pic.twitter.com/3LcRw1eQhB— Sean Savoy (@Allmet_Boogie) November 19, 2018
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pic.twitter.com/3LcRw1eQhB— Sean Savoy (@Allmet_Boogie) November 19, 2018
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Yeah, something's broken
Yep..his replacement next year is going to be a True Freshman who will need time in the weight room and film study to be successful. He is 2 years behind Savoy in that regard. Depth is why we stink this year, and this hurts WR depth in the future- no matter where Savoy was on the depth chart. He was here 2 years, learned the system, was in the weight room etc. Its a huge loss for quality depth next year.
True, but in other regards, he must be way ahead of Savoy, because he's starting over him.
Edit: I thought you were talking about Tre Turner. Never mind.
His replacement is redshirting this season...
I went to see who you may be referring to (Ellis, maybe?) and noted that his name has already been purged from the roster.
yeah, Ellis would be the guy I'm referring to. And yes Savoy's name is off the roster already. I'm honestly surprised the roster gets edited at all during the season, with how Fuente likes to minimize information getting out.
It's updated all the time, so that we can pull fake punts using QBs who are using their new rostered number
Or he knows there are bigger, faster, stronger WRs in the pipeline. I like what Tre has been doing, Hazelton is back next year, Kumah etc.
And he probably gets the feeling he won't be returning any punts.../s
and Grimsley too. In my opinion he has been a better slot than Savoy was last year. Perhaps less explosive, but more polished for route running, blocking, etc., and doesn't have the game-breaking drop and fumble issues that Sean has shown thus far. Hate to see him go, but this is probably our deepest position group that will hopefully manage the attrition.
Anybody know what was up with Grimsley that he didn't play on Saturday? Was he injured?
Injured.
Thanks!
Savoy and Kearney leaving don't really bother me all that much. Both were in a position of being behind guys their same age on the depth chart. Writing was on the wall. Good luck wherever they land, and it frees up space for the recruiting class.
I'ts more about the announcement now with games left on the schedule that bugs me rather than the decision.
It's the new reality with the change in the transfer rules. Everyone wants to get into the transfer database as soon as possible or else you risk being behind on the recruitment. NC State has already had four players announce...Louisville five & Penn State three. This isn't unique to VT...it's going on everywhere and will be that way from now on.
This my thought. Maybe I'll have time tomorrow to run down a list of players who have already announced around CFB also if I can find it give raw numbers for transfers from Tech the last 10-15 years compared to this year.
I would love to read that.
Hey, good luck this weekend in the Fantasy Finals. I might have peaked a little early last week, but at least I was able to take out my wife's team! Worth it.
I've been trying to find a list but haven't been successful. I'd be interested to see how many of these players who have already announced a) had any meaningful contribution at their former team and b) aren't experiencing a head coach being fired (Louisville). I think those two factors are pretty big in this conversation.
Wait, don't say anything rational backed up with facts, that is not liked with this crowd over the past few weeks.
It stinks your comment will get lost in all the excitement. This makes sense.
He should have waited until after the Marshall game
Would only have 18 days then to get on a teams "board"
Forgot /s
Was aiming for that 12th game optimism.
Sean Savoy's English.
Thought he was French, or maybe Swiss.
my heart?
Yeah, this isn't good.
More people jumping ship.
Lots of rumors that there's going to a LOT of attrition this year.
How can we possibly have attrition when there's no one left to attrition.
Is Cornelson being rumored as one? I heard he is concerned about losing playing time..
I'd help him pack.
So you're predicting that you'd execute that play?
Wanna be our OC?
Not trying to be a dick but the verb for attrition is "attrit." Or you could have used "to be attritted."
Happy grammaring!
Don't go ninjin' nobody that don't need ninjin'.
Regala can a 'backer you say? No says I...
Ninji star!
That seems to be a constant of life under Fuente. It may be that at other programs to be fair- I don't follow them all.
Someone who knows please tell us...what is going on?! Is this a function of Fuente pushing too hard? Or is there something seriously wrong with the culture in the locker room? Help us not freak out here...
There are conversations this week that are letting players know where they stand. I doubt any of this is surprising to the staff.
That makes a lot of sense. And actually if true, this is a class move by Fuente: letting them know now so they can get a jump start on finding another place to transfer if that's the path they want to go.
However we're not in a position to be going into rivalry week without depth players. Both of those guys HAVE contributed, and while it might be a class move IF that turns out to be the case, I think it's a stupid one.
Especially if the players leaving are close with those who are staying and need to contribute this Friday. It just leads to a big distraction that could have been put off another week.
Is there anything that says they can't dress and play Friday?
Aside from the fact that his presence would be a distraction, since some of his teammates have condemned his decision through veiled Tweets, and that even if he dressed there's not a chance in hell that Fuente would send him on the field in place of someone who will be here next year since he's been an afterthought anyway for most of this season? Nothing.
Links? Everything I've seen from active players towards the transfers (Kearney and Savoy both) have been wishing them luck on whatever is next. I really don't think this is a locker room issue, it's players knowing they won't see the field in the next few years and wanting to do what's best for themselves.
I feel like the fan reaction to this (319 comments and counting) is just people already being on full tilt about this season (understandably) and thinking that every new development is the sky continuing to fall. Things suck right now, but, to my mind, this is neither why this season sucks or indicative of it sucking more than we knew. It happens.
I think I said that when I saw someone say something about dominoes continuing to fall, before understanding the context. Also the tweet saying it wouldn't be the last one, which was ominous and "liked" by multiple players, but probably not too significant. And I also probably had the tweets from former players/recruits fresh in my mind as well.
In any case, my second point still stands, even if Savoy were to dress for the game I doubt Fuente would send him onto the field in place of someone that'll still be here next year.
I'm not trying to be a dick but we're not going to lose the game on Friday because Sean Savoy isn't playing. We may lose it dozens of other ways but losing him isn't a backbreaker.
and be home for Thanksgiving with family!
Class moves isn't how you keep a Jalen Hurts as your backup quarterback
Class moves is how you stay as the head coach of a school for 29 years.
That and a whole lot of winning
Winning is how you stay the head coach of a football team for 29 years. Once you lose your edge, class is second to winning
So you're saying we all might need to reenroll and see if we have eligibility due to a need for warm bodies? If true, this is becoming very concerning. Year 3 going into year 4 with the bulk of the roster as his recruits, and we still have massive turnover every year. Not great, Bob.
Well shit.
This isn't good fellas - I have a feeling that something serious is going on with the locker room.
ugh, I know the position is deep, but this is no bueno
To be fair, he was easily our second best receiver last year and has barely got any run this year. I mean look at the game against Miami: Grimsley was out with an injury and he still didn't get to play.
Yeah Sean is good but when you look at our depth chart at WR I see 5 as or more capable receivers.
OK what about in 2 years? When he would have been a senior and we have to play "young" guys again? A bunch of kids leaving your program in one year and some before the end of the year is NOT GOOD, no matter the depth/position. Not good.
Yeah those 5 players are..SO, SO, SO, JR, FR. In two years 1 of them will be gone.
Corny and Fu have been consistent in that we need 8 receivers to make this offense peak... one that had 2 years in the program and played well/started at times just bounced UVA week. Not good.
Yes bouncing UVA week is not good. Losing Savoy is not the end of the world we're loaded at WR and him leaving does not change that much.
I'd be less worried if we could score touchdowns after half time.
Going completely off topic to some other negative outlook entirely unrelated to the discussion and dcwilson comments. Name something more iconic
Unrelated? Savoy played on offense I thought? Us not needing him on an offense that hasn't scored in the 3rd quarter in a month was very related and relevant question I thought? I think we could use all of the help we can get on that side of the ball. Grimsley or anyone not named hazelton arent exactly lighting up the stat sheet.
Turner?
Coleman Fox is going to line up in the slot and light that shit on fire. Book it.
Sorry, Hoos.
With more young players developing under them.
Guys this is going to be the result when we 'over recruit' a position like we have with WR or LB the past couple years. Some of them are going to transfer when it becomes clear they are going to be down the depth chart.
