Sports

Tennessee Offers Stark Contrast To Texas In Signing Prima Donnas With Lamborghini Tastes

by

iStockphoto / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images


Offseason trash talk has been at an all-time high over the last few weeks in the SEC with football and basketball squads gearing up for the year to come.

Tennessee, intentionally or not, got in on the action this week. Women’s basketball coach Bill Ferrara threw subtle shade at rival programs that buy players.

The Vols refuse to play the NIL games in recruiting. They prioritize fit and mindset above all else.

SEC recruiting is an arms race.

The haves and the have-nots are quickly separated across each sport. Those with the ability to purchase players will do so. It is the day and age in which we now live in college sports.

In men’s basketball, Kentucky flaunted a $20 million roster on the floor last season. Former coach John Calipari, meanwhile, was given unlimited frozen chicken money to make his run to the Sweet Sixteen.

On the football field, the spending is even greater. LSU signed a top overall transfer class after $90 million head coach Lane Kiffin was given a $40 million budget.

Texas, Alabama, Texas A&M, and Georgia are also top spenders annually.

That investment has resulted in on-field success in many cases. But money is not the only incentive being advertised by these programs.

Car deals, housing, and other sponsorship opportunities allow players to rake in cash while building their own brands. In Austin, a partnership with a local Lamborghini dealer has been flashed on social media.

That seemed to start with star running back Bijan Robinson. It’s continued over the last few offseasons as a way of luring talent to Texas.

Alabama transfer Isaiah Bond flexed his visit to the Lambo dealer less than 24 hours after making a commitment to the Longhorns.

Steve Sarkisian has not been shy about that relationship. He brought out a fleet of luxury sports cars while hosting a slew of recruits the year prior.

It’s reasonable to believe the partnership could extend across various sports at the university. I have not seen any promotion from the women’s basketball team, though they did recently sign a No. 1 overall recruiting class.

Tennessee will not (or cannot) offer that same deal. They do not want Prima Donnas in Knoxville.

Tennessee women’s basketball does not hand out Lambos.

“Tennessee’s not a place that you do Lambos at,” said assistant Bill Ferrara. “That’s just not it. The pitch is Kim (Caldwell)’s personality. We’re going to tell you how hard it’s going to be…

“Kids in the portal have either had that experience or they’re looking for a better (deal)… We want hard-working kids with a chip on their shoulder. We won’t roll out Lamborghinis and lie to them.”

Was it a shot at Texas, or any other SEC program for that matter? Maybe. Maybe not. One could certainly read into it as being so.

It can’t help but cross fans’ minds in the current landscape.

SEC coaches won’t stop trash talking.

This offseason, we’ve seen coaches go back and forth in downgrading their conference rivals. It’s been largely contained to football.

Sarkisian dealt the latest jab with a shot at Ole Miss’s lenient admissions process. That came a day after Lane Kiffin threw shade at the community of Oxford as a whole.

Rebels coach Pete Golding has responded to the barbs though in much less dramatic fashion. He had the support of Florida’s Jon Sumrall, who opted to get in on the action, too.

Tennessee women’s basketball, maybe inadvertently, joined the party thanks to Bill Ferrara. Whether it was a direct shot at a particular school or a blanket statement on the state of recruiting, speculation will run wild following the comment.

View Comments