the Shane Beamer effect
With Urban Meyer supposedly planning to wreak havoc on MD/DC/VA recruiting in the coming years, I'd say that Shane Beamer's clout as a recruiter is first being put to the test with the recruitment of Joel Caleb. Beamer has been recruiting his first big name heavily and it seems like a huge tug-of-war between us and Ohio State.
I'm pulling for Shane but good or bad, where Joel Caleb goes may be a sign of things to come regarding VT recruiting.
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Agree. #
If I remember correctly Coach Cav was on him first then Shane "took over" the recruiting effort once he joined the staff. That's two of our best right there. Speaking of the Shane Beamer effect... Kwamaine Battle won't ask the NCAA for a 6th year of eligibility. He joins Clayton, Hamlette, Prince, and Tucker as would be senior reserves who won't be coming back to the team. That's how they do things down in the SEC.
David Wilson eats Chick-fil-A on Sundays.
yeah i've noticed that #
...beamer is showing how they rolled in SC/SEC .. oversign and then cut your dead weight .. guess that's business and that's one of the reasons the sec is ruling cfb
Coach Cav is def one of the best .. We should be recruiting the hell out of players with Cav, Stiney, and Shane now .. This class looks very good but I've always questioned the effort recruiting wise .. But you do what you can do. When you're jammed between B1G country and SEC country, not to mention VT's failure to deliver, our koolaid probably isn't quite as sweet as we think.
Kirven is another one to watch. They say that he's been a heavy VT lean all along .. If he ends up in Bama, I'd say that's a big loss for us -- not necessarily from a "him" standpoint (our defensive recruiting class looks stout) .. Just the fact (again) that we lose a 4 star recruit living an hour away.
Even with a good class, if we lose Kirven and Caleb, this recruiting effort will have been a big fat fail.
Yep yep #
Could not agree more. I get sick to my stomach every year ay national signing day. It's not because our recruits are bad just because we could have done much better we always lose done kids we should have gotten. We need to finish stronger.
Win one for the Beamer...
Next year will be interesting #
The #1 player for 2013, OLB EJ Levenberry, could merit five-star status with offers already from Bama, Florida, FSU, LSU, OSU, and USC. Can VT take a shot at keeping him in-state or is he out the door already to greener pastures?
Here's a link to the 2013 top 25 in VA. Would love to hear some thoughts about our chances with any of these guys:
http://rivals.yahoo.com/virginiapreps/football/recruiting/rankings/rank-...
From what I heard/read #
Levenberry's recruitment will run through his dad and I don't believe tech is high on his list, but one interesting thing is the placement of Shane Beamer in the Richmond area as more of the states talent has shifted from the once dominate 757 area code to the Richmond area over the past couple of years. And its been clear since his Sophomore year that Tech really covets Bucky Hodges.
UVA: Jefferson's biggest mistake
levenberry will not be at tech #
stiney who has great connections in hampton roads was put back there save a spot or 2 for newsome.
since they were moving cav, a natural spot to put beamer. no reason to have a whole bunch of territories new to guys.
757 is still the best in the state and certainly per capita but richmond and nova (due to sheer numbers) has closed the gap.
eric
twitter.com/beercontrol
"My advice to you... is to start drinking heavily."-John Blutarsky
east coast recruiting #
I understand that we shouldn't worry too much with recruiting in CA/West Coast/even TX because of cost/distance but it's widely known that 99% of our recruiting efforts are ONLY in the state of VA. Don't get me wrong .. VA has talent but we're NEVER gonna get it all. We should at least be targeting recruits on the eastern seaboard (other than FL .. look at the talent in NC,SC,GA) .. We've gotten better with NC in recent years and have always grabbed one here and there from PA .. But we need to do better. SEC and Big 10 country is CRAWLING with 4 and 5 star recruits .. Let's start cherry picking from other teams like Urban does. We settle WAY TOO SOON in recruiting season with 2 and 3 star recruits. With family close, we should have had a legitimate shot with Darius Hamilton, with Stefon Diggs, a better shot with Jones ... and look at Clemson's recruiting class .. CLEMSON -- an ACC team smack dab in the middle of SEC country .. How does that happen??
