[Mark Umansky]
Virginia Tech will wrap up its 2015 recruiting class today. As players sign the lists below will be updated. Also, HokieSports.com will broadcast its Signing Day Live show at 11:00 AM. Use this thread to discuss all the national signing day madness.
Enrolled Early
| Name | Position | 247Sports Composite | Height | Weight | High School | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adonis Alexander | Safety | 3 | 6' 3" | 193 | Independence | Charlotte, N.C. |
| Xavier Burke | Tight End | 3 | 6' 4" | 250 | Fork Union | Lawrenceville, Va. |
| Austin Clark | Offensive Line | 4 | 6' 6" | 297 | Rockbridge County | Lexington, Va. |
| Carson Lydon | Outside Linebacker | 3 | 6' 1" | 231 | East Lake | Tarpon Springs, Fla. |
| Yosuah Nijman | Defensive Line | 4 | 6' 6" | 268 | Fork Union | Maplewood, N.J. |
| Mook Reynolds | Cornerback | 3 | 6' 0" | 180 | Northern Guilford | Greensboro, N.C. |
| Tyrell Smith | Offensive Line | 3 | 6' 4" | 290 | Cushing (MA) Academy | North Brunswick, N.J. |
2015 National Signing Day Signee
| Name | Position | 247Sports Composite | Height | Weight | High School | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deshawn McClease | Running Back | 3 | 5' 10" | 185 | Oscar Smith | Chesapeake, Va. |
| Eric Whitehead, Jr. | Defensive Line | 3 | 6' 1" | 300 | Arsenal Tech | Indianapolis, Ind. |
| Chris Cunningham | Tight End | 3 | 6' 3" | 225 | Atlantic Coast | Jacksonville, Fla. |
| Darius Fullwood | Defensive End | 3 | 6' 4" | 240 | Our Lady of Good Counsel | College Park, Md. |
| Zachariah Hoyt | Offensive Line | 3 | 6' 3" | 291 | Salem | Salem |
| Tim Settle | Defensive Line | 4 | 6' 3" | 315 | Stonewall Jackson | Manassas, Va. |
| Harry Lewis | Defensive Line | 3 | 6' 2" | 260 | Phoebus | Hampton, Va. |
| Tremaine Edmunds | Linebacker | 3 | 6' 4" | 220 | Dan River | Ringgold, Va. |
| DuWayne Johnson | Cornerback | 3 | 6' 1" | 160 | H.D. Woodson | Washington, D.C. |
| Mike Arnold | Offensive Line | 3 | 6' 5" | 280 | Winter Haven | Winter Haven, Fla. |
| Houshun Gaines | Defensive End | 3 | 6' 4" | 220 | Nash Central | Rocky Mount, N.C. |
| D'Andre Plantin | Offensive Line | 3 | 6' 5" | 277 | Norcross | Norcross, Ga. |
| Jahque Alleyne | Safety | 3 | 6' 1" | 180 | Ocean Lakes | Virginia Beach, Va. |
| Coleman Fox | Athlete | 2 | 5' 11" | 190 | Salem | Salem, Va. |
| Dwayne Lawson | Quarterback | 4 | 6' 6" | 207 | Hillsborough | Tampa, Fla. |
| Adonis Williamson | Safety | 3 | 6' 1" | 190 | Arsenal Tech | Indianapolis, Ind. |
| Trevon Hill | Defensive End | 3 | 6' 4" | 220 | Salem | Virginia Beach, Va. |
Section:
Comments
Man this is the 1st year since I'v joined TKP that we have no edge of our seat announcement's this morning.
Probably a good thing. We've seen how most of those play out.
Any potential flips that we may be in the running for ?
Happy national fax machine day, everybody!
just looking on hokiesports and we have two Adonises (Adoni?). I feel like that has to be a good sign
Motion to hereby refer to them as Adoni
Adonii?
Second
It's pronounced "Winners."
FTFY
4 LOIs are already in:
Lawson
Fox
Alleyne
Williamson
Gaines and Plantin as well.
Gaines? But... But... He took an official to Vanderbilt! /s
The Blacksburg Taco Bell is good. That locked him up for us.
Man he must've hated San Antonio Taco Company when he was at Vandy then.
Make that 6, add:
Gaines
Plantin
Gaines is in.
Guess we held off Vandy!
Plantin and gaines just came in as well
I think Gaines and Plantin are in
Are Gaines and Plantin in?
Don't forget Gaines and Plantin
Has anyone heard anything about Gaines and Plantin?
Scoop alert: my #sources are telling me they're in.
Mike Arnold is in.
He's who LSU was making a late push on, correct?
Correct. Score one for the good guys.
Great news he was the only one I was concerned about. Think he may be an early contributor, isn't already 19? Also, any update on Settle academically?
Torrian Gray must have introduced himself to Mike's mom on day one.
This made me laugh more than it should have, but some sweet 80's ballad just started playing in my head and all in the world was right. Thank you for the laugh.
Sorry Grimey.
Love seeing that "VT" up on ESPNU. They have us as 24th class and getting #5 QB in Lawson.
The Rock is on board.
So the above Rock apparently owns a farm in VA. Saw a pic from his Facebook page where he was getting on his private plane leaning his farm. not sure why, but he had a UVA shirt on.
He went to Miami. His taste in colleges is obviously questionable.
Apparently he works out at the Gold's Gym here in Charlottesville occasionally. My buddy said he just randomly stops in which is probably why so many people go to the gym next to a K-Mart (those still exist, surprisingly).
Virginia Tech can now enjoy strudel.
