Hello TKP!
As you might've noticed from my first post that went up this morning, I'll be joining Joe and the rest of the crew to cover VT recruiting (among other things) so I wanted to introduce myself to you all.
I'm a very recent graduate of Tech-just finished school in May and am still currently in denial that it's over-and I got to spend a lot of time covering the team during my time with student media as the managing editor for the Collegiate Times and general manager of VTTV.
Now, I'm working with the NBC station in Charlottesville as my full time gig, and trying to find a way not to despise all the UVa grads around me.
I'm from Pittsburgh originally, but I grew up in Northern Virginia, so if you too like Pittsburgh sports while whining about NOVA traffic, we'll get along just fine.
Since so much of what we're doing recruiting-wise here is still so new, we want to know what you guys are looking for from us. Obviously, we'll be doing our best to grab interviews with Tech's commits and targets, as well as posting updates on how Tech stands with them, but we want to know what else you'd like to see recruiting-wise.
I plan to be as active in the forums as possible, posting little tidbits as I hear them, and I won't hesitate to provide what insight I can about what you're interested in.
See you around!
Comments
my condolences to you for ending up in Charlottesville
(it's okay, I can say that because I grew up there)
on the flip side, I'm now in NOVA (as of this past May) so I may or may not whine about the traffic.
Welcome the TKP staff! Congrats on the gig and Lets Go Hokies!!
Also, I learned (relatively) recently that we should be referring to that town up the road as Charlottesburg. (Courtesy of Dr. Torgerson's daughter and her husband)
you can legitimately say that even if you didn't grow up there
Welcome. Already enjoy your blogs here at TKP.
I realize this likely wouldn't be possible to do without alienating recruits (which shouldn't/wouldn't be done), but since you asked...
I'd love to see pieces about the darker/unethical side of recruiting. Do schools badmouth others? Has anyone badmouthed VT/Beamer? Did VT badmouth any other schools? What people not associated with the university or your immediate family affected your decision? How so? Etc.
I find stuff like that enthralling. I probably reread the bagman article like 5 times.
It's hard to ask about who's badmouthing who directly, but it is easy to get a feel for which schools have really been hassling them. You've got read between the lines a little bit, in my experience, but you can definitely tell.
But one of the things that I'm really interested in getting going is how Twitter has become part of the equation. I'd love to know how much VT's coaches tweet compared to others- it certainly seems like Shane and Moorehead are active, but what about the others?
So, long story short, I'll try to get into unconventional stuff like that as much as I can (without ruffling too many feathers).
AWESOME! I suppose what I was trying to say is that, 9 times out of 10, I'm more interested in the recruiting process than the individual. Looking forward to your write ups.
Bud Foster doesn't tweet. Bud Foster bellows. Twitter is skeered of the mightiness of Foster.
Hi Alex,
As you may know by now, I have recently decided to become a bag man. Since I don't have any contacts with recruits, I was wondering if you would be willing to act as an intermediary to transfer coupons, IOU's, bubblegum, etc. to them. If you agree, leave a comment to let me know, and I and the rest of the community will down-vote it to oblivion so it will never be seen by anyone who could hurt us. Also, you will need to burn off your fingerprints.
Thanks and welcome to TKP.
Sounds like a good deal Alex. I'd go for it. Plus I bet he could keep you in burrito supply all year long.
I bet Alex could get some great free legal advice out of the deal.
Correct on all counts. Know a lawyer who is easy to talk to and makes house calls, and I do make a pretty good burrito, if I do say so myself ;)
Most people could not pull it off, Pete, but you are just rockin' it!
Welcome aboard, Alex.
I can't say I'm all that big a fan of following recruiting. It give me the sads too much. But others love it, so you should find a good audience.
The more sport analysts the better it is to get by during the off season. When season starts, TKP will give more detailed reporting. Its a WIN-WIN situation.
Thoughts on Oklahoma allowing Dorial Green-Beckham to not only enroll in the school but also play football? Hilarious huh?
Welcome aboard! When my mom asks why I'm still single and spend all of my time on my computer looking at football stuff during the offseason, I'll be sure to let her know you were one of the enablers. Can't wait to see what kinda stuff you'll put out! Also, the stuff you mentioned before (interviews, offers, etc.) seems to be just what I'd like to see on TKP. I won't ask you to make predictions or go all 247Sports on us, 'cause let's face it, they're teenagers.
Land more commits.
You probably have to coordinate with Joe for this, but would it be possible to have a 'Committed Recruits' page on the website? I mean I could just go over to 247 but that involves leaving TKP...
Even a little recruiting tab, similar to how TSL has theirs set up. That'd work nicely.
I know we'd talked about having a permanent thread up at the top of the forums that had a running list of commits/targets that included who we were tracking/talking to. Anything more advanced than that I can only hope for haha.
Recruiting ticker at the bottom of the page would be sahweet. (kinda how espn scrolls its news ticker at the bottom of its tv channels)
...Well this site is just the gift that keeps on giving isn't it?!
You know, when I was in Virginia Beach I went to HS games for 10+ years. For $7, I could check out guys that I thought had a shot at the NFL someday - D Hall, Harvin, Justin Hunter, EJ Manuel, etc. - even some guys that came in from out of town for scrimmages like when I watched Sean Glennon's little brother. It was way cool for me.
There were certainly loads of them from my area that went on to be at least college stars, but also some that didn't come close to living up to their star status. And a lot of it - success or maybe not so much success - was a lot more apparent to me for having watched them intently so many times.
Point being...I have posted on recruiting message boards for years, and the most appealing posts for me are not the beloved "guru predictions" of where a guy will go. I love the post made by the random armchair fan that went to a HS game and did his best to give a detailed report of a prospect, pros and cons. To me, that kind of insight is invaluable. It's the stuff I want to know, so I can form an opinion on a guy. I know most of us are not professional evaluators here, but if we are on a board like this, we certainly have a decent clue as to what we are looking for in a recruit, as well as if there are any obvious red flags (like taking plays off). Highlight films are good, but they hardly tell the whole story. I put a lot of faith in what I get from a firsthand account from a regular poster.
I have often wondered if there was a way to set up some kind of network to get that kind of info, and package it for a website. I'm admittedly out of VB and out of the loop now, but I would have loved to film games back then and would have gladly sent them to any site that I was on, if any wanted them.
Maybe it's a pipe dream. Maybe it is too much work for a website to pore over all kinds of film. But...I bet that there are enough crazed Hokie nuts out there that would go to a HS school football game that features a VT target, that would be willing to film the guy for nothing more than a dozen turkey legs, along with undying gratitude from the Key Play community. : )
I am a relative newcomer here but this is rapidly becoming one of my favorite sites. There are really very many in the loop posters and moderators here who always make it a worthwhile trip to come here. Alex, just keep providing us with all the recruiting info you can, we welcome you aboard!