I've come to the fact that I think VT needs a new head coach to move forward or we risk losing this program to fan apathy. I wrote an email to Whit Babcock, as well as Dave Everett and Terry Bolt from Hokie Club, that I'd be willing to increase my donation if the decision was made to let go of Justin Fuente.
It's a small gesture since I'm not a major donor or have any real influence. I do know others feel the same way and if this message comes from a lot in the fanbase it could influence thoughts in Merryman.
Below are the thoughts I sent regarding the on field product, off the field, and recruiting:
To: HokieAD@vt.edu
Cc: daeveret@vt.edu, tbolt@vt.edu
Subject: Donation for Fuente Buyoutο»Ώ
Hokie Hi,I'm a proud VT '06 alum, Hokie Club member, football season ticket holder, and big fan of the football program. I wanted to let it be known that I will increase my donation for a buyout if the decision was made to go a different direction than Justin Fuente as head coach of VT.
I think it's the right decision to let Fuente go as on the field we have consistently suffered embarrassing losses as a very inconsistent football program and off the field Justin Fuente has been awful for fan engagement. If we had a winning product it would be easy to excuse the more NFL/Patriots like secrecy but with the product on the field it creates even more apathy as there isn't as much openness with the media with the players and thus less stories. When there has been stories that have been able to get information on what's going on in the program it's shown a negative light, the Sports Illustrated article on the reasoning of transfers out of the program comes to mind. When Fuente has been in front of the media he has come off as aloof or defensive.
On the field the losses and the trajectory of the program speaks for itself. It seems like it's a flip of the coin proposition whether this team will start the game with the right amount of energy to match it's opponent; it certainly didn't against Wake Forest or Liberty this year. It seems to me that the confident Justin Fuente from 2016 isn't the same as he is now and from the stories from after the Duke game last year it seems he has been second guessing himself. It doesn't seem as if there is a light at the end of the tunnel as recruiting has kept getting worse especially in the state of Virginia where it seems like Justin Fuente isn't as interested in building relationships.
I'll always love my Hokies but I'm ready for a change at head coach as I know a lot of my friends are. Justin Fuente hasn't created a connection with me as a fan and has produced an inconsistent product with major losses and lack of signature victory. I hope that the athletic department makes the right decision to go in a different direction.
Regards,
Comments
"it creates even more empathy"
Not sure that "empathy" is the word you were looking for there, possibly "antipathy?"
Anyways, I understand your angst, the program seems to be slowly spiraling downward. CJF seems like a stand-up guy who might be in over his head at the moment. Would truly love to see him have success at VT, just no longer confident that it is a possibility in the short or long run.
Good catch, meant apathy.
"Welcome to Dumpsville. Population you." Homer Simpson
"You did your best and you failed miserably. The point is, never try." Homer to Fuente, probably.
Very well written and thoughtful, I think most of us would have just said fuente needs to GTFO
Hard no. Not my signature. I don't disagree with your passion. I do disagree with the recommendation.
What's your argument for giving Fuente more time?
Losing to Liberty sucks. It sucks a lot. People are rightfully pissed off.
Right now there are a lot of valid concerns (and some not so valid) floating around.
If you step back a bit and look at the seasons as a whole, something else seems to be going on:
We're 2 point favorites going into a matchup against a top 10 team this week.
Has that sunk in with anybody at this point?
Why are we the favorite? Why the hell is the line not moving?
Candidly- Fuente's not our guy; we were never going to settle down and marry him after losing Frank after all those years. At best he's here to stabilize our program and point it forward. It's possible he's beginning to do that.
Don't have too much concern of when he leaves and why, but if it's an irrational decision made to our detriment, that's probably not ideal.
We were 14 point favorites against Liberty. Kinda makes this a moot point. There was a stat yesterday that we're 1-9 in toss up games. Vegas isn't really on our side here.
Vegas isn't on anybody's side. And yes, we had a really shitty game against Liberty.
Part of the reason we're favored must be overrated Miami.
If we're that bad in toss-up games, it's either a fluky stat or it means we probably won't win Saturday either.