Not Quite, he's more #teampie
DuWayne Johnson is in.
Is there a ticker anywhere? Hokiesports had one up the last few years but I don't see one today.
Edit: Scratch this. I went to hokiesports.com/football at first, and saw nothing. I then went to hokiesports.com and apparently there is a ticker on a click through page that you can't access unless you type hokiesports.com in directly
techsideline & 247sports also have one going
Hokie Sports signing day roster
Harry Lewis and Tremaine Edmunds are in.
#AllTheEdmunds
Edmunds is the new Fuller.
Settle officially listed on Hokiesports.com!
And boom goes the dynamite.
Made me so happy.
Hoyt's in
He's down to 6'3" instead of 6'5", but any OL with a BYU and Pitt offer is good with me. It may take a while, but I bet he contributes.
Is Hoyt the Anti-Bucky? At this rate he'll be 6'1" by the time August rolls around.
Side note on Hoyt:
I'm a believer in recruiting rankings, but because Hoyt was a late bloomer and only had three offers, he will likely be a 2* recruit. So, our class will actually take a hit by adding him. He will bring our average down, slightly. But is our class WORSE for taking him? No, it's the same class, but we just added one more lottery ticket that we didn't have yesterday.
247 has him at a composite 3* but the point still stands
Which is about right.
5* recruit: everyone relevant to his geography offered
4* recruit: everyone but 2 or 3 of the big boys who evaluated offered (look for Bama offer box unchecked)
3* recruit: 3+ P5 offers
2* recurit: <3 P5 offers
1* recruit: no P5 offers
see, that's where the star system breaks down... # of offers isn't exclusively impacted by talent. Exposure plays a big role too.
I would argue that offers are a pretty good way to judge players based on what we know. There are a lot of factors, including film, HS productivity, etc. The one area that is not considered is applicability to a system (read: GT recruiting QB's), which is paramount and should be considered by each school today.
But offers make sense. Take Aaron Moorehead, one of our best evaluators and recruiters. He left for a school with more money, because they can buy the best evaluators/recruiters for their staff. So their staff will be better than MTSU's staff. So an aTm offer will account for more.
I think it just leads to a self-creating star ranking feedback loop based upon schools preconceived recruiting reputations and not any judge of the actual athletes.
"Oh, Bama offered. Bump up his star rating."
So then the kid gets more attention, more offers and more stars. Then the story is "Bama is amazing at recruiting! Look at all the five-stars!" when the way stars are assigned are dependent upon schools like Bama offering. It's not even a self-fulfilling prophecy.
I guess it's decent, because you can assume that these coaches are decent evaluators, but the engineer in me can't help but shudder at the assessment.
This is way rankings are bunk. Their are influenced by themselves. Alabama gets the best recruits so when they offer the player becomes a 5 star. Players that Alabama offers go to Alabama, now Alabama has 5 star recruits and is shown to get the best recruits.
This is why the rankings (more or less) are the same every year. I think it would also explain why our recruiting rankings in 2010 and 2011 hardly slid at all, even though they were some of our weakest classes in recent years.
Thank you. My point, exactly.
Also, usually if a kid commits earlier, the sites back off of him because he is not as marketable. I have also heard that sites will drop a player's ranking if they don't answer the sites phone calls and/or other lines of communication. Once again, less marketability.
I've seen he is a candidate at center which is something we really need so 6'3" isn't a bad thing for the center. I love getting OL guys
Stiney just said that Hoyt is 6'4". I don't know what to believe anymore.
As always, nothing makes me happier than landing a lineman.
I have not been this excited about a grayshirt offer in a long time, but Hoyt's film is nasty.
Edmunds and Gaines are the exact same size. Eventually, same position?
TE?
What about Drew Harris? Is he in yet? /s
What happened to that guy????
Went to FUMA, signed with UMass, left them. Now...?
It's been a comedy of errors. I feel so bad for the guy.
Between FUMA and UMASS he was at some other small college in the NE also.
Posted this on the other thread:
Biggest issue was that the NCAA clearinghouse is a terrible, terrible institution that needs to be razed to the ground.
the best account of the issues that prevented his enrollment: HERE
and a passage:
If his dad won't badmouth the NCAA I will.
They claim to look out for the kids but are mostly concerned with their image, perks and TV $.
and that other school was ASA College in Brooklyn
This Drew Harris?
Wasn't he dating Manti Te'o at one point?
Anyone else tailgating NSD? Since my kitchen floors are being redone today, I know I am!
Does drinking coffee and clicking refresh every 5 minutes count?
Just had a Fullwood sighting... I mean signing.
6'4 240. Is the thought still to move him inside? Seems on the small side for that, even Marshall is 262.
Its my gut feeling he stays outside if he is quick enough. We have Lewis, Whitehead and Settle in this class which will bolster the depth we built at DT last year. DE is needed more.
Bud just called him an End.
Yeah, I had a good feeling about that one this morning.
Considering his name is Darius Fullwood, his Hokie Sports "signature" says Dee Wood.
I can't help but think of Key & Peele, the substitute teacher skit, and read Jaqhue Alleyne as Jacquelin (jah qway lynn)
You done messed up A-A-Ron!
Glad I'm not the only one who thought that.
Wrong thread.
Who's left? This is hard to keep up with.
McClease, Hill, Whitehead, and Cunningham
I'm guessing the office admins at their high schools are tying up the fax machine...
Something like that.
I think they are trying to dig it out of the back of the coat closet, finding a 60 year old retired secretary to hook it up...
