Tennessee has a massive opportunity to take Vols' recruiting to the next level that they can't afford to pass up
Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Vols could take their recruiting efforts to the next level if they take advantage of a huge opportunity that's reportedly being presented to SEC programs. According to The Athletic, Netflix is closing in on a deal with the SEC to produce a documentary similar to the Formula 1 “Drive to Survive” […]
Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Vols could take their recruiting efforts to the next level if they take advantage of a huge opportunity that's reportedly being presented to SEC programs.
According to The Athletic, Netflix is closing in on a deal with the SEC to produce a documentary similar to the Formula 1 “Drive to Survive” and the PGA Tour’s “Full Swing" documentaries that have proved to be popular with viewers.
"While the contracts are not yet signed, all indications are that an agreement is close and Netflix will take viewers behind the scenes during this upcoming football season," notes the report from The Athletic.
Teams will be able to opt-in or opt-out of the documentary according to The Athletic (they also noted that Georgia, according to their sources, has expressed interest in being included).
Opting in should be a no-brainer for the Volunteers. These Netflix documentaries, which also includes a NASCAR series, have the potential to be incredible recruiting tools for SEC programs. Exposure isn't an issue for most of the top programs in the SEC, but Netflix has one of the biggest reaches in all of media right now. If Tennessee doesn't opt-in, they'd be giving every program that chooses to opt-in an advantage when it comes to recruiting.
The one problem, of course, is that Heupel is quite protective of his culture at Tennessee. He's been incredibly careful to make sure nothing disrupts the elite culture that he's brought to Knoxville over the last three years.
According to The Athletic, though, teams are expected to have some control over granting access to Netflix. They're also expected to have some control over what's aired about their programs. Perhaps with that promise of control, Heupel will be on board with granting Netflix film crews some behind-the-scenes access to Tennessee's program.
Netflix could help Heupel turn Tennessee into a true juggernaut in college football. It's a tool that the Vols should embrace if they truly want to surpass Georgia and Alabama in the SEC.
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