There is an awful lot of hyperbole that would seem to suggest that this year's team is similar or worse to 2018. I don't believe that's true. I don't think the program is trending downwards (even with the result from last weekend).
Unfortunately he is stabilizing the program, as a perennial 6-8 win club. π
Given all the available information of his tenure through this point, I don't think it's irrational to move on from him.
Can we afford Fuente's buyout?
Do we have a blank check on hand for whoever #1 on Whit's list is?
Is there enough left to support and build the program? (Can we still afford to grow the recruiting staff, continue facility upgrades, and bring on Jerry Kill and Tracy Claeys when we need to?)
If the answer to these questions is yes;
Get it done. Yesterday.
If the answer to any of these are no, a 6-8 win club could very well become a pipe dream.
Even if the team has been improving as much as my silly table indicates, he's not the best coach in the country; we can probably do better. But unless we can afford that move, I don't think it's a good move.
VT has assets. If VT really wanted to move on they could afford to do so.
A blank check? Probably not. #1 on Whit's list? Also probably not. Every time you make a change you're taking a risk. Hiring Fuente was a risk. Sometimes you get it right. Sometimes you don't. Sometimes you don't know whether you got it right or not for a few years. I believe Whit said that one of the goals he had for the next coach was to improve recruiting. Fuente has objectively come up short in that regard. Fuente seemed like a great hire at the time. 2016 was a good start. Things have gone down hill since then. I think the risk to hiring a new coach isn't any worse than the risk to keeping Fuente around. If recruiting is a major focus and Fuente isn't delivering I think it's worth the risk on a new coach who might be able to do a better job.
Again, VT has assets. If they were serious about investing in/building a football program they could.
I think your silly tables are cool and I appreciate the work you've put into them. I think there's always going to be a way to make a coach look good (or bad) with data. Either way, it's hard for fans to look clearly at data (myself included) when they FEEL like this team is always losing games they shouldn't lose. It feels like a pattern that has developed under Fuente's direction. He's not a bad coach. He's quite clearly not the best coach out there. I do think that VT could afford to move in a different direction if they really wanted to. In my view, this program is facing two major challenges. There is a lack of excitement around the program (which appears to manifest as a lack of energy on the sidelines every other week) and the talent that is coming into the program right now isn't good enough to compete in this league. Fuente doesn't appear to be addressing either of those issues effectively. If he can't fix them, I say we move on and give someone else a shot.
What are you basing this on? Every public budget out there since Whit got here has been razor thin margin and COVID is going to create a massive shortfall.
The fact that there are people confident we could afford it, even in the year of the pandemic, is reassuring. Even if we're undefeated looking at a playoff run; I'd always want this to be true.
As for the data; I'm actually in disbelief. It's fucking Vegas saying we're good. That's just the best visualization I can make from one of these guys. Sagarin, Fremeau, Phil Steele, ESPN all agree on this. We're expected (if ever so slightly) to score more points on Saturday than a top ten team.
The second point; recruiting. I'm fairly confident that it's oversold. We bring in a new guy; maybe some modest improvement. But recruiting correlates with programs far more than coaches; VT is going to fundamentally recruit at a VT level regardless of who the VT coach is.
We need to either fundamentally change our program (an expensive, long-term fix that is a lot more complex than simple coaching hires). Or find somebody better at using VTs resources to field better VT football teams.
I believe that it's much harder than it seems. And I can see making the switch (without being prepared) making things worse.
In any case I don't think things are bad enough to even consider a mid-season firing. We don't have a losing record. And we're not heading in the wrong direction. Am I mad people are flipping out? No, fuck that, we just lost to Liberty. Everybody should be pissed about that.
Is the solution "fire the coach"? I'm not certain it is.
While I generally agree that recruiting correlated with the program's overall brand, I do think the right coach can 1) maximize the resources available at a particular school to achieve the best possible results, and/or 2) elevate the level of recruiting into another tier. Take VT for instance. We historically have recruited, on average, at a 25-35 level ranking. A coach who can utilize the resources available at VT should be able to produce at a level around that historical average. A really good coach could give VT the potential to crack the top-15 or top-20 every so often, with a track record of results and wins which leads to increased donations and more resources, which leads to better recruiting, which leads to more wins, and so forth. Producing at a clip like that can eventually snowball into a very competitive program which could contend for the ACC and have a shot at the playoff every so often.
