In reading the threads about Brown, Nnadi, etc., this thought crossed my mind. It seems to me that UVA always lands these 5* star prospects, yet their teams never pan out. On the contrary, VT fills its recruiting classes with mostly 3* and 4* guys, and these classes normally end up more highly ranked. Is it because UVA focuses all it's energy and resources on 5* prospects and nothing, then has to settle for the 2* and 3* leftovers? If anyone has a break down of that, please feel free to share it with us!
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this is a rather easy one, my friend.
Coaching.
It's called the house of mike London's false hope....he bags it up and sells it by the pound to recruits!!!!!
More like dog day afternoon.. Attica! Attica!... Bring it on down to Hooville
He's even making money on that stuff??? Is this an NCAA violation?
Mike London was hired in 2010. Since then, UVA and VT has had similar success with the top recruits.
UVA Rankings according to Rivals with 5* and 4* in parathesis:
2011 - 25 (0,5)
2012 - 27 (0,4)
2013 - 28 (1,2)
2014 - 27 (2,1)
VT Rankings according to Rivals with 5* and 4* in parathesis:
2011 - 33 (0,4)
2012 - 22 (0,7)
2013 - 23 (1,3)
2014 - 30 (0,2)
Virtually the same. The only big difference is UVA is beating us in recruiting the elite talent in 2014 (3 top 100). It's a shame because 2014 is the highest ranking for the recruits in the state Virginia and VT is not reeling in the top-shelf talent. UVA is expected to get Kamara, another top 250. Hopefully, VT can land Nnadi and/or Walker (top 100 and 250). Otherwise, 2014 will be the year that VT gets hammered in top talent recruiting top talent by UVA.
they'll get theres .. we'll get ours .. but it's more than recruiting a few blue-chippers. 11 are on the field at a time and most of these kids (from both teams) have to develop for at least a few years before they can become solid contributors. it's more a matter of coaching and development than recruiting rankings, at least when trying to understand why we beat their asses for a decade straight. not even alabama can claim that with regards to auburn.
In their (Alabama's) defense, few teams manage to fail as hard as UVA.
All I got to say is this. If Hand is as good as Clowney, which some have suggested, your whole defense is instantly better. Blue Chips like him are rare, but they can sure make a difference from a great defense to an elite defense. That's why winning some of these battles is important.
A defense is only as good as its weakest link. Good teams can exploit weaknesses.