Not that I think Savoy should be getting more PT... from what we saw on the field this season, his inconsistency wasn't getting any better. Dropping some passes (and punts) and doing stuff demonstrating complete lack of awareness like diving to the ground before contact... short of the 1st down marker. But he has a ton potential... I noticed several times where he completely smoked his defender and would be wind open heading up the seam and Willis would throw a jump ball to a blanketed Kumah or double-covered Hazelton. (Of course those guys made the catch more often than not.) From his perspective he just needs more reps, reps that will come on a team that is not loaded at WR like we are.
I am not worried about Slot WR depth with Grimsley, Ellis redshirting, Robinson coming in, plus the flexibility granted by adding more talented outside receivers from the redshirt ranks (Smith, Simmons) and the incoming class (Payoute, Pinckney and Bowick)
You mentioned Robinson and I had to chime in that I went and saw him play last Friday. Kid was breaking ankles of defenders all over the place. He has that wiggle that is exciting and he should be a player early!
WR is our deepest position and his playing time dropped significantly from last year. But still, announcing these transfers during UVA week is awful timing.
That's the only thing I was thinking. He's not getting a ton of playing time anymore.
Why, man...
Hey, we are just young and this season is the "perfect storm" Fuente and the team are trending up... /S
Are you going for the Ban Hammer again?
Please.. for what? read the other comments in this thread. Jesus
I shouldn't have replied to this comment specifically... it was just your 80th comment in the thread.
My 3rd... but go ahead.
And now you are up to 9... Based on your posting today I was hoping to point out you were going down that road that no one likes again before you throw yourself off the cliff.
LOL. I'll be sure to filter all of my posts through you before posting now.. do i have a max number of posts, boss?
After reading your recent replies, you have probably had enough for the day. So let's call it at 20 per post.
Heyyy the Post Police finally showed up.
Glad you made it... was starting to worry about you. This thread is your time to shine. Let's see how many posts you can get out before you play victim.
That needs a ban hammer lmao? Soft.
Nope, not what I meant... just the comment I chose to reply to which I explained in the next reply. Thanks for your input as always KK.
No problem. I'm just here to ground people ;)
I wish these guys luck, but I question their timing with these announcements. Savoy got passed by on the depth chart so I'm not surprised. Something to be said here for having the right guys in the locker room though, so I'm good with it.
Multiple players kicked out
Multiple players transferring before the season is over
Parents of former players coming onto TKP indicating there is plenty of dirty laundry they are being blackmailed from sharing
Yeah... there isn't anything good about VT football right now.
wut
do you have a link to the blackmail comments?
Found it:
I know what you're talking about but I've been legitimately worried about spreading the comment any further because I am afraid someone will see it and punish his son as a result.
With the growing shitstorm surrounding this program, it would be an insanely bad thing if they tried to do that. It looks like these coaches have already legitimately lost a significant portion of the team. Punishing Mook, a player still liked by most of his peers, after this season?
That's a quick way to lose the rest.
Have we gotten an update on Mook's felony drug charge?
There's a hearing scheduled for sometime in December.
And from personal experience, that is a good call.
So what you're saying is that there will be some very interesting topics posted right after VT's pro day?
We also have no idea of the actual situation so...
I wonder if he is referring to this rumor I heard from a friend who attended GT Thursday night game. That they are trying to force Bud out, to get Torrian Gray as their D coordinator.
My thread on the topic got taken down, I don't know why, as I was just trying to see if it had any legs myself.
I truly hate that idea. Bud can still get it done, he just isn't a god that can get 4th string players playing like 1st stringers.
Well yeah and it makes Gray look real good when it seems like all of Bud's first stringers he should have are currently playing for Gray's team.
You can bring Gray back but not the players
That would be so dumb if it were true. Nothing is stopping us from bringing in TG if we wanted him. Just bring him in as co-DC and help groom him for the role for a few years so he's ready to take over when Bud is ready to retire. And make sure that Bud knows its nothing against him, we're trying to do for TG what we did for Bud to get his DC role off the ground here back in the early 90s.
With that said, it meshes with some of the whispers I've heard that the relationship between JF and BF might not be the buddy buddy relationship we are led to believe.
I can't think of what else Mook's parents are referring too. It certainly screams "PUSHING BUD OUT" to me.
forcing bud out just to get another of beams guys would be counter productive to the whole reasoning for getting bud out would it not?
And why would TG leave a pro coaching gig where he doesn't have to recruit for a demotion, again?
"NFL Position Coach" to "ACC Co-DC" is a lateral move at worst, especially when it comes with an implicit path towards being the sole DC in 2-8 years when Bud finally decides to hang up the headset instead of throwing it on the field.
But then again, that doesn't fit your world-view, so I don't know why I bothered.
You guys are hilarious.. Doesn't fit my world view? WTF are you talking about? I ask an honest question about TG- he is an NFL COACH... going to college is not a demotion? in what universe? "world view" WTF- why do you want to pick a fight? Jesus.
Dude, you're the one always posting one-liners trying to get us riled up on here and defending every little thing you say in the face of mountains of evidence that you're wrong. I still can't tell if you're trying to be TKP Troll #1 or if you actually believe half the shit you spew, but I was just trying to say that I realized who I was talking to after hitting the "reply" button and edited my comment to say it was pointless because your mind is already made up, and your reply has done nothing except further prove that point.
"I disagree... I could see TG coming back"- guess that was too hard to type without taking some shot at me? Some world view nonsense? I should post like you I suppose? Don't pretend like going from NFL back to college can even be questioned as a demotion and then call me a troll- lol.
He's got a good point, there.
It's not trolling if you believe it, so I don't think you're a troll.
I will say your style of posting comes off as combative more often than not. Whether or not you intend them to read that way is another matter, but you don't keep drawing these kinds of responses on accident.
How on god's green earth was the Gray post combative? Seriously?
I'm glad you asked!
Personally I would have phrased it something like:
Nobody. NOBODY. Discusses things like that on here.
I mean, you just replied to one. Feel free to explore my comment history. It's either jokes, shitposting, or wishy washy non committal stuff like I just posted.
And it was intentionally worded that way to make a point. Idk how the original comment was interpreted as inflammatory at all.
You'll just have to take me at my word that that's how I generally comment about things that have any degree of controversy to them. I'm very deliberate as to not take a hard stance unless I really believe something. This is especially true when we're trying to guess what's in someone else's mind, like TG.
We all aren't required to feel a certain way about a post, but like I said earlier it isn't an accident that controversy follows DC's posts. Like Alum said, he offers a lot of quality content that gets lost in the delivery.
I know you didn't ask me, and I am not necessarily speaking to any comment specifically....
Its not what you say but how you say it. You come with good info often, and in the end, its really hard to argue with most of the facts you say. But the way in which you say things often does nothing but further escalate any tensions that may exist. A lot of the time you come across, and I apologize if you take offense to this, as the walking embodiment of a 'come at me, bro' meme, and that rubs a lot of people the wrong way.
LOL! WTF?? What does that even mean?!!! I'm just trying to say that we've lost 4 straight to GT... jesus. /s
Fair point. Good post. Not my intention. My intention is to spark some good debate. I've never been one to find mundane posts enjoyable or good for the board. I prefer Chris Russo to Mike Greenberg when talking sports. Greenberg would say after we got beat by Pitt 52-22 and gave up NCAA record yards that "Dalton Keane is a great kid and VT's jersey's were white".. I would rather seriously discuss more topics that have the potential to generate discussion.
lol trust me, I'm pretty sure nobody here is going to disagree with your self-assessment there. The problem is, the clientele of TKP isn't the same as the average listener to the Mad Dog, and that approach isn't going to go over well. Its not that its wrong, its just that the typical NE city guy is going to have a lot more leeway for abrasive back and forth as opposed to something set in the sleepy hills of SW Virginia.
As I said, you come with a lot of good info, and more often than not, you end up being very correct in pretty much everything. Just focus a little more on sticking only to the facts and eliminate the rhetoric and you'll have a lot more success with what you are trying to do.
That doesn't mean to completely neuter the attitude, it does have its moments sometimes. Not everyone has to toe the company line, so to speak.