We aren't doing that currently. Fuente's first few classes ranked around VT's historical average. But now as the roster has turned over and the team is now fully made up of his recruits and his program is now in place, we are seeing a clear regression in recruiting for the 20 and 21 classes. VT is flat out underperforming given historical averages and Fuente's billing as a coach who could elevate VT back to national prominence. It would be one thing if Fu simply maintained the average, but we are clearly going backwards. That has to be simply unacceptable to anyone who cares about the direction of the program.
History may not be the best marker for what is the current expected recruiting class ranking. CFB has changed A LOT in the last 15 years, so I wouldn't expect what happened 20 years ago to have any relevance for what is happening now.
It might be more instructive to look at metrics like football staff funding or fan donations as a proxy for where we should expect to recruit. It might give us the same answer (~25th), but it might illuminate some non-coaching reasons for our recruiting struggles.
So, basically it's still right where it was when he got here? If VT doesn't pony up some $$ to compete with the bigger programs it doesn't matter who the head coach is
He also made the program inaccessible to fans and media. Arguably, his recruiting is slipping below Frank's was at the end of his tenure.
Money would solve some problems. However, given the resources they have now, Virginia Tech football is nowhere near the best version of itself.
TKPer Brad has been working on graphing wins and recruiting results through history for some programs, including ours, noting coaching changes etc. I think it'll be good and worth everyone around here taking a look at even if there aren't a ton of cut-and-dried, unassailable takeaways
Looking stuff over and writing the draft of it currently. Some work stuff has come up so it's not going fast, but I'm hoping to have it finished up sometime early next week.
6-8 may not be as bad as you think. Definitely not good reason to pay $10 million to jump headlong into a contract with a 3-4 win coach. In a low revenue year no less.
It's unfortunate how far the goal posts for Tech football have moved.
Babcock has stated the goal is to compete for championships. Tech ain't close, and it's not moving in the right direction. Why delay?
I agree in general but the finances must be considered as well. The athletic department is in a real crisis without a buyout. If that extremely limits what Whit can actually do to make the next hire a successful one, keeping Fuente around is still very possible the best scenario. I do not have all those numbers at my disposal, so I have a hard time having a strong opinion one way or the other. Another thing to consider is firing a coach on the back end of a covid season may damage the reputation of the athletic department amongst potential hires. I just don't think the decision is as simple as it is being made out to be even if I have come to the realization that Fuente is not going to take us where we had hoped to go.
I do think though that Whit is going to have to make a stand one way or another. Even if it is to stand firm with Fuente. Otherwise the current recruiting situation is going to get even worse.
That's a great point. Recruits, their families, coaches, ... their circle are so smart to the game these days. I'm not sure if a statement from Whit resolves that.
I don't think it resolves anything completely either but it would be better than silence I would think.
A vote of confidence for Fuente would be great. That would just about assure we are moving on.
Looking at recruiting from last year and this year, I would say that 6-8 wins would be extremely optimistic 2 years from now when last year's class is supposed to be a big chunk of the people on the field and this incoming class is supposed to be starting to play a role. I can easily see VT as a 3-4 win team in a few years if Fuente stays and the recruiting is similar to the this year and last. Maybe he can turn things around, but I don't have much faith. And if he has these kinds of seasons with the talent level on the field now, what will he be with talent on par with Kansas, Rutgers, and UVa?
But I am also in the we probably cannot fire him now because we cannot afford to boat. Could be just over 2 years from now when the buyout is down to $5 million and we (hopefully) have revenue from fans in the stands again before we can get rid of him. At that point, 3-9 seasons could be the norm.
Again, maybe he turns it around. Can take a big step tomorrow. And will probably get at least a year more just from a dollars and cents standpoint, but I am skeptical.
