The first decision of coach Fuente's reign of the Hokies was great move . Foster agreeing to stay gives the Hokies the best of both worlds. There are other coaches on the staff like Zohn Burden, Gray, Wiles that I would love to stay but Fuente seems to be a head coach who knows how to select the best fit for his football team. GO HOKIES!
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This was really the optimal result.
I think we'll get a better offensive staff than would have been possible with Bud as HC, we got a younger head coach, we'll get a lot of new faces in the program, and these guys all have current connections all over the place.
After listening to Fuente, I think he can sell recruits. He sure sold me.
Bud really is a mastermind on defense. If he gets an uptick in recruiting, I think this team will be a force to be reckoned with. VT really did get the best of both worlds, and I don't think it would have been possible without offering up the HC spot to a proven guy on offense.
I think the uncertainty of Beamer's future and how much longer he was going to coach was one of the major factors that has hurt us in recruiting in recent years. At least, this can no longer be used against us and with the new staff, I think we see a major improvement in Foster's recruiting.
I think that may have been a factor, but not the only factor.
I'm looking forward to seeing what Fuente and the new staff can do. I think Fuente and Bud will be a pretty good 1-2 punch in terms of selling the potential of VT football.
Maybe find a way to get Bucky more than 3 targets a game (and yes, I know some of that is no him and fighting more to get open)
Smart move by Bud. He will get to pick the brain of a very smart offensive coach and pit his unit against it in practice. It will make him more marketable as a HC in the near future.
I could be wrong but I doubt that was CBF's logic. If he was going to be a head coach he would have done it by now. I think he truly loves the Hokies and the Burg, and sees what a good fit Fuente is with his defense. Even if we just improve recruiting slightly, we will be playing in the ACCCG again. I agree with the poster above that the uncertainty around Beamer hurt recruiting and that it wasn't the only thing holding us back. Hopefully we take back the state in recruiting...
Pretty sure I read a quote from Foster over the past few days where he says he is looking forward to picking the new coaches minds and going against the offense in practice.
I don't doubt that.
I think it is VERY important that we remember that Bud wasn't guaranteed to be on this staff, he wasn't involved with the coaching search, and he was told he wasn't going to be a serious candidate at the beginning of the process out of respect from Whit Babcock. He had every reason in the world to leave this program, and yet, the first thing Fuente did after deciding to take the job was to meet Bud in person and sell himself and his vision in hopes of keeping him around. Bud is our defensive coordinator in the future because he is the best man for that job as determined by Coach Fuente.
There are so many ways this process could have been bungled from the beginning, and yet every step of the way was dead on. Who would have thought our Athletic Department would have this much savvy when we absolutely needed it the most after the years and years of lazy hires and bungled PR disasters.
I think it is VERY important that we remember that Bud wasn't guaranteed to be on this staff, he wasn't involved with the coaching search, and he was told he wasn't going to be a serious candidate at the beginning of the process out of respect from Whit Babcock. He had every reason in the world to leave this program, and yet, the first thing Fuente did after deciding to take the job was to meet Bud in person and sell himself and his vision in hopes of keeping him around. Bud is our defensive coordinator in the future because he is the best man for that job as determined by Coach Fuente.
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The reason this worked out was 1) Bud loves the place - it's his home, 2) Whit was straightforward with all of it, and didn't lead anybody on with "courtesy interviews". Bud had time to process this before-hand, 3) Bud already had a great contract in place. VT would have had to pay if he wasn't retained, 4) Bud still has a lot of potential for excellence (and even growth) as a DC, 5) With a defense already in place, Fuente can focus on the offense and recruiting.
In other words, this was a good move for all the involved parties.
We have room to improve over this year on defense, and Bud knows that.
We were riddled by the injury bug and some dismissals, but attrition has to be accounted for.
#46 Scoring
#77 Rushing
#9 Passing
#34 Total
Tied #16 for turnovers gained.