Yes -- The coaches do well at coaching 2 and 3 star recruits up -- but what would happen in they were "coaching up" all 3 and 4 (and the occasional 5) stars?
I know that Blacksburg isn't the most glamorous place in the country -- but geez -- our program has to be appealing enough and it is good enough to bypass 2 star recruits .. who are offered 6 months before signing day.
a lot to get at #
sorry, done on phone.
first, you aren't paying attn to the resources vt is putting in sakerlina, nc & ga. outside of a few schools, vt has pulled out of fla, due to putting in so much time only to,lose so many late in the process. also, some attitude issues with fla kids
the big 10 is not crawling with top talent & the ones that are don't give a shit about acc schools.
we we aren't ohio state, by name, history or especially budget. their athletic dept dwarfs ours.
hamilton will go too rutgers. why do think every top program missed on him? or was it just vt missing on him.
we finished 2nd to bama on jones. how much better do you want? now notice diggs, compare his final list vs jones final list. let me know if any are the same. they aren't. they don't like each other, at a point you pick one to recruit & ride it. they made the right call. tho, I'm sure you have something against it.
if vt doesn't get 2 of their final 3 state kids, trashing is understood. do you think the other schools don't work at recruiting too?
maryland is going to be tough to get kids for a couple yrs. md, psu &uva are going to get bloody there.
should get fuller tho.
eric
twitter.com/beercontrol
"My advice to you... is to start drinking heavily."-John Blutarsky
I think you have to give the #
I think you have to give the staff credit when it comes to evaluating talent. They've proven time and time again they have an eye for diamonds in the rough. You could probably argue as many four-star players washed out as two-stars. Rivals is probably the best recruiting services, but they're not the end all, be all, final say on players. They've been wrong, many times, before. Furthermore, we offered grey shirts to most of the two-star kids.
Beamer's website put out this nugget last week:
That's putting your nose to the grindstone and doing work to find talent.
In the long run more four-star players will mean better things for the program, but don't get bent out of shape of Rivals stars.
/gets off of soapbox
Our last four recruiting classes, we are pulling more out of state players.
Although, I believe what Beamer believes: the focus should be Virginia outward.
David Wilson eats Chick-fil-A on Sundays.
I don't disagree with you on #
I don't disagree with you on most points and will be the first to admit that VT does a lot with what they're given, but more often than not, I'd say the recruiting services are close. They are doing better in NC and have landed a few gems out of PA (KJ) and even got Evans out of Indiana. VT finding their occasional hidden gem has never been the problem. Getting the bigger names to come to Blacksburg is more the problem. Not being able to close late is more the problem. Coaching is part of the equation, being able to coach up (especially on defense is huge) ... But there's a reason that Alabama is starting to pump out NC every few years too and it's not just Saban.
How much better than 2nd do we want? We want first. From what they say now, VT wasn't even close and his relationship with WR coach and JC wasn't close to enough. Given it is Alabama, hard to compete with -- but whatever koolaid is being served up down in Tuscaloosa, all of these kids are drinking it. If we lose Kirven to Bama, it would be a huge disappointment.
Hopefully, a new emphasis on recruiting bears fruit. I think the changes made were good.
You're right though -- We'll wait to see what the last 3 do before we start bashing too much more.
re: closers #
As of late, the staff ain't drinking much coffee.
David Wilson eats Chick-fil-A on Sundays.
Do or do not #
There is no try.
Not Sure Urban Meyer is God #
when it comes to talent evaluation. I see he is plucking 4 and 5 stars, but let's be honest, anyone can read Rivals website and predict a 5 star will be good. It takes real talent to be able to evaluate football ability and then to develop talent. Looking at the current Florida team and the last year Meyer coached at UF. The talent level isn't as good as the talent he inherited. Although he had great recruiting success at UF, those 4 and 5 stars he recruited aren't dominating the SEC, or anybody for that matter. So, we'll see how good his OSU team is in 3 years...
