who is the best player in tennessee right now?

[BlackHavenSenator]

Mark Dodson

124 carries 1107 yards 9 TD

 

Maybe the best RB in Whitehaven History.

 

Agreed, even though as a ALABAMA FAN and Whitehaven Grad I am not sure if I can put Mark Jr. ahead of one of your old teammates, Curtis Alexander

[owlbooster]

I'm still saying ... to date ... Mr. Elder hasn't faced stiffer competition, on a whole, then has Mr. Dodson or Mr. Hurd. Nothing has been presented to make me think otherwise.

 

We will have to agree to disagree i guess.

 

No, actually I agree with your "to date" statement. Ensworth hasn't played MBA or Brentwood Academy yet (ESPNU game). And Whitehaven hasn't played East or Mitchell yet.....

Edited September 28, 2012 by owlbooster

[owlbooster]

 

The following teams on Ensworth's schedule would finish in the bottom half on 9AAA:

 

My point is, Ensworth plays against some great teams, but they also play their fair share of cream puffs. You make it sound as if Ensworth plays nothing but teams that are loaded with future SEC stars every week. Simply not true.

 

What the heck is 9AAA?

 

EVERY team has "creampuffs" on their schedule Ensworth has no business playing Raleigh-Egypt, but I also know they have a hard time scheduling. They have no control over their 7 (6 next year) "league" games. Every division or district swings up and down from year to year, but generally D II AA Central/West is about as tough as it gets. Admittedly overall it is a little down this year. The Nashville Catholic schools (Ryan and PJP) are on an extended "downer." McCallie has been middle-of-the road for a while. BGA is down this year but has had some good teams recently with big wins over 6A schools. Baylor is definitely down from last year but is usually competitive. Ensworth, BA, and MBA are usually among the state's best teams. Moreover, all the teams in D II AA West are better this year. Put this all together and at the end of the year you will be hard pressed to find a team that has played against better overall competition for the entire year than the 4 D II AA semifinalists. For a bit of objectivity, look at Sonny Moore's Computer Rankings - D II AA usually has 4 teams in the top 10 at all times.

[bud]

Hurd is coming out of the I this year with every opposing defense stacking the box and blitzing every play. He is ranked 5* for a reason guys, and even under heavier defenses (Henry Co. & Mt. Juliet), he ran for 460 and 299, respectively. Besides Elder, there is no one in the state that is even in the same league at that position. As for all around athlete, that would go to Jalen Ramsey. These are the big boys in the state.

 

What position will Hurd play in college? Absolutely anything that he wants. He's being recruited as a RB, and if Mr. Saban says that he can run the ball, then he can run the ball. Also, Hurd & Ramsey are the only 2 players in the entire state to pick up an offer from the national champions.

 

And no disrespect to the Dejuan Swafford kid, but he's not even ranked, runs a 4.7- 4.8 and has only one offer from a school (Liberty) that I have never even heard of. I am sure that he's a great player, but has no place on this topic.

 

Devaun Swafford belongs on this thread. You love the stats don't you vol74. Let me ask you a question; how many NFL players does your school have playing right now? The high school (Dobyns Bennett) where Devaun plays has 3 current NFL players and many, many more before that. I have seen plenty of NFL talent come through Dobyns Bennett. Guess what? All of the current NFL players were either no stars or maybe 1 star. You know why? Because there is crap for media coverage in upper east tn. I live in Nashville now. I have seen Devaun play, he is as good as any of the 3 current players Dobyns Bennett has in the NFL right now. Take your stats and shove them, because the ultimate measure in football is the NFL. Lets put it this way Vol74. I grew up in upper east TN and I go back and watch games often. If devuan swafford played in middle tn with better media coverage, he would be probably a 2 maybe 3 star player. Trust me there are so many 3 and 4 star player from middle TN that never get a chance in the NFL.

[CHARGERFAN]

Well, I am not pushing any particular player. But if you ask "who is the best player in Tennessee right now?" Then some questions arise. They are:

 

1. Are you talking about the best high school player ("right now" implies that)?

2. Are you talking about the player with the most potential for college football?

3. Are you talking about the player with the best outlook for the NFL?

 

One reason that people have so many different opinions about the "best player" may be that they are looking at this from different perspectives. I can illustrate this with a basketball story. Keith Lee was an outstanding high school basketball player. He was a consensus All-American in college at Memphis State. In the NBA he was a bust, as his slim frame was not suited to the NBA physical game and his knees gave out too. He was still one of the best college players I have ever seen.

 

So, at what level do we talk about the "best" for this thread?

Edited September 28, 2012 by CHARGERFAN

[Hubbard]

My thoughts are that the best high school football player is just that. It is not neccessarily the football player that may develop into the best college or pro player.

[Hubbard]

Devaun Swafford belongs on this thread. You love the stats don't you vol74. Let me ask you a question; how many NFL players does your school have playing right now? The high school (Dobyns Bennett) where Devaun plays has 3 current NFL players and many, many more before that. I have seen plenty of NFL talent come through Dobyns Bennett. Guess what? All of the current NFL players were either no stars or maybe 1 star. You know why? Because there is crap for media coverage in upper east tn. I live in Nashville now. I have seen Devaun play, he is as good as any of the 3 current players Dobyns Bennett has in the NFL right now. Take your stats and shove them, because the ultimate measure in football is the NFL. Lets put it this way Vol74. I grew up in upper east TN and I go back and watch games often. If devuan swafford played in middle tn with better media coverage, he would be probably a 2 maybe 3 star player. Trust me there are so many 3 and 4 star player from middle TN that never get a chance in the NFL.