And all the flips
ALL THE FLIPS
MORE FLIPS
Not VT but my favorite flip
I played against this guy in high school. He held the state record for the high jump. Too bad he gets busted annually for possession of massive mounts of weed.
Who knew you weren't supposed to ship that via USPS?
Dude flipped 5 yards...
I'm sorry, did you say flip Wilson?
oh what the hell, if we're on the subject of flips
Just waiting on Hill's LOI to arrive. He is one of the most important guys in this class IMO
That might take a while. Not sure the alternative school he attends is worried about his LOI!
He's going to have to go to Kinko's after school today.
Just an interesting side note that his letter came in after school got out for the day.
Yeah, I was just making a joke, but there was some truth in there. As you said, he is at an alternative school right now. I could be wrong, but I don't think they're going to give him the freedom to get out of class and use their resources to send his letter in. I don't know the situation though, I was just making a joke.
As a side note to "signing day" VT set a record for number of undergrad applications, over 25,000.
don't believe all the rankings...as Sean Glennon said on his hudl pass podcast, they may come in as 2 stars or 3 stars but they are leaving as 4-5 stars.....let's keep it going and hopefully this offense improves with the last 2-3 classes and start showing the signs now.
Really? I take some of this with a grain of salt since some of those players were in HS before stars were a thing, but even still, that's pretty impressive.
Edit: I Googled after posting and found this: http://www.sbnation.com/college-football-recruiting/2015/1/21/7861989/su...
That's awesome!
That being said, how many 5* players are on National Championship programs, you know, considering winning the golden vag is our goal and all.
Valid point. Teams like FSU, Bama, anOSU, etc. have lots of 5* talent. I think that the Super Bowl stats indicate most importantly that development (at both the amateur and pro levels) matters. If you're a 4* or 5* player, you're probably looking to go to the NFL and have a decent shot at doing so. Find a program that will allow you to develop and prepare you for your life.
Oh yeah... the NFL is where the true cream rises to the top. And it also helps that these guys in the NFL have years or decades to hone their skills to be the players they develop into. All the 5* means is that the kid is further along in his development RIGHT NOW than similar kids in that class. That doesn't necessarily mean they will stay the better player throughout college, but it gives you a much higher floor than those with the 3*. And having that higher floor is what raises programs above their peers. Everyone has talent, the great teams are the ones who can still be strong when the backups are playing.
Thanks for sharing. It is a very interesting point but part of it is math. If there are only around 30 - 35 players who are 5-stars each year and around 1,600 players in the NFL, and average career spans are quite short, the result is that the overwhelming majority of NFL players won't be 5-stars. Still, since those are the cream of the crop (in theory), it seems that every team would have at least one.
I remember watching a sports program a few years ago and the analyst said something like "the most flame outs by percentage are with 5 star recruits". No idea how accurate that is, but I will often catch myself wondering where the heck the players on NFL teams went to school, because I don't remember most of them at all from college football and I pay a lot more attention to college level than pro.
Hmm. I don't think that's accurate. I remember reading somewhere (#sources) that 5 star recruits have the highest percentage chance of getting to the NFL by a pretty considerable margin.
not talking about getting to the NFL, he was talking about what happens once they are there
but again, no idea what the validity on that is and could be complete BS
I was just about to edit my original comment to say it would depend entirely what the definition of flaming out is. I had in my mind being a bust at the collegiate level.
Once you move beyond the 5 star and high 4 stars, so much of recruiting is just an algorithm. X number of D1 offers, Y number of P5 offers equals Z number of stars. When you have a coaching staff that is so damn good at doing out and finding unsung heroes and diamonds in the rough that fit well into our system, it's hard to land a top 10 signing class because you have so many under the radar guys.
Rather than worry about overall rankings, what excites me is seeing the number of legit 4 star and Rivals 250/top 247 players we're getting. We will continue to coach up the 2 and 3 star guys like we always have, but if we can add to that some game-ready talent then we will be in the hunt sooner rather than later.
I'm also excited to see 5 OL recruits who aren't TE -> OL converts.
.so much of recruiting is just an algorithm. X number of D1 offers, Y number of P5 offers equals Z number of stars.
Whitehead and Cunningham are on board. Just a couple more to go.
glad whitehead is committed. I think he is the dark horse steal of the class
Didn't he get an offer from anOSU this past fall?
Cunningham and whitehead in
We are just waiting on McClease and hill right?
McClease should be any minute, Hill probably won't be until around 3ish
Hill tweeted a pic of his LOI package yesterday talking about how excited he was to make it official. So very little concern there.
Yup, really just going through some formalities now, as far as I know.
I hope no one tweets pics of their package anymore...
And once again, boom goes the dynamite.
From McClease's twitter feed, don't think we need to worry:
https://twitter.com/saicko_slim
It looks like we are putting the finishing touches on 3 very good classes in a row. I am very excited for what the future holds.
If you can't get excited on signing day, then things are bad.
Seriously, just think of all the Gaines we've made. Once these guys Settle in we'll be Plantin our flag back at the top of the ACC again. And yes, I AM serious, Clark.
When people see how good we are, they're going to think we were breaking the Law, son.
so Gaines and Plantin did sign?
Yes.
you got a source on that HB?
Vic Alexander to GT congrads to him! gonna be tough sledding for him trying to tackle juice in the future! flipped from UCLA,
The fact that he flipped but not to us makes me wonder what happened in our pursuit of him.
Torrian clearly ignored his mother on their OV
You mean Beamer didn't go to his home for a visit, right?
