Apparently we offered ex-Clemson QB Chad Kelly. Not sure how I feel about it.
http://virginiatech.247sports.com/Bolt/Virginia-Tech-offers-former-Clems...
Quarterback Chad Kelly (Scooba, Miss./East Mississippi Community College) tweeted that Virginia Tech offered.
Kelly transferred out of Clemson in the spring. He will enroll at the college of his choice in January.
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I live near Clemson and can tell you friends who are Clemson fans all say they are glad this kid is gone. Horrible for team chemistry. Pretty sure I remember him praising himself on twitter for being the best while Boyd was there last season too.
So basically this is Trevor Thompson leaving VT's basketball program to go to Ohio State. If I remember correctly, Buzz called him "soft" multiple times during the recruiting process. Not saying the Hokies didn't need more size or have anything against Thompson, but sounds like this was more of a relief to the former head coach/program than it is a blessing for the next team.
Actually Thompson's dad was the one that claimed Buzz called his son soft, and he didn't claim Buzz did it repeatedly. That's just the internet spin growing legs without substance. I know that is a tangent, but stuff gets posted on the internet, then is accepted as gospel, even as the claims stretch larger & larger.
Yeah, I don't really like the Thompson comparison at all. Clearly there wasn't a good fit there between him and Buzz and it was in both party's best interest to part ways. Kelly was suspended both his Freshman and Sophomore seasons in High School, had to be escorted off the field by police after throwing a fit during their Spring game, plus the Ali Rodgers incident, plus some miscellaneous social media activity which perhaps lacked the best judgement. Not really analogous at all, imo.
sounds like a winner
Wow. I'm not sure how I feel about this either. I have some serious qualms about his attitude based on everything I read about him when he was at Clemson. Perhaps all that is in the past...if it is, he would likely be the best QB on the roster next year. The big question is how does he handle second chances--is he a Michael or a Marcus?
Interesting.. we've had mixed results with "troubled" kids
Well, there's this -
Not happy with this offer at all, seems like a desperation move. But, as they say...
He's definitely a very fiery and competitive person, which I guess was to his detriment at Clemson. If he's changed or at least toned down enough that he won't be a detriment to the team I think he would definitely be a big get. He was pretty heavily recruited out of HS and a quick Google search shows that Alabama and Ole Miss among some other schools are currently pursuing him now. Plus I like the idea of getting a dual-threat QB in here. I think that would be a big plus for this offense.
Plus this was pretty cool:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaqVQSPbS7k
#VanillaVick
I would try to figure out another nickname if he did come here... Although it could work in two different ways he'd either be amazing like Mike Vick was or maintain his selfish attitude and act like Marcus Vick. SO that actually might be the perfect potential nickname for him.
At this point I would settle for a single-threat QB.
I'll see myself out.
LOL
Meh.
While I'm happy to pick up talent from elsewhere, I'm not a fan of VT becoming the Land of Misfit Toys.
I didn't like what I read about Chad Kelly's attitude and problems at Clemson. If he's changed and behaves himself at VT, great, but he had better be on a short leash. I'm surprised by this move, and concerned that if the staff wants to pick up more QBs via transfer, are they concerned that there isn't a QB already on the roster who can get the job done next year?
"I'm surprised by this move, and concerned that if the staff wants to pick up more QBs via transfer, are they concerned that there isn't a QB already on the roster who can get the job done next year?"
That's a bad sign if Loeffler's already given up on Ford/Durkin. As for Motley, no one expected him to stick at QB but supposedly he was blossoming under Loeffler's tutelage. It's concerning if none of those three are deemed good enough.
I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't want to entrust the offense to a redshirt freshman. As for Motley, he just can't seem to stay on the field long enough to impress, from what I've heard. Been nicked up all year.
Yeah, what have redshirt freshmen QBs been able to accomplish lately anyway?
/looks at last two Heisman winners
Wait, nevermind.
If Kelly had starting experience it would be different. This feels desperate to me. Hope I'm over-reacting.
Those were two phenomenal athletes. Absolutely amazing that they were able to do that. Not saying that Ford/Durking couldn't do it.....
Then again, with our offense maybe I am.
But correct me if I'm off base here but R-Freshmen coming in and lighting up the world is the exception and not the rule, right?
Manziel was a 3-star coming out of high school. My point isn't that Ford/Durkin are the next Manziel/Winston, simply that saying "he doesn't want to turn the offense over to a redshirt freshman" is worrying when you look at the success teams are having with younger QBs. When you look at who VT will have coming back on defense next year and the receivers that will be back next year, they don't need a QB to light the world on fire. They need a game manager who isn't going to get picked off every time he tries to throw a smash route and is capable of throwing more than 25 yards downfield without drawing rain.
Well, how bout a follow-up question then? Do you think we have talent up front/out wide of FSU or Texas A&M when their respective r-freshmen won the Heisman?
Out wide it's comparable to aTm... probably a tad below FSU. But only if you sub Bucky for Mike Evans and that 6'6" guy (Benjamin?) from FSU.