 

bud, you seem a little excited. Now, the Tri-Cities are just up the interstate from Knoxville so let's not pretend they are so deep in the backwoods that you can't get there from here. There are plenty of kids from small towns that get 2-3 stars. I think what you have seen with the DB players currently in the NFL is that they continued to develop. Congrats to DB that those players worked hard and developed into NFL players. However, their success has no bearing on the talent of the kids currently playing in J. Fred Johnson Stadium.

 

I think Graham has a solid program there and it shows with a strong team each year. However, DB seems to hit a ceiling each year in the playoffs. It would be interesting to see him coach a team in Middle TN. We got fairly close a few years ago. Best of luck to the Indians the rest of the way.

[WaCoJaCo]

bud, you seem a little excited. Now, the Tri-Cities are just up the interstate from Knoxville so let's not pretend they are so deep in the backwoods that you can't get there from here. There are plenty of kids from small towns that get 2-3 stars. I think what you have seen with the DB players currently in the NFL is that they continued to develop. Congrats to DB that those players worked hard and developed into NFL players. However, their success has no bearing on the talent of the kids currently playing in J. Fred Johnson Stadium.

 

I think Graham has a solid program there and it shows with a strong team each year. However, DB seems to hit a ceiling each year in the playoffs. It would be interesting to see him coach a team in Middle TN. We got fairly close a few years ago. Best of luck to the Indians the rest of the way.

 

If im reading you right I believe your thinking could be backwards. It would be interesting to see a coach from Middle Tn. coach DB. Graham is one of the best regular season coaches in the state, but one of the worst playoff coaches I have ever seen. His record more than proves what I say. He's a good guy and all that but for some odd reason couldn't coach his way out of a paper bag in a playoff game.

[WaCoJaCo]

Well, I am not pushing any particular player. But if you ask "who is the best player in Tennessee right now?" Then some questions arise. They are:

 

1. Are you talking about the best high school player ("right now" implies that)?

2. Are you talking about the player with the most potential for college football?

3. Are you talking about the player with the best outlook for the NFL?

 

Its # 1, That was the question. I guess if the topic was about college or the NFL it would of been stated. (right now) means "right now" , not next year or 4 years from now.

 

One reason that people have so many different opinions about the "best player" may be that they are looking at this from different perspectives. I can illustrate this with a basketball story. Keith Lee was an outstanding high school basketball player. He was a consensus All-American in college at Memphis State. In the NBA he was a bust, as his slim frame was not suited to the NBA physical game and his knees gave out too. He was still one of the best college players I have ever seen.

 

So, at what level do we talk about the "best" for this thread?

[mo2vate]

I noticed that most people on this thread are speaking about offensive players, but as far as the best defensive player in Tennessee it has to be #5 Dedrick Guy from Memphis Fairley. This 6'3" 220lb Linebacker plays with passion. He is a man among boys. He is around the ball every play. When he tackles you, he makes sure you feel it. I havent seen a Linebacker this good in the Memphis or West Tennessee area in a long long time. He has tackles for losses, sacks and interceptions returned for touchdowns. Dedrick Guy is definitely a beast on the field.

[Hubbard]

If im reading you right I believe your thinking could be backwards. It would be interesting to see a coach from Middle Tn. coach DB. Graham is one of the best regular season coaches in the state, but one of the worst playoff coaches I have ever seen. His record more than proves what I say. He's a good guy and all that but for some odd reason couldn't coach his way out of a paper bag in a playoff game.

 

I see your logic, and you could be right. I think that the overall team talent level keeps DB from advancing deep in the playoffs. I think it is more realiastic that Clarke would come to Mid TN (almost happened a few years back) than a great Mid TN coach go to DB.

[RedRobin]

Kinda funny how many posters on this thread seem to think there is a "right answer" to the question posed. The truth is that while we all have our favorites, there is no one best player from an objective standpoint. Moreover, the debate about someone being "the best" as one of eleven in what is the ultimate team sport is kinda silly to begin with. I am sure that all of the players mentioned are outstanding players. I am also sure that not one of them would have been mentioned in this thread without the assistance of their teammates - believe it or not, even Barry Sanders had blockers.

 

As pointed out in previous posts, there are many definitions of "best". One that I consider is the player's value to his team. Here, those that play both ways have a clear advantage. One can argue all one wants about where Elder fits in this argument as a running back, but he is also clearly one of the best free safeties in the state. Jalen Reeves-Maybin at Northeast (who shredded Henry County on the ground last night) plays quarterback and is also an excellent middle linebacker for his team. Both are clearly MVP candidates for their very successful teams on both sides of the ball. Out of curiosity, which of the other offensive players listed on this board so far also stand out as defensive players for their team, and at what positions? Thanks in advance for any information that you would like to share.

Edited September 28, 2012 by RedRobin