Anybody else think it is kind of nice that we only have one "athlete" on signing board?
Why is ESPN calling Mook an ATH?
cause they haven't learned the term "Defensive Weapon" yet.
Because his sheer awesomeness cannot be confined to only one position?
According to Hokiesports the only "athlete" is Coleman Fox.
Yea ESPNU had him listed I think 40 range "ATH".
So he'll be a TE by August?
Because ESPN/Scout sucks at college football recruiting coverage?
If this was NCAA, he'd become an excellent Safety in no time, anyways.
Notable VT football players like Macho Harris, Greg Boone, Dyrell Roberts, Antone Exum were recruited as athletes... but I get what you're saying.
Sometimes it's nice to have players that are versatile, since football is the ultimate team sport.
Do we have any attrition so far? Joel Caleb?
Not officially, but it will all probably come out this month. Apparently there are about 10 players who have left the program. I've even read (as rumors!) that Motley is going to Marshall. I had not seen a rumor with a school actually attached to it anywhere else for any other player.
The next two years will be the big movement years I think. RB/WR/QB.
I figure that's somewhat expected when your recruiting recovers from some bad years. You have guys with playing time get eclipsed by younger and better recruits. Older guys are going to face facts and get on with their lives.
Still sad to see sometimes, don't like a kid leaving the VT family.
So I reckon, two more are expected to sign?
McClease and Hill. Both are considered safe. McClease goes to Oscar Smith, so their AD probably went Office Space on their fax machine to keep us from getting one of their players.
WAIT on the HOKIES extra signing day special they just said they didn't really rely on the fax machine!!!! The world of the fax machine just died. They used scanned emails and text pictures!
McClease is in. Only waiting on Hill now, I think.
Whoever is doing graphics for Hokie Signing day life is on point. Great promo video for 2015 season.
Clark was just interviewed on hokiesports.com:
Q: "Austin, when I say Labor Day, Monday night against OSU, what you do think?"
A: "Victory."
The great part is being able to look at these last few recruiting classes and seeing how there has been very few that haven't contributed to the team in some way. This group seems the same, each guy seems to be recruited with a plan in mind. It has got to feel good for these kids to know they are coming in know they are being counted on to contribute and not have to worry about being thrown to the side just to pad recruiting rankings.
Now it's all up to you Gentry! Do what you do best!!
Freshmen's First Week with Gentry:
Freshman by the Ohio State Game:
Wow! Arnold's video is impressive on the HokieSports broadcast.
A signing day without drama. I... I just don't know what to do with myself.
I mean, we can create some drama if you want
Should we start some rumors?
Ummm.... Mook is a Bronie?
Hoyt is a level 4 dungeon master.
This wouldn't even shock me.
Look at this dude:
Does that look like a lineman to you?
I hate to make fun of a kid for his appearance but he definitely doesn't have that athletic/jock vibe about him, which I think is cool for all of us sports loving nerds out there. I kind of hope he's a D1 football player that gets into board games or something in his spare time.
Apparently the Green Bay Packers get really into Settlers of Catan in their downtime.
Exactly.
If he weren't an enormous human I would expect him to be a CS major who plays insane amounts of video games and drinks lots of Mountain Dew.
And this is certainly all in jest, I'm 100% not trying to be cruel -- as a short and scrawny dude in his mid 20s with at best a receding hairline I'm in no place to insult anyone's looks.
Wait a minute. This isn't Tyrod Taylor?!? I'm done
No he backs up a dude with a bad (eyebrow) hair line.
Let me share with you the greatest example of a football player who is also a massive nerd:
https://twitter.com/greatblackotaku
Story behind Hoyt's long hair and how it is now all gone:
http://virginiatech.247sports.com/Article/Locks-to-Love-about-Hoyt-35409590
Now he just looks as if he wants to crush my soul with his eyes.
I heard Mook might flip to Clemson...
jreynolds06 did say something about that.
But what does HE know?
It made staring at my laptop in class a little less nerve racking. Still haven't been paying attention though.
Who wouldn't want Drama?
Lefty said he wants to sign a QB every year, and I agree
Nope.
I wanna sign two.
I don't want to be a fan of a program that signs too many kids that forces out other kids. One QB a year seems just about right.
Seems excessive when we have other positions to fill... I want 5-6 OL and 4-5 DL each year.
You wanna rebuild both lines every year?!
Just to be clear, that was a touch of hyperbole above. I think one a year at QB would be fine. But if we whiff one year we should get two the next.
Serious answer? Yes.
We can bring in 25 scholarship players each year, and kickers / punters usually walk on. There's going to be attrition (early draft entrants, injuries, transfers, guys giving up the game), and we may not sign the maximum each year - we end up with 85 on scholarship despite bringing in approximately 25 per year.
We start 11 on offense and 11 on defense. That's 22 players. (#math) So yeah, I'd like to be able to sign a full 1-deep on each side of the ball each year, with the extra slots for "oversigning" positions that have higher than normal attrition (RB, anyone?) or just a lot of talent in a particular year. That would provide depth (and competition) at every position, and also help smooth out the normal graduation attrition (no losing 6 WRs in a single year).
#HoytHair
Our O-Line hair game is strong.
BDC Jr?
I knew I recognized him
That dude's hair game is strong!
Anybody else getting excited by the way that Loeffler dreamily spoke about Lawson for most of that interview?
As a relatively new parent, "dreamily" is probably the only way he can talk about anything, due to lack of sleep.
Apparently loluva still thinks stars matter above all else. Their Twitter feed is posting pics of signees like ours, but they put the stars next to the players smh.
