Vols’ off-field woes embarrass Luke Stocker
July 28th, 2010 | 
Author: By LARRY VAUGHT
He followed his heart to Tennessee, but that doesn’t mean Berea’s Luke Stocker is overjoyed with the off-field incidents that have plagued the Tennessee football team this year.
“It is embarrassing for our the University of Tennessee and our fans,” said Stocker, a senior tight end, at the Southeastern Conference Football Media Days last week. “It is disappointing what has happened. It is embarrassing for our team. It is one of the things you have to acknowledge you are wrong in that situation. There’s no way around that. It is completely wrong. You learn from it and grow from it. Hopefully that should never happen again.
“We have a bunch of different personalities on this team and a bunch of young guys just starting to understand the big picture of life and that had something to do with the mistakes people make. I am a Christian and try to show guys the right way to do things and try to get them to follow me.”
Stocker picked Tennessee over Kentucky and Louisville, but it was mainly a Kentucky-Tennessee finish.
“I went with heart and it led me to Tennessee. Joker (Phillips) was my recruiter at Kentucky. I told him my heart was with Tennessee and that is where I was going to go. He made that last little pitch, but I went with my heart. He understood and was fine with it,” Stocker said.
Kentucky has searched for a playmaking tight end the last three years after losing Jacob Tamme. Stocker is now a preseason all-SEC choice and would have been a perfect fit at UK.
The folks back home don’t mention that too much. They don’t really bring it up around me because they know they won’t get anywhere with it,” Stocker said.
However, Stocker has played for three coaches — Phillip Fulmer, Lane Kiffin and Derek Dooley — in four years at Tennessee.
“You have expectations coming out of high school. You want to win a SEC and national championship every year and then reality sets in when that does not happen,” he said. “You can’t say it was everything you expected, but I don’t really regret anything. I have had a great experience here. I have met life-long friends, developed relationships and met my future wife. I have no complaints and don’t regret a bit.
“I don’t think I ever would have expected to play for three coaches. It has been an experience. It has helped me grow into a man.”
He does have three wins over Kentucky and has helped the Vols continue their dominance of the Wildcats, who actually were picked to finish ahead of Tennessee in the SEC Eastern Division in a preseason media poll here.
“I don’t know if we have a mental edge on them or what, but we go out in the last game of the season and are trying to make that last stamp on the season to make it right. We have had good success with that and hopefully that will continue,” he said.
Posted in UK Football
Curious that the “off the field” woes for Tennessee focuses on the last year when that has been a continuing theme in Knoxville for a long time, going well back into the Fulmer tenure, and continuing with Kiffin, and now Dooley must decide what he is going to do about it.
If this kid went with his heart in his choice of Tennessee, but was not aware of the history of off the field issues at Tennessee, then his heart was blinding his mind.
If there is a God in Heaven, the Cats will give him a miserable senior day this year.
In this case, maybe he should have made his decision with his head and not his heart.
Obviously the past didn’t faze Stocker in his decision to go there.
who gives a rip about the TN football team?…all i am concerned about is beating them and getting that monkey off our back!!
Sorry Larry, it’s hard to forget this last Phil Fulmer gem: Classy? (this is from an ESPN article Nov. 2008) (Gene Wojciechowski)
28. Inside the closed locker room, the players and staff form a circle around Fulmer. He calls Luke Stocker, the only Kentuckian on the roster, to the middle of the circle.
“I want them to hear, by gosh, how we sing and how we treat Kentucky,” Fulmer says. “From the top of our lungs! Here we go, one, two, three …”
And they sing, “We don’t give a damn about the whole state of Kentucky … the whole state of Kentucky … the whole state of Kentucky. We don’t give a damn about the whole state of Kentucky … we’re … from … Tennessee!”
But he’s not a bad kid at all. Maybe he made a “bad” choice, but he’s still a Kentuckian and someone I enjoyed watching in high school
I would suspect that most if not all of the UT players involved in that inbelievable “incident” will be on the team this year. I really think that everyone that was there that were only guilty of not trying to stop the mayhem should be considered persona non grata. How would you like to have a group like that watching your back for you? How would it feel to have to have thugs like that for friends and teammates?
Sorry, I really think Stocker missed the boat. But how could he possibly admit that now.
Phat Phil. Then Kiffin. Now maybe for his senior year he will have a decent coach, (not talking about winning), but so far one player with a previous offense and a bad reputation and two suspensions (think they will need them at Tennessee Martin) has shown me NOTHING so far. Maybe he will be decent, maybe not, if he tries to do the right thing at UT he probably won’t last long.
As far as Stocker is concerned he could have been a hero to a lot of UK fans. Right now I consider him a traitor, and one that made a bad choice at that. Stay in Tennessee.
To set the record straight, Stocker didn’t lead the chant in the locker room – Fulmer did. If anyone reading this comment thinks that Luke Stocker is a traitor then you don’t know him at all. He is a class-act all the way. BTW, seven Tennessee young men on the UK roster – are they traitors? No, they are young men who chose to play football for the school of their dreams. Stocker is a Kentuckian and proud of it. He has family here and people should respect that.
Thanks for the insights on Luke. As I noted earlier, always loved watching him play and he was terrific at SEC Media Day. Very valid point about UK having guys from Tennessee. And Luke could not control what Fulmer did any more than Fulmer, Kiffin or Dooley have been able to control what some of the players have done
I’m sure he has had a good time. Did anyone see the “Hostess” that ut sends to meet with recruits? How could you not have a good time there when they send lookers like that to your homecoming game! ! ! ROFLMAO! ! !
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. GO BLUE AND HATE ROCKY TOP! ! !
ps. The traitor stuff IMO is way of base. These young men make decisions that they think is best for them. If one of my sons were recruited by UK in fb I would want him to go to the college of his choice not mine! !
Larry, I normally agree with you on most everything, however, this time I must take issue with part of your point “Luke could not control what Fulmer did any more than Fulmer, Kiffen or Dooley have been able to control what some of the players have done.” I agree that as a player, Luke cannot control what his coach does.
What I take issue with is the coaches’ lack of control. When something happens on Planet Blue, the NCAA cites UK for “lack of institutional control.” If a coach cannot keep guys from bustin a cap in somebody at the 7-11, maybe they shouldn’t be coaching.
That said, I believe that young men should be allowed to make some mistakes and get second chances, but there is a culture that has developed at UT Athletics (both Basketball and Football) and it goes something like this:
Player commits a CRIME (sometimes a felony) armed robbery, posession of illegal firearms, assault and battery of a peace office, posession of illegal substances, driving under the influence, etc.
Media reacts.
Coach sounds tough, may kick one guy off the team, maybe not. Issues suspensions.
All is well in Organgeville
Coach releases players from suspensions in time for critical game. UT wins or at least competes in big game.
All is weel in Orangeville.
Lesson to players: just make sure there are several of you committing the crime to lessen your chances of being the one booted.
I respect Stocker, but hope he has a miserable senior day!
Fair points Classy. Can’t argue with you.
And even Luke’s relatives would understand UK fans not wanting him to get a win on his Senior Day. But if you ever got to meet Luke, you would like him. Guarantee it. And if he had been a Cat, he would have been beloved here, maybe another Tamme