Is Cade Thompson D-1 Material?

[goob5804]

The reason everybody thinks the ACC is deeper than the SEC is because it is. The SEC has lsu and georgia(mark richt came from fsu by the way) but that doesnt make it a deep conference. i would put every ACC team in order against every SEC team in order and i would be willing to bet that the ACC would win at least 10 of 11. but on the topic, Cade is an excellent capable of quietly picking your defense apart. that is the reason everybody is questioning him is because he has never been in the spotlight before. 2002 he played with Carl Stewart and in 2003 the spotlight was given to Hodge and McCord. he had stellar seasons both years but was never in the spotlight. This year it is his show and i have a feeling he will show everybody that he is D1 caliber.

[JC4life]

The ACC is the best conference in college football,hands down,top to bottom,how ever you want to slice it.The true test of any conference is the bowl games,and over years the SEC as a whole has been hammered.The SEC is top heavy bottom line,the middle and bottom of the SEC is where the other conferences pass them by.

[Guest Oakland]

i must have im not too fond of the sec(big ten man myself) but top to bottom the sec is THE best conference in college football: lsu,georgia,tennessee,florida,ole miss, auburn, i hate to admit but the acc is the one that is top heavy, not the sec

[JC4life]

Top heavy? Clemson,Florida State,Georgia Tech,Maryland,NC State,Virginia,Miami, Virginia Tech. Thats 8 quality teams,I will take Duke,North Carolina,and Wake Forest over Vandy,Kentucky,and Mississippi State anyday.

[MaryvilleRebels]

JC...you're on crack, Vandy, Kentucky and MSU would abuse Duke, UNC, etc. Not to mention all three schools are decent to excellent at that other sport that the SEC plays...basketball. Oh yea, and if you throw Kentucky out...you're throwing away one of only like 5 schools that are in the top 25 in attendance for both basketball and football games, the only other SEC team in that class of 5 is UT. So if you throw Kentucky out, you're throwing away something thats bringing in some moolah for the SEC. Vandy...yea you can throw them out...afterall they are only one of the things that holds up the SEC's academic standards. MSU...well I don't really care about them, but they are competitive in sports. If you seriously think that UNC, Duke, or Wake Forest could take Kentucky then I think that you have some strange problems.

[VitaVol]

I'd rather Tennessee sign the best player they can get their hands on, regardless of where they are from. I'm so sick of hearing this "local boy" crap. If they think a guy can play, they will go after him. Tennessee obviously thinks John Crompton is a better prospect than Cade Thompson, and the rest of the country agrees.

 

Face it: Football in East Tennessee isn't exactly "great." The competition is weak. The overall talent level isn't high and Tennessee's program would be abysmal if they just took the "best players" from Nashville to the East in the state. That's ridiculous. And, without any sugar-coating whatsoever, the reason the talent level in East Tennessee is so low is because the black population is very low outside of Chattanooga. That's just the way it is. AE, Alcoa, Fulton and a few other schools have a large black student body. Outside of that, there's not a whole lot of schools with a large black student make-up. It's just reality. Face it.

 

UT recruits the best they can get their hands on, which is exactly what every other big-time program in the country does.

[goosevol]

Tennessee didn't really need another QB after getting Crompton. Tennessee must have thought Crompton was better. Maybe they're wrong, maybe not but they simply went after who they thought would help their program in the future.

[FBEmeritus]