VT and BSU are the best evaluators of football talent. I don't have any actual data to back this up, but I don't think any other schools get as many walk-on, 2-star, and 3-star players into the NFL. You'll also notice, often when VT gives an offer out to an unheralded player, that other schools will then offer and recruiting agencies will bump up their evaluations. Look at Augie Conte, Robert Lockhart, and TJ Millweard of this recruiting class.
Now, if only they could combine their evaluation talent with some recruiting/closing talent, then VT would reach the elite level.
amen #
"Now, if only they could combine their evaluation talent with some recruiting/closing talent, then VT would reach the elite level."
Amen to that -- maybe Shane can be the guy who becomes known as "The Closer"
And props to the coaching staff for their hard work but at the same time -- they're using up resources to find/evaluate all of these players when other coaches spend 60 minutes on rivals.com and find out the same thing that took VT hours of work to do. I'm sure there's a give-and-take and VT recruiters do the same thing.
It's impressive what VT does with 2 and 3 stars .. but make no mistake .. teams full of 4 and 5 star players win championships. The only position on the field that could offset shortcomings everywhere else is an exceptional, once-in-a-lifetime QB (circa 1999) .. Do we have that QB now in LT? Too early to tell.
hodges and fuller #
yes -- they're hot after Bucky ... and the big daddy not on this list (from md) is Kendall Fuller ... a 5 star cornerback recruit (and younger brother of Vincent, Corey, and Kyle)
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/player-Kendall-Fuller-1...
I'm thinking that he'll be the first 5 star that VT lands since Macho and T2 .. If he doesn't come to play in Blacksburg, I would be a bit shocked.
i wouldn't say shocked as #
i wouldn't say shocked as much as disappointed. this kid will be recruited, literally, by every major college football program in the country. with all those options, you can't call it a shocker if he chooses somewhere else, just a huge disappointment (for us, he'll be a stud where-ever he lands).
...you know...
@j3ffress
developing 2*s isn't enough #
I love that our program can develop 2 and 3 * players very well. But that's only enough to win the Coastal division. If we want to compete on a national level we need to bring in more (already) talented players. We constantly boast that we can evaluate and develop the lower level HS recruits, but then what does that mean we could do with more 4 and (gasp) 5 * guys?? I'm not saying we aren't trying, i'm sure (i hope) we are. I like the guys we've snagged from south FL lately, so why not more from NC, MD, SC...? Fighting for the top VA guys and then losing them to schools from outside the region isn't going to cut it. I think Shane Beamer is a great addition and hope he can bump up our recruiting a bit. Who wouldn't want to be a Hokie?! Look how awesome we are at TKP!
WHERE do we want 4/5* talent? #
Saying we want it isnt enough. I think its the where that will move us forward. The defense seems to have the most clout with star power that translates into effectiveness on the field. We haven't had much issue in obtaining or develop top talent in the secondary or LB corps. My issue is finding hog mollies in the trenches. Bama's defense was so stout because they had HUGE fellas WITH speed. One of their LB's was able to transition easily from OLB to DE in various packages without problem. No wonder their DC is the highest paid Asst Coach in CFB.
Injuries are what killed our D-line this year in losing Battle and Hopkins very early. Sure, our guys stepped up but matching a DT at 200lbs soaking wet vs a 300lb guard is an uphill battle. I love the fire guys like Maddy have in back up roles, but sending him in there out of necessity isnt fun to watch.
Out of everything though, I feel most confused by who we obtain for the offensive line. This is not a knock to our current or previous group by any means. I think they have done a great job of molding into their respective roles. Nonetheless, WHY do we make TE's become OG or T's? Taking in talent at their natural position is the way to move forward. A TE assuredly knows how to block and read defenses but how great are some of these guys at "finishing the play"? Knowing when to engage in protection versus shedding a tackle to pick another in the second level is far more impressive.
www.twitter.com/BeaunerJam
"To be the man, you gotta beat the man" - Rick Flair
I know the anser to this... #
I want ten guys that are 4/5 on the OL so we have talent AND depth......I want guys that can open an hole wide enough for me to run 20 yards before they're touched.....I want guys that can give LT or any other QB 10 seconds of uninterrupted time to find our receivers, look for holes to run through, or anything else he wants to do...I want games full of pancake blocks....I want to leave a trail of frustrated defensive linemen in our wake...I want to have to change guards into TE's because they're undersized, not TE's to OG's. A great offensive line can make average talent in the backfield look superb. That's what I want.
