We like to sit down and talk to the kids and feel their mindset. You can feel a certainly mentality that a kid may have. Toughness is a combination of things. The game demands toughness. We place an emphasis on toughness and playing fundamentally sound, which means that you have to practice block protection and work on tackling without beating the kids up.
Explains why not every 4 & 5 star kid gets offers from VT.
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Bud's The "MAN". This bud's for you!
4 * and 5 * players are looking at that NFL check right after 1 season Bud is looking for the 3* and 2* players that want to leave a legacy behind at VT and improve into a 1st round pick like Kyle Fuller is about to do!
Bud isn't passing on 4-5 star guys to recruit 2-3 star guys.
That's not what I said lol. My point was that Bud and the defensive staff has been able to turn 2 and 3 * kids into beasts. They can easily see if a player fits into the FAMILY here at Virginia Tech and if he doesn't care about winning or only want that NFL money than that 3* player like Dadi would love to take your position and your draft spot in 4 years
I failed to understand why any defensive player in VA would want to play for a defensive coordinator other than Bud Foster.
Any kid that doesn't is thinking all about themself. They want to present and preen themself for the NFL. Kids that do want to come play for Bud want to win. Ironically, the second is more likely to impress an NFL scout. "What's that? You prefer winning to BooHooing about how the team down the road beat you over and over again for the past ten years? We'll give you a call."
I love Virginia tech as much as anyone...
But if I truly thought that UVA gave me a 25% percent better chance of making it to the nfl (because of their defensive scheme showcasing my talents) then I would have to seriously consider going.
Fandom is one thing. Money is another.
I agree but there's a counterpoint that can be made: NFL teams at the end of the day are trying to win games (duh) thus they're going to draft players that will give them the best chance to win games (duh). It raises a red flag when a kid is willing to go to school like UVA over actual football programs for "football reasons"...It demonstrates that a kid is willing to sacrifice winning in favor of individual achievement...it didn't hurt Morgan Moses but I wonder how it's going to affect Brown/Blanding/Kamara. They demonstrated that they care more about playing time than winning games, I don't know how that'll play out.
I think that's a distinction that literally only football fans, not coaches or scouts make.
If anything, being able to choose a school that's best for your future (rather than one that just wins all the time) shows a professionalism and long-term commitment to football.
I disagree. Commitment to winning is paramount when a NFL is looking at a player's "intangibles". Maybe I'm overvaluating it, but I still think it matters...and if you're an NFL-caliber player anyways, you're probably one of the top 5 guys on your team, regardless of where you play (sans Alabama-type programs). You should be able to "earn" playing time as an underclassman if you're good enough to make it to the next level.
Naturally, but my point is that the argument that Virginia Tech commits want to win more than UVA commits is pretty silly. Especially when VT fans go the extra mile and say that ANY defensive player that wants to play for UVA only does so because they are "only thinking about themselves".
You can't tell how committed a prospect is to winning based solely on the winning percentage of the program they pick. Let me throw a hypothetical your way... Frank Beamer has been coaching a long time. What was the last succesful team he had that featured a pro-style quarterback? If I was a pro-style quarterback that was committed to winning, wouldn't it make more sense to play for a coach that has a history of winning with pro-style quarterbacks?
Players who commit to UVA genuinely believe that they have the talent and drive to turn that program around. They don't commit thinking that they're going to get beat down every four years. It upsets me when I see an 18 year old kids character get called into question simply because he wants to play for UVA. There's no place for it here.
It's not ok to say that an 18 year old kid doesn't care about winning and doesn't care about his teammates and doesn't have the commitment to excellence required to be a professional athlete because he wants to play in Hooville. Let's stick to making fun of their play, not their character.
That's what I have a problem with. I get that these kids want to better themselves and they fully believe whatever college they choose will help them achieve that goal...if that was the case with Kamara, I would have no problem with it...I have a problem when a kid dismisses team success all together which is what I believe Brown, Blanding and (definitely) Kamara did. It's completely different than the idea you're bringing up...I probably should of brought this up earlier, I wasn't making conclusions out of thin air.