"discussion"
Anybody else remember Crooked Road from Bitter's old RT forum? Dude wasn't often wrong, but was an absolute ass in how he chose to impart his "wisdom". Not saying this applies to dc, just was reminded of the style.
Which parts don't apply?
But is it a demotion? For coaches they seem to be different organizations in the same field. Is moving from being a researcher at Google to being a researcher at Stanford a demotion? Players run out of eligibility, so it's not like they can stay in college football. Coaches don't run out of eligibility.
Nick Saban went back to coaching college after a year with the Miami Dolphins. That may have been a "demotion" but I doubt he, or anybody else, looks at it that way.
Gray is a position coach in the NFL. That's admirable without a doubt. Ultimately pro and college are sort of different jobs. In college you are getting COMPLETELY green guys and coaching them up. In the pros you are trying to get guys who have a foundation to play at another level. I think it all depends on what you enjoy doing. Some people love teaching basic stuff. Some people love teaching advanced stuff.
I think TG was a great coach, but I don't think he'll come back with Fuente as HC. Fuente reduced his salary for what I don't think was a good reason (he did the same to Wiles, but Wiles doesn't really seem to want to go anywhere). Consequently I think all staff that were reduced are back up to were they were or higher. Regardless, I would love to see TG come back.
How do salaries compare? If he would be making more money as a college defensive coordinator, I'd personally consider it to be a career promotion.
Wasn't Gray coaching for the Bears before he came back to VT?
Yes.
DB coach for the Bears (after stops at Maine, and UCONN).
Then us, UF, and right now the Skins.
Yes, so what would be his motivation to leave the skins to come back to VT? Serious question. He left VT for a lateral at UF, so emotional attachment doesn't hold a ton of water here.
I mean didn't he leave because he was going to have to take a pay cut to be on Fuente's staff?
Is Fuente's stag related to this?
In all seriousness, I believe I saw that he was asked to take a ~$15k/year pay cut, and he declined by heading to Florida.
What the everloving fuck is that?
http://www.thekeyplay.com/content/2013/april/3/most-beautiful-portrait-ever
Only one of my favorite TKP posts ever.
See here. A beautiful portrait created in response to a nickname Antone Exum once received while rehabbing.
Gray refuted this when he left Blacksburg:
Link Here
He left VT because Fuente wanted to cut his pay. He went to UF for more money and going from VT->UF is in no way a lateral move.
As for his current job, Dan Snyder is one of the worst owners in sports. Alex Smith just shattered his leg, Jay Gruden has no QB of the future, and there's a very good chance the entire coaching staff will be replaced soon.
TG may be out of a job through no fault of his own, or he could see the writing on the wall and skip town early.
shoot me now. id have been happier with rex grossman coming back
He left Blacksburg because he wanted to go back home to Florida.
Well maybe he'll leave Maryland because he wants to come home to Blacksburg.
...and because his pay was getting cut and UF offered him a better salary.
...and with Fuente coming in and Foster staying at DC, he knew he would never become a DC unless 1) Foster retired or 2) He left Blacksburg
I've watched half the game in full and bits and pieces of the others and every time I watch, either Norman or Stroman get roasted. Recently it has felt like the old 'bend but don't break' Bud Foster D's. give up everything between the 20s, but then do a decent job in the redzone.
Holy shit this thread went south!
Agree with DC -given some of the culture issues surfacing here if I'm TG I would want nothing to do with this program until there's a new HC, even if it means staying with the skins.
Interesting turn of events. We reduced his pay a few years ago and now we want to fire the best DC in America to bring Gray back.
I thought the idea was have him on deck for when Bud retires... Did I miss something?
so we've gone from this kind of embrace about a month ago to "dudes an icon with someone who doesn't like to share the stage"...are we talking about another coach?!?! I'm confused.
"It was the heat of the moment..."
Honestly, I don't think most of us know what type of dynamic Bud and Fu have behind closed doors. It's probably somewhere between this love fest and "why are you still talking to me"
A long long long long long time ago when I was a teenager working at a grocery store, one day I noticed the cashiers were angry at each other and not talking. I asked the manager about it and he said, "I like when they are mad at each other, they're more productive".
I have no idea what this anecdote means other than, damn I'm old!
"but baby i didn't mean it, i don't even care about her"
What is this in reference to?
Please elaborate, as I have not seen these posts.
Mook Reynold's dad came on here and said that Mook was threatened with being barred from VT's pro day if he aired the dirty laundry.
Josh Jackson liked that tweet fwiw.
Josh Jackson has since unliked it, but I did see where he liked it at first
Devante Smith is another current player with a *like* on that tweet
QP is the future. Willis or Hooker could be the present.
Like what Jackson has done in his time here, but he is 1) coming off an injury 2) looking to get back into the QB1 chair in what is becoming a crowded room.
I read this more as just more of Fuente's attitude / rules about information sharing. Everything stays in house.
If you want to be involved in the program (coach, player, admin, pro-day participant) you have to follow the house rules.
Here's to hoping he succeeds wherever he may end up. But man, what a brutal year.
Thank god we're a basketball school now.
That's the most ACC comment ever.
We have 17 commits so far, and 14 open spots. We have more targets on the board, which would require even more attrition. I'd expect you'll see a few more in the coming months. I'm a little surprised at everyone declaring now, before the last game.
That's what's confusing to me. Even if the kid makes it known he wants to transfer, it can't wait until after the last week of the year? We could sit him out if he doesn't want to get hurt. But the distractions can't be helping things.
Please let us pick up some DLinemen ready to play immediately.
This might be a consequence of the early signing period in December.
I am not getting too upset over these kids leaving. There is a lot of quit on this team right now and Savoy and Kearney apparently embody that, by leaving the team before the end of the year. The locker room might be better without them.
Liked by Devante Smith and....Josh Jackson....
Did Devante ever recover fully from his knee injury?
Also, are we thinking that this could be related to why Hendon Hooker isn't playing? That he's going to try to redshirt again this year and get another year at another school?
Redshirt again? Hooker is a r-FR.
He's only played in one or two games..just wondering if he's able to get another year of eligibility...
Medical redshirt - i.e. 6th year of eligibility.
Add Robert Porcher to the list of likes
tries not to panic
This one does not make sense and would be REAL bad...
One of the likes on this tweet is JJ :(
Yeah this is definitely not a good sign. Sounds like there is a pretty substantial schism somewhere.
Might need to get a Vice Grip on the situation..keep it from spreading.
Probably talking about Dwayne Lawson unless he starts seeing the field soon.
we need a lot more attrition to make room for incoming recruits, so i say good riddance. we have plenty of younger, more talented players to worry about this guy, who clearly has no problem bailing on his "brothers" before the season is over. the less of these types of players we have on the roster, the better.
Best of luck wherever he ends up! I hope he continue to be resilient through the struggles and keep working on those hands.
Just like Kearney saw he wasn't gonna see the field with all the more sure-handed and young WR talent we have coming in. Similar to Kearney you hate to see them go this week but hope they can get a chance somewhere else.
Is this one of those "expected outcomes" Fuente loves so much?
Okay, now I'm saying it: there's definitely something broken about this program...this is something that goes beyond players leaving, losing out on big name recruits, and now just losing in general.
There has to be something going on that we people don't know about...but for kids to willingly leave the program before the season is even over is pretty damning to me.
Yep... a blind man can see it. This is not normal. I'm guessing the head coach might have had a couple "if you are not with this program, get out now" type talks recently. Losing sucks, and maybe he got on these kids for sulking or whatever. Either way, this is not good.
Well, Fuente, time to step up and lead as a Head Coach. Or let Bud Foster have a go at it.
Real talk, if Fuente has to go earlier than expected just give Bud a shot. I don't care how the experiment would go, just give Bud a shot. We could keep him on for cheap, and I doubt there will be someone more attractive on the market that we could land while still paying Fuente's buyout.
Agreed. If thus doesn't work out, give Bud the opportunity, go get T Gray as our DC, and let Bud hire an OC of his choosing to run the O. He should be given the chance until he hangs it up in a few years.
Beyond that, and it may be an unpopular sentiment, but I wouldn't mind Shane being a future HC candidate here. Young, has coached under 2 HOF coaches as well as Smart and Riley, and a proven recruiter. Let him take a CEO and salesman role and put a dynamic staff around him. He knows VT as a program and institution and can recruit VA and the mid-Atlantic.