Take the shortest route to the ball and arrive in bad humor.
Unfortunately #
The players on the top teams on the other side of the ball are just as good. If we got such good recruits would they be bored with us since theoreticall they would not need much "coaching up"? Do we have the capability to "coach up" or handle a 4 or 5 star recruit? What does coaching up mean? Is it really just a matter of getting highly self motivated players rather than us coaching them up? CFB is not a prentitious guy. Maybe that is what is required to recruit pretentious, high ranked players.
anywhere we can #
Well we should be taking them where ever we can get them to play to be honest. But yeah, O-line would be HUGE. They are the foundation for the offense, and our has been average at best. I'd like to see an elite WR too. Heck yeah we've had some great WRs but i'm talking about 6'4"+ and can get the ball every time and you'd love to see what he can do after the catch.
IF MD7 #
can continue to develop along with Coles I can see that. I think many were somewhat disappointed with their performance this year in some dropped passes and routing but I will venture to say that there's a bright future budding between the two. D.J. Coles is built like a LB and Marcus Davis has the hands.
Most dont realize but Marcus Davis had the longest catch of 63 yards this year, highest YPC, and is tied with Boykin in TD's (5). He had less total yards than Coale or Boykin yet has played the same amount of games.
As well, D.J. Coles is just 30 yards shy of Davis with 480 yards and 3 TD's. These numbers arent awe inspiring but theyre a start with younger talent. Having STRAIGHTBURNER back as well will be huge. I'm more concerned with the RB situation than wideout.
www.twitter.com/BeaunerJam
"To be the man, you gotta beat the man" - Rick Flair
Caleb #
Just a little gossip for everyone to read. I love recruiting season and signing day and have ALOT of credible resources and I have been hearing Caleb is really starting to lean towards WVU. Take it for whats its worth. I just thought I would let you guys know whats going on. I have heard this from at least five diffrent people this week, all of them from the Richmond, D.C. area. Hopefully Lil Beamer can get in there and close this kid out. He would be agreat fit in Blackburg. Also watch out for Edmunds this kid is going to be a beast no matter what position they put him at, All-ACC in 2 years mark it on your calendar no shit. Anyone else have any juicy recruiting information or rumors? Usually where there is smoke there is fire...
Win one for the Beamer...
Drew Harris #
Sorry for errors in last post. It's coming from my phone (swype). I was just wondering if anyone could confirm if Drew Harris has a torn ACL. I have read this on a couple of other sites. I think he will still have a productive career. I was just wondering what his chances are for playing in the fall.
Win one for the Beamer...
caleb and harris #
According to elevenwarriors.com (seems to be a pretty reputable site covering OSU sports):
"Joel Caleb - Wide Receiver - Midlothian, VA As the first "official" visitor of the Urban Meyer era, Caleb appeared to have the inside track to become the marquis WR of Urban's first class at OSU, but it appears for whatever reason that the once white-hot mutual interest between these two parties has cooled to a barely burning ember. Maybe Caleb doesn't fit the size/speed combo that Meyer wants, or maybe Caleb wants to stay closer to home.
Why this one has cooled off is anyone's guess, but Caleb was once a likely commitment for the Buckeyes, however it seems both parties have moved on."
Take that for what it is .. I'm sure WVU is in the mix but they or their offensive style isn't exactly going to be a harbor for great WRs .. Besides, who the hell would want to live in Morgantown anyway?? Who knows .. I'm still guessing that Caleb is a Hokie
----
As far as Harris goes -- conflicting reports everywhere but it seems pretty clear that his injury was pretty serious -- whether it was a full ACL tear -- who knows .. I think with the RB depth now (Holmes, Gregory if healthy) and with Coleman early enrolling and getting a full spring workout, Harris probably would've redshirted anyhow. With this injury, I'd say that's a definite.
