Top 5 All Time “What Could Have Beens”

Discussion in 'Vols Football' started by emainvol, Aug 15, 2021.

  1. emainvol

    emainvol Administrator

    LaneTrain’s threads (and then a buddy who referenced Lamarcus Coker) got me thinking…

    Who are the guys who showed flashes or had one great stretch or good year, and then because of injuries, grades, laziness, dipshittery, coaching, etc. never realized their potential?

    I was pretty convinced after Coker’s Freshman year that he had a legit shot at stardom.
     
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  2. Nannerpuss

    Nannerpuss Member

    Coker, wow, that dude was electric. I was at the game he broke that 89 yard run against Marshall. The one time I stepped out into the concourse was during his run, of course. Still pissed about missing it.

    For me it’s Mr. Whizzinator, Onterrio Smith. I lived out of state at the time and before all the games were on national tv, but what I could see from him was exciting. Always wondered what could have been. And for honorable mention, gotta go with Tyler Smith and Demetrice Morley.
     
  3. HCKevinSteele

    HCKevinSteele Well-Known Member

    12 year old me believed Brent Schaeffer would be a star.
     
  4. ole_orange

    ole_orange Board Simp

    Janzen Jackson was one of the most talented, ruthless safeties I have ever seen wear orange. Shame how his life fell into shambles.

    I convinced myself pre Notre Dame injury/pre pain pill addiction problems that Erik Ainge was going to be an all-time great Tennessee QB (and to be very fair to him we have had a legion of far worse QB play since him).

    Nick Saban and the Dolphins choosing Dante Coulpepper over Drew Brews in free agency really sucked. Because of this Alabama will eternally be better at football than us probably.

    Pete Carrol leaving USC for the NFL right before he knew the hammer was coming haunts me. We all know why.

    Electing to hire a coach from LA Tech with a career losing record 10 days before signing day instead of just letting Kippy Brown coach 2010 as the interim Head Coach launched us down the shit creek. We could have potentially stopped the bleeding years ago had that step been taken. Likely would have never had to endure Butch Jones or Jeremy Pruitt as the following acts.
     
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  5. utvol0427

    utvol0427 Chieftain

    Da'rick Rogers
     
  6. VOLinDAWGland

    VOLinDAWGland Contributor

    Beat LSU in the SECCG in 2001, play for National Championship and extend the dominant era. Feels like all the air was let out of the program after that collapse and cemented Saban's reputation.
     
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  7. NorrisAlan

    NorrisAlan Founder of the Mike Honcho Fan Club

    The whole program changed that second half. Funny how that happens.
     
  8. utvol0427

    utvol0427 Chieftain

    I don't think funny means what you think it means.
     
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  9. Ssmiff

    Ssmiff Went to the White House...Again

    Yeah I thought Schaefer was going to be Michael Vick. And Preston Williams was going to be Randy Moss.
     
  10. justingroves

    justingroves supermod

    Well, 19 year old me assumed he was going to be one too
     
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  11. CardinalVol

    CardinalVol Uncultured, non-diverse mod

    At least I understand the Tee statue now. The other three made sense, but I was scratching my head about Tee.
     
  12. justingroves

    justingroves supermod

    Coker - he had some personal stuff going on and flat out didn't give a shit if he was at Tennessee or not. He was electric though.

    Da'Rick - Amazing talent, shame he had dipshit Dooley as his coach

    Ben Martin - Through no fault of his own, poor guy tore both ACLs and an Achilles in Knoxville. He still managed to play a little bit, but he was Jevon Kearse like for a few weeks until injuries started

    Aaron Douglas - Just sad, guy needed help and didn't get any.
     
  13. utvol0427

    utvol0427 Chieftain

    I really wished Onterrio Smith would have played his whole career here.
     
  14. utvol0427

    utvol0427 Chieftain

    What does the college football landscape look like right now if we take Tajh Boyd? Does Clemson find another QB that puts them on the path to where they are now?
     
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  15. NorrisAlan

    NorrisAlan Founder of the Mike Honcho Fan Club

    I'll say it.


    Alvin Kamara.
     
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  16. IP

    IP Super Moderator

    and move Herd as promised, ya.
     
  17. utvol0427

    utvol0427 Chieftain

    He could have won a Heisman playing for a competent coach/program.
     
  18. NorrisAlan

    NorrisAlan Founder of the Mike Honcho Fan Club

    Tony Robinson.


    And the king, Chuck Webb.
     
  19. utvol0427

    utvol0427 Chieftain

    What if we actually played defense against Boo Williams and Anthony Lucas in Fayetteville in 1999. We were up to 2nd in the BCS heading into that game.

    That win would have given us the Alabama-Tennessee match-up in the SEC Championship game that has managed to allude us almost for 30 years and would have been on track for a rematch with Florida State for the national championship.
     
  20. Johnny Utah

    Johnny Utah Well-Known Member

    Actually Tennessee wouldn’t have made the SEC title game if they had beaten Arkansas. Florida only had one SEC loss and owned the tiebreaker.
     
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