In layman's terms, SP+ (and other analytics platforms) are favoring us because we're consistently doing the things that typically lead to wins. In our three losses we:
As someone who believes in the insight provided by advanced analytics, I completely understand (and to a degree agree) with the argument you make, and it's one of the reasons I defend Fuente's ability to coach/scheme.
But the recruiting kills me. It's not just low star ratings on 247; we're not landing recruits in positions of need. If we had a steady pipeline of guys who fit Fuente's system coming in, I'd be optimistic, and probably defending Fuente right after an ugly loss. But he's not.
That's exactly where I am, too. Fuente is clearly goods with Xs and Os, but he can't get talent into the program so the ceiling is getting lower and lower. Based on the slip in recruiting this current team is the best product we can expect.
I want him to take a good hard look at the people he's always thought were going to help the program and reevaluate whether that still holds water.
It isn't uncommon for head coaches to fire assistants. I might be able to argue that coaches who have extended too much loyalty to long time assistants are willing to overlook problems that could easily be solved by replacing those assistants.
I know we've had significant turnover on the defensive side of the ball, but I'm thinking that Fuente could seriously consider a big change to a high level assistant on the offensive side of the ball.
So I guess I'd say that if Fuente wants to stay as coach, then maybe replacing his OC is both financially viable and could move the needle significantly in terms of team performance. At least more financially viable for the university than replacing Fuente in the near term. And I don't know how much better we'd be with a new OC/QB coach but if it came to it I'd rather roll the cheaper dice now in hopes that it would make the difference.
But now I can't seem to find salary/buyout information for Corny. All I see are articles saying his contract/letter expired in June but I can't find the new numbers for him.
Do what you want but this is kinda whack dude.
He's got enough to think about right now, and doesn't need you to tell him how to do his job. Like not trying to be a dick but that's what it is.
You serious, Clark?
Uh, agree.
Additionally, if you are serious about sending it in, I'd get a friend who writes for a living to edit this. It needs work. A lot of work. If I got this quality from someone, I'd appreciate the sentiment but not take them too seriously. Not trying to be the grammar or sentence structure police, but I'd just take another pass or two when submitting an unsolicited recommendation for a man's employment termination.
Edit: re-read it - you already sent it? Did you really? π Ok never mind (punctuation is laughable for a "real" letter/email but whatever).
This is your first comment here in eight months? Of all things to say about what's going on you choose this? Geez.
Let me follow your logic: I rarely post, so my observation that the email is in poor taste (unsolicited email to a man's employers to end his livelihood for his family) and note it reads like a 6th grader wrote it (won't be taken seriously and needs editing) somehow discounts my opinion? Got it.
I post when the mood strikes and have something to say. I visit this site daily. It's easy to find evidence around here that post volume does not equal quality, clearly.
How would you like it if I wrote your CEO and called for your head? Oh, it's OK because Fuente is "rich"and has a buyout? That makes it OK to email his employers with an unsolicited call for his firing? Real cool. I'm all for a change of pace and yeah, don't think Fuente is probably going to last. I agree with a lot of the observations on the site. But to actually email his employer asking to fire him? Too far.
Guess my nuanced reply citing quality went over the heads of some. I'll be blunt: this is a crappy thing to do. You post this thing on TKP for all to see, I'm chiming in. I'm all for pontificating on message boards but this is low (and it sucks).
"not trying to be the grammar police but the grammar is terrible and it reads like it was written by a 6th grader"
this is basically like being a grassroots booster. maybe the amount is on a smaller scale than a typical booster, but if you think this is atypical of college sports, then idk what to tell you
It's not exactly one-to-one, but HokieClub members are some mix of donor/investor/share holder in the product of Virginia Tech athletics. Don't CEOs/boards/... of publicly traded companies receive similar suggestions from their shareholders all the time?
Fuente is a public figure with a high-profile job, at a public university with a budget that is supplemented from donor dollars. Your comparison seems apples to oranges to me.
This. He is basically a CEO, and CEO's are routinely fired when they don't produce results. This is a results based business, and the pay does not match up with the results.
Sigh. Sure. Couple of differences.