I don't think that opinion would be as unpopular as you think. obviously hed have to do a kick ass job of hiring a staff but all of your other points are very very valid points and good reasons for him to be a head coach here before he is the scott frost of somewhere else first.
The guy couldn't even get our RBs ready to play and you want to hand him our entire program? Boxing-gloves-on-sticks won't help our defense tackle better.
Sure helped with not having fumbles. /s
I feel like Shane caught a lot of undue flak for that honestly. Our running game seemed way better under Shane in comparison to what it is now. He did produce two 1000+ yd rushers here, one of which went from promising to transferring under this staff. And he recruited two of our best RB recruits in recent memory who unfortunately had careers cut short due to early injuries. Shane to me makes a ton of sense if you're going the Dabo blueprint route in looking for a head coach. You could also get him relatively inexpensively and have money to put a great staff around him and let him grow as the program and it's fundraising grows. And he is a proven recruiter wherever he has gone.
I feel more comfortable with Shane as an HC than a position coach or coordinator. His next move should be to attempt to get an HC position. It may be at an FBS or FCS school but I think he will be able to rise quickly.
I mean, I somewhat agree, Shane is not cut out to be an assistant coach if his time in Blacksburg is any indication. However, I have no idea how well he'd do as a head coach until I see him as a head coach, and I hope Whit has the sense to not give him his first head coaching experience in Blacksburg. Besides, the fanbase would revolt if Shane was picked ahead of Bud, with the same amount of head coaching experience and significantly less football experience overall.
I agree completely that Shane should get a HC gig somewhere for a couple of years before he can truly be considered seriously here. I also think he's not far away from that, considering he's assistant head coach to Riley right now at OU. That's why I think Bud would get the nod in the here and now until he retires, and that would open the door for Shane eventually.
I mean, he is 1.000 with a bowl win as a HC after all.
Shane wanted to recruit and operate like an SEC team. Some of the others on the staff did not. When there is a disconnect from the HOF HC's son and the rest of the staff, you have issues- which is why Shane was a non starter to stay once Frank retired- he and the coaches that did stay did not see eye to eye on how to recruit and run a team. Bottom Line. Shane wasn't out of work for long for a reason. He's a good recruiter and a good coach- he ironically didn't fit the VT culture - his alma mater- at the end, and Pops was losing too many games to have full autonomy/leverage anymore.
As far as I remember, Shane was responsible for recruiting Richmond, which had gone from a one-time strength to a complete and utter disaster. I am almost certain I recall the sentiment being that he was a significant reason for the broken relationships in the Richmond area, including with coaches who were former VT players.
I've heard so many different explanations for the broken recruiting relationships. From Shane, to Stinespring being responsible, and on and on. Shane recruited virtually all of our top recruits from the Richmond area in the early-mid 2010s. Yeah, a great deal of them didn't pan out as we had hoped, but we competed with the big dogs for those guys. If I remember correctly, Shane went toe to toe with Urban Meyer for J. Caleb. I think a lot of people are quick to blame Shane or single out someone in particular for the decline in VA recruiting, but the real factor more than anything I think was a legendary coach who was obviously nearing retirement and nearly a decade of watching VT have awful offense and catastrophic blunders on the big stage. I think that is what did the most damage.
Thoroughbreds
Not all good HCs are good position coaches and vice versa. It's like thinking every talented individual contributor would make a good manager.
I hear a lot of talk about "something being wrong" with the program or the locker room but I have no idea what it could be. I'm actually asking. What are examples of problems that could cause this? Especially considering there are so many other players that seem to indicate (via twitter) positivity and a willingness to improve.
Given the secrecy around this program, I doubt anyone will let you know until long after they or someone they are close to could get punished by the staff.
This makes it sound like the program is North Korea.
given the veil of secrecy around this program... yeah, it kinda is being run that way. Just instead of the threat of their lives, they're only being threatened with the possibility of being allowed to showcase their talents to NFL scouts.
Our lockerroom seems like a dumpster fire since ODU. More attrition just leads most to think nothing has changed.
I'm not sure. Ryan Willis had to this say after taking a late hit in the Miami game:
It's just tough to say from the outside looking in.
Locker room post game odu sounded like a mini riot.
Fuente runs a closed program. And this is exactly why I'm always skeptical about coaches that do that. More often than not, its because they are doing something that would rub most the wrong way. That doesn't necessarily mean something extreme (think physical abuse and things like that), but more along the lines where outsiders (fans, potential recruits) would see a bunch of team rules, standards, and practices and say "Man, this is ridiculously strict, stupid, and annoying. He's got power and being a dick about it".
If Whit is ok with "team rules, standards, and practices and say 'Man, this is ridiculously strict, stupid, and annoying. He's got power and being a dick about it'." we have bigger problems than the football season going down the toilet.
Who doesn't run a closed program?
I don't know about you guys, but I don't have the first idea in cornbread Hell what Dabo's doing in Clemson. I just know he's the coach because he says he is, and he's on my tv sometimes when it's tuned into a Clemson game.
This thread makes Young and the Restless look like Goddamm National Geographic.
Sounds like an oxymoron to me.
Only if you went to Yorktown for a field trip in elementary school.
They have the right to do what they want and I wish them well.
However, leaving with most likely one game to go is straight up quitting on the team.
I've been very critical of the astonishing amount of attrition the last couple of seasons under Fuente, and ultimately it's his job to keep talent in the program.
But this one actually makes sense. Savoy is buried behind better wide receivers. Now if Kumah or Tre Turner made this announcement, I'd be freaking out.
I feel like everyone saying that this is fine, because it's just Savoy and Kearney realizing that they aren't going to get any playing time next year, has their heads in the sand. If that was the case, why announce now instead of after the UVA game?
Bingo
Its not the who, its the when. The timing of these announcements is not coincidental
A friend and former player just posted on Facebook (10 mins ago) a pic of he and Frank Beamer when he was a player, with the caption "you are missed more than ever right now."
I'm not going to name drop, but the timing of that post is not good as well.
i don't think what he said was out of line or anything. i know who he is because im friends with him on facebook too, and i mean are we not all kinda feeling that way right now. even when we were having tough seasons we always felt a connection with beamer and the team. i don't feel that with this team.
Not saying it was out of line - just that it falls in sync with 'timing' of everything else hitting social right now.
Agree- something is just off with this team.
yeah out of line was the wrong term. i mean controversial. but i agree with everything you're say. but we all know beams was the greatest player coach of all time. im sure even guys like marcus vick miss beamer.
I would definitely be right there with that thought process if it wasn't coming on the heels of Hill and the tumultuous rumors around Mook. There's too much smoke for me to not think something is very wrong.
This is fine from a depth view point. This is not fine from a team standpoint we should not be losing players before the end of the season.
This attrition isn't fine at all. It's pretty worrisome. 2018 has been a never-ending nightmare for Hokie Football.
Maybe it because they would rather spend this week with their families during Thanksgiving break instead of practicing for a game they're not going to be playing in anyway?
Two scenario's my man, from a person with his "head in the sand":
1. Savoy and Kearney are really smart and decided to get a jump on the transfer market seeing that they were most likely never receive significant playing time at VT in their careers.
2. They aren't very smart/ high character because bailing on your team is the type of quitter that doesn't make you an attractive transfer prospect.
It probably is a combo of the two but I lean towards the latter. The reality is that they were both fringe P5 prospects (Kearney because of size and depth chart, Savoy with terrible hands and depth chart) and saw the writing on the wall. Is their probably a lot of frustration in the locker room? I sure hope so, we are losing to teams that aren't very good themselves. But transferring mid-season is a selfish move regardless of how you felt "your talents were being showcased".
It's smart but selfish. Well said.
Its all about the timing....
Maybe because there's been some "Meet me in my office, and bring your playbook" type conversations* going on this week, and because the players rightfully want to get their name out there in the NCAA transfer database ASAP, in order to improve their odds of winding up in a favorable situation.