Definitely don't have the talent up front or at RB (FSU), yet.
The Kelly kid seems like a douche-canoe. I'd pass on him. But casting a wider recruiting net is one thing the new staff was brought in to do. Who knows what happens or who transfers next year.
Aren't we getting a bit ahead of ourselves arguing the pro and con of a R-Freshamn starting when it seems solid and consistent offensive line play is more of a paramount concern?
I don't care who starts as long they're given enough time to progress through routes (if necessary) and make a good decision. A strong arm or game intelligence won't do the offense much good when they only have 1/2 a second to throw.
Ford/Phillips/Hodges all look like they could be really good. I don't know if they'll get drafted as highly as Mike Evans/Kelvin Benjamin did. The o-line doesn't look to have anyone like Joeckel and Matthews from A&M. That's missing my point, however.
My point is just that a whole lot more goes into the Heisman than the skills of the player. It's a team award. If it was truly for the best player in college football, Andre Williams from BC should have won it last year, no question. He did more with less than anyone else. He WAS the offense for BC last year and was successful even though every single team knew what was coming.
And Tim Tebow shouldn't have won it when he did.
And Michael Vick should've won it when he didn't
When is the trade deadline?
No but for real. Is he the one that uploaded a pic of a wad of cash bound by a Clemson Logo Money clip?
EDIT: JK it was him. The tweet was deleted but this was the picture
We may need to up Pete's, ehh, budget...
If Clemson's bagman is really handing out money clips with the team logo, then yes, I need to step my game up.
That is the cheapest looking "money clip"/paper clip.
It's hard to call one singular hundred dollar bill and a student ID a "wad of cash" ... I recognize that there are probably a couple of other bills in there too but they could be two dollar bills from his grandma for all we know.
True, but the principle doesn't change.
Please, no. The guy pitched a hissy fit during Clemson's spring game over a perceived slight in playing time. Just last week he was angling for a USCe offer just to have a chance to get back at them. We don't need this kind of drama.
http://collegespun.com/acc/clemson-acc/former-clemson-quarterback-chad-k...
Hmmm could we handle that much Swag?
Maybe he could rap before games to fire the team up.
That rap song is horrible:
http://sportstalksc.com/index.php/2012/01/24/how-about-a-rap-song-featur...
Yoshi will show him how it's done.
Chad Kelly is the love child of Radon Randell and Thad Castle.
I see more Alex Moran than I do Thad. Both unforgettable characters.
Keep flinging darts, Scot.
Alright, so let's look at this rationally. Frank Beamer wouldn't allow Lefty to go after him unless he grew up and matured through getting thrown off Clemson's squad and his CC experience (I hope).
He has the potential to be a program killer. I hope to think they did their background on the kid before they made the offer.
I sure hope this is a joke, because Tracy Morgan says...
I don't like it, but I just finished watching the Gamecocks lose a close one to Auburn who was led by QB Nick Marshall......
Yeah, the same Marshall who was kicked off Georgia's team for theft.
And I seem to remember another Auburn kid named Newton who had a shady past....
That's how the big boys do it.
Bo Wallace was a JUCO as well.
dr. bo earned his medical degree from a juco. it all makes sense now...
I don't want to see my Hokies taking players like Newton or Marshall, while I see nothing wrong with giving a kid already in the program a chance at redemption you have them already in your grasp and control. These kids who fled schools because of legal problems especially potential felony charges, like Newton should not be coming to Blacksburg.
Wow.
He's not wrong.
I would rather lose our reputation as a contender than lose our reputation for doing things the right way. And the same thing goes for academics.
Why not?
The big boys do it by paying players. Just like Newton who had "No idea" his dad was selling him on Ebay. Seems to have worked out for him in the long run, but do the ends justify the means?
No. Next question?
Can we please just go with Ford or Durkin next year? They were supposed to be big time recruits and will have had a year, surely one will be capable of starting even if there are growing pains. Brewer has played his way out of Blacksburg as far as I'm concerned (and if he hasn't this coaching staff is clueless) and I know a lot like Motley because he's a local guy but he looked just as terrible throughout spring and I just wouldn't expect much out of him. But I don't want to see another castoff here, especially not one with questionable character as some are suggesting.
Not to be a Debbie Downer but Ford/Durkin weren't big time QB recruits. Per 247 Composite Durkin was rated .8866-3*, Ford .8446-3*. Our highest rated QB in 14 was McMillian (now at RB) .8921-4*. Just for reference Motley was higher rated than Ford, albeit as an Athlete. Kelly was a .9250-4* coming out of HS, #5 DT QB. If he has cleaned his act up and not be a cancer, I'll take him.
And I believe Brewer was higher rated than Ford or Durkin as well. Not that any of that means much of anything, but don't assume that Ford, Durkin, or anybody is magically going to be an improvement -- either tomorrow or 3 years from now.
If Durkin develops timing and accuracy throwing the ball consistently, he will be a special player. Either way, he is a Tebow-esque runner, and unlike some I don't throw that around lightly.
