In reading coverage this week, I heard even more comparisons between Fuente at VT and Dabo at Clemson. I was curious about the beginning of Dabo's tenure, and I came across this tidbit (on Wikipedia):
Swinney's recruiting reputation became evident when he produced five top-20 ESPN recruiting classes in a row, including top 10 classes in 2011 and 2012.[10] As a result, Clemson was one of only 10 schools to be ranked in the top 20 of recruiting five years in a row (along with LSU, Alabama, Texas, USC, Florida, Georgia, Florida State, Ohio State, and Oklahoma), and as of 2014 Swinney was one of only four active head coaches at the time accomplish the feat (along with Nick Saban, Les Miles, and Bob Stoops).
I thought that paragraph was interesting and wanted to share.
Those are pretty staggering rankings. While I agree that Fuente needs time to get his players in place, I am not sure it is realistic to have the same expectations of success we have seen at Clemson once he does. Until we see a top 10 class (or even top 20), I am going to keep my expectations in check.
Comments
It's not the X's and O's, it's the Jimmys and Joes.........
They be cherry picking data....
Clemson 2006 ... 14th
Clemson 2007 .... 16th
Clemson 2008 ... 11th
Clemson recruited well before Dabo was HC. Yes Dabo has been at Clemson since 2003.
How many of the top recruits from those classes were Dabo recruits?
I don't have the number but I'd guess a lot. He was made head coach because of his recruiting prowess. He did not have any prior head coaching experience. That and the fact he was on Tommy Bowden's staff made him an unpopular choice initially. I'd guess that has since changed.
More that his share, but not a ridiculous amount. For every CJ Spiller he recruited there is a James Davis and andre Ellington he didnt.
Also Clenson was 19th and 21st the 2 years before Dabo.
Well yaba daba do now!
This supposed to be a parody of RCHP's "Give it away" music video?
Weird Al, so yes.
Clemson is in South Carolina.
We are in southwest Virginia.
I mean, it isn't easy to get to tech.
Big disadvantage distance wise unless we make some serious investments to solve that distance concern.
You mean like a hyperloop?
I thought you guys had a campus in Charlottesville too? Oh wait, that's just the stadium.
Well...would could just conquer UVA. Can we do that? Is that legit anymore?
I don't mean a hyperloop. I'm talking about hyper loops!
That or a private jet fleet to ferry around players families for each game :P
I've said this before, Clemson isn't really that much closer to metropolitan areas. And it definitely isn't one itself.
The distance and rural things are just bs other people use against us, and then we insist on repeating.
Really? Greenville, Charlotte, Atlanta even clemson itself not to mention Columbia a are all larger or closer than the equivalent places are to Tech.
I grew up with in Atlanta. The prevailing wisdom for South Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia is that Blacksburg is "up there".
I told people i was "heading north" for college.
Half of North Carolina views Blacksburg as "just right there"
Everyone always views driving to Clemson as no big deal. Perhaps it's because we are leaving our little region of America... it just is what it is. It is only a few hours from Atlanta. Auburn and Clemson probably about the same drive from Atlanta. Both very accessible.
Even students in Western North Carolina get in-state tuition at Clemson. Makes that 2-3 hour drive a LOT easier than 4-6 "up north."
From my previous post on the subject:
Their nearest city is Greenville (0:45). That is smaller than Roanoke. The nearest big city is either Charlotte (2:15) or Atlanta (2:30). Blacksburg to Roanoke is less than 0:45. Blacksburg to Charlotte is 2:49. Blacksburg to Greensboro is 2:27.
Atlanta is bigger than any of our close metropolitan areas, so that makes some difference.
It's not the disadvantage everyone makes it out to be. There is some truth to the idea, but it's not like there aren't other schools with the same damn problem.
I think the perceived cultural distance also exists from the Deep South. It did at least for me and all the schools I attended. I only knew 2 people from Georgia that attended VT for school other than me.
I will say that once I got to tech i fit right in and loved it from day1. The weather was also a negative for me early on. That doesn't change the facts from the outside looking in though.
Is that a new term? Cultural distance. Lol.
I'm in carpool lane so can't type out long response but Greenville County has a population of almost half a million people. Roanoke County almost 100k.
Yep. Lots of people look at the city of Greenville's population and think its tiny city. The city population is only like 67000, due to SC having weird annexation laws. But the entire Greenville MSA population is like 900,000. It's not the tiny milll town that was a good place to stop on the way to Atlanta anymore.
By comparison Roanoke's MSA population is around 300,000.