Except those guys have repeatedly said they wanted to play at UVA with their talented friends and start a dynasty together. They got that idea after watching the Miami football 30 for 30
I think they missed, or ignored, the fact that Miami actually had some good coaches throughout those years.
Kamara showed his true stripes in that tweet...I think the "Miami" angle they're hawking is something that sounds good for the press to write about but I don't think it's genuine.
3 Year Plan? He's already thinking about the NFL and if you look at some of the other stuff he's tweeted out, you can discern really quickly where his priorities are.
Ryan Williams left early. Is he a bad character guy?
There's just no truth to the concept that the average virginia tech recruit is a better character guy than the average virginia one regardless of how many tweets that one specific UVA player has put out
Did Ryan Williams declare to the world that he's only playing at Virginia Tech for three years because bigger and better things are waiting for him? (Setting aside that RW is a RB and JK is a WR).
Is there any doubt that that was his plan? Is there even anything wrong with saying that you intend on leaving school early?
All I ask of the students athletes is that they work as hard as possible while they are here, not that they pretend that they have no aspirations to ever leave Blacksburg
I ask of the student-athletes that they do everything they can for team success during their time in Blacksburg, regardless of their duration of their undergraduate career. Leaving early is fine with me if you're genuinely compelled to strive for team success while you're in school. I don't think that's the case with Kamara and by extension Brown & Blanding.
For what it's worth, Shai McKenzie just did this:
(I think he means 2 1/2 years, not semesters, but regardless)
It's not uncommon for players to take summer classes and graduate in 3 years.
Yep, when I was on a tour of the athletic facilities a couple years ago, one of the main points that our guide kept hammering home was how most VT football players graduate with multiple degrees, since they take classes year-round.
Understood, but do you really think he's looking forward to getting a degree or getting to the NFL? Come on now
I think these are good counterarguments...the one thing I will say is that running backs are completely different due to the consistent pounding they take on year-in, year-out. With a player with a traumatic injury history like Shai AND playing the most brutal position in football, I don't have a problem for him trying to get to the NFL as quickly as possible.
At the same time, he didn't outrightly say that winning games doesn't matter which puts his comment on a much lower level than Kamara's.
I think I'm viewing this differently than others... I'm not interpreting it as "I don't care if my team wins or loses," I'm interpreting it as "UVA doesn't win a lot of games, but I think they give me the best chance of showcasing my skillset to NFL scouts, and achieving my life's goals in the least amount of time."
(Obviously I don't agree with that final statement, just how I understood it)
I wasn't trying to make that argument and I apologize if it came off that way (because clearly you're right). But I am making the argument that this one specific recruit has questionable intentions and I strongly feel we dodged a bullet with this kid. By extension, I question the intent of two of their other recruits (because they are friends since childhood, on the same 7-on-7 team, have Corwin Cutler's dad as a mentor, made similar but not as direct statements as Kamara). That's all. I wasn't trying to make a blanket statement for EVERY UVA player to ever play there.
gotta agree with choppinwood on this. Kamara hasn't even played a college game yet and he's declaring he's leaving early. He may make it on the field with UVA but that doesn't mean he's that good. Is he worried that he couldn't crack the depth chart at VT or another school?? If so then how good are you really? Maybe he will be good enough to leave early. But talk about that when that third year is there and people are discussing it. Not before your first college game ever.
If you start for UVA but no one was there to see it, did you really start at a D1 program?
Yes I was one of the ones to bring this up awhile ago. The kid does not care where he goes other than the NFL. He has no team concepts, he will be a "me" type player and when he doesn't get the snaps or stats he will complain.
He is my #1 candidate for 5* recruit turned 1* player in 3 years.
Couldn't you argue Deangelo Hall was the same kind of player?
I guess so but he didn't really come out blatantly and bash his team even before he was on the team did he? This kid is a freshmen and before he stepped onto the field he is already saying screw winning its all about me getting stats so I can have a pay day. If I'm the QB or OL or other WR's that's some bs and this kid is going to get it for sure.