I'm not going to talk about if "Cade is good enough to be D1", or not. There are allot of levels of D1 around the country and I wish the young man great success. No doubt NC is willing to take a chance on him. I'm glad it is behind him because it would have been a distraction to his HS team he is trying to lead back to the top of 4A. Having said that, I agree with Clemson Dad, in some of his reasons for why UT won't sign and develop local kids. I base this on players like G Riggs. Sure he is a Tennessee kid but I’ll will go out on a limb and say without reservation Centrals Jackson (Vandy) and Maryville's Stewart (Auburn) were better RB's in HS than Riggs will ever be. Both young men have the bodies, speed and talent to play D1 and certainly at UT. And oh by the way they will show-up in the classroom, respect team and public rules and perform as well. UT will pay the price in wins because of these types of mistakes in my opinion. Besides 2nd or 3rd in the conf. and 9-4 or 10-3 seasons and a dismal bowl performances are good enough. Good enough for the local back room back slapping and the sweat alumni business deals and ofcourse good enough for those lofty coaching pay raises, while education overall suffers. I have stopped spending my money on UT football because of this and other reasons that this board is not about. But the SEC is not any better that the ACC from top to bottom, heck a few years ago Maryland took UT apart in a bowl game and most of those Terrapins grew up within 150 miles of the UM campus. Great national TV exposure of the program. I’ll root for UT again when the goal is to win with state kids then fill in the rest with others. I won't pay those game prices and sit on those one cheek seats when the game gets back to being about the kids and the fans. Not about the alumi business and coaching salraies. That’s just me.

 

I think when win winning is the only, thing programs begin to take short cuts and break the rules. UT does it as do most of the SEC teams. Based on the public info, the Benzell-Meyrs thing was a real problem that got pushed under the rug. I think Fulmer does not want local kids mainly because he is worried by the kind some of characters his program recruiting and if those players get to go home and hang with some of the high school buddies on their time off, they'll get into trouble and make the press. With this kind of requiting scheme many great D1 prospects are allowed to slip through the cracks locally. Now we got law suits and demands for the NCAA to let coaches get even more “Public” access to 15,16, and 17 year olds, all in the name of protecting the kids from the same alumni. Yea, right! $3.00 is a great price for a bottle of water at a game! The whole college game is becoming a sad commentary in my view and is the main reason the High School game is better football.

Edited August 13, 2004 by FBEmeritus

[msgov]

clemsondad.

I can't believe what my eyes are reading in your lengthy post. You of all people won't pull for the university that enabled you to have the job opportunity you have and you won't pull for the Vols until they start recruiting local kids. I just could not believe you made that statement - you should always pull for YOUR school whether you agree with them or not - IT'S CALLED LOYALTY, and by being an important cog in the Maryville Red Rebel organization, I know you know what loyalty is.

I don't always agree with my hub, but I still love him - I not going to put him out to pasture just because he doesn't do everything around the house that I want him to (not without a batch of my famous hominy grits, at least).

Hey, be disappointed that Nick wasn't recruited or wasn't recruited hard enough by UT, that Carl Stewart and Cade Thompson choose another school.

Now granted, I don't know much about the college recruiting scenario, but I have always heard the hub say, "it's not an exact science, by any means". I can remember him telling me when the Miami Hurricanes were coached by Schnellenberger and Jimmy Johnson, they didn't sign a bunch of "blue chip" prospects, but they won national championships!

I think the greatest thing that can come from athletes choosing another school to attend, for whatever reason(s) and then they come back and beat UT in their sport. They don't need to walk around and boast about what their school accomplished, they just need to walk around with their head uup and a big smile on their face - everyone will know they carry themselves that way - they don't have to talk it, just WALK IT!!!

Take the two young QB's UT signed this year plus the commitment, why would you go and try to get another QB, especially if the kid from N.C. is considered a better player by most "experts". What other position can Cade Thompson play - none except QB.

Edited August 13, 2004 by msgov

[msgov]

rebelfanatic,

If you think Brent Burnett will be as good as Cade Thompson, you mus t be on the ole wacki tobacci. True, they both can only play QB, but at least Cade can outrun a water faucet. Burnett hasn't, can't, won't.

The only thing Burnett has going for him the other young QB's at Maryville are ATHLETES that are mulit-talented and can play another position!!!

Nuff said

[pepvol]

wow !! lot's of class there msgov ! you say your hubby is a coach ?? i wonder if he approves of ridiculing 9th grade boys ??

[Rebelsman]

FBEmeritus,

 

I am surprised that you feel that way about your alma matre. Didn't you grow up in West Tennessee?

Edited August 13, 2004 by Rebelsman