1. This isn't a publicly traded company. This is a leader of teenaged football players and students.
2. The, "CEO" is Tim Sands, in this case. Whit is like a President. Fuente is more like an Executive Vice President, reporting to Whit. So no, it's not like going to the CEO as a shareholder.
3. Majority (preferred individual and institutional) shareholders get paid attention to. Common-share stockholders do not. Major donor? Great, you count. Emotionally invested? Couple bucks and some season tickets? Guessing not.
3. If common-share stockholder or customer expresses displeasure, it should be well-written, which was my first point. If you're gonna do it, try to make it cogent if you'd like to be taken seriously. Don't write it like a message board post (mine included). True, that's more advice than anything, but clearly not welcome. Fair enough. I still think it's in poor taste, but as others point out, perhaps I'm just too old to understand.
Good luck!
You didn't provide any advice, you wrote a dickish critique of his letter. You focused on implementation details (grammar and syntax) instead of message itself. Blame yourself for no one appreciating that.
I pointed out my analogy wasn't exactly 1:1, but Babcock is the the CEO of the athletic department. Which you implied in the comment I originally replied to.
I agree that money talks, and while big fish can make an audience as a party of one, there is power in numbers. Whit would be silly to ignore the angst of a growing number of $1000 donors / season ticket holders.
Are you typing and reading too fast dude? I did offer advice. Get someone to edit it. My reference to CEO was to the other guy's boss.
This is dumb. Have fun ya'll.
For a master of the written word, I'm shocked you didn't own that you perhaps didn't communicate better.
For a website owner begging for paying customers, you sure know how to run 'em off.
π
Considering you don't have a key next to your username... you are not one of the paying customers, so I don't think he needs to pander to you.
It's spelled "y'all". Your argument is invalid.
I agree. It's like comparing apples and oregano.
The analogy is outrageous. The Hokie club literally pays for his salary with their hard earned money and gets nothing in return other then getting their voices heard... Meaning they are "The Boss" as is the case with all big college programs. VT (and all good college programs) literally have Hokie Club events to hear out donor's comments and concerns. Fuente and all big college coaches know this which is why they only will sign on with huge buyout money as part of the contract. Whit is not "the boss" his job is to take the feedback from the ones paying the salaries and weigh it with his expertise for a final combined decision.
It's also important that there is two very different points of argument in this thread that we separate.
Argument 1) Is Fuente a bad coach and recruiter at an ACC level and/ or will he start winning again and win a bunch of these remaining games and next year to show he is a good coach. (I and rooting for VT to win out)
Argument 2) Can a Hokie Club member contact VT to express their opinion and concerns for the football coach.
It's important we don't confuse these two arguments. If Fuente goes on a run and wins out, the hokie club members still have an earned right to open communication.
Sorry, let me re-read your post and let the intelligence waft over me.
You're certainly entitled to your opinion (as out of touch as it may be), but stick to that instead of attacks over petty things such as grammar.
I'm going to step in here and defend ORDHokie a little bit. I think he has a completely valid point that the letter should be well written. I'll be honest, though I don't have any issues with the sentiment, I read the letter and cringed a little bit a few times because it wasn't very refined.
I'm not going to defend his delivery but I think the point is fair. If I wanted to persuade someone of something I would want a very well written and critiqued piece to present. Language is important and can be powerful. It can also influence how seriously someone takes you.
I think ORDHokie has received the message pretty clearly that as a donor the OP feels they have a voice and are using their voice to express concern about something that they contribute money to. I think it's been made clear that ORDHokie thinks such a letter calling for another man's job is in poor taste. That's a completely respectable view to take and whether or not you disagree it's their opinion and there's nothing wrong with that.
But if someone is going to proceed with a persuasive letter it makes sense to me that it ought to be well written and edited. I absolutely agree with that part of it.
Stop piling on ORDHokie here
sure, I think the general issue the community is having with ORDHokie is his general air of gatekeeping, his points being (a) the opinion isn't worth having and (b) the delivery of the opinion undermines the merits the opinion might have had anyway
The grammar or persuasiveness of the letter has nothing to do with it. Football is a key revenue center for VT. The thing that matters is how much you donate---Whit won't even read the email if it's not a donor so ORDHokie's point is moot. This is how every football school operates.