French, wow. Great to hear from someone like you.
my review on Durkin
http://www.thekeyplay.com/content/2014/february/12/class-2014-first-look...
Watch his film, and then watch Tebow's in high school.
Durkin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SaB4TEjk-4
Tebow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjXiTiw1118
Durkin has similar power, and is more elusive. Throwing accuracy and consistency was the issue on his high school film. Watching him throw pregame versus Pitt made me feel like he has improved in that respect.
Ford is a more ready made player, but isn't as mobile as Brewer. He is accuracy and touch personified, but I do have similar worries about arm strength. He also isn't a huge threat in the running game, which means defenses can really devote extra players to stopping zone runs from the back side.
Reminds me of a player we had a long time ago, Bob Schweikert. Bob was a very mobile QB who still had enough arm to deter the other team. Durkin is obviously much bigger but could be that type of QB.
Remember Bob Schweikert well. A very elusive running QB and a great player. If Durkin can become 1/2 the player he was everyone will be very pleased , although I doubt he has the speed Bob had. We called him " Bullet Bob". Aha old times & memories .
Uh, does the 46 stand for the year you graduated? :-)
No, 46 was my Fathers year of graduation, mine was 67. Saw Bob play many games while at Tech, and is still one of my favorite players .
Great, I was 70 graduate and also Bob play many games before attending. He was fun to watch for sure.
" OLD GUARD" We are ! He was exciting to watch, a threat to score on every play from anywhere on the field. However, as good a player as he was he was even better person off the field & a good role model for kids.
leg for the Old Guard connection. My grandfather graduated in 1939
My dad was class of 38- maybe your grand father knew him Matthew Slovic worked his way through Tech renting cars to other students
Might have. There was not exactly a lot of students/cadets in those days. Unfortunately my grandpa passed away a few years ago though. You can ask your dad if he knew a Jesse Grove
Pretty cool that you were there during Frank Beamer's playing years, and have had the chance to observe his entire career. Very interesting perspective.
He graduated one year before me. He could get after ya. :-)
Actually , go farther back than his playing years at Tech. Played high school football against him & his team at Hillsville High school. 1963
Ok it's official. You need to write a book. Seriously.
Don't think I have a book in me. Thank' a anyway.
Hopefully he'll be able to make some of those Tebow-esque jump passes.
I'm wondering about a few things....1.Brewer, is he hurt? Any news on the situation, I know the coaches are mum but something's gotta give. I'm still looking to Salvage this season and the games we have are no gimmes. I honestly believe Leal can get us 2 wins. The play-calling also has to improve. 2. When loeffler went after the top QBs for this season, they all went to other schools. Durkin and Ford were respectable but not highly rated. I think Loeffler's arrogance in switching BUCKY to TE to get his own guys is inept. He calls him self the QB coach, he should be able to work with what we have.
this is ridiculous. Bucky was buried on the depth chart with a whack throwing motion. He made the move to TE on the scout team, one in which he personally stated "Just felt natural to me", and now as a redshirt freshman is being called out as a #1 TE in future draft by commentators on game day.
I get all the frustration with our offensive ineptitude but come on dude.
I'm sure this ^^ post will get a 99% agreement if put to a poll.
I only want to chime in here to reiterate a point from another thread. That is, anyone that watched Bucky in HS would have big problems envisioning him as a college QB. He is EXACTLY where he needs to be right now, IMO. But that may have been the plan all along, for all I know. I'm going to give the coaches credit a majority of the time. They have access to a ton of info that we do not.
THere once was a QB named Logan Thomas. Big, athletic, with an arm like a cannon. People rode him without mercy and said he should have played TE and couldn't wait for a new guy under center. Now people are saying Bucky shouldn't be a TE even though he would dominate if we threw it to him more than 4 times a game? Seriously?
I watched him take two snaps in scrimmage situations, and it was immediately clear that Bucky Hodges was never going to be a quarterback. He is in the best position to help the Hokies now and make a living playing football in the future.
What more do you expect for a first-year coach at a school known for letting non-Tyrod and non-Vick QBs get absolutely murdered most games? The fact that he got Ford and flipped Durkin and even got some of the bigger names to consider and visit VT is impressive. He's widely respected among current coaches and players as an excellent QB coach, so I think that says enough to at least offset the grumblings of a fan site blog post.
this and the fact that none of those top QB recruits would have even considered VT without Lefty. Truth is that Loeffler, no matter how much you may dislike him, is pulling recruits to Blacksburg that otherwise would not come. Examples being Durkin and Ford who may not exactly be the best of the best but certainly better than the ones that were considering us prior to Loeffler.
How many years of eligibility left?
I believe he would have 2 years left, would come in as a redshirt junior. Also for those of you that think the next coach will have the same mentality as CFB I believe are wrong. Our next coach will have that sec mentality, the days of having nothing but choir boys on the team need to be over! We need more Corey Moore's, Aaron Rouse's. We need to get that mentality back with our team. We have no "swag" left on the team.