Yes, the 2015 defense wasn't as good as we are accustomed to nor did it live up to preseason hype. But it's not like it's a shit show. Fuente can focus on offense and recruiting and trust Bud to do what's necessary on defense. Fuente shouldn't have to place much of a focus at all on defense.
I don't think this is entirely true. This quote (from a really interesting piece at roanoke.com, http://www.roanoke.com/sports/colleges/va_tech/fuente-won-over-foster-du...) seems to suggest that Foster was involved in the process.
"I was disappointed that I didn't really get an opportunity, and I expressed that to him, that I didn't get a chance to really state my case," Foster said. "But at the end of the day, Whit, we kind of talked about this and me being involved. I was really excited about it."
This quote from the same article also made me very happy that we have Whit as well: "I did say, 'If it's not Bud you better have a darn good one you bring in here,'"
Whatever Whit did, he handled it beautifully.
I think part of it was that he was straightforward, and Bud is as well.
I know this will cause some downvotes but....
I'm disappointed in Whit that he did not give Bud a fair shake. Bud deserved a REAL interview, not a courtesy one. I'm a little ashamed that after everything Bud has given to us, that Virginia Tech didn't think he was even worthy of serious consideration for the job (including, but not limited to a real head coaching interview).
I've been all-in for Bud as HC since CFB announced his retirement. I thought at the very least, Whit would give him an interview. I shared your disappointment when I first read that Bud never got that interview, but I have changed my stance on that. I can't help but applaud Whit for being completely upfront and honest with Bud and telling him that he wanted an offensive minded coach as the next HC. That's not Bud and it never will be. But, thankfully, we have an AD who seems to do things the right way and he was straight forward with Bud from the beginning. I can't be disappointed knowing that's how things happened.
My gut feel was that the best possible outcome was Bud remaining as DC, and getting the best offensive-minded coach possible.
For me, Whit nailed it.
Whit gave Bud a fair shake. He was honest and up front with him from the outset of the coaching search. He basically gave Foster as much notice as possible so that Foster could decide if he wanted to pursue other head coaching jobs, or even other DC jobs. As it turns out, Foster wanted to stay.
Interviewing him just to interview him is a waste of time and leads to nothing positive for anyone. Remember, they've worked together for a couple years now and Whit knows Foster well enough to know whether he's the kind of head coach that he's looking for.
I'll have to respectfully disagree.
That's not a fair shake. It may have been courteous, but its not a fair shake.
I think many people on this board believed that Foster deserved an opportunity, but that opportunity wasn't given. He didn't get to give Whit his recruiting plan, offensive philosophy, team management plan, or ANYTHING of the sort. Whit wanted an offensive minded coach, and that's who he hired.
Down the line, we may find that Whit was right. At the same time, I find it to be a close-minded approach. Many successful head coaches are born out of successful coordinators, and I don't think anyone will object to me saying that Bud fits the criteria of "successful coordinator". Just because Bud coaches one side of the ball instead of the other, we're supposed to believe that there's no chance he was the right man for the head hokie position? That's the message I got from Whit, and I don't like it.
Its amusing that you don't think due diligence was performed before this process began.
I do, but I also have no idea why arguably the best DC in the country and loyal coach of over 2 decades to the Virginia Tech football program was considered to be unworthy of consideration for the position. I'm not saying "unworthy" of the job, I'm simply saying the opportunity.
Until I have that answer (which I doubt any of us will ever get), I'm don't think my conclusions are unreasonable.
My guess is that previous HC experience was a firm requirement.
That, and all of the research they did going into this, and they did A LOT, showed that the teams with the most success in today's college football era more times than not are led by a coach with an offensive background and mindset. They did more research and investigation into this process than many are willing to give them credit for. And let's be honest, they did Bud a huge favor by being up front and honest with him once they realized that he wasn't the best option for VT as head coach and not giving him an empty interview.
Considering he is still here, I think he came out of this process feeling pretty good, too. Don't think any bridges were burned.
