Kiffin’s Tennessee staff ripping off shirts for recruiting
Lane Kiffin is first-year coach at Tennessee (AP)
Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin and his staff made an unforgettable impression on some of the Southeast’s top college prospects on Saturday.
More than 100 high school players, including several of Georgia’s elite prospects, attended Tennessee’s Junior Day. Things started off rather routine. “It was just like your normal Junior Day, with coaches and other people from the college talking,” Brookstone tight end Brian Vogler said. “You could see heads bobbing, with eyes falling a little bit. But the second they split us up from the parents, it got so much more intense.”
The prospects were led to the film room, where Kiffin thanked the recruits for making the trip and considering the Volunteers. “Then this other coach [assistant] got up there and said that Tennessee takes special teams very seriously, that it’s a big key to winning,” recalled Northview defensive lineman Denzel McCoy, who has 31 early scholarship offers.
“That coach said they get real fired up on special teams and yelled for everybody to ‘Get up, get on your feet, and get fired up about special teams.’ Then this other coach ripped off his shirt Superman style. It was crazy.”
Many in the crowd weren’t sure how to react. “The coaches told us to stand up, but nobody really knew what to do. We started clapping, sort of like one of those ‘Ah, this feels awkward’ kind of things,” Vogler said. “The coaches yelled ‘OK, we’re going to give you another shot. We’ve leaving the room. When we come back in here, we want it really to get crazy.’”
Denzel McCoy (AJC)
Douglass defensive lineman Garrison Smith said the lights in the room dimmed. “This one coach stayed behind and walked to the side of the room. Then he kept slamming the [side] doors, as if the other assistant coaches were trying to break it down. It was like an angry dog or some wild animals were on the other side.”
After a few moments, Smith said the doors swung open and the Tennessee assistants ran into the room. “By now, three or four coaches had their shirts ripped off.” Smith said around 10 Tennessee players, including All-America defensive back Eric Berry of Atlanta and quarterback Jonathan Crompton, ran down from behind the recruits to meet the coaches on the floor. “Eric and the rest of the players were chanting ‘U-T, wild boys … U-T, wild boys … U-T wild boys.’” This time, prospects left their seats and joined the celebration. “We were all jumping up and down together, it was cool,” McCoy said.
After things appeared to calm down, Tennessee recruiting coordinator Ed Orgeron gave a rousing pep talk, which caused the whole scene to repeat itself, only more intense. “The last time, everybody was hyped up and feeling it,” Loganville tailback Storm Johnson said. “People were jumping all over the place. It was rocking. You should’ve seen it. Even the podium got knocked over.”
All four of the players said they never saw Lane Kiffin lose his shirt. “He was on the side, just watching and smiling,” Vogler said.
Garrison Smith (AJC)
The action-packed introduction pleased the prospects, which each said they had never heard or seen anything like it before. “I talked to some of the Tennessee players afterwards, and they said they had never heard or seen anything like that before when they were recruits and visited colleges,” Vogler said with a laugh.
McCoy: “Personally, I liked it … It was kind of crazy, but it was cool. Coach Kiffin is trying to get everyone fired up about Tennessee football, and it worked. He had everyone in that room fired up.”
Smith: “I loved it, especially when that coach ripped off his shirt like The Incredible Hulk. It was high intensity. I enjoyed the whole day. They [Tennessee] definitely moved up on my list.”
Vogler: “It was awesome. I didn’t know how to react at first. I said to myself, ‘Oh my God, these people are crazy.’ Then after talking to them later in the day, I realized that’s just their style. That’s how they go.”
Click here and bookmark this page to follow the AJC’s recruiting coverage
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
284 comments Add your comment
heeldawg
March 3rd, 2009
5:15 am
Tennessee Grad:
1. Spellcheck.
2. English major? I think not.
3. Kiffin will not “owen” Georgia. Kiffin does not even “owen” Tennessee. Where did the top two recruits in the state of Tennessee go this year? Oh, that’s right. Georgia.
4. I think the odds of Kiffin being put on NCAA probation are greater than the odds of Tennessee winning the SEC East in the next five years.
5. I think the odds of Kiffin being indicted for public indecency are greater than the odds of Tennessee winning the SEC title in the next ten years.
Gimmickry, like your Tennessee diploma, will only take you so far, my friend. At some point, there’s going to have to be some actual substance. My suspicion is that the Vol fanbase will not be quit so enamored with Lane’s antics when he fields a losing football team next season and gets thoroughly humiliated by Florida, Alabama and Georgia.