If someone from the Merryman family wrote Whit "Me no likey, the Fuente,; please, get rid/ thank, bye" Whit would be on the phone with them. Obviously scale that down for the rest of us but it's about $ not grammar.
I'm afraid Whit probably gets emails like this after every Hokie loss to an inferior team - football and basketball both. Does he even read them?
It would be interesting to fully understand how this type of input is used in the performance reviews of members of his staff team...if at all. There is likely a matrix of several agreed upon measurables in staff reviews...be that for the Cross Country Coach, the Communications Director, or the Head Football Coach.
With respect for this passion, I'm not saying for sure that HokieJoe is wasting his time or that this email is in poor taste (there seems to be some debate about that here), but as a loyal Hokie and fairly long time member of our TKP community, I'd personally never send an email like this.
Hyperbolic much? If he were fired he gets a fat buyout. And...he's a P5 football coach with "some" success. He wouldn't be unemployed long. Unless he and his family light their BBQs with C notes and piss away money like crazy, he'll be fine and his family won't be on food stamps anytime soon.
This reads like a drunken text to an ex
did you up your donations when times were good?
if so I would recommend leading with that to make a stronger point.
otherwise i probably wouldn't send an email because i doubt these aren't things that have already been discussed by whit and co
Ignore the people hating on the letter or you voicing your opinion, HokieJoe. As a Hokie Club member you have every right to sound off on an issue that concerns you within the athletic department.
Agreed. Send away, those dudes are just being ass holes.
I'm curious to why you think that? You gave a charitable donation to a charity ran by the athletic department. In some cases you received a gift back (tickets, parking, etc.). No one has mentioned issues with any of those items in this post.
How far does the complaining go? Should we be writing them every home game that we aren't AME? Would you like the AD to stop using bic pens? What if you're against the athletic department having a white elephant exchange for Christmas? What if we wanted Pete fired? Or Whit's secretary?
I personnally can't imagine myself calling any charity that I give to with any concern other than issues soirounding my contribution and it getting to the right place based off an earmark or the charities mission statement.
Donations to athletics booster clubs made in exchange for access to tickets or seating are no longer tax deductible and thus no longer considered a charitable contribution. College athletics are a business, and donors expect some return on investment. The whole charity charade with athletics donors just doesn't work anymore. It's why Hokie Club simply just saying "Donate for scholarships for our student athletes" is just not effective.
It's not so much a charity donation as it is an investment that pays off in wins. If an investor in the program feels their money is being spent poorly, they can raise their concern, whether that's on the head coach or the pens being used. I'm not saying that HokieJoe will be listened too, but that he can and should send his complaints or compliments whenever he wants.
I thought this a was a respectful note. If I'm Babcock, and I received about 1000 similar messages, I would feel much better about the financial backing of the donors to make a move.
He most certainly received much much worse
If we run the table (BIG IF), we have a good shot of playing Notre Dame in the ACC championship (based on the tiebreakers). If we get there, do you change your mind? I'm not saying I would or wouldn't but curious to hear what you think.
We just lost to Liberty. We have as much chance of running the table as I do going out with Emma Watson. It's not a 0% chance, but I lack abilities in several key areas that make it close to impossible
I tell you what- If Fuente beats Clemson with Trevor Lawrence playing, I'll lead Fuente's campaign as VT's coach for life. Untouchable. It's not going to happen. Best case, JHAM calls the game of his life- Lawrence will still make the key conversions necessary to win. Not happening. Not enough talent, not enough depth- no magical Thursday night lane crowd, no snot bubbles article from Will stewart. Empty stadium, and our best player- Herbert wouldn't start for Clemson. Reality.
I'll make a bet with you - if VT beats Clemson, you can only post non-critical comments until the end of the season but if Clemson wins, I'll donate $100 to the charity of your choice (and that charity could include getting a one-year TKPC membership to a poor college student).