*not actual 'clean out your locker' type conversations but more of the "so just FYI... after being 1st on the depth chart last year, you're 2nd on the depth chart now, but next season you'll probably be 4th" variety.
To me, it seems clear that there are kids who have bought into the program and kids who have not. I wish the ones who choose to leave the best.
I think the early success has delayed the rebuild at VT. I think we're in for some pain the next two years or so, the foundation is not as solid as we thought it was. I think VT will be better for having to go through this.
It's not the fact that these guys are going to be in tough spots in terms of playing time with the way the roster is built around the young LBs and WRs. The problem with the news this week is we have had 2 players that have started games for this team that have announced a transfer less than a week before the last "official" scheduled game of the year... THAT is concerning. There is something wrong with this picture. Who knows if it is just group-think, not accustomed to losing, or worst of all: major issue in the locker room. No matter what, where there is smoke, there is usually fire..
I would rather a kid transfer, then be trapped in a bad situation. Sean's brother died last year, maybe he wants to be closer to family. And people that are saying "right before the Final game" that give him an extra visit to find the right school
With early signing only 30 days away maybe the advice is get out there now to get your name on someone's list?
Given the reaction from current and former players on social media, I don't think they're exactly doing this as a favor to the current staff.
I didn't think it was. I meant Savoy and Rico can get on another teams board before they accept a commitment in 30 days from someone they rank lower.
I think this is relevant. And maybe Fuente prefers they go sooner rather than later so he has more spots to fill earlier.
deleted - repost
Drink up son!
There were a bunch of transfers Buzz's first two years. He cleaned house entirely, even guys who came to VT because of him still transferred out (Malik Mueller, Adam Smith, Jalen Hudson).
This feels different. This is three years in, we have talented players leaving on rivalry week, and the team's performance is getting worse, not better.
Fuente's got explaining to do, even though we know he won't explain anything publicly.
I feel like the entire team just needs to take a 2 week vacation (after this week it'll likely be a longer vacation) to just hit the f'ing reset button.
It kinda feels like they've been on a 4 week vacation already.
watch the people who do the Hokie Club speaking events this year be everyone but the football coaches.
I'm still disappointed that, for the first time since he was hired, Whit didn't show to the alumni tailgate at Duke this year. I would have thought he would have shown just to reassure fans things were ok after the ODU debacle, but he didn't. Didn't send anyone, after bringing everyone in 2014 and 2016. Kinda felt like they were dodging a difficult situation.
He was at the Duke game. Sat in my row with his family. Then 2nd half he was down on the field. No clue what rounds he was making before the game though.
Well that makes it worse
Hokiebird and the cheerleaders showed up, just like the last times. Whit usually shows up for about 30 mins or so, speaks for a couple, grabs a bite to eat, mingles for a few being approachable answering any questions someone may have, and then moves on. To know he was at the game but skipped the tailgate?
sigh
Man, we are going to be able to get a lot of JUCO DTs
I *hate* going the juco route. Just seems like such a low-budget move.
Top 10 Juco players per 247 for 2019: schools who either signed, or are in it for the players:
Georgia
Tennessee
Oregon
Alabama
Miami
Ole Miss
Colorado
Penn State
Those who signed the top 10 in 2018:
Ohio St
Alabama
FIU x2
Florida
Miss St
Georgia
Colorado
Tennessee
LSU
"Low budget" is a mental block for you, man. Not reality.
Being honest, we could easily throw together a list of players who aren't getting run and have been recruited over. I won't because I don't want to name names and be wrong for the players sake, but its pretty clear several more players will very likely end up transferring.
Timing sucks, but they do get to spend Thanksgiving with their family this way.
These are guys that are currently on the 2-deep, with a rivalry game and bowl eligibility on the line. I don't think this is normal.
Somebody like Joel Caleb had numerous opportunities to transfer and never did. These are guys that are young and still have a shot at playing time but they're leaving anyway. Something's different about these.
Umm Caleb the RB? He transferred to Norfolk State.
My bad, he transferred for his senior season, but stayed with VT for almost 4 years including a redshirt year.
Just look at the depth chart and see who is behind someone their class or younger. I expect at least 6-8 transfers.
That's a shit ton for any team, but especially for a team that might miss a bowl.
If players transfer, that just leaves more room for young guys. Then you can say "we're just really young" when you underperform. Justin Fuente, 4D Chessmaster
When is Fuente going to step up, put his leadership pants on, and publicly address the fans? His apparent need for secrecy is so ridiculous
He addresses the public twice every week - postgame press conference and Tech Talk Live
edit: 3 times per week
postgame press conference, weekly press conference on Monday, Tech Talk Live on Tuesday.
Chris Cunningham tweeted "Domino effect" but has since deleted it. It was retweeted by Hezekiah Grimsley.
Look, I get that attrition happens within a program. I get that Sean Savoy and Rico Kearney were most likely going to get buried on the depth chart in the future. I get that maybe Cam Goode wasn't quite ready for college football yet. I get all of that. It's normal.
What isn't normal is the players publicly supporting those players in a way that makes them seem like they're going against the coaches. I'm not sure if someone is telling them to delete the tweets after they're sent or to unlike them in the case of Josh Jackson liking D'Andre Plantin's tweet, but it really seems as if Fuente has a problem on his hands. Couple that with Mook's dad's comment that was embedded earlier in this thread, and I think it's a fair assumption that Fuente isn't very popular among a lot of his players. If that's the case, this thing won't get turned around anytime soon if ever.
I've made it no secret that I haven't been happy with Fuente's game management skills this season. I've also made it clear that I don't feel so good about how his players view him (players leaving early at the first opportunity, transfers, tweets, etc.). Despite all of this, I haven't thought that Fuente should get fired. He has a whole offseason to self-evaluate, better himself, tweak the staff (i.e. tell Cornelsen to pack his bags), and win back the team. It was clear there was something wrong with VT football in 2003, but Beamer managed to correct things in the offseason and everything was pretty much smooth sailing until 2012. Even after 2012 when we were going 7-6 every season with the exception of 2013 where we went 8-5, the players still seemed to adore him and never quit on him.
Clearly Fuente and Beamer have two very different personalities, but I'm hoping that Fuente can correct this in his own little way because he isn't going to be gone after this season unless something unforeseen happens.
I'd say the odds are fairly good Cunningham is gone after season is over.
With those tweets, it makes me seem that Cunningham is more selfless and wants to be apart of the solution (despite not getting as much PT as I know he wants). Leaders keep the vision even when things are tough, followers quit at the first sight of trouble.
I wouldn't be surprised. His utilization in the offense has gone down both seasons since 2016. Whether that's a result of different quarterbacks favoring different targets or a tweak in the offense to accommodate for different quarterbacks or both, I'm not sure.
Cunningham just tweeted yesterday, "If you aren't apart of the solution, you are part of the problem". That is in direct reference to Kearney and now Savoy. Domino effect adds on to the previous comment about how people who are apart of the problem (Kearney and Savoy plus I'm sure some more) are gonna leave together.
These aren't players supporting those leaving, these are guys that want those that aren't 100% in to please leave. I used to say that to guys in high school as a captain and was glad a few left because like Chris said, they certainly were more part of the problem than the solution.
Is Cunningham the guy who used to be a cadet + football player? Or am I thinking of someone else?
Kalvin Cline, probably.
Kalvin Cline, who transferred to A&M.
Yeah he graduated and transferred to A&M so he could continue to be in a school with a Corps of Cadets right? I thought his was purely a move to further his military career while being on scholarship to play football.
Kalvin Cline
Nah, it was that dude whose name is a lot like that clothing brand.
Man, we were a 6-5 football team back then. Those were the days...
Timmy Hillfinger?
Cunningham also tweeted this right before his "you are part of the problem" post
Is this because we are perpetually in 3rd and 8 situations?
Because if so, I feel the same.
maybe we get lucky and UVA turns our LB's and Safety's into receivers on Friday.....
I'm not buying the whole this is normal for big programs talk etc I even saw some fans saying even penn state have 4 transferring players to not worry but those teams have ELITE talent and that causes depth guys to want out, were a 4-6 team that is playing like trash these players arent transferring because we have too much talent I'm starting to worry this is from bigger things we just dont know about which makes me feel nervous as hell about the future.