Why should Bud not feel good? Not like a guy who's 20 years his junior took his dream job and makes 3x what he does.....
Bud being eliminated off the bat just doesn't feel right. I'm excited for the future, just sad for Bud.
It seems that Whit had set a few basic prerequisites for this job:
1) Offensive Minded HC
2) Coach trending up with HC experience
3) Values
Foster fits only 1 of those 3 boxes. If Whit started here then entertaining Foster to make a pitch and giving Foster an inkling that it could be something Whit was interested would have been disingenuous. Because clearly Whit had made up his mind what he was looking for already. So instead of entertaining Foster's pitch, and worse allowing Foster to entertain the notion that he could win the job, he respectfully told Foster that the intent for the new HC was in a different direction, and that any "interview" would be hollow.
From someone that runs a company and faced with this from my internal team every time there is a job opening above them this takes massive amounts of respect to handle correctly. You might feel Whit did wrong by Foster by not giving him a chance, but I assure you this was played 100% correctly.
Box 1 really bugs me though. We spent 29 years with a man who was a Special Teams minded coach, and I say that worked out fairly well. Whit has sent a pretty crappy message: "if you're a defensive coach, give up your dream of being a HC".
Maybe the research is overwhelmingly pro-offense. I don't know, I don't have the details. Maybe Will Muschamp ruined it for Bud (what a disaster that was).
I don't hate Whit, and I don't hate his decision to hire Fuente. I just don't understand how Bud wasn't considered. From what it sounds like, Bud's only mistakes were "poor choice of career in defense" and "too busy building a legacy of excellence at his current institution to be a HC at a lesser program".
I don't want to drag the conversation out. Clearly Whit did what he had to do, and did it in the most professional manner possible.
No, Whit said, "I have my priorities for what I think is best for this program and that is to have a strong offense, since recent history is showing that will get you further than a strong defense, and I want someone who has been a head coach." Other schools would likely look at Bud, but Whit said that he wanted fresh blood in the driver's seat. Not always the best barometer, but for instance, #1 in Total Offense this year was Baylor who are 9-2. #1 in Total Defense is Boston College at 3-9, and 0-8 in conference. Bud was considered and in his consideration, he was given the courtesy of being told that he wasn't what Whit wanted early. If somebody posts a job application and you don't meet the qualifications, you aren't slighted if you don't get the job.
But grumble grumble! Someone is always going to get bent out of shape, no matter what the decision ended up being. If nothing else it was well managed: clarity and candidness always go a long ways.
Going to assume you genuinely think this, but I can't understand it.
I am willing to bet money that the message Foster received from the conversation was not: "if you're a defensive coach, give up your dream of being a HC".
Box 1 might bug you, but that's what Whit is paid for. To decide the direction of the programs through the Head Coaching hire. you can disagree with him on that, but I think it's too far to think he is sending crappy messages or disrespect by believing in his direction for the program.
I have a feeling that Whit and other staff close to Bud know Bud more than we do. There may be a few dealbreakers that Bud possesses that made Whit not consider him. Loyalty only gets you so far.
You should also feel bad for Kirby Smart, Will Muschamp, Gene Chizik, Pat Narduzi, that guy from BC, Pruitt, Odom, Luke Fickel, and Jon Tenuta. They were also successful coordinators at successful programs, many of them loyal to their team or HC. They also didn't get their "fair shot" at the VT job.
1. Huh?
2. What?
3. I don't get it
4. I think you're missing the point, but that's ok b/c I'm done with the discussion.
1. - 4. Whit wanted an Offensive guy with HC experience. That wasn't Bud. He got his fair shot.
Whit told Foster that he wanted to get a more offensive minded coach in here after thoroughly researching the data.
Anyway you shake it, Bud was not going to be an Offensively minded Head Coach. Who knows who his OC would have been, but it Whit gave him an hi sent opinion up front.