People need to relax. Fuente needs 10-12 years to recover from the roster he inherited from Beamer. Also he is going through a second "rebuild" because it was hard for him to recruit DT's for years with Bud's pending retirement, and he replaced Bud with a new scheme run by a guy with no coordinator experience- which he can't control. It takes time, and he loves it here- not like he is interested in other jobs. Please relax- everyone knew that Beamer was so terrible late, that it would take 12 years or so. Look at the dumpster fires that Fedora left Mack Brown and Richt left Diaz for example.
Why is it that when you have a valid point to make, you choose to make it in the most obnoxious, condescending way possible?
Like, chill, we mostly agree with you. You're like a jacked-up boxer fighting his own trainer once the match is over.
I really needed to add an /S there? Really? Come on man, it's Friday. Lighten up
I basically read all of your posts in the same aggressive tone that you have cultivated for the last 3 years across the site. Adding an afterthought of "I was being sarcastic, guys" doesn't really change how I interpret what is said.
Yes, and you acknowledged there was a lot of truth in the post. Have an awesome weekend. Go Hokies.
I read all of DC's posts with Seek and Destroy playing in the background.
I hear Sgt Baker when DC post
Personally I have grown to appreciate DC's posts, because I like people who are consistent, and if anything he is consistent. When I read this post, I just laughed and legged it (clearly the post was a big \s). Sure, he can come across as an a-hole, but is clearly passionate about VT football and the direction of the program.
I love his posts, I think he is hilarious. I bet he is awesome to hang out with at a tailgate.
Leg. Your rolodex of memes is next level.
I was wondering how to interpret... I was leaning the /s way but I appreciate the clarification :-)
DC used to annoy me so much. I've been known to comment back and I thought all of his posts were overly negative. Over the past 3-4 weeks, I've realized why his posts used to annoy me so much. He was saying ALL of the things that I refused to accept. The posts might have a negative tone, but they were also overwhelmingly truthful.
Thanks DC for being consistent with your message. It's really hard to be the first person that notices the ship is sinking.
If you want to send it, hit send. If you want validation, well, I think you knew the result when you posted.
If you want to put misspelled words, bad grammar, expletives in there, go ahead. You know why? Do you honestly believe Whit is going to fawn over every word and critique it? Better question...if he gets hundreds of these emails, will he actually read every single one of them, pick out the best one, and frame it? Heck no. It's basically a vote of no confidence. And no matter how it's delivered, if you feel its warranted, send it.
For lower tier donors, I see it like when you call your Congressman. State the issue and which side you're on, and they put it down in a spreadsheet. They don't want to know why, they just want the data points to know which way their constituents are leaning.
I'd be curious to know how Whit handles the big time donors. By reading some of these comments - he for sure doesn't care about the little guy, and from the outside looking in our big time donors do not have the say of the blue bloods. Granted, we are not a blue blood and maybe that's a peek into why we are going backwards and not growing. We may not have the same donor population as the blue bloods, but the reason they got to that status is because their word is basically what goes. Our AD is like the family member or friend we have that reaches out pretends to be your best friend ONLY when they need something. The money was rumored to be there to kick CJF to the curb last season, we didn't listen. Now we are in the middle of unprecedented times and the hands are out to the donors. Look there's a middle ground between the FSU's, Texas, A&M etc etc and what we are. We don't have to let the donors run the show, but also lets not just call on them when we need a buck. Let the big guys feel valued and have a strong say and see where it goes. Could it really be worse than it is now?
I don't think I donate enough for the athletic director to read or care about an email I send...but I would frame it a bit differently than listing Fuente's horrific losses.
I would suggest that he recall any football gameday walks he did around campus and around town in a non-COVID year....and ask him what his plan is when that's lost because people finally tuned out of a derelict football program. Spoilers: we're screwed.
The perception of Virginia Tech giving up on football is worse over the long term than a bunch of idiotic losses to ODU and Liberty. They need to show me a plan. I think I have heard more about the recent staff additions on message boards than I have from VT. It's OK if that plan is temporarily kneecapped by COVID losses. I don't hold that against them.
I doubt a new coach will solve anything. We are Va Tech.