As far as Chad goes, if he can help us get that Corey Moore mentality back and bring some fire and passion to the locker room, then GIVE it to me. Because we haven't seen it the last few years. This is just all IMO!
Was Kam a choir boy?
lets be honest here. Kam is having a hellofa NFL career so far but he was not the best safety to come through VT. i loved him just as much as anyone else but i remember specifically a Bama team just eating him alive in coverage. he laid some big hits he was huge for a safety but his coverage at VT was avg at best. i think he found his swag more in the NLF than in blacksburg. i do think we have had more "choir boys" that have been very impactful to our program and had "swagger" than not. david wilson, tyrod, ru, darren evans, j. harp, josh morgan, eddie royal, d coale, jboykin, the list goes on and on of people that were all around good people and you never heard a peep of neggitive about and they had "swag" when they were out on that field. on the opposite side we had some "swag" guys like jayron, jimmy williams, brandon ore, and marcus vick, maybe some more that could have taken a leason from some of those "choir boys".
After we beat Cinci in the Orange Bowl Kam ran over to the MVs and took the baton from whoever was directing at the time.
He may not have been a "choir boy" but he has a future in music.
I hope the people on here not wanting to go after an otherwise very talented QB because of a bad attitude or "troubled past" are not the same people wanting to get rid of Beamer. Most other head coaches would take this kid in a heart beat. The clean perception of the Virginia Tech football program is because of Frank Beamer. I'm not saying I want the kid or don't want him. All I'm saying is if we had any other coach besides Beamer, VT would've probably already been recruiting JUCO players with "problems" it's commonplace in a lot of successful programs. Especially SEC programs.
All I know is I think this is unnecessary. Andrew Ford throws a beautiful ball (made throws in spring practices I have still yet to see Brewer complete) and should be the future of our program. I'd rather have 4 years of Andrew Ford than 2 of this guy.
Problem is VT doesn't have the luxury to let Ford develop. They need an experienced, game ready QB now.
Bingo.
What experience does Kelly have besides at the JUCO level? He barely saw the field at Clemson... 17 passes last year, and that's it.
He is tearing up the JUCO ranks, granted, but... experienced?
OK, how about "slightly more" experienced than 2 RS Freshmen who have never seen the field? :-)
We had Leal...!
OT, but noticed your username and I have friends from Greeneville and Blountville.
Originally from good old Gate City but lived in Kingsport since 97.
I think you're right, but I also think that needing an experience quarterback is what everyone needs now.
Some school have the foresight to get a guy in there and develop him over the course of many years. We seem to be into this mode now where we want the bright shiny new toy instead of putting in the work with the guys we have.
I didn't like what I heard about Kelly when he was removed from Clemson, but everyone deserves a second chance. I just think we have our QB of the future on the roster now, either Ford or Durkin (or Motley) and I would hate to have us move towards free agency for QBs. Wisconsin does this, and it's only worked out once for them. Their QB position has been a disaster for at least a decade other than the transfer of Russel Wilson.
Why? We could let Ford develop. The best way to gain experience is to actually get experience. What would be the worse thing that could happen with playing a Redshirt Freshman QB? We go 6-6 and struggle to move the ball?
I think the fact that next year is "the Year", we cannot allow someone the opportunity to gain experience, we need someone who can win immediately. Otherwise I would agree with you on letting Ford takeover and lead the team.
Wondering why we cannot allow someone the opportunity to gain experience next year?
Last two Heisman winners were redshirt freshmen. Vick was a redshirt freshman. I am not saying Ford and Durkin are those guys, but there are countless examples of QBs making an impact in their second year in the program.
Plus, Brewer and Motley are still here. Logan Byrd is coming in. Even if you take away that Kelly is an Almond Joy (a nut), nothing on his film tells me he has more upside than any of those three guys.
I don't think VT is big enough for this kid's ego. We don't need a known "me" guy on the team. Use that scholarship on a lineman either side of ball or a WR.
What I saw of him in the Clemson spring game left me unimpressed on several levels.
Apparently he made quite an impression on Dabo . . . just not in a good way. And that's what concerns me. Dabo's not a guy who enjoys losing. And he's not above giving second chances. Yet he let Kelly go, knowing his team was thin at QB.
I sure hope for his own sake that Kelly's turned it around, but if he hasn't, I'd hate for us to be the program left to deal with it.
Our staff seems to be on pretty good terms with at least one of Clemsons coaches, that's how we got Brewer after all... so you would think we would have had some discussions with them about Kelly before offering him
Agreed. It's an interesting situation.
Makes my Chad Morris/Bud Foster on the same staff in Blacksburg fantasy/wet dream a step closer to reality.
Thin at QB? He had/has Deshaun Watson who has played better than Boyd did as a 1st year starter.
Which is all well and good, provided Deshaun is healthy. But he was injured at the time of the spring game, and he's injured now. Cole Stoudt has held it together, but yes, I think it's fair to say they would have preferred a little more depth this season.
Kelly has a grand total of 17 passes at the 1-A level.