Thank the heavens our BBALL team is good to distract us from this mess.
Too bad basketball games aren't as frequent as bad news from the football team.
No those two guys are truly transferring because they are buried/ getting buried farther on the depth chart.
Meant to include that but was rushing to throw a thought up here the timings why I feel it's more than just cause of depth because I can't imagine Fuente will let the guys that have announced they're transferring to keep practicing this week and I feel that won't help the atmosphere in the locker room at all when they need to be coming together to try to beat out rival, instead they're clocking out early and have a convienient excuse that they'll be buried in the depth chart NEXT year when there's still one huge game left on the schedule and they're both on the two deep right now
At least he won't have ever lost to UVA?
He is buried under better players on the depth chart. Why announce now? Because a lot of schools finish their regular season this week and the coaches will switch to recruiting for a bit. It puts their names on other schools' boards. I don't see these 2 players transferring and announcing it now as a sign of toxicity in the program. One bad season, even as bad as it has been, does not put me into the sky is falling mode. So much youth on the team has me excited for the future even with the current staff.
The timing is the strange thing about these. I played football my fr year of college and I knew about halfway through the season that I wanted to transfer schools. I never quit on my team, showed up to practice every day and busted my ass. If you want to transfer to find a better opportunity, by all means do it, but at least finish the season that you started.
Don't know how old you are, but my first thought is, "Different era."
graduated college in 2009 so not that long ago
That transition between eras must've been recent, then. ;^)
Checks out...
This is why the idea that 2019 would be a "small 'crootin' class" was such a red herring. If these coaches are worth a squat, they should be trying to pack the roster as full as possible with guys who can excel at the P5 level. Savoy may be a future Rhodes Scholar, but his hands were stone and he probably wasn't going to ever be a starter on an ACC championship level football team. The guys that are leaving are most likely not talented enough to beat out the players in front of them, or they are not willing to buy into what the decision makers expect of them.
The fact that VT is still recruiting in the mid-to-high 20's is much more problematic than guys getting processed out of the program.
The fact that we're still recruiting in the mid-to-high 20's (which was pretty much the peak during Beamer's tenure anyway) despite having 4 unranked seasons in the last 6 and a best final ranking of 16th since we were 10th in 2009 speaks volumes about the staff's ability to recruit above the perception level of the program. Sure, if we were a top-20 team for numerous years in a row, like in the mid '00s when Beamer was still recruiting at a 25th-place level, I would be more concerned, but until we prove that we can be a higher-tier program it's going to be difficult or impossible to recruit like one.
I know macraw83 has touched on this alot, but it can't be understated. On average, we are recruiting 3 of the 4 the best classes (2017-2019) in school history even with only be a fringe top 20 team that plays football in the mountains, 3 hours from the closest big city.
Our recruiting won't be top 10 unless we win at Natty based on the resources, location, and brand we have (non-blue blood). Although I would like to land a few more elite high 4*, 5* recruits, the problem is certainly not recruiting. The problem is this is essentially year 1 of the rebuild with Fuente bc all of Beamer's good recruits have either graduated or left for the NFL. If this was actual year 1, no one would be so down but bc we had great upperclassmen the past two years, it masked when the rebuild was actually going to happen.
Always amuses me to hear the sob stories about how we have no hope to recruit well in football, which we're historically good at, when we're actively pulling in Top 15 classes in basketball, which we historically suck at.
If you somehow think football and basketball recruiting are even remotely similar, I dont think you'll have a hope to ever understand recruiting.
Yeah its almost like we were inundated with people, just like you, who kept telling us throughout the early to mid 2000s that we could never expect to consistently recruit in basketball because of remote location that wasn't near a city, our prestige standing in the ACC, our 'not even 6th best in the commonwealth' performance, our historically bad track record, our crappy facilities, our run down stadium, our bad fan support, our football school status, etc
In the end, it was all just a bunch of excuses that was proven to be wrong as soon as we got someone here who could do something about it. The same will be true for football as well. We're only going to be bad at football recruiting for as long as we allow ourselves to be bad at it. The second we really dedicate ourselves to fixing it, things will change.
So... Does that have anything to do with the current coaching staff?
I nominate Alum07 as one of the new VT bagman. When there is a will their is a way, might as well start doing what the SEC does.
Yes... the VT inferiority complex is skrong.
Yeah, no, I'm gonna have to stop you there. Yes, in 2017, we had the #18 class according to 247, but that was sandwiched between classes ranked #88 in 2016 and #53 this year.
Right now, our 2019 class is ranked #19, but numerous schools behind us are still trying to fill their class out. For example, at the moment we're ahead of Duke, UNC, and UVA, all of whom have 2 commitments in the class compared to our 4, and all of whom are likely to pass us as their class grows.
Think so? ... their 2018 class was WEAK and who knows how they fill out with their current 4*'s
[ Sigh ] ... I'm tired of having this argument about recruiting so I'm going to just agree to disagree.
What I stated is still true. The recruiting results that VT has achieved over the last several years are why the program is where it is today. And that's much more of a program level problem than players processing out. If folks want to get upset about something or worry about something, recruiting is what matters.
Syracuse player who apparently was (briefly) a Hokie before going the JUCO route:
(Plantin replies in agreement btw)
Can't wait to hear the spin cycle explanation of this one....
You mean you need an explanation of why a guy who went JUCO from VT in 2017 might not love the VT coaching staff?
shame he's going after the program like that, I really thought he was a great addition to the fast and furious franchise
I assume this was scheduled?
They have one every Monday.
Fuente made it seem like early playing time got to their heads a bit. Kept referencing it as something that was unfortunate
The live mic on this afterwards was the best. (EDIT: it was after Fuente's time at the mic was done, for those listening at home.)
"I offer this as proof-of-life." ??? NO idea who said that, but it's one of the oddest things I've ever heard caught on a hot mic, haha.
Sacrifice to the football gods
Ironic that this might be the first time he actually took what the coaches had to say to heart.
Everyone chill. Fuente has plenty of trouble on his hands but a team mutiny is not one of them.
Can you to elaborate a little more? I think the silence from the staff is only making situations like this worse and needs to be nipped in the bud before it gets even more out of control.
What silence? Fuente's literally talking about it right now.
Namely being a head coach of a team with the worst defense in school history and an offense that is essentially anemic against P5 teams.
There isn't anymore conflict in the locker room than there is with your standard 4-6 team.
LAH, thanks for talking this thread back from the ledge man, this discussion has been getting a consistently 45 comments every 10 minutes. If you didn't check in, I would've honestly checked out of this discussion, because it was going downhill fast.
You say this as if the defense and offense aren't parts of his team. It's not like he's playing with random teams on Madden and had to choose from the Browns, Raiders, and Cardinals. This is his football team and it seems to be getting worse by the week.
That's the exact opposite of what I'm saying. Someone asked me to list what issues he has and I said the offense and the defense.
I guess I read "Fuente has plenty of trouble on his hands" as things he has to deal with, as opposed to things that are of his own doing.
the offense, the defense, the special teams, the recruiting, the training and conditioning... these are all things the head coach has to deal with
It is legitimately my favorite when 90% of this thread is "this team is broken" and "the sky if falling" and LA comes in with this type of comment lol.
Although, I'm not sure how reassuring they are anymore. Things continue get worse and worse.
91%
But we won't really be committed until we're 1000%.
I've been pretty openly critical of Fuente and how I don't think the way he runs a program is conducive to success but anyone trying to surmise that everyone dislikes him or he's lost the team are way off base.
You referring to how closed off he is to the media, general roster mansgement, or something entirely different?
Those two are my biggest concerns aside from the actual play on the field this year.
Dude, I literally scrolled through this whole thread just to see your take; thank you for your info
FWIW
Looks like Reggie Floyd's mom commenting on this Facebook live stream:
Several moms have tweeted about supporting the team and how they aren't quitting and neither should the fans.
Bud just said the Rico transfer came out of nowhere to him, had no idea why he was transferring. Wished him the best and sounded like no ill will, but did say he wants guys who want to be at VT and compete.