Good thing your not an AD and you don't speak for me or most people on this board and who cares wether you like it......LOL. Bud is a big boy and WB was fair and up front with him. He had the right and chance to leave if he wanted. Low and behold, he chose to stay. Maybe you don't like that either...
Best quote of the article:
I think this speaks volumes right here.
I love it.
In any career progression and analysis, there is a balance between quality of life, ambition, and core strengths. I imagine that coaching is no different in this regard. What does Coach Foster really want? At this time it appears that he wants to field bad-ass defenses, be teamed with an offensive juggernaut, bring championships back to Blacksburg, work for a coach that fosters a family atmosphere (pun intended), and live life on the lake. Hard not to appreciate this as a man and a fan.
Honestly, I think he's more self-actualized running a monster defense than he would be in a different role.
Imagine, as well, how Bud's defense will be when playing with a lead more often than not. This could show us a side of Bud's scheme we've not seen in several years. After cautious optimism, I'm all in with this hire and couldn't be more excited for our immediate future.
14 - 3 in favor of VT becomes 31 - 3 in favor of VT very quickly.
I miss those days.
We're pairing a defensive coach who routinely puts out Top 20 defenses, that has had multiple stretches of Top 5-10 defenses for consecutive seasons, with an offensive coach who went into one of the worst situations in football and quickly turned it into a Top 10 offense.
The thought of pairing a Top 10 offense with a Bud Foster defense that put up Top 10 numbers in the worst of our bad offensive years is... I mean, how can you not think this is a complete home run for us? This hire gives us the potential to legitimately contend for National Championships within 5 years. There is potential here to legitimately create an unstoppable beast.
These are good posts by Alum and Leonard. I saw some other posts earlier about breaking in new QB, etc. Yes that will be a factor, but consider this:
For the first 1/2 of the season, no one knows what VT offense will be like and how to scheme for it. Sure, people can use some MU and TCU tape, but that isn't with our personnel - and Coach JCF said he will adapt his offense to the personnel he has. We can sneak up on UT and .... dare I say it ... ECU (man I really can't stand saying we will "sneak up" on them. Ppfffttt!).
Watch Out! Indeed!!
On another note, Haven't heard a peep about Kendall. Anyone have any news?
ACC has been put on notice this week. Hokies are coming, and they aren't going to be your Daddy's Hokies. These are going to be big, scary carnivorous turkeysauruses with razor sharp beaks and talons.
Better call somebody, or... just run for your lives.
New Hokie bird?
Get a nightmarish, trauma inducing beak on that thing and we're good.
my stream of consciousness ended with this. I'll let you fill in the gaps
I like this. Here are some more that I found...
The first one is the clear choice here.
why would we want our mascot to look like Paul Johnson?
He did say scary.
Can someone photoshop out the pilgrim and replace him with a cavalier?
Interesting, but needs more maroon.
These won't even be OUR Dadi's Hokies
We have a coach who, I'm not going to say is going to run the score up, cough SMU cough, but is going to keep the peddle down and make teams stop us. Buds defense will elevate to new levels when we can actually risk to sell out and maybe give up a big play.
I dunno about that... they blew the doors off SMU in the first half, and then it doesn't look like they did much in the second. It was 56-0 at half, with a final of 63-0. And I know they had a lot of games where they put up a ton of points, but quite a few of those were shootouts, where the Memphis defense was giving up a ton of points as well. Hopefully, that won't be a problem going forward.
Put it this way - Yes, they averaged 42.6 PPG this year while giving up only 27. But 2 of those games were lopsided wins against some bad teams (Mizzou St and SMU) and if you take those results out, Memphis averaged a 38.6 to 31.7 win this year. Yes, they scored a ton, but they averaged less than a TD per game win. This is why Bud was a top priority to keep, and this is why Fuente has the chance to elevate us to great. You're pairing a great offensive coach who didn't have a good defense with a great defensive coach who didn't have a good offense. If the two get rolling, look the fuck out.