Btw, I thought warren craft was a 3*?
the program relies solely on their talent when they arrive; they can't adequately develop talent like we do.
To be fair, the star rating of the guys at UVa is the highest achievement they will obtain during their collegiate careers. Can't really fault them for focusing on it
Its probably their worst class in 10 years. I've seen 10-11 ACC rank.
Didn't we do the same thing like a year or two ago?
Loved seeing my guy Keith Short make an appearance on the HokieSports Signing Day show.
Hmmmm.... starting to hear we might be in the running to sway this kid, anyone heard anything about him?
http://hamptonroads.com/2015/02/hokies-make-late-push-on-ti...
Link isn't working for me for some reason, what is his name?
Edit: I see it now, haha.
Well played.
Looks like scout gives anyone who goes to the SEC an extra 1/2 star - ten sec teams in the top 20, and Auburn number 2? I know ranking prospects is not an exact science, but how are they so far off from the other services? They call it a great class for quarterbacks, while 247 calls it a weak one?
Scout and ESPN have a partnership
You can make your own conclusions from that
Auburn got the ESPN #1 player who was a 9 star so it really boosted their ranking.
247 composite has 9 in the top 20 with mizzou and ark sitting at 22 and 23. I wouldn't say they're so far off
In all fairness, the composite takes into account the misrepresentation of other sites and averages them all together. So if one site is an outlier, it affects the composite
The composite is better than picking and choosing which site to look at for each recruit
I agree, but when comparing whether one site inflates a certain conferences recruits, as was the implication, then it's best to look at a sites own rankings rather than the composite which takes into account the inflation from the other site.
Fair. But 247 regular has 9 of the top 20 and 12 of the top 23. Rivals also has 9. One site is bound to have the most for a particular conference. Inflation would be a little more of an outlier
Anyone that has Sirius XM, Shane Beamer is going to call in this hour on the College Sports Channel.
What time? Just saw this
he was on around 2:30
Listened to it, I turned in around 2:50 EST.
Nothing really exciting. Shane talked about how they understand they were missing out on top in state talent and how changes have been made in improve recruiting going forward. They asked him what kind of changes and he talked about the new full time recruiting positions that were added. Admitted we were behind the times when it came to recruiting in comparison to the top schools and how small our recruiting staff was in general. He did make an interesting comment at one school the hand written letters sent to recruits are actually written by recruiting assistants. He used the example to talk about how the coaches still want to keep that personal touch and not hand everything off to assistants.
The final thing discussed was how much longer Frank would coach and Shane said there is just so much to be excited about for VT football and that Frank is still full of energy at practice, games, meetings and whatnot. Talked about the new indoor facility being ready in July and the Battle at Bristol in 2016. He said that the time Frank missed after his surgery just made him remember how much he loves football and how much he would miss it. Now, with all that said Shane did say that Frank wouldn't be coaching into his late 70's, that he does plan on retiring but didn't go into any more detail.
Are we still waiting on Hill?
Not expected until late afternoon/early evening. That was known in advance.
Thanks I missed that! I was getting nervous we might have some drama after all.
Only drama we are going to have is when Shelton Johnson shockingly spurns FSU, Miami, and Michigan for VT in around 20 minutes. (Probably not, but I'm keeping hope alive.)
Gone to Michigan. Second big recruit that Michigan has cost FSU.
Hill is in.
That just about wraps it up.
No surprises, but a good day overall.
Hill has signed!
Hill's LOI is in... that should wrap it up, unless we have a surprise flip
Anyone else a little concerned that Frank wasn't part of the VT Signing Day show? He's been there the last few years, and unless I missed it they didn't even say much about him.
Still working with a speech therapist. He'll be fine by the start of spring ball.
Is that going to be an in-home visit?
Gotcha. Wish they would have said something like that at the start of the show (unless they did and I missed it).
What? Frank wasn't a part of the Show? Man, he clearly just doesn't care about this whole recruiting thing, does he?
Totes gonna lose like 20 2016 recruiticorns, now
Shane has said Frank's voice still isn't all the way back. Listening to him on SXM the last few minutes
So his voice is "da U"?
...I'll see myself out.
No, that would be if he said it was back and then lost it at the first tough question.
Speaking of Da U, Al Golden is sounding like Mike London's clone right now
Wait, wait, wait...are Gaines and Plantin in yet?
oh i got the joke. but it had already been repeated 10+ times
Nah, still waiting and getting nervous
(FYI... Ctrl-F is your friend in these situations...)
Dabo will be on SXM in a few minutes, and for laughs, so will Mike London afterwards
lol I heard there was a better turnout for the UVa Spring Game than the Mike London signing day presser this afternoon
Dude, you just did the impossible and flipped the entire joke.
Are you a Hoo-bender or something?
Just when you thought signing day couldn't get more absurd....
Byron Cowart hasn't sent LOI
After flipping to Auburn this morning in his presser, the #1 recruit still hasn't sent in his LOI and is reportedly thinking about flipping back to Florida before the deadline.
Really happy we avoided signing day drama this year.
This is the kind of player I'm glad we avoid. Some people just can't handle the limelight, and Cowart seems to be one of them. This is the kind of kid who will flame out spectacularly at the collegiate level.
I don't think there is anything wrong with a kid making "sure sure" about their college choice. What I do agree is problematic is having a presser to announce a school, and then not being sure about 5 minutes later. Don't have a media event if you arn't ready yet.
He should go to VT to balance out the universe
Apparently Auburn coaches just received his LOI a few moments ago.
