🏈 Odd Observation

[rammerjammer]

I was scrolling through @T&B's compilation of targeted recruits for 2021. (Nice Work BTW). Something that I have always found odd, is the lack of top notch talent in the state of Tennessee. Going all the way back to Phat Phil's hey day through the 90's. He had to go outside the state to get talent to be competitive on a national level. All schools do that now, but I find it baffling, as huge as football is in Tennessee, that they do not have more top notch HS talent within the state. A quick glance of the listed recruits on the 2021 target list only had 6 kids from the state of Tennessee. ( I could have missed 1 or 2), but the state of Alabama easily had twice that much on that list. Bama has a population of 4.8 million while Tennessee has 6.7 million. Is HS football that bad in Tennessee?

We all know Memphis has been a hot bed for talent and is in close proximity to 6 or 7 states. But Nashville would seem to be a good place as well, simply based on population. Is it all the money in Nashville and all the private schools?

I'm sure if I were to dig, I could find more, but the only 2 players I can really remember at Alabama that I would call studs are Santonio Beard and Donta'e Hightower. As close as we are, it would seem as though we would have had more guys come through here, if the state had more talent.


Just some off-season rambling

 

[50+yeartidefan]

Yeah....one point to that @rammerjammer is TN doesn’t have as many position coaches allowed as AL.....that was so when my grandson was playing.....a few years back... may have changed...
May be a factor in player development?

 

[TerryP]

Just some off-season rambling

I can't recall the specifics other than it was a change in recruiting rules and allowances, so to speak. I don't remember if it was a SEC change or a NCAA change.

Back in the late '90's I can recall a change enforced on how schools were spending money on flights/travel expenses related to recruiting. I remember thinking at the time if there was a team that it was going to have an effect on it was UT: basically diminishing their reach under the current rules of the time. While I don't think the change was the primary reason for UT stumbling, I do believe it played a factor when Fulmer tried to rule the SEC from his office chair in Knoxville. His recruiting focus, with new restrictions, was as poor as his focus on improving the Vols program from within (versus tearing competition down around them.)

As to Tennessee as a state producing D1 level talent (in this case, blue-chippers) here's the list from this past recruiting class.

All 50 states and D.C., ranked by 2020 blue-chip recruits

State	2020	total share
Florida	59	16.3%
Texas	54	14.9%
Georgia	36	9.9%
California	30	8.3%
Louisiana	16	4.4%
Alabama	15	4.1%
Maryland	15	4.1%
North Carolina	13	3.6%
Tennessee	11	3.0%
Arizona	9	2.5%
Michigan	8	2.2%
New Jersey	8	2.2%
Washington	7	1.9%
Mississippi	6	1.7%
Ohio	6	1.7%
Virginia	6	1.7%
D.C.	5	1.4%
Illinois	5	1.4%
Missouri	5	1.4%
South Carolina	5	1.4%
Connecticut	4	1.1%
Kentucky	4	1.1%
Massachusetts	4	1.1%
Oklahoma	4	1.1%
Pennsylvania	4	1.1%
Hawaii	3	0.8%
Utah	3	0.8%
Arkansas	2	0.6%
Colorado	2	0.6%
Iowa	2	0.6%
Kansas	2	0.6%
Nevada	2	0.6%
Wisconsin	2	0.6%
Indiana	1	0.3%
Minnesota	1	0.3%
Nebraska	1	0.3%
New Hampshire	1	0.3%
New York	1	0.3%
Alaska	0	0.0%
Delaware	0	0.0%
Idaho	0	0.0%
Maine	0	0.0%
Montana	0	0.0%
New Mexico	0	0.0%
North Dakota	0	0.0%
Oregon	0	0.0%
Rhode Island	0	0.0%
South Dakota	0	0.0%
Vermont	0	0.0%
West Virginia	0	0.0%
Wyoming	0	0.0%

 

[rammerjammer]

Pretty interesting stat. I would think with 2 million more people that Tennessee would still be ahead of us.

The top 4 do not surprise me at all. I am a little surprised that Ohio is as far down as they are. I remember reading a couple years ago that Florida,Georgia,Texas,California are the top producer of "Blue-Chip" talent, but Ohio is typically 5th, but it was a major fall off, percentage wise, from the top 4 to Ohio in 5th.

 

[rocknthefreeworld]

How much of Tennessee not producing blue-chip prospects is related to how many stay at schools in state? Let's be honest, the "Bama Bump" is a thing. Recruits that are highly sought after by certain schools can see themselves jump in the rankings and gain stars just by virtue of those schools getting their commitment or just obviously focusing on them.

 

[alabama mike]

Tennessee has some really good football. The private school take over in the Nashville area with Father Ryan, Montgomery Bell Academy, Davidson Academy, Donelson Christian, Ezell Harding, Ensworth??? on the far west side of Nashville and many more has had to have an impact over the years. I do know that some of the public high schools have closed and consolidated with other schools so some kids simply may not play because of distance to and from school. Another factor that I think may play into the some not thinking the state produces a lot of talent is other sports. Kids today have so many more choices in terms of playing sports other than the big 3 of football, basketball and baseball. Another factor that I see from my 34 years in education is that many kids simply do not play anything for whatever reason or "specialize" in one sport or the kid is playing some type of travel ball during a particular season. Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga all have very good teams but I would also say that boys basketball is the favorite of many student athletes in the inner cities. Please don't take that statement as being racist, that IS NOT MY INTENT.

 

[BamaFan334]

Scold me if you want, but a lot of the talent rich parts of Alabama are the poorer parts near Mobile. Tennessee, I personally feel doesn't have that kind of poverty which usually produces better ball players. Also due to the landscape of the mountains and such it just isn't a place for everyone due to colder temperatures and snow. Weather is another factor due to the harsher conditions we face during the Summer in the South. That's just another opinion in my mind, but it ain't just southern schools coming after our boys, so they know where the talent sits. Now Memphis is the outlier, hence the more talent. Further South compared to the states borders, access to water and connections to traveling to the West and the East. Katrina moved people to Mobile, Atlanta, Memphis, and Houston. A LOT of talent in those areas specifically, so just think how much higher Lousiana would be if they had kept all of those families.

 

[50+yeartidefan]

But you wouldn't think South Carolina is much different demographicly than the other deep southern states. Buy yet yhey have never been on par with any of them. Exemption is Clemson just last couple of years
And USCe has few fortunes in CF. Just strange

 

[mando]

Surprised that WV had 0 blue chip recruits.

 

[tider79]

Usually where there is a higher percentage of the African-American population, your gonna get more blue chippers. The majority of athletes in NCAA football and basketball are black....not a racist comment in the slightest, just a fact. As was stated earlier, seems like the large cities up north such as NY and Chicago, Philly and the like, the inner city kids choose hoops,,maybe because of the lack of playing fields or what but seems to me very few blue chips have come out of NY.

 

[Rolltide24]

Surprised that WV had 0 blue chip recruits.

And.... no cases of COVID 19. But unfathomable amounts of pure, heavenly sweet mountain dew!! No correlation, just observations.

 

[TerryP]

And.... no cases of COVID 19. But unfathomable amounts of pure, heavenly sweet mountain dew!! No correlation, just observations.

That's changed over the last couple of days. I"m guessing, based on what I read yesterday, they're around 20 or more now.

 

[It Takes Eleven]

And.... no cases of COVID 19. But unfathomable amounts of pure, heavenly sweet mountain dew!! No correlation, just observations.

Both will tickle yore innards....