I think it's unnecessary, but not because I'm in any way convinced that Ford is the future of the program. In fact, I would not be surprised if the future of the program at QB isn't even on the roster yet.
I just wasn't that impressed by what little I saw of Kelly in the Clemson spring game. He wasn't sat down in that game because of his disposition...
We just got beat down in Lane Stadium on ESPN Thursday Night Football by the 2014 Miami Hurricanes, while wearing ALLMAROONEVERYTHING.
Yes, absolutely...The Hokies next move should be to sign Swag Kelly. Then they can hire Nevin Shapiro as recruiting coordinator.
*EDIT*
See post below with link included
For all the spasticness I'm seeing here and other places, I'm seeing a few people here and there saying this might not actually be a bad thing. Quoting CZYHokie over on 247:
247 Bolt here
Plus, for anyone who watched the little segment ESPN did on Bo Wallace last night, it seems like going to a JUCO was similarly good for Kelly. Maybe we should let the kid get on campus before we start absolutely blasting him.
You and I disagree on a lot of things regarding our OC but you're absolutely on point here IMO. Not that you needed my validation but have a turkey leg.
Paywall. Little help?
The paywall is why I only put in that one quote. I figured said quote was enough to get the point across without violating TKP's community guidelines.
I want some DeAngelo Hall fire back on our team. I want someone who gets fans riled up. When's the last time VT had this swag? I want me some swag Kelly
Bucky has swag, he just needs someone to put the ball in his hands when he is not running the Wild Turkey formation. Did you not see his dance moves?
That guy is going in the first two rounds of the draft when he decides to go pro, and years from now we can say "Why didn't we throw him the ball when he was here?". The guy is a freak.
And I think that Ford and Phillips are the best combo since Boykin and Coale, but we can't get them the ball either. I'm not putting that all on Brewer because it looks like he has about a split second to throw each time he drops back, but some of it goes to him. Some goes to Loeffler and his designs and cautious routes.
At this point, try anything else. What we are doing is not working.
are we his only transfer offer? we are according to 247. rivals not much help. looks like he took a visit to 'bama.
I came across this article about the Mississippi community college league that Kelly plays in. It's um...interesting. Sounds like a lot of talented but troubled players go there, with a good amount eventually finding their way to D1 schools. It has a little excerpt in it about Chad Kelly. Apparently he dates an Atlanta Falcons cheerleader, which is pretty decent for a college kid.
http://www.gq.com/sports/201411/last-chance-university?currentPage=1
Or you could be a ND freshman WR and date the porn star Lisa Ann
Commenting to come back later to --- for science.
Al Davis said it best...
Was it "Lane Kiffin is a liar!"?
I would rather see A. Ford or Durkin at QB for tech in the future, but whatever QB the coaching staff brings will have to compete for the starting spot. if Ford and Durkin have made progress they will be able to win the competition since they've been in the system for at least 2 years.
The SEC schools are full of kids like this. You need to recheck your expectations if this bothers you. This is big time football, you take character risks with every recruiting class. If they don't behave, you boot them. We have kids on our team now that are likely considered similarly as this kid.
I think that if the coaches are interested enough to offer we have to trust them. he may or may not have learned his lesson but theres no way of knowing unless he has a chance. I agree I dont want tech to become a program known for taking in misfits and hoodlums but I also love that we are a program known for giving guys second chances. Also, I believe there may not be a better fit for a guy like this. Beamer is a great mentor and someone like this could really learn a ton from him if he puts in the effort to change and in the article it mentions one of the best things about the mississippi cc league is there isnt many distractions and while tech certainly isnt on that level id say it is pretty close to that for a big time program at least.
Think about it like this. We are currently getting killed by a QB recommended by Clemsons staff. We fix this by doing the opposite and taking a QB kicked out by Clemsons staff. Itso Facto problem solved
hahaha, it must be true
Is Chad Morris an Evil Genius?
He is gonna feed Beamer a poison pill again and call it gift? Be weary of another trojan horse, Frank.
Or is he a Genius Genius?
He "kicked" Kelly out of Clemson knowing he is star material, and has now routed him to VT with which he has had secret agreements with Whit this entire time to land his dream job!!!
And Chad Morris will do this for all Clemson recruits, eventually setting himself up to take over as head coach when Beamer retires.
Chad Morris, in for the long con
As poorly as Brewer has played the last few weeks, imagine if Mark Leal was our QB for the entire season. Brewer at least won the OSU game. Brewer= 4-4, Leal= 3-5.
Leal may have turned the GT game by simply not throwing as many horrendous picks.
In the short time/small sample I saw Leal in Lane Thursday from the NEZ, he sure looked like he was staring down his receiver the entire way IMO. Something that won't fly too well when playing against 1st stringers or a nonprevent defense. I did like the refreshing zip he had on his throws and his instinct to know when to tuck and run though.
But would he have scored on the fumblerooski? Yeah, didn't think so. Brewer's got mad pick-up-the-ball-on-a-random-fumble-and-needlessly-dive-into-the-endzone skillz.