The bag man finally delivered on his promise
Geez USC picked up 3 5* recruits today, and 4 total over the last 2 days.
Good to see them overcoming the challenges of trying to get kids to come to southern California.
Yeah. VT is lucky that they have such a geography and climate advantage.
I downvoted that just to give you a leg and see the score change by 2.
Pete Carroll loses and then USC wins....sounds a bit Karma-ish after how he left that program. I still dont want to see the Rise of the Condoms happen though so lets hope they play out like Mike London recruited them.
I already love Chris Cunningham. He said" Ill get a good degree, and if I can get a degree from Virginia Tech, I can go pretty much anywhere and get a job." Thats the kind of guy I want at Tech.
That's the first video I have ever seen from that Akron game
Man, look at how big those shoulder pads were. How did they do anything in what seems to be the equivalent of the "Hans and Franz" muscle suit?
Today was better than yesterday.
The anxiety is gone!
The hosts just told Mike London he should take after his basketball program
UVA #12 class in the ACC. VT #25 class in the country
These SXM hosts just told him with this class and what he's done there the past few years, that uva is "on the verge of something special." Wait, what?
I suspect we'll be looking at their record at the end of 2015, saying
Even more special:
Out of the 11 kids VT signed from the state of VA, 7 held UVA offers, 4 did not.
Of the 8 VA kids who signed with UVA, 1 held a VT offer, 7 did not.
Yeah, look at London tearing it up on the recruiting trail. If he hangs around too much longer, he's gonna run programs like JMU, Charlotte, Liberty, Marshall, and VMI absolutely into the dirt.
This is exactly what I was wondering, and you posted the answer before I asked the question. Only on thekeyplay.
I just hope we can lay the whole, "London is an outstanding recruiter" thing to rest now. He did alright when he was at least new enough for people to not realize how terrible of a game-day coach he is, but now he's done very little besides fail and recruits are starting to notice. Even at the top of his game, I don't think he ever really beat VT on the recruiting trail (in terms of overall class), outside of a couple big-time guys. Brown, Blanding, Simmons, and a bunch of 2-3 stars no one on this level wanted won't fix that offense.
Now that I've seen him play, I'm so angry we didn't get Quin Blanding. Kid is sick. I'm gonna keep saying it until he leaves. Transfer, Quin, transfer and be the next Kam Chancellor.
oh he's going to transfer alright, to the NFL. He will leave as early as possible.
Otherwise known as the LOLUVA plan for highly rated recruits.
It's Timecop's new recruiting strategy for 5 star kids.
Recruit's Father: "Nice to meet you as well. And yes I, uh, did know that you were once a cop. You've told me nearly ten times now."
Timecop: "Great, so you know that I was a cop. Wonderful. You do know that right?"
Father (looking dumbfounded to the rest of family): "uh... yeah, I just said..."
Timecop: "Time out. I just want to say how honored I am that you would have me in your home. It's beautiful."
Mom: "Why thank you. It's a pleasure to have ..."
Timecop: "You!"
Father: "What's that now?"
Timecop: "You!"
Recruit (laughing awkwardly): "It's something he does with recruits dad. you know, personalizing it."
Timecop: "That's right. You got it son. Now let's get down to why I am here."
Father: "Right.... Ok, well tell me your plans for my son."
Mother: "Dear, let me get this man something to drink. Juice, water, coffee, soda?"
Timecop: "Coffee would be fine ma'am. Thank you. (mother leaves for the kitchen) Now, let me explain our philosophy at UVA. It's one of a kind and designed... Timeout... (Calling to the mother) Ma'am, you wouldn't have any Zima would you?"
Mother: "No, I don't reckon we do."
Timecop: "Coffee will be fine, thank you. (turning back to the recruit and his father) Now our philosophy is truly unique and it's what I like to call "YOU!""
Father: "you said that."
Timecop: "That's right. YOU! is a concept I came up with while being a cop and mentoring young kids on the streets of Richmond. Did you know I was a cop? (both nodding their heads) Great! So YOU! as a philosophy has brought in a lot of 5 star talent to UVA, and just as we have "pipelines" to high schools we have become a "pipeline" for 5 star talent to the NFL."
Mother: "Here you are."
Timecop: "Thank you ma'am."
Father: "How exactly are you a "pipeline"?"
Timecop: "I'm glad you asked. You see we have created a system in which your child will truly stand apart from his peers on the gridiron. By cultivating a program of mediocrity we will ensure the the cream really does rise to the top!... Timeout!... speaking of cream. Would you have any, ma'am?" (Mother gets up to return to kitchen)
Father: "Let me get this straight... you're saying you purposefully built a team that sucks so that the more talented kids shine even brighter?"
Timecop: "Exactly! Don't you see? This is how your son will reach the next level faster in our program than anywhere else. The drive to succeed well beyond the team's ability will push you to new heights, making you a better player, and more hungry to get to the pros. YOU! will use that talent to shine on Saturday so that Sunday will come calling as early as possible. We have been doing it for years. Look at all the 5 star talent that we get and how early and often they seek to move on. It's by grand design! Because we are a "pipeline" to the NFL."
Father: "this all sounds a bit far fetched. What about coaching my son and teaching him teamwork to succeed? Aren't you there to win?" (mother returns with cream)
Timecop: "Sir, it's my great sacrifice and promise I make to you and your son's future that I guarantee to suck at my job so that your son can transition as quickly as possible."
Recruit: "wow, that's amazing coach. you would do that for me?"
Father (in disbelief): "say what now?"
