The analyst who made a terrible prediction for Tennessee Vols last year is back with another bad prediction
A year ago, recruiting analyst Mike Farrell made a terrible prediction for the Tennessee Vols that ended up making him look foolish. Last August, Farrell predicted that Tennessee would go 4-8 in Josh Heupel's first season. Farrell's prediction wasn't even close. The Vols surpassed his expectations by going 7-6 in Heupel's first season. And they […]
A year ago, recruiting analyst Mike Farrell made a terrible prediction for the Tennessee Vols that ended up making him look foolish.
Last August, Farrell predicted that Tennessee would go 4-8 in Josh Heupel's first season.
Farrell's prediction wasn't even close. The Vols surpassed his expectations by going 7-6 in Heupel's first season. And they were two plays away from going 9-4 (a bad call against Purdue and a missed open receiver against Ole Miss).
So did Farrell learn his lesson after last year's bad prediction?
Apparently not.
Farrell, who is no longer with Rivals.com, tweeted a "statistical projection" this week that suggests Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker will "take a step back" in 2022.
There's no explanation for Farrell's math — it looks like he just arbitrarily picked some numbers.
I'm also not sure of his logic. Hooker improved last year as the season progressed. He has another year in Heupel's offense under his belt. And he has one of the best wide receivers in the nation returning in Cedric Tillman.
Why in the world should any of us think that Hooker is going to be worse in 2022 than he was in 2021?
Hooker's had a great camp, he's been praised by his coaches and his teammates for his consistency, and he has most of his supporting cast back from last season.
Logically, we should expect Hooker to take a big step forward now that's entrenched as the starter and he's more comfortable in Heupel's offense. Last year at this time, he was still learning the offense (and he's admitted he struggled at first with the offense). Now, he's perfecting it.
I have a pretty good feeling that Farrell will once again look foolish when the season is over.
We'll certainly revisit this in December to see just how right (or wrong) Farrell turned out to be.
Featured image via USA TODAY Sports