Well, maybe if he did it on Marshaws goal-liner
He would have had to snatch it from Deon Bush before he hit the ground, who snatched it from Marshawn before he hit the ground.
Only Sam Rogers teleports like that.
Can we stop acting like we haven't had some "interesting" personalities on this team before? I get the recency bias with Journell and Holmes, but it seems to me that the correct thing was eventually done with them both getting kicked off the team. We have other examples of players having off field issues (JR Collins, Marshall, Dadi, etc) with each of them coming back, learning from it, and becoming a valuable member of this football team.
One of the big advantages we have with a long tenured head coach is that he's dealt with this before and has a very strong supporting cast for when players inevitably have issues. He also has a track record of doing so rather successfully.
If Swag Kelly can help this team win and has learned his lesson then why not give him an offer.
This is what the team needs:
Whomever made this video should be deported to Afghanistan and forced to eat with their left hand.
What? You ain't down with JB Black and Mulatto Dinero?
One of the worst, most annoying video's I have ever seen...
Thanks. Looked up Mulatto Dinero, got internetted and ran into a white rapper from WVA name Ricky Woods. That cost me 20 mins of life...
Difference though is they were with us and came back. There was a built relationship already making it easier to communicate and move on. I think Kelly has the skills but there was never anything at Clemson besides that which would make me want to be associated with him as a representative of the team. When he left he attempted to run the coaches and program into the ground by accusing them of forced religous activities on campus. He took it back later but the fact he would go that far after being told to leave because of his horrible attitude don't make me comfortable with him. We have guys on this squad doing it right and working to earn time. Give them a chance.
He was an 18/19 year old kid with a majorly bruised ego when he did that. Perhaps that was the wake up call he needed to realize that the world doesn't revolve around him. All I'm saying is just because he didn't start here or had an attitude problem in the past doesn't make him an automatic write-off in my book. Would I rather see Ford/Durkin/Motley lead this team to glory? Absolutely, but I don't think you stop recruiting or trying to improve your team because of that.
To be fair to Kelly, I had friends involved with the program during the time he was there. There was/is a heavy religious emphasis at Clemson, particularly among the football team. We're talking about a school that does prayers before football games and commencement, neither of which are constitutional. Furthermore, it's the deep south. Not being a Christian in those parts is likely to get you ostracized, and with the team mentality in football the peer pressure would be enormous.
The main reason Chad was kicked off the team was because he flipped out on Dabo after not getting the starting job. In hindsight, he probably would have made a better QB than Cole Stoudt, but the behavior is still not acceptable. The attitude could be entitlement or genuine competitiveness. Nevertheless, his actions are not nearly as bad as some of the behavior even our own players have engaged in. As someone mentioned earlier, Journell immediately comes to mind. We almost certainly covered for Marcus Vick while he was here. Kelly's problems, by comparison, are minor. I'm sure we could make an attitude adjustment.
Am I opposed to us getting Chad Kelly? Not really.
Would I rather have someone like Ford start instead? Absolutely.
IMO, it seems that all across this country the people being ostracized are those that pray and are active, outspoken Christians. As far as constitutionality of prayer at commencement...
http://www.speakupmovement.org/Content/multimedia/resources/Graduation_P...
To paraphrase, college students are considered by the court to be mature adults and in no way does prayer at commencement coerce them into participating in the prayer. Furthermore, commencement is typically not a mandatory event. Prayer at public university invocations, benedictions, and commencements is absolutely constitutional.
I agree, Kelly joining the team is okay by me, but I would rather see someone like Ford get developed. That being said, I think if Kelly comes in and proves himself with hard work, a good attitude, talent, and leadership, then he should be given a chance to start. If his ego starts to get in the way, then Beamer should be quick to dismiss him. I think Beamer has gotten better at this lately (except for Journell), with Marshall and Stanford being examples. Although, it isn't entirely clear if discipline were the issue in those cases.
Quick reminder to both of you guys that talk of religion, politics, constitutionality of various things, etc. is not allowed on these boards. Before the thread devolves into any arguments over sensitive issues, let's just leave this be, please. There were debates in the past about what Dabo is doing, and we shouldn't re-hash those.
Thanks, I'm a new user. Will steer clear of commenting on those types of issues in the future.
Didn't mean to take this in that direction.
No worries, guys. Just a reminder before things get out of control. The thread about Dabo from a few months back spurred some very heated debates that I just want to avoid.
I agree, I think this is a very low-risk move. If it works out, great. If it doesn't, get rid of him.
I don't think this is a slight on Ford/Durkin as much as it is reflective of a desire to subject them to an OL that is also developing. Starting as a r-FR would have been difficult enough. Of what I saw in that video with the terrible rap, there was a whole lot of him using his legs to make something out of nothing, I think that could have value next year. I don't care if this guy is a douchebag, if he can pretend to be a human being for a year or two and play QB cromulently in maroon and orange, then I'm all-in.
+1 for the cromulent use of "cromulently."