When people refer to Roanoke, they usually refer to the Roanoke Valley (similar to the NRV). The Roanoke Valley is made up of Botetourt, Craig, Franklin, and Roanoke counties and Roanoke and Salem cities. A 2009 estimate has the population at about 300k.
Source
Wait, Roanoke is a major metropolitan area?
Roanoke is bigger than Charleston, WVA
Didn't use the phrase Major metropolitan, now did I?
I would say DC is a major metropolitan area
Which is 270 miles to Blacksburg.
Atl->Clemson is 120 miles.
And from my previous response to that comment:
Stop beating this dead horse, you're wrong.
I visited Clemson, Auburn and Athens this summer. I can't argue the distance to metro areas but Clemson is tiny, looks like a run down Blacksburg. You can see the new money in the campus and facilities but the downtown doesn't compare. Driving into Clemson and Auburn felt like I was visiting Blacksburg, very similar.
Roanoke's growth is key for VT. We need more alumni settling in that area after graduation. Also, VT needs to focus on getting more students from NC. Blacksburg is closer to North Carolina's major MSA's than VA and DC/NOVA is so transient. Most of the people don't have the loyalty you see at Clemson and Auburn. Not saying they don't love their alma mater but the donations obviously reflect this considering our graduate's incomes. I believe VT should give NC students in-state tuition. After graduation you'll have more alumni living in CLT and the Triad to support the Hokies and help fill up the stadium on Saturday.
Hey if we could get that for my daughter without having to pay any taxes to Virginia, I'm all for it!
I think VA has deals with most of its neighboring states to where you can get in-state tuition while crossing the border if you're enrolling in a program that isn't offered in a public school in your home state. I met a couple people from Maryland that were using that program, and I'm pretty sure someone I knew from NC was doing the same.
That is correct, its the Academic Common Market and it stretches from TX to DE.
ACM Participating States
VT isn't on that list anymore. I think they stopped doing that a few years ago.
I was a participant, as a WV native who could come to VT for Materials Science and Engineering (my choice out of high school really), Ocean Engineering, or Dairy Science at in-state rates.
It was a major player in getting me to VT in the first place. It's a lot of money saved.
Interesting... I wonder when we were taken off the list. Or if we were even on it in the first place, and instead created our own deals with certain states or something.
I know there was a deal with Maryland, so I'm not sure we were a part of the group.
Several of the people from home were in forestry and had in-state since Murland schools didn't offer that.
Plus, the Vet school is technically the VA/MD med school, with in-state for Murland residents.
(And since UMd lost their architecture accreditation while we were at VT, my old roommate had in-state tuition for several semesters as well.)
It stopped in 2014 plus or minus a year. I had a few friends from Maryland that were grandfathered in for the Mining Engineering Department.
I did this coming from South Carolina. (No one in SC had Aerospace Engineering at the time)
As of 2009, the only way for me to get in-state tuition at Tech was to go into Mining Engineering. I think the rule was if the major isn't offered in state (most likely at NC State for an engineering degree), then you could apply to get in-state tuition even though you lived out of state.
Interstate 73 (if completed in the next millennium) will be crucial to this growth connecting central NC and Coastal SC to our region.
One thing concerning about growth in the Roanoke region is affordable housing. Lots of spillover into the Botetourt area due to new businesses and industry entering the region, and there has been a struggle to keep up with housing. Not very affordable for new graduates.
How is housing not affordable in the Roanoke Valley? It's damn cheap.
Was talking more specifically about the situation in the Botetourt area. Definitely is affordable housing elsewhere in the Roanoke valley, but I'm not sure if development will be ahead of overall growth.
Listen up to someone who grew up 30 minutes from Clemson... Greenvile >>>>> Roanoke. And both Atlanta and Charlotte are closer to Clemson than DC and... I guess Charlotte are to Bburg.
Well, if proximity to major metropolitan areas is the key, why isn't UMD any good? It's a factor in Tech's case, but not very significant if the program is a desirable one to play on. PSU isn't near any major metropolitan areas, unless you think Harrisburg is one. I think it also has alot to do with the quality of football played in those areas, which always isn't consistent with the most populated areas,
Clemson is closer to Charlotte and Georgia, but they also have to compete with the SEC schools for those players.
What if someone built a bullit train system that connected Blacksburg to the 757, DMV, and FL. Maybe put stations next to IMG, DeMatha, and Ocean Lakes
DRINK!
It's a fact Blacksburg isn't convenient to get to, but how much do you think recruits actually care about this? Not arguing, sincere question. If I were a big time recruit I would go to the program that I felt gave me great exposure and the best opportunity to develop myself. Location would be a factor but certainly lower on my list. Imho i think recruits choose Clemson and other programs over us not because it's closer but because they're bigger, sexier programs that have swagger and win a shitload.