Timecop: "I would son. I will coach UVA to the bottom of the ACC to make sure your success is realized"
Mother: "oh my, that is quite a thing to say. You are truly a giving soul Coach."
Father: "Did either of you just hear what the man said?"
Timecop: " Thank you ma'am. It's something I learned while being a cop. Timeout! Did you know I was a cop?"
Father: "You've got to be shitting... wait, that's 4 time outs!"
Timecop: "Again? ... damn... uh, I mean... precisely! All part of the plan. Calling extra timeouts helps make your son a better player. And in 3 solid years, maybe 2 if you try hard son, with your talent you will look like the brightest star against the cesspool of the team I have created. And you will get that invitation to the big dance."
Recruit: "I'm sold. Count me in Coach. I can't believe you would would do that for me."
Father: "Now, wait just a damn minute!"
Mother: "Hush dear. Don't use such language in the coach's presences. he was cop and deserves our respect."
Timecop: "Yes! I was. You knew that?"
Yeah.... dude done gone goofed. Coulda been even more legit.
I mean there's delusion, and then there's whatever those idiots are high on...
They are, losing for two consecutive decades to your biggest rival is something special.
I wonder if the "bagman" article had anything to do with this. I can imagine the NCAA (or someone else) letting London and the Thoroughbreds know they were under scrutiny.
I either missed it or forgot that Hill was related to Charlie Yates. That is pretty damn cool. Great to see he has two younger brothers as well.
So I gotta admit, I was pretty floored when I read the first African American graduated from VT in 1958. Were we a segregated university prior to that?
Until 1964 every male student at Tech was required to complete at least two years in the Corps of Cadets, and as modern and PC as our military is now, back then it still had challenges even in the form of who was qualified to get an officers education. It wasnt until 1963 that Martin Luther King gave his I have a Dream speech either, just to put that graduation into some additional context with the US in general. Also, I believe the entire student population at Tech in the late fifties was less than 3,000 students. It really wasnt until 1964 that we saw significant growth as a school as President Hahn started making significant changes to the focus of the entire school, including bringing in research facilities and quite a few new professors.
Also bear in mind that Virginia schools were segregated at the time, so a college-prep education was available to some and not others.
After the dust has settled, I just scrolled down the ESPN Top 300. It didn't take long to get to #19 with Settle and then I scrolled and scrolled and scrolled and finally got to 199. Then, on down to the bottom. It literally took my breath away and was saddening that we can only come thru with two out of the 300. Then, of course, it was mitigated a little by still being #25 in the country. Somehow though it was still disheartening bottom line.
Why? There are what 400 plus FBS and FCS schools. For a wide variety of reasons few schools are going to more than a couple on that list.
I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that those Top 300 on ESPN aren't exactly evenly distributed among those 400 schools....
I bet 10-15 schools get the plurality of them while 40-50 get 1/2 every year the rest get one every 2/3 years.
Noticed San Diego State got one. Good on them.
Yea... I mean we won't ever get double digits like Bama or fsu, but we gotta start getting over 5
Over 5 every year? Doubt that, even some of the "blue chip" programs don't di that every year.
There is absolutely no reason why we couldn't average five of these blue chips a year. If we got five of the top ten players in Virginia that alone would do it most years.
3-5 every year is a realistic goal.
So we're having this conversation over the difference between averaging four and averaging five per year? Okay, I can accept that.
Sorry I was responding to poster who thinks we should get over 5 every year.
Northing to apologize about at all. I misinterpreted your original comment to mean you thought we'd be hard pressed to ever get more than two.
Seriously. Go do some research on the numbers. Saying blue bloods don't get over 5 a year is 100% incorrect
Agreed... and once we get there and get used to that base, then you set your sights higher.
What gets me is what Clemson is doing right now. They're absolutely killing it annually in recruiting. There's no reason we can't do what they are.
What's their recruiting budget vs ours? They're spending SEC money on coaching, I'm sure they're doing the same on the recruiting trail.
This isn't a knock on us. Basically since Shane arrived, we have made big, big strides in modernizing our recruiting. But I have a feeling we're getting blown out of the water by Clemson.
And therein lies the problem.
I have a very strong feeling that we're going to see a bit of an overhaul of the recruiting culture of Virginia Tech whenever Beamer retires and we bring someone else in. We lag behind very badly when it comes to what we're willing to do and what resources we're willing to dedicate towards those ventures. Combine that with a staff that goes out and recruits hard from the top down and yeah, we'll start to creep up in those rankings quickly.
I feel two biggest non fixable issues holding back with some recruits. Long term history, school location( both for weather and smaller city)
IMO, location is bunk. Recruits will flock to a winner.
Long term history is an honest issue. We don't have the pedigree that a traditional historic power has. So we have to build one.
There certainly are recruits who want to play in that warm weather climate, who want to be in a mid to major metro area. Is it all, no not even a majority, but it is something Tech can not change, thus effecting even that one recruit to say, "no way".
If location was as big a factor as some make it to be, the Big Ten would struggle as a whole to ever bring in top talent.
Location is bunk. Kids want to play for a winner first and foremost.
Two things BIG has that can overcome weather, colleges in large metro areas, history of winning. They also have pretty impressive facilities.
Those long histories and large alumni bases lead to money. Money is the big answer. Those schools always end up at the top of revenue. We do not
This.
Also a two way street. One reason Michael Brewer transferred to VT was because he wanted to hunt and fish the NRV.
most Big Ten schools sit deeply entrenched in large population bases. That comparison is not very good.