I dont understand why everyone is all about durkin/ford/kelly or anyone for that matter. if we start any of them and they struggle 6 games into their respective careers as 1st time starters we will be calling for the next one! dont believe me just look at brewer. whatever we do id like to see a guy who can start for atleast 2 or 3 years maybe more. i dont care what his name is or what he did in his past (to an extent) as long as hes not bringing problems to VT. 1st time offenders are no better than repeat offenders if you ask me and since no one here has enough dork magic fully dipped we shouldnt try and predict that kelly will mess up again or that ford or durkin will never do so.
Definitely need to get elbow deep into the bowl of dork magic
I want to win as much as anyone else, but not if it means selling our soul. I like rooting for good kids.
As a Clemson student, I don't really want Chad Kelly at VT. He was such a ridiculous person from the get go (swag kelly video) he quickly became a campus wide joke. He's definitely more dumb guy with a bad temper than Marcus Vick bad apple, but it's not worth the drama. That said, he really may end up being a good QB and I'd support him if he came here and won the job; everyone deserves a second chance.
nice to have a clemson student perspective!
but i'm really not sure how you can recover from being a dumb hot-head. especially when you've proven to be that way in high school and college.
i suppose i'm up for giving him a second chance, but i don't really see it ending in anything other than embarassment for us.
I bet there are plenty of people on this board that were "dumb hot-heads" in HS (ages 14-18) and college (ages 18-22) and are now contributing members of society.
"dumb hot-heads"? sure. but to the level that $wag kelly has shown? not really buying that.
and i did say i wouldn't mind giving him a second chance, i'm just not convinced that it wouldn't end in embarassment for us.
My point is that he did that as a kid (teenager really) and there is a great portion of the teenage male population that would act similarly in a similar situation. I was trying to put it in perspective.
Also I have no idea if it will or won't end in disaster but not wanting to give someone a chance because they acted like a spoiled child when in fact they were/are a spoiled child seems a bit harsh to me.
Note: this isn't directed at you, just a general statement.
Everyone deserves a second chance, people do change their behavior.
However, 3rd, 4th & 5th chances do not need to be given.
Chad Kelly and his girlfriend wearing VT gear... take that as you wish.
Well she doesn't look bad in it.
There is a guy in that picture?
I just wanna give him one of those talks "YOU BETTER TREAT HER RIGHT"
Lets be honest. He's prob an asshole to her. And she eats it up. Wish I could pull that kind of shit
Was somebody really offended by this? Come on lol
You're probably right. Lucky guy. Upvoted to balance that out
that chick would make a good recruiter. recruiters like her bring player like McKenzie on campus.
Man, talk about duck face...
I definitely think he's got some speed on Brewer
TDs against LOLUVA are always enjoyed. Enjoy a leg!
I laughed at the end of the footage with the Mike London appearance.
It looked like he was considering a time-out to slow Clemson's offense down 52-10.
I think LOLondon said "What happened!?" What a fitting quote for that program!
oh my goodness LOLondon how did it take this long to make that a thing
It's interesting that there is so much interest in a (somewhat evidently checkered history) transfer QB when we supposedly had such diamonds of Andrew Ford & Durkin already in our fold. All well behind our 3rd string... oops... backup QB of Motley.
Depends on your opinion of Ford and Durkin.
If we are looking at JUCO to fill needs then why not look for talent on the O Line? Could this not help our QB situation also?
We are. JUCO recruiting is generally pretty quiet until things are really set.
So why is it we never took JUCO guys before? Was that a Frank thing or a university thing? I always wondered about that and I'm glad we're looking into that well of talent.
ACC has very restrictive policy in JUCOs. Not many in the conference.
Mostly Frank. Doesn't have a big network with JUCO programs, doesn't like spending the recruiting resources on getting a player for only 2-3 years.
Also VT & the ACC do require JUCOs to be graduates if they were non-qualifiers out of H.S. Many other colleges will take transfers after a few semesters as long as their GPA is decent. So that limits the pool somewhat.
Guys like Kelly are basically regular transfers. They go JUCO to play right away, and to be able to play right away after going back to Division 1. Typically we're not in on them because of lack of connections with JUCO programs. Hopefully that's changing this year. JUCOs can go a long way to filling in gaps in recruiting / making up for players that don't pan out.
I love the Chad Kelly offer. Everyone deserves a second chance. He is also the kind of guy that wants the ball and wants to win. Not to say that our current team doesn't want to win, but I think more competition is better. Excited to see Kelly next year. Additionally, maybe a big and tough mobile QB is what we really need right now.
Kelly's skill set remind me of KSUs Watters.
Bottom line is have the balls to play the best qb when time comes. If we do that, I'm fine with a second chance.
We should go after Braxton Miller since he's prob gonna be transferring
Just wanted to remind everyone that we all were making fun of this kid six months ago:
Link Here
I really don't want this kid to commit to VT unless CC really humbled him. Hopefully he learned his lesson...I guarantee you Lefty can start packing his bags if this backfires on him.
Agree. Second chance are cool but throwing another transfer into the fire when we should already have our QB of the future on campus is disturbing to me. We're looking like Wisconsin.