Well I know Clemson recruited well when they weren't so sexy and didn't win a shitload.
As with most things, there isn't just one thing that makes a difference.
I think it is less about the travel time for recruits and more about the ability that schools have to promote their brand when they are only 1 hour away from major metro areas. Easy exposure to big markets builds brands.
Well, heck, by that logic, why not just relocate Tech to Richmond or somewhere in Tidewater /s
Well, maybe not the tidewater after last weekend...
/s
WE SHOULD TAKE BIKINI BOTTOM, AND PUSH IT SOMEWHERE ELSE
Last 3 QBs: (edit 4 not going to be that guy and fencers comment below adds an interesting wrinkle to the conversation that my 6am brain didn't consider)
Tajh Boyd (VA)
Deshawn Watson (GA)
Kelly Bryant (SC)
Trevor Lawrence (GA)
It's weird to me that Tajh Boyd isn't even on that list anymore.
Yeah it is wierd. But your kind of right hard to ignore him. Edited to put him on list.
I guess the point I'm trying to make is VT is a travel for even in state students. So if your driving 5 hours why not drive another 2-3 and go to Clemson. Neither gets into a "school of convenience category" imho. I think 3 hours is the "school of convenience range"
I always put it like this, easy to get home when you want, but far enough away that your parents don't show up unannounced for dinner.
I think in these days of planes, trains, and fast automobiles, Blacksburg isn't all that inconvenient. And in a lot of cases, students wanting to get away want it to be a little inconvenient. Proximity to too many major metropolitan areas isn't always a good thing, just ask Rutgers.
I mean, Tajh Boyd was from the Tyrod era, and we've had 4 different starting QBs since then, plus a few backups that got starts in place of injured starters.
Not me. 18-0 e'ery damn year
O boy the city debate for recruiting
Strange how Basketball doesnt need that excuse. VT basketball was a top 20 recruiting 2 years ago
Syracuse gets 4* players to come to the arctic every year
As for football I wonder how Auburn and Alabama feel since
Alabama - Largest Cities
1 Birmingham 212,461
2 Montgomery 200,602
3 Mobile 194,288
4 Huntsville 190,582
Or look at East Mississippi Community College
If you don't see a difference in SEC/Deep South football programs and mid Atlantic ones nothing is going to convince you that Blacksburg geographical location will always be something that has to be overcome.
Basketball recruiting is completely different than football for a number of reasons
I tried to upvote this multiple times. What metro is Alabama near? I've been to Birmingham and Mobile. Roanoke may be no Greenville, SC (??) but those towns suck.
You don't get a lot of Georgia people coming to VT because of the hope scholarship in Ga. free college for anyone with a 3.0 or higher in state.
Of the three people going to tech that I knew (myself included) 2 were on scholarship.
That results in a general disconnect of the markets.
One of the ones I knew was a legacy at VT and the other was in mining engineering. Not sure if either had any scholly money or not.
Georgia lottery scholarship system is incredible.
So funny story I came to VT on air force scholarship -- but later changed to civilian. I ended up having to pay for 3 years at VT but loved it so much/ was doing so well I couldnt bring myself to transfer to GT and get free education.
#Dedication #TheRealTech #Gotscrewedonoutofstate
"Until we see a top 10 class (or even top 20), I am going to keep my expectations in check."
This has been my sentiment for years. My HOPES, however, are multiple natties...
Location doesn't have anything to do with it. I'm too lazy to update this again, maybe later
I think the proper statement would be "location isn't the only factor".
We can say that, sure, yes
Its just that University of Virginia Tech was out recruiting Alabama and Clemson, and was even trending in the same direction as/with them. But VT never went to the next- Tier/stage/all in
It used to be that we always said VT wasnt a Blue Chip like Bama but atleast we were a good ACC team on the same level as Clemson.
Now we all think clemson is ahead/above us.
Why?
It's not football but,
Apple computers has became the most valuable company in the world and first to value over $1 Trillion
Netflix has became more valuable then The Walt Disney Company
Amazon is 4 times the value of Walmart
Send help
via GIPHY
ALSO!!
University of Virginia Tech? C'mon.
It's what one of our Top Recruits called it. As is thekeyplay i made a joke with it
Mostly that being small doesnt mean you cant challenge the and become the biggest or greatest
And that why do we keep having this VT is a small Football program and cant compete
ex
see apple or amazon
Looks like a rambling wreck to me.
Yea but how was Dabo able to pull that out of relatively thin air?