I just don't understand how he's throwing his team under the bus by trying to get the best stats possible? It's not like he's the point guard of a basketball team who doesn't pass because he wants his own shots. I guess he could cause some locker room drama if he starts fights with QBs/Receivers over how much he's thrown to, but he's not even on campus yet!
We all know he's a terrible person, afterall, he did commit to UVA (<-- typed in semi-sarcastica). I'm just saying, if your dream is to be in the NFL, you're not throwing your teammates under the bus by saying so. He can definitely do without the cocky tweets, but if his motive was exactly the same, he just didn't broadcast it, we wouldn't be having this conversation.
That point you made is golden!!! We all know his motive is the NFL but don't come out and say winning doesn't matter especially when you haven't even suited up.
I agree with your last point 100%. I just wouldn't want to play with someone who doesn't care if he wins. It just shows a lack of respect to the team in my eyes. Maybe I see it differently since I played sports in college, but if a guy is slacking off and saying stuff like this a lot and out in public it gets back to the locker room and then it becomes an issue.
I want the guy that will throw the Willie Byrn block for stanford in the miami game not the Marcus Davis ghost block.
Not blocking doesn't get you to the NFL; example, Marcus Davis(Yes, I know he has been signed on and off, but he's hardly an NFL player). And I don't think he doesn't care about winning, but he's right: winning games doesn't get you to the NFL. Putting up stats can. Look at Marquis Lee. Especially for a wide receiver, team wins probably have the least effect on your draft stock.
But if you put up good stats, go hard in the weight room, block well, demonstrate that you can read and understand a playbook, NFL scouts will be interested, and your team will reap the benefits of your efforts. Much more so then if your stats suck but your team wins.
Regardless, the kid can do without the arrogant tweets, but I'm not going to blame him for making a college decision based on his post college goals. After all, isn't that exactly what we all did?
yeah for sure we all made the college decision. It will be interesting to see how he turns out but If I had to guess he won't be seeing and NFL size check ever.
One could also argue that training and playing in such away that makes him an attractive NFL product, he will make himself and his team better?
I can't fault this kid... If you treat this like a business (which is very logical) it makes sense to aim for the NFL
Another thing you have to remember, a lot of these players (especially kids from major cities) don't dream of playing college ball, they dream of winning Superbowls. They love winning, they love their team and their coaches, but their dream is to play in a Superbowl. For kids who think/know they have a realistic shot at the pros, they see college as just another stepping stone, another camp, etc.
Allow me to offer an analogy:
If Andrew Ford, immediately after committing to VT and agreeing to enroll early tweeted "Can't wait to get to collegeball and win a national title," would you think less of him or think he's not being a team player?
Absolutely not. Because (1) there's no such thing as an individual national title in football, (2) no QB can do anything at all without his teammates, and (3) the ultimate goal of playing college football is to win national titles.
Valid points. What if he said 'Can't wait to win the Heisman one day!"
The point is, don't knock a kid for following his dreams, whether they be team oriented, individualistic, or both.
I know it's completely different, but if I tell someone in a job interview "I'm only planning on sticking around for two years, I'm just using this company to get to the big leagues" the employer doesn't hire me.
That seems to work best in college basketball. And you don't even have to say two years!
And let's be honest, players like Andrew Brown do have the talent to turn that program around. But you can't turn around a bus if you're not the driver and the driver of that bus is taking it straight into the ground.
I honestly like how their bus is going in a backward direction. It cements VT place as the #1 university in Va and king of the commonwealth.
ODU's gonna be #2 within 3 years at this rate.
Maybe they want to get out of VA? I never understood why some fans think players have some obligation to attend an in-state school.
Yea, but if you truly believe that, then your crazy!
You failed to realize that Hokie fans are passionate about their team. The targets that don't sign with VT, we wish them the best of luck, even though deep inside we are disappointed in their decision. Its a natural hokie reaction.
Let's be clear, we are trying to get 4 and 5 star talent. They (especially 5*) just don't choose us. We are now giving out tons more offers than we used to, there aren't many high ranking kids we are passing on.
Saw the title, thougt this was an old post from 20 years ago.
Not sure if there are 24 fans on here, but Foster could be Jack Bauer in a 2nd life.