If all the coaches did a circle of life tournament single elimination who would win? – Spencer Scofield
Who wins in a battle royale between the football coaching staff? – Blake Tucker
Daniel: I’m going to go with Steve Stripling on both accounts. That man looks like the definition of old-man strength. Not the quickest or fittest guy on staff, but I think he’d be tough to move, he understands leverage and you have to be quite a hoss to coach and develop guys like Derek Barnett, Shy Tuttle and Kahlil McKenzie.
Houston: Dave Lawson. He’s the flipping strength coach for crying out loud. He could probably bench my entire life.
Kevin: Tommy Thigpen, next question.
Of the three 5-star DL recruits who will visit or have visited, who do we have the most realistic chance of getting? – Brett Allen Bassham
Daniel: Don’t love Tennessee’s chances for any of them at this point, but I’ll say Derrick Brown, just because the Vols seemed to gain some ground and momentum after his recent visit. It’s going to take an elite defensive lineman with the right mentality – somebody who doesn’t mind splitting reps and trying to be part of a special group – to sign in 2016, because the Vols will have a ton of returning talent on the defensive line in 2016. Not much early playing time can be guaranteed.
If you were in charge of content for UT’s SEC Network Takeover Day, what would you air all day and specifically during prime time? – Evan Pierce
Houston: Probably some footage from some of the team-building events from the summer, a look a what Butch Jones does on the day-to-day, the progress of the new athletic dorms, the new student center, and then tons and tons and tons of attractive women….for recruiting purposes.
Kevin: More campus life, some footage of Market Square, downtown etc… The usual suspects will get lots of camera time, as will the facilities, i’m assuming. Facilities sell recruits, but I think the city deserves a little more attention, Knoxville isn’t a booming metropolis but outside of Nashville there isn’t another SEC city that makes it look shabby.
Who is the fastest player on the team? – Gary Stephenson
Daniel: I’d love to see every single skill player line up for a 40. Not sure who the absolute fastest would be, but I think Evan Berry, Malik Foreman, Emmanuel Moseley, Vincent Perry, Cam Sutton, Alvin Kamara and Ralph David Abernathy IV could all be in the conversation.
Houston: My guess is Evan Berry or Malik Foreman. Those two are burners.
How would you rate the job Rick Barnes has done so far? Seems like he filled some holes for next year, but also doesn’t feel like the Vols are in great shape for any top guys going forward. – Steve Yarnell
Kevin: Basketball is so incredibly different from football in that recruiting success can happen in an instant and can provide program changing momentum when it does. With the staff Barnes brought in I don’t worry too much that Tennessee will be attracting top level talent sooner than later, but you have to think getting the issues at Texas resolved hastily will help. A REALLY natural fit for the community, Rick Barnes is going to be popular among boosters and older fans, and putting together a consistent 20 win program by year three should take care of the rest.
