Looks like it's a race between Clawson (HC from Richmond) and Debord (OC from Michigan) for OC. I'm torn, because I want Clawson wayyyyy more than Debord, but with Debord, we get Loeffler and Mallett, with an outside shot at Campbell. Why can't we have Clawson, Loeffler and Mallett without Debord?

Mallett is a fantastic QB, but I really don't know if he's worth Debord. Seriously.

My thoughts, too, especially since we have Crompton for the next 2 years, then uber-sleeper BJ Coleman for the 2 after. We aren't in need of Mallett, necessarily.

Clawson, Loeffler, Campbell ftw

Pirateboy, what would have to happen for Fulmer to lose his job in the next 2 years?

Heart attack?

Sadly, for Mike Hamilton to fire him/force resignation, CPF would need to go 7-5 or worse the next 2 years.

Fulmer should have been fired post-2005, 2006, or 2007, IMO.

For those of you haven't done so already, skim the BCS game thread for the posts after the game (like the last 1.5 pages). It's hilarious. "There isn't a big gap in talent" between OSU and LSU, haha. The Big10 homers on this forum make me laugh.

Yeah, it's getting kind of silly. The fact of the matter is, even if the talent difference is only better at certain positions, then that can change a game. Certain skill positions(QB,RB,WR) can totally be neutralized by a dominate DL,DB. Defenses can also be neutralized by a good OL. SEC OLs are never going to get enough credit.

It's like watching There's Something About Mary with someone and they try to tell you it's not funny. What can you do?

name one SEC school that puts out more NFL talent than Ohio State
Plus, Ohio State is sending out NFL players at every single position

So how do you explain it? All nine of Florida's conference games last year were tougher than the title game. You can almost say the same for LSU this year with the exception of Miss St and maybe S Carolina. You can't just write that off as variance. Great teams don't get embarrassed twice like that. They have some great players obv and the draft bears that out, but the combination of depth, coaching (not just head coach obv), toughness that comes from the conference schedule, and other factors are just clearly in favor of the SEC teams.

Petrino might lure Mallett back home. Official campus visit this weekend.

I'm nowhere near a Big 10 homer and I will defend the SEC as the best conference all the time, I don't think that is that inaccurate of a statement. The SEC is clearly year in
and year out, top to bottom, the toughest conference in college football no question.

Other conferences TOP teams usually aren't that far off of the TOP teams in the SEC. Three years ago the SEC only sent one school to the BCS series and they lost that. A BIG gap in talent probably isn't true concerning the top teams from the top conferences. A gap in OVERALL talent throughout the conference it is most definitely true.

OSU isn't as good as LSU as a team. I don't think that necessarily means a significant talent gap however exists. As someone mentioned OSU will send numerous players to the NFL draft...the most talented team doesn't always win (and I think LSU is more talented, just not BIG or whatever was originally said). Hell USC is probably the most talented team out there and they lost to Stanford. A sample size of one game in arguably LSU's backyard isn't enough for me to say there is a BIG gap in talent. A gap? Sure...I just don't think it's a big one.

Cliff Notes: SEC best overall, talent gap year in year out between top teams from top conferences probably minimal.

The SEC is 9-1 in their last 10 BCS bowls and that was the only game we lost (actually it was more like one quarter since UGA was asleep to start the game and dominated the final 40 minutes after being down 28-0. Final was 38-35.) That's not a very good argument.

Pirate, what should we expect from the new OC at UT?

Does this Kevin Steele leaving Bama rumor have any legs?

I can't say enough about Urban Meyer's recruiting. He did it again this year with 8 Early Enrollees. It makes a huge difference and allows for all of these kids to get a lot of great early experience.

Clawson is a solid coach. He is relatively young, but comes with over a decade of coaching experience in I-AA. He was the OC at Villanova during the Westbrook years. He was the head coach at Fordham for 5 years (Patriot League Champ in 2002). He turned that program around successfully.

After Fordham he went to Richmond as the HC for the last 3 years. Richmond was the CAA Conference Co-Champion this year and lost to Appalachian State in the playoffs. The Spiders offense has been really good the last two years behind a ridiculously strong running game.

He has a solid resume and is a good coach. I think this is an excellent hire by Tennessee and as a fan of one of Richmond's biggest rivals I love this.

FYP. I think that's a bad practice. Not that I blame Urban or any coach for using it to his advantage, but to have that many seems like he is pressuring them to do it. Most schools have 1 or 2 I think. I know Tuberville has spoken out about the negative aspects of it.

More points. David Cutcliffe is a QB coach supergenius, but his playcalling always was and always will be under par. Clawson uses the pro-style offense just like Fulmer likes, but he does spread it out, just like Fulmer did when he was OC at UT in the late 80s and early 90s. Fulmer was probably the best OC in the history of UT, and Clawson's approach is similar.

Our new RB coach from Florida, Stan Drayton, was RB coach for Clawson at Villanova, so both guys can get credit for Westbrook. Drayton then coached Jerious Norwood at Miss State. Both hires are awesome.

There is still a slight chance at getting Loeffler, but we UT fans all pretty much agree Clawson will be his own QB coach and Loeffler won't come.

There was a solid rumor (Hubbs at Volquest says he believes it was discussed) that Steele would come to UT with a small raise and be titled Co-Defensive Coordinator and Assistant DB Coach. Kevin Steele and UT DC John Chavis are best friends, so it made sense. Chief (Chavis) wants to retire in the near future, too.

Did the rumor have serious legs? Depends on who you talk to. I have a lot of guys I talk to who have sources, and I trust them. Some said it was as close as faxing paperwork until $$$ issues came up. Others say it was just a conversation.

My take is that it COULDN'T be a $$$ issue. Steele makes $350k at Alabama, and UT was offering $400k. Apparently, if the rumor is true, the UTAD shot down the $$$. Here's why I don't buy it: if Steele was hired, UT would go to 5 D coaches and 4 O coaches (instead of 5 O and 4 D). So, you lose one offensive position coach, who makes around $200-$250k at UT. That means a mere $150k-$200k payroll increase in an athletic department with a $75m budget. C'mon.

Anyway, also heard rumors of Steele wanting out to almost anywhere.

BTW, a lot of us believe Fulmer sees Clawson as the next HC at UT.

Steele is up for the South Alabama job, along with AU RB coach Eddie Gran.

Has nothing to do with pressuring kids to do it, only a certain amount of kids can early enroll and most can't. It just happens that he is getting all of the good ones who can EE. I don't see any negative whatsoever. I highly doubt he is pressuring them. Some recruits you do pressure to commit, but most kids who can EE want to and do so at whatever school they go to. EEs have just as much drama as regular kids with regards to switching schools at the last minute, they are just doing so at an earlier date.

This is the rumor I was thinking of.