I agree the recruits will flock to a winner but I don't agree that you can completely discount location. Look at comments by our own recruits. It's far enough away from home but not too far away. Proximity matters. Other recruits from larger cities have also had hard time adjusting or feeling "it" when on campus.
you can't say it's bunk because it's not proven. We don't have a good measuring stick in our own program. After the national title game were we pulling top 5 recruiting classes? No. After successive ten win seasons and repeat ACC championships were we pulling top 10 recruiting classes? No.
After the BCS championship game, an interviewer asked Frank Beamer if he would use the newfound prominence of the program to expand recruiting, and he replied that, if anything, VT would lock it down. Frank focused in on the 757 and owning the state of Virginia in general, and maintained that perspective through the early ACC years. Has we doubled down on recruiting then similar to what we are doing today, there is a very good chance that we could be pulling top 5 recruiting classes. That was a missed opportunity.
No doubt. not arguing that. But since it has never happened in Blacksburg location cannot be discounted. I'm not saying it is something that can't be overcome though but location will always be a factor for some recruits. Just a fact of life that some kids want to play close to home or don't want to leave the bright lights of the big city.
I think our recruiting culture IS being overhauled, as we speak. Adding positions on the staff, expanding our footprint, making recruiting a key factor in considering coaching hires.
I think everything you said would have been dead to rights circa 2006-2012. Now we have an AD who doesn't value recruiting simply in terms of a percentage of the budget, and younger coaches with some giddyup on the trail. Are we where we need to be? No. Are we moving in that direction? Yes.
If nothing else, we're laying the groundwork so that Beamer's successor will come into a tenable system.
Agreed there, and the final piece will be getting the head coach out there working the recruiting trail as hard as guys like Dabo, Jimbo, etc are right now. I think that's the big major difference between how we are recruiting and how the others are. And I'm not sure that is something that can be fixed going forward with our current staff, as Beamer isn't getting any younger, and health issues are starting to hit.
Shane and Stiney both said FB met with every recruit.
Meeting with a recruit is one thing. Going out on the recruiting trail and showing your face at games or showing up to a kid's house, or showing up a a kid's school randomly... That's the kind of stuff that the staffs who routinely bring in the best classes are doing. That's the kind of stuff Buzz Williams is doing. This is the stuff I haven't heard that Beamer has done for a while. And with his health issues, I'm not sure that's something that can be done going forward.
Health is a concern, and you're right, we might not be able to get more effort out of Frank through no fault of his own. The question there is, does having a future HOF coach carry enough weight to make up for him not being about to run like Jimbo and Dabo (I swear to God...)?
Frank's around for at least a couple more years I'm guessing, so we'll just have to see how this plays out over the next couple of cycles.
You might want to do some research because yes they do
247 composite has 344 players rated at 4 or 5 stars. I'll use that for similarity to espn300. We have 4 of those guys. The blue blood programs all easily have over or around 15. The step below that, oregon, Ole miss, Arkansas have over 5. We lump in with NC state and north Carolina at almost 5
Getting 5 with our coaches would be like getting 10 at most other schools.
I know we cannot live and die by the 757, but resecuring that territory is our gateway to landing 5 or so of the top 247/250/300 recruits every year. That will boost our recruiting profile and help secure more elite OOS recruits.
Coming up with completely random metrics for success and then being disappointed when we don't meet them is such a fun game.
It's really not random. There is a strong positive correlation between recruiting rankings and vying for a national championship. Right now we would be seriously bucking the trend to make a NC run with our recruiting numbers. And the way to boost recruiting numbers is to land more of the blue chip recruits.
It's a vicious cycle isn't it? Big time recruits want you to prove to them that you can win big games. Yet it's difficult to win big games without big time recruits.
Well, we definitely have an overachieving coaching staff in terms of getting everything out of our recruits. We're about as well suited to use that formula to climb the recruiting ladder as any.
I'm speaking particularly towards the number 5. You looked at our number, came up with a number that was higher than that, then expressed disappointment that we weren't at the number. Obviously recruiting better matters, I just don't think it's productive to make up benchmarks on the fly.
But I certainly agree, some more top recruits would be nice.
Alabama: 19
USC: 16
Clemson: 13
Tennessee: 13
Auburn: 12
LSU: 12
Oklahoma: 12
Florida State: 11
Notre Dame: 9
Oregon: 7
He makes a valid point.
Sure, but we got 4 of the Rivals 250 and 4 of the top 247 by 247Sports. Depends on what recruiting service you go by.
And TBH, ESPN/Scout is definitely the lesser of the recruiting services, IMO.
This excites me. We are getting closer to where we need to be.
Do invited walk ons send in LOI?
No, the LOI is only for accepting a scholarship.
When will we find out about some of the better walk ons? Cannon kid who decommitted from JMU etc.
AFAIK, coaches still can't say anything about those guys until they're actually enrolled at VT, just like any of the scholarship recruits that haven't enrolled or signed their LOI. So if they sign up for summer, probably then.
My hometown local news was covering a preferred walk-on from Abingdon signing his "LOI". It's cool for the kid to get to sign on the dotted line at a presser and put on the hat, but let's not kid ourselves.
Enjoy.
http://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/2015/2/5/7985755/the-best-recrui...
Huh. Didn't even mention the Adonoi.
Oh man, be sure to click the link about the 410 pound lineman that BYU signed. He looks even more terrifying than he's described.
6'7 410 lbs, if he can manage to run even a short distance he is a football beast.
#BringBackHoytHair
(Edit: Meant to reply above, seriously though, #BringBackHoytHair)