Said he wanted guys who wanted to be here, who knew the un-selfishness it takes to be successful. Made a point to reference that he's a freshmen.
Reading between the lines here, he's not too pleased about it.
Wow, lots of shade right now by former players and lots of retweets and likes happening... what a dumpster fire.
I wouldn't worry about shade from previous transfers (Plantin, Johnson, etc.) They aren't on the team for a reason, and loyalty certainly isnt a quality they possess. The optics look bad, but it just twitter drama and that's about it.
I both agree and disagree. I think they are one extreme (overly negative) and the players who are supporting the coach ( overly positive) the real situation might be in the middle. I think we can take what they say with a grain of salt but still think that may have some truth to what they say. Which is why this whole situation has me very concerned.
Crap. Twitter is evil and just gives any disaffected person a platform to vent about any and every slight, real or perceived in their lives without any actual addition to the whole situation. I'm disgusted by social media for that and more reasons, but who the hell cares what people tweet out from their self contained and self important positions of authority. The big problem isn't that they tweet this stuff, it is that anybody deems it important enough to actually take it seriously enough to repeat, retweet and report it. And yeah, get the hell off of my lawn, I don't need the fertilizer, I hate mowing enough as it is.
I'm calling BS on that.
69 is NOT retiring early. Geezus.
If Beamer was forced out, Bud would've been loooooooooooooooooooong gone. Coach Foster would've crawled across broken glass covered in barb wire naked for Beamer.
Anyone who seriously thinks Foster would've stayed and coordinated for a new head coach and the AD that forced his beloved mentor out is a colossal idiot.
To be fair though, if I'm a recruit and my head coach retires before I graduate, he's retiring early.
Soooo... in order not to retire early, a head coach would have to take a year off and not sign a class?
Of course not. I'm talking about from the recruit's perspective. Recruits are coddled for years and expect all their promises to be delivered. I'm assuming when Lawson committed, he expected to play four years for Frank.
FTFY
Maybe Lawson is fucking with us because he knows we keep making those hilarious and original "Lawson transferring" jokes. I have to say we would deserve it.
Do you mean Duwayne Johnson? Haven't seen anything from Lawson.
Oh. Duh. Yes.
Gotta be honest here. I follow VT football pretty closely, and I've only vaguely even heard of Duwayne Johnson.
But I know this: he's a dumb ass if he thinks anyone walking this earth made Beamer "retire early."
As I recall, duwayne johnson had problems putting on weight to play DB here...he never got playing time and thats why he transferred..
fwiw he never got playing time anywhere else either. but how many times can you transfer this isn't pop warner where you can show up to a new park every week. his 1 career tackle at Syracuse against western Michigan the first game of the season tells all you need to know. probably thinks dino doesn't like him either.
I have a feeling we are going to get really bad before we get really good.
Honestly, listening to the press conference was pretty reassuring. Seems to me like player attitude issues and while they can probably be helped, it doesn't seem like anything to go nuke mode about.
Good hindsight.
Im not talking hindsight here. Im talking future. We are falling apart. By really bad i mean like a 3 win season. Then we will rise back up.
Just to throw this out there, would a 3 win season be that much worse than a 4 win season?
In a full 12 games season? Yeah. I think we probably would have beaten ECU had we played initially honestly. So it's more like 5 vs 3.
That's THIS season.
Oh no no no. It will get worse imo. Hence why hindsight is irrelevant here.
Why would it get worse? How much worse can you get than not making a bowl game, and losing to ODU and almost all the teams in your division, and possibly your in-state rival who you've beaten 14 times in a row?
I have an awful joke which I think would be funny... but would probably get down voted to hell considering the circumstances at hand....
Nah, I can promise you it wouldn't be funny right now.
Go for it.
Im not really understanding your point here lmao. You don't believe.....my opinion? Like you dont believe it is my opinion? Or you just think it is wrong? Im not getting what you dont believe.
I don't believe it will get worse.
Ah. Well I hope you are right.
Yeah, me too!
I would also point out that this isn't just a VT thing. I know (living in the Triangle) NC State has had in-season transfers in the past, and at least 2-3 this year. I think it is going to start to happen a lot more, it just seems to be the nature of this generation of college aged kids. They're going to find the place that gives them the optimum situation to succeed. That may mean working hard to get on the depth chart, or going somewhere else where you can play as much as you want. It is what it is. I don't think it's a Virginia Tech issue, it's just becoming more prevalent. It looks a lot worse for VT this year because of al the other attrition that has occured this year.
I agree.
Transfers that haven't or won't freak me out: WR, LB, One QB (it's going happen at some point).
Transfers that will concern me: DT, DE, RB.
I am never totally worried about transfers where there depth. It's going to happen. Guys stick around if there's hope they're in the two deep. If not, they don't want to ride the pine. Plus overeecruting requires attrition to make room for other positions of need.
Not gonna dig up the stats but there are something like 20 P5 teams with 4+ transfers already.
Similar to how companies are seeing a lot more people jump ship. People have set what they expect and if something doesnt meet that they go for the greener grass
One assumption that could be made from the departures before the end of the season, is maybe the guys leaving announced they were leaving at the end of the season, and maybe the coaches said, "No need to put in a notice here. You can go now."
If that's true, I don't have a problem with that. As far as the retweets by others on social media... the Twitter logo is very fitting... kids today love to just chirp and stir shit up out of nothing. You guys going into histrionics over it are just getting punked.
Insightful analysis, succinctly delivered.
Must be a Leonard comment.
Leonard always brings the insight.
I'm... Gonna go play red read, have a beer, and wait for all this to blow over.
reesejenks520: I've read that red read dedemption is really really tight. What say you?
reesejenks520: Ya id's right, dake a look ad my nexd response:
reesejenks520: ...
Such meta. Much wow.
A good half hour or so of Red Dead can clear you head. Just walking around that game is beautiful.
Gorgeous enough that I decided to upgrade to a PS4 pro and upgrade my gaming TV. Lol
Just walking around that game is beautiful.
What specifically?
I could go on and on about how good Red Dead Redemption 2 is. Its just a great, slow paced game where you can tell the developers took serious pride in getting the atmosphere of the wild west right.
I still think Spider-Man was a better PS4 game this year, but RDR2 is the more immersive game where I feel like I actually care about the character.
However...
WTF is up with daylight hours being like an hour long, and night hours are like 3 minutes?
That messes me up, because I like to party.
Hate that Savoy is leaving. However it makes sense for him if he is slipping on the depth chart.
If the Hokies were winning I doubt this would be an issue that garners over 300 comments. This team will have a lot of issues to address when this season is over requiring fully committed players and coaches. If someone feels they are not willing or part of the solution to getting back on a winning track they should look elsewhere to continue their career.
Guess I'm getting old because this sorta bothers me. Why not work harder, to get better, and move up the depth chart? Instead, sulk and transfer to get playing time. Put in the work to get the rewards!
Based on everything I've been able to pull from the thread it sounds like that was what the coaches wanted and were working with him on. For whatever reason he wasn't progressing. I had to remind myself that Savoy was forced in to action last year but with little competition behind him.
These kids all have aspirations to make it to the NFL. They are going to do what it takes to get there. Sometimes that means moving on to another situation.
I think you want these kids to have loyalty to Virginia Tech but that's just not the case. I actually think the opposite that if their decision is made, then that's fine, you part ways and move on.
I don't see it as quitting on your teammates or refusing to work hard. It's just the nature of college athletics these days. Kids are going to make the decision that hey think is best for themselves. Can't really blame them for it.
This is no different then Kelly Bryant. There is better talent on the roster ahead of you, and you're not going to play much, depart amicably and find a spot where you can play and try to get to that next level.
It would be interesting to see some stats on the success rate of transfers.
I suppose the question is what is the measure of success?
Good question. It would have to be some sort of measurement relative to the prior school. Each position has different career defining stats though. Perhaps simply games started?
Sure. That's probably a good start. Or even number of snaps taken. Something to show they gained from the move. I
Maybe who transferred to a new school (not grad-transfer for the last year) and was drafted in the NFL.
