Considering the smoke around Dave Clawson, I thought it might be worth checking out a quick look at the WFU system. Personally, I hate it and don't see how you could possibly sell this to a high level QB recruit. But maybe some other more knowledgeable folks can convince me otherwise.
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There are plenty of good QB prospects who would be interested in throwing for 30+ touchdowns per season and putting up 45 points per game
That's what we thought 6 years ago, but.... here we are.
Except those stats are from this year in the ACC. Sam Hartman, who was a 3 Star .85 recruit, has 30 TDs, 3,100 yds, and Wake averages 44.7 ppg. We had multiple 4star QBs come to VT under Fuente. They all left partially because they didn't get the opportunity to score like that. What would Hendon Hooker do in this system?
I'm not going to be particularly enthused by a potential Dave Clawson hire, but here's an article written by Split Zone Duo's Richard Johnson for Sports Illustrated on his offense/variable mesh point. He actually embeds the above video in his article as a supplement.
Link
If we are proclaiming that we are going to be a true developmental program, that we aren't going to chase 4* and 5* talent but actually develop lower ranked prospects and focus on an academics-first student athlete experience, ok that's fine. If that is what Tech wants to do, say it. And Dave Clawson would be a fantastic hire for that model.
But everything Whit said at his presser indicated we want to focus on recruiting and evolving this program. You don't make this much of an investment in facilities and recruiting support staff to then not go that route with your hire. Couple that with the fact that Clawson will definitely coach the ACCCG assuming Wake makes it and will most likely coach the NY6 bowl as well if they win. That means we don't have a coach named/in place until January. That is completely throwing in the towel on the recruiting class.
If the hire is Clawson, ok. But a lot of what Whit said yesterday will have just been complete lip service.
He's never done that before... 🙄
Yes, he has.
Regardless, Whit knows money is infinitely more important in recruiting - at least what message board obsessives call "recruiting". Saying there will be a focus on recruiting is cliche AD-speak.
Recruiting success is far more on Whit's shoulders than the shoulders of whomever the new coach is.
There's also the possibility that we'd try to be early Dabo era Clemson. Attempt to get as close as possible to a 50% blue-chip ratio and develop the hell out of everybody.
It's possible. Recruiting is the huge unknown with Clawson. No doubt he is a great coach and developer of talent. It doesn't make sense to talk about how you're serious about recruiting, but then hire a coach and staff not known for it. Who knows at this point.
He apparently did not like the level and intensity of recruiting expected of him at Tennessee when he was the OC.
That alone worries me.
Yikes, that is not good. If we hire him he better surround himself with some ace recruiters then.
To be fair, Tennessee expects you to recruit at a top 10 level. We don't exactly have that expectation. But yes the main concern with Clawson is definitely recruiting.
Clawson isn't coming to VT. But he will go somewhere - probably better - and the AD won't be concerned about his recruiting bona fides.
It's such an odd situation. He doesn't fit a lot of the stuff you mentioned Whit saying and doing publicly. He doesn't really seem like a guy you'd rush out to grab either so just wait for the 7.5 mil buyout and you can still get him later. Yet the whispering winds are leaning hard on him being the guy. Something doesn't add up whether its on Whit's side or the insider side.
So looking at the video, there were a lot of routes this eliminates. A curl route is gone with the slow mesh because the DBs read and cover it to quickly. It looks like they should run their curl routs deeper to align with the mesh, but then you need a stronger arm to get the ball there.
At bo point does anyone really hit the QB, he "butt blocks" and no one runs through him. No one really hits him. You'd think that once he is a blocker some one would just hit him.
Are you telling me that we didn't find their playbook randomly sitting on a bench somewhere? I don't believe you.