----
Not much to find on Kirven -- I think that he's making an official visit to Maryland (WTF??) .. I'd say that he'll either be a Hokie or Bama .. Saban needs to keep his ass in SEC country and Meyer needs to keep his ass in B1G country .. damned cherry pickers
I know right #
Thanks for the info.. I hope he does end up in the 'Burg (Caleb) he looks to be a great fit and if all else fails it appears as though he could make the transition to defense as the Army All-American game had him listed as a DB. That is reassuring that there will be no talk of him as a bust if it doesn't work out at Receiver. He also has a decent arm and looks like the traditional Blackburg quarterback if O'Cain could mold him into one, he would be a 3 year starter (taking Bucky Hodges out of the equation). I have no idea as to why he would be so interested in WVU but it sounds as though he is as of the moment, hopefully Shane will talk some sense into him. On Kirven, I was told that this kid is eating up all the attention. I hear his favorite is which ever school is paying the most attention to him that week. They did say that he has always liked the idea of playing at VT but boasts that Bama offer every where he goes. Some kids hate the being worried by recruiters and some kids drag out the process because this is the most attention that has ever been or ever will be paid to them again. If you come across anymore information on recruiting let me know.. Thanks again.
Win one for the Beamer...
as far as ekanem #
goes .. not sure .. joe posted earlier about him and it's been pretty widely known that vt and nd would be his finalists .. up until now, general consensus was that he was more of a ND lean .. but some feel otherwise (like fenix420) .. wouldn't be surprised if ND has laid off since his injury .. they have plenty of other fish to fry in big10 country and the northeast.
http://www.thekeyplay.com/content/2012/january/11/ekanem-will-pick-betwe...
hopefully we can get all three .. that would be a great 1st class with the new coaching/recruiting changes.
also something to note...the #
also something to note...the coach from nd that was recruiting him, Charlie Molnar, took the head coaching job at massachusets back in december. and like i stated earlier..they have kinda laid off of him since his injury, while our coaches went to visit him in the hospital....fwiw
That I may serve..
Ekanem #
In my opinion Ekanem is the most important. I feel as though he could end up being the most productive of all the recruits we end up signing if he can rehab that knee and get back to 100%. His film is ridiculous, that kid is a monster. Who wouldnt want to play for Bud Foster on defense. I am really hoping Bud and Frank get out and do some in home visits and close out this recruiting class in good fashion. It would give us some momentum going into the spring and give me and the rest of the fan base something to look forward too and put these horrible Sugar bowl memories behind us. Absolutely, if we could get all 3 I think everyone would be exited and optimistic about the future in the 'Burg. That would also without a doubt do nothing but help get things rolling with the 2013 class recruits for next year.
Win one for the Beamer...
no doubt .. way too much time on my hands today #
my itinerary .. if you're reading Coach Beamer
0600 -- meet on the 50yl at lane for coach Beamer's 300-like "no man left behind" speech
0615 -- leave the Burg at 0615
0900ish -- in Centreville -- Stiney/Cav close deal on Ekanem over breakfast
-- all the while, the Beamer boys roll into DC and get Goldman
-- out of Nova by noon
1:30 -- in Richmond, closing the deal with JMFC over lunch (Beamer boys)
-- all the while, Stiney/Cav roll down to 757 to steal Harold and Kwontii and for a "we good, right?" with Coleman
3:30 -- Beamer boys celebrate by having a few at Capitol Ail House
StineCav busts balls getting back to Midlothian to pick up the Beamers by 5:00
head down 95 and hit 460 towards Lynchburg
In Lynchburg by 6:30 to seal the deal with KKirven over dinner with he and the rents
Back in the Burg by 10p -- long day Coach but that's why you make the big bucks
Too funny #
That sounds great with a lil fuck Saban, you would make such a great Hokie up in DC and sign Cyrus. Sprinkled in with some Brian Kelly killed someone and he coaches at "touchdown Jesus", you don't want to follow him nowhere to Ronald Darby up in DC. Yea all that would round out this class real nice..lol
Win one for the Beamer...
forgot #
also need to make sure LT3 is on point and representin .. bust the Kirvens' door open at ... say ... 830pm with hot apple pie and vanilla ice cream for dessert screaming "brookville bee's in the fuckin house!!!"