed in Tennessee.
The mid-state area surrounding Nashville is chock full of talent, but that doesnāt necessarily mean prospects will flock to play for the Vols. Nashville is much like Atlanta a few decades ago: Both cities are filled with families that have moved into the area, not born and raised there.
Nashville has seen economic growth while other areas of the country have struggled. That means more families have moved in. But those families ā and the prospects from those families ā have previous allegiances.
Five-star prospect JaCoby Stevens is a prime example. He stars at Mufreesboroās Oakland High, but his family originally is from Louisiana, which is part of the reason he committed to LSU last September. The Les Miles fiasco caused Stevens to change his mind. Stevens is set to announce his college choice August 8, and the Vols arenāt even in the running. Stevens, who is one of the top three players in Tennessee and also one of the top 25 nationally, said Alabama, Auburn, Georgia and LSU are his finalists.
Amari Rodgers stars at Knoxville Catholic and his dad is former Vols QB Tee Martin. But Rodgers has committed to Clemson. COURTESY OF 247SPORTS.COM
Recruiting in the state of Tennessee is even more complicated because the improvement in talent is no secret. Alabama took advantage of some lean years in Knoxville by picking up linebacker Dontāa Hightower from Lewisburg, Tenn. The Crimson Tide also secured the Jones brothers ā Barrett, Harrison and Walker ā from Memphis. All three picked Alabama despite a strong push by the Vols.
Alabama now is trying to do the same with four-star offensive lineman Trey Smith from Jackson, Tenn. He has spoken glowingly about the Crimson Tide throughout his recruitment.
Clemson also has taken note. The Tigers have three commitments from Tennesseeans in the 2016 class: receivers Tee Higgins from Oak Ridge High and Amari Rodgers from Knoxville Catholic and running back Cordarrian Richardson from Memphis Trezevant. Higgins ā whose high school is about 25 miles from UTās campus ā is considered the top prospect in Tennessee, and Richardson and Rodgers are among the top seven. Higgins is a five-star prospect, while Richardson and Rodgers (whose dad is former Vols quarterback Tee Martin) are four-star prospects.
So where does that leave the Vols? Well, theyāre not going to throw in the towel when it comes to in-state recruiting. Theyāre still in the running with Smith, arenāt going to give up on Higgins and have four current in-state commitments, led by four-star safety Maleik Gray from LaVergne High, in the Nashville suburbs. Gray āwho lived in in Louisiana and was an LSU fan before moving ā is considered one of the stateās top five prospects.
But it does make one wonder if the Vols can depend on the mid-state area as much as it seemed when they landed nine of the top 11 prospects in the state in 2014. The competition may be too fierce moving forward for that to happen with any sort of regularity.
RELATED: Tennesseeās 3 biggest position battles in fall camp
RELATED: Jones: āI told our staff we need to embrace the expectationsā
RELATED: Reeves-Maybin: āWe got every game circledā
Immediate playing time was the main selling point then. Now, with a deeper roster, thatās no longer the case. The Vols need to prove ā sooner rather than later ā that they can compete with the nationās best teams, such as Alabama and Clemson. Then, the Vols can expect to have more in-state success and widen their reach a bit as well.
Actually, the Vols already have started to do that. Tennessee has commitments from prospects from nine states. Defensive tackle Breyon Gaddy from Virginia Beach, Va., was an impressive recent pickup. That could be a sign of things to come. The Vols have three commitments from Virginia Beach after signing just two prospects from the state of Virginia since 2011.
Clearly, in-state recruiting is evolving in Tennessee. The key for the Vols is to adapt. Winning even more would be a good start.
