Tim Couch's dad walked out of his recruiting visit with Tennessee
Legendary Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch opens up about how his father stopped him from going to Tennessee and the car accident that changed his life.
Tim Couch recruiting story
- Thread starter Catfan in Tn.
- Start date
Elbert was a hell of a UK fan to send his superstar son to play for Bill Curry.
Curry should have been up on criminal charges for the way he "utilized" Tim Couch. If that had happened today Tim would have likely transferred before his sophomore season.
Well, it got Curry fired. had that not happened, Couch would have been a Vol. Mumme was the reason he stayed.
Knew Tim during that time and he did his best to put on a happy face but he was not happy at all his Freshman year and was out the door until Mumme was hired. I was always amazed how he handled himself knowing how much he stood to lose while seeing Manning and UT having the success they were having. He really wanted to play there.
Elbert needs some kind of special recognition at UK to help make that big a difference for our program. Without him, lot of great history would not have been.
Yeah, why I mentioned giving Elbert his accolades. To walk out on TN coaches is something pretty special and the man showed tremendous loyalty sticking to his program.
So basically he didn’t want to play here. All the crap he said at the basketball game that day was BS. He had even given them a verbal commit? Looking at the 2 programs and how he was utilized here his freshman year, that’s an easy decision for an athlete to make but there would have been all kinds of hell raised here in Kentucky had it happened. Very similar story to Manning only Archie let him choose. Tennessee won’t their only NCAA title the year after Peyton left. If Couch had been there, he probably doesn’t return for his senior year in 1998 and who know what might have happened. TC would probably have a statue outside Neyland.
This is old news and was told repeatedly years ago. I don’t understand how any UK fan hasn’t already heard this unless they weren’t old enough to have heard it back then.
Can’t blame Couch for considering TN at that point in time. He came to UK and stuck it out under Curry until HM took over. At Cleveland he became a victim of an expansion team. A number one overall pick is almost always going to a bad team, but an expansion team is the worst case scenario. He took a beating, never complained, but his body paid the price.
He will always be a Cat and anyone who is upset over the way his recruitment went is just being childish. And if they knew the inside story on every big recruit to ever play football or basketball here they’d probably really be upset.
Can’t blame Couch for considering TN at that point in time. He came to UK and stuck it out under Curry until HM took over. At Cleveland he became a victim of an expansion team. A number one overall pick is almost always going to a bad team, but an expansion team is the worst case scenario. He took a beating, never complained, but his body paid the price.
He will always be a Cat and anyone who is upset over the way his recruitment went is just being childish. And if they knew the inside story on every big recruit to ever play football or basketball here they’d probably really be upset.
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His SR year at KY would’ve been 1999. Had he gone to TN he would’ve for sure redshirted in 96 and would’ve been a sophomore in 98. The best thing that might’ve happened for him had he gone to TN is due to a redshirt year he would’ve been a year behind probably keeping him out of the 1999 draft and away from the Cleveland Browns.
I also remember that once it was obvious Curry was going to be fired that CM Newton ordered the coaches to quit using Couch in the crazy option running type offense that risked his career . Newton knew he was our future . As I recall there was an assistant coach , maybe the offensive coordinator that hated Couch and didn’t give a rats ass if he got him hurt .
Barnhart likely would have fired Curry long before the ‘96 season. Everyone knew that Curry was a total disaster except for CM Newton, and Curry never should’ve lasted that long.
Below is an excerpt from a Sports Illustrated article from the ‘96 season. In addition to the quote below, the article mentioned that they thought Curry had done arguably the worst coaching job in the history of SEC football. Curry should’ve been gone before Couch arrived.
“Long before the Wildcats' 65-0 loss to top-ranked Florida last Saturday--the 15th time in 71 games under Curry that Kentucky has given up at least 40 points--his ineptitude in the Bluegrass State was obvious to just about everyone except Kentucky athletic director C.M. Newton, who is closer personally to Curry than to Rick Pitino, the basketball coach who led the Wildcats to the 1996 NCAA championship. In six-plus seasons under Curry, the Wildcats have never had a winning record. Their best showing was a 6-6 mark in 1993, but that was followed by the dismal 1-10 finish of 1994 and a 4-7 record last year. To understand how bad things are in Lexington, here's all you need to know: Kentucky has lost to Vanderbilt five years in a row.”
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