At that point, they’ll see that the emperor isn’t wearing any clothes. The whole ripping-the-shirt-off thing is sort of ironic in that regard.
Scott
March 3rd, 2009
4:44 am
Lane stole this idea from Pete Carroll. Check out “USC – wild boys”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYvU1×8wcu4
Bamafan
March 3rd, 2009
4:26 am
YOU CAN’T SPELL SLUT WITHOUT UT!!!!!!!! GO BAMA ROLL TIDE!!
GOOD PIECE FROM SEC KAPPA ALPHA!!!
JustCallMeChamp
March 3rd, 2009
4:16 am
Hey if all the coaching staff ripped off their shirts then doesn’t it make you wonder if Lane Kiffens dad gave them the “full Monte”???? And remember UGA, ALA, SC and FLA fans, you can’t spell ugly titties without a UT!
HOUNDDOG
March 3rd, 2009
3:52 am
DAWG FANS, YOU HAD BETTER WAKE UP BECAUSE VOL FOOTBALL WILL BE BACK ON TOP IN THE SEC AND NATION IN A COUPLE OF YEARS. GO VOLS!!! IF YOU WANT TO HAVE A GOOD TIME AND MAKE IT TO THE NFL, YOU NEED TO ATTEND THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE. I CAN’T WAIT TO HEAR “ROCKY TOP” PLAYED WHEN WE KILL THEM DAWGS NEXT YEAR. IN THE WORDS OF PAUL HARVEY “GOOD DAY”.
SEC KappaAlpha
March 3rd, 2009
1:06 am
I understand the frustration that a lot of people on this site are going through. On one hand, the UT fans have been in a drought the past few years and are excited that someone has come and brought the excitement and enthusiasm back into UT football. His means may be unorthodox, but they are getting the attention of not only the recruits, but the people who disagree with him as well.
You all were obviously behooved enough, not only to read the article instead of worrying about YOUR university and their recruiting methods, but to comment on it as well. If you disagree with his methods, that is perfectly understandable. There are things that Kiffin does that I would not do, but I’m not going to publicly chastise him for it. I do not go to UT, but I do realize that what Kiffin is doing is smart. These recruits are still in High School! They enjoy things like this! They love to see excitement in a school’s football program! And too many of you are over-analyzing the message that this recruitment event was trying to do.
Kiffin may not be able to put all the pieces together and transfer all of this on to the field where it truly matters, but he is taking the first step. He is putting the effort in to bring as much talent into the football program at UT as possible. The better talent that he has to work with, the better schemes he can run, and the more opportunities he has to be successful and turn the University of Tennessee back into a successful SEC contender. And there are things that he has done that do not show class, but this is not one of them. He was simply connecting with the kids in a way that most coaches do not. And from the testimonies given by the recruits and the AJC, it sure sounds like it worked, like it or not.
navycbfromtinace
March 3rd, 2009
1:03 am
Kiffins actions simply translated into words—-Coaches of Collage football,(Step it up or get the heck out of the way)
rlinaug
March 3rd, 2009
12:54 am
Are they recruiting for UT or WWE? Really, what parent would want their children to go to a school where the head coach sanctions such manufactured BS?
Orangedave
March 3rd, 2009
12:29 am
I am a UT fan but I don’t wear the orange colored glasses. I think this entire situation has the chance to go either way. It can be a huge success or a terrible failure. Not a single person commenting here have a clue how this will go, including me. I do believe that his antics have been almost a necessity, not only for recruiting but to energize a fan base that has become as apathetic as the previous coaching staff. I certainly don’t agree with everything he has said or done, but more power to him at this point. He is trying to appeal to the UT fan base hungry to win again and a bunch of HS kids. I gave up trying years ago to figure out why kids choose the schools they do. It is why I quit paying any attention to recruiting. It is all a crap shoot! However, this style has worked well for USC in the past. The bottom line will eventually be wins and losses. For those of you who thinks he struggles this year, check out the schedule. This is without a doubt the best sachedule a rookie coach can have. I think he will struggle more in year 2 than next year. But he should flourish in year 3, if he signs a stud QB next year.
navycbfromtinace
March 3rd, 2009
12:26 am
playing in the pool sure made a man of me,,,and i had alot more than a shirt on