Yeah I didn't translate my whole thought all that well. More along the lines of, if we get a touchdown lead we aren't gonna play keep away, we're gonna go get another one. But yes, legs.
When Bud Foster is no longer on our staff we have to honor him in some way. He's done too much for us not to, and he's proven himself to be a true Hokie through and through. So without further ado, here's my pitch:
The Bud Foster Commemorative Angry Turkey.
24 lbs scary feathery bird that absolutely hates the concept of a group of people getting from one side of a field to another. Bud Foster would also be given the right to pick the Bud Foster Commemorative Angry Turkey as well as give it any name he wants. If Bud Foster feels that no turkey is quite angry enough to be the Bud Foster Commemorative Angry Turkey he is also allowed to select another bird of higher anger, such as a swan or a cassowary.
Bronze Lunch Pail at the exit of the locker room as you make the walk to the tunnel.
And I hope that Lunch Pail sits on a base made up of a broken clipboard.
I think they'll need a hologram of Bud, arms crossed, looking at the players as they go through the tunnel.
But that's way, way, way far in the future.
For now, we still have the real deal.
Thank God.
I envision that going something like this.
Can we put the lunch pail on top of a hill and have our players run down that hill? I hear it's really exciting when teams do that.
can we also release about a thousand balloons? I hear balloons only up the hype
Oh and let's drive our team busses around the roundabout outside of McComas. That would be fun.
And we need smoke, don't forget the smoke.
And we should get an eagle to fly around the stadium. (Looking at you, Auburn TIGERS)
If one of the names he give a Commemorative Turkey isn't Hatin' Ass Spurriurkey, I'll be very disappointed.
Bud, we don't deserve your loyalties. Hokie Nation really appreciates you. We know that you are one of the most important reasons Hokie Football is thought of the way it is. Thank You for staying with us. Losing you would have been a great lose.
I like to believe that Bud is just going to be reinvigorated by this turn of events.
Yes, HC Foster has a nice ring to it. But there's nothing wrong with taking this situation, embracing the legitimate opportunity that defending multiple score leads will be in our near future, and unleashing the full potential of a Foster defense.
We could easily be seeing the beginning of Foster achieving legendary status as a DC. It's not hard to imagine a new string of top 5 Defensive rankings.
I just got the feeling over the past decade that Foster has grown increasingly frustrated with the offensive woes of this team. I'm not saying he mailed it in the last couple seasons defensively. But I think it took the edge off of him in recruiting, and in play calling, and honestly, in a bit of a lack of passion from the D players on occasion.
Now he's got his match offensively, and the natural competition that engenders to have his D be better than the O.
He's got incentive to be better. To recruit better. To gameplan better. To defend a non-GT running QB better. (I know. Fuck you krak_t).
I don't know what next year is going to look like. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised at all if we look downright silly on the offensive side, given the new schemes, the new starting QB, etc...
But I think on the Defensive side, with Settle settling in to a still absolutely stacked D-line, with our LBs playing better, and with our DBs young AND experienced, Foster is going to have all the tools to demonstrate once again why so many other programs have tried to pouch...er... poach him away.
there is so much about this comment that I like. Alas, I have but one leg to give.
I actually have pretty high hopes about the offense, even early on. It seems to me like Fuente is a simplified playbook guy with an eye towards maximizing the output of the players he has. This compared to Lefty who can design amazing plays, but there are so many plays that it is impossible to get the practice time for good execution. It seems like Fuente hits the balance.
I don't think it's that inconceivable. Watching some Memphis game film, I thing there is a lot of reason to believe Fuente could accomplish a lot with the talent we have right now, which, no disrespect to Memphis, is better across the board.
The key will be whether that talent can pick up the scheme. If so, I'm going to predict that Travon McMillian is going to have a monster year.
and isiah ford
This season crushed my spirits, but I'm right back to blind optimism that we may finally get a competent to good offense. When's spring practice?
Witness the firepower
I'd guess he has millions of reasons to stay.