Please, please, please let us look as much as possible like Wisconsin.
In the run game, sure, but please not at the QB position
I just don't want us to look like VT (2012-14) at the QB position. Which is what we will look like in 2015 if we don't address it.
To me it was more an O-Line and lack of running game issues, the QB numbers those years are among the best in school history
Those are accrual stats, not efficiency stats.
I don't think that Brewer being one of our all time leaders in completion % is an accrual stat
I'm mean, I'd like our QBs to be like this guy
I agree. And it's not like he will be a one and done. If he could come in and take the spot, he has two years to play. And while I admire Brewer's toughness, IMO, if we had a QB who could consistently hit a downfield pass/and a threat to run we would be a one loss (two at worst) team at the moment.
Here's my thinking:
I don't like the whole Chad Kelly thing, BUT.....if he came in and showed himself to be a winner and shows a modicum of sense, then I'd be cheering him on, as I suspect most Hokies would.
But, Brewer transferred in, and now ?Kelly, and we're looking at JUCO lineman.....this is a significant change in VT's philosophy.
If it smacks of desperation, then there's a reason: This staff/Frank Beamer is trending towards desperation land, IMO.
As far Loffler goes (and I'm a fan); if he gets the pieces that he needs and the Hokies still don't get the offense off the ground, then yes, he goes.
But y'all realize that this staff was Frank's hire, and their success/failure will largely determine what happens to Frank. Frank and his staff are joined at the hip at this point. So, if Scot says we need to get Chad Kelly, then don't be surprised if Chad Kelly comes to Blacksburg-this staff is looking for the pieces that they think they need, and being aggressive, AND with Frank's blessing.
He may lose a coach to another opportunity-(please no Aaron M.)
If they succeed, Frank gets another graceful few years. (My hope); Fail, and there will/should be a house-cleaning the likes that has not been seen at VT since the end of the Dooley days with Whit pushing the broom.
Interesting times in Blacksburg.....
I don't get the desperation thing at all. Pretty sure other programs all over the country bring in JUCO and transfers. In fact I remember Hokie fans in years before harping on the fact that VT historically rarely did it and now we are and people are criticizing it. But devil's advocate, though I wouldn't call it desperation, let's say the coaches believe we NEED these JUCO's. Does it mean they are desperate or perhaps merely they are doing their job and filling the holes every way they can?
As far as Kelly goes, yeah, dude is a hothead and needed to get put down a few pegs. He was and hopefully his humbling had a positive effect and he's turned it around. I get the criticism of his past behavior because he deserved it. If what has happened to him and where he is coming from really taught him the right lessons then Kelly would be the first person to tell you that he did deserve it, but does that mean he, or anyone, doesn't deserve a 2nd chance? For a fanbase that supports the comeback and amends paid by our own Michael Vick, there are a lot more people than I would have expected to be against Kelly going to VT.
I think people are reading far too much into things.
See my post below about the wording.
I'm not opposed to second chances at all.
If C.Kelly was my son and received that offer, I would be a proud papa.
It's more of a concern for team chemistry.
But, as below, I'm just an outsider looking in.
sorry Shoog, my post wasn't specifically in response to yours. Just where I decided to add my opinion to the conversation. I understand what you meant.
Yep, this is big boy recruiting. Wanna play like the SEC and the other top teams? Got to get with the program. Because this is how they do it. They sign good players out of HS and pull in JC to fill gaps.
Desperation? Maybe...but definitely can't help but wonder if there is a positive correlation between Frank's time left and the change in philosophy.
This was kind of my takeaway, too. While " desperation" is probably too strong of the word, I don't know if Scot or Frank have the luxury of the 2-3 years it's going to take to develop the current redshirts into high-functioning starters. I'm almost certain Loeffler doesn't.
Probably so.
I thought hard about using that word, but I still did because I think there is a flavor of it in the program now.....just an outsider fan's opinion.
But having followed and loved the Hokies for years, there have been a lot of changes for a head coach that has a reputation for not making changes.
And I'm not saying whether it's bad or good or in-between; I'm just observing.
If he can come in, keep a cool head but still bring some fire to this team then I am good with it. We have playmakers evolving on offense (WRs, TEs, RBs) but no playmaker at QB right now. If we can get that then we will be much better off.
Not to keep adding fuel to the fire, but I talked with some folks tonight and I can say with 99.99% confidence that Chad Kelly has NOT be extended an offer at this point, regardless of what has been tweeted.
Yep, he doesn't. He even deleted the tweet saying that he had one. The staff is definitely interested though.
Idk if anybody saw this, and because im on my phone I can't embed the tweet, but on Tuesday he tweeted a picture of his girlfriend and himself both wearing VT pullovers...
That pic is on the thread.
Ahh I see, I missed it on my original scroll through
Per Andy Bitter's twitter Account - Chad Kelly will be at Ole Miss next year.
(sorry - i can't post from twitter at work)
Best of luck to him!
LOLe Miss...