Those can be seen as competing statements. Sure, a lot of them want to play in the NFL. But not all of them want to put in the work to "do what it takes to get there." (See DE that "quit" this summer because he came in overweight and "coach was running him like a WR.") If you think it simply takes transfering to a different school and not improving, then that's the wrong thinking.
While I appreciate loyalty to my alma mater, because I am, I also understand the limits on talent. Kelly Bryant is a perfect example. You think he'll make it at the next level? Maybe, maybe, as a back up for a few years before he has to go get a 9-5 gig. Why? He's not even #1 on his college team. The realization of the limited number of guys that actually make it every year will also help with that thought. Want it? Work for it. Nothing is given, especially millions of dollars in the NFL.
You know what really sucks... a true, losing, rebuild of a season... particularly when you're used to at worst .500 ball in a down year. Plus the concept of in season transfer announcements being the new normal.
There is no good will left to polish this turd of a season. Losing sucks.
I can only continue to support the team and athletic dept and hope that next season shows promise... Well that, and appreciate we've got other sports teams that are legitimately good.
Also, F chinballs. F nardoucue.
Anyone else notice he deleted his tweet.
FWIW, I watched him livestream on Instagram and he said it's nothing against the coaches.
Not to single you out but this seems like a good place to put a few thoughts.
In my personal opinion, I compare this to when/if you leave a company and move on to another, it's not in your best interest to burn a bridge by trashing your former boss. It's a huge red flag to your future boss. Same situation during some transfers. This isn't to say that he's not being truthful, but if you really left because of beef with a coach and wanted to play somewhere else, taking the high road would be the way to go. Just my $0.02.
Guys guys guys... I'm not saying I know everything that's going on with the program. But, I do get my hair cut by Raymon Minor's cousin. And I'm about due for a haircut...
This is a bad look. Fuente has lost control of the situation IMO. If he doesn't do something to fix it then we're in for a tough several years
How? LA said above that a ton of P5 teams have/are experiencing the same amount of in season attrition as we are. This may be the new norm with the new signing period. How do we know that Savoy/Rico didn't talk to Fuente and Fuente day that it would be in their best interest to leave before the early signing period esp if they wouldn't see the field? This way they get their name out sooner and not risk injury and hurting their stock on the transfer market? Just playing devils advocate bc I'm tired of seeing the sky is falling and that my beloved homies are falling from grace; maybe I need to take off the O&M glasses myself and take an unbiased look at our program.
I guess he didn't want to move to D tackle.
So Savoy deleted the tweet announcing his transfer, but he didn't un-retweet any of the tweets pertaining to his transfer.
I'm assuming it was because of his atrocious grammer.
What you did there... See it, I did.
Nothing like a little (necessary, see my other post) attrition, to bring us all together.
I hope Savoy the absolute best. He's been through a lot and hokie nation supported him and his family as best we could through it all. I'm sorry to see him leave, but hope he can find success somewhere if for no other reason than for the sake of his brother's family.
Also relevant to Plantin:
Beginning of spring? It isn't even winter yet. Especially by Blacksburg standards.
Still have to finish this semester at VT, right?!
Yes, but with only a little over 2 weeks in the semester, there are a lot of things that need to happen from a university perspective to get the proper paperwork started to process a transfer to a new university by January. In other words, they're running short on time to get things squared away if they wish to transfer by the spring semester.
That's why there's an admissions officer and compliance person in the AD...
Not like the kid is driving across the country back and forth.
And not like the grades are final now. There's still time left in THIS semester.
Just an excuse.
Really think this is the result of an early signing period. Kids need to get their names out there on the radar before signing day. Waiting a couple more weeks could result in losing a spot to a school that might be a good fit.
Don't disagree. But the tweet says "trying to get on their new campuses by beginning of spring semester."
They need to find that new campus though, and to do that you need to announce that you're looking for one.
Not sure if this is the best place to put this, but FWIW:
But...but...he doesn't like his players, right? ;^)
Also doesn't care about the players, had a hand in forcing Beamer out, he and Bud hate each other. I think that's all the narratives we're using to justify a poor season(?). I feel like I missed a few.
Yeah. I mean, the damn truth is that none of us really know what the culture is like on the inside, so we're left piecing our opinions together from nuggets that we get from sources scattered all over the place. I think it's just best to share nuggets that don't fit a particular narrative (PATT or NATT) and just let people's guts guide them on how they feel about the current state of Fuente's program.
Sadly that's what society has come to these days!
He's also "not likeable", the program is a "dumpster fire"...etc., etc. People gotta get a grip...woah.
the same people saying rico and savoy were buried on the depth chart and its not a big loss or anything to worry about will be the same people saying we suck at recruiting because we have no depth as soon as (whom all have missed time this year with injuries) ashby. grimsley, or tre turner go down with injuries.
When I think of an iron-to-the-face, I think of Nelson Van Alden and "Boardwalk Empire"
Really? I immediately go here...
And this is where I went...
Are you serious? We can't just keep an unlimited number of players at every position and those positions get back filled, it'll take a year or two for the new kids to come in an produce. Injuries to starters always creates a depth issue, players that get passed by younger player on the chart generally end up transferring.
yeah im serious, the #2 on the depth chart no longer being available when the #1 goes down creates a HUGE problem. are we that deep that we can start the 3rd person on the depth chart and be fine? NO we are not. clearly. if we were the loss of mook, Adonis, settle, webb, Edmunds, beckett, hill, gaines, etc etc. would not have seen a drop off. and that was with the 2s in there. now were skipping the 2s at 2 positions from guys who showed the could contribute at a high level at times. all the blah blah blah about being young and inexperienced and we just lost 2 guys with experience but lets pretend that its all good, so when ashby or turner/ grimsley go down and we have a guy playing his first snaps at a position and he makes a mistake we can just say "eyyyy hes young he just needs reps"
Because everyone surrounding him is in his class. He's getting passed by rFR and rSO. Savoy likely ends up as a borderline on the two deep next year anyways.
Experience is one thing being experienced and not having a window to break through the DC is the situation they were in.
Having a ton of SO at one position is not how you build depth, thinning some of those out and getting a Fr is better for the long term health of the program with minimal at best risk with where these guys sat.
I have no inside info but I choose to read into Kearney's transfer as him being told Dax is going back to MLB next year and Kearney would wind up third at that position.
Who would be the backup backer IDK but that's how I choose to read the situation. I think it's obvious Dax and Rivers need to both be on the field and that isn't happening next year the way the roster is currently constructed. But I would guess it would leave Kearney as the odd man out and he'd rather get a head start on finding a new team than remain a backup for 1 or 2 games here. That's tough for this year's team but this year's team isn't playing for much and next year's team wouldn't be as affected.
As for Savoy, we have WR's on the team and still being recruited all over the place so I'm not worried.
Disagree with you on Rivers but I think it's very possible that Kearney was seeing that writing on the wall. If we land Deng (which is more likely than not at this point) he would likely have been the 3rd string mike next year with another talented guy right behind him. For a guy that thinks he deserves a "fair shot", that's probably a tough pill to swallow.
And the people that say these two transferring is a big deal are the same people that complain about having a big drop off in production when we have a big senior class graduate and/or group of early entries into the NFL draft.
Having depth one year is not what builds a sustainable program. You need to have layered depth. This means having quality players within different age groups. If Savoy stuck around and never saw the field because he was passed by Robinson and Ellis, what good does that do the program? In a disaster scenario (i.e. VT's 2018 defense) Ellis leaves a year with Savoy and Grimz graduating and we have Robinson as the only slot. The program is better off processing out Savoy and recruiting a quality younger player to replace him.
what leads you to believe he was passed by these guys? (i agree with everything you are saying) but seems to me like he was more in the dog house than anything and not passed by any of those guys. 5 weeks ago he made arguably a play of the game against UNC to help us win, then the following week had a rough outing at GT. but was still #2 on the depth chart. tres been balling. grimsley was out last week. i just don't think he went from #2 on the depth chart to sorry youll never see the field again here bud every other slot on the roster has now passed you in 3 weeks. and if that is the case and the depth chart is that flux then there is NO reason he should not be able to rise back up it as quickly as he fell down it?
same scenario with Kearney pretty much. just a couple weeks ago had a record for tackles in a game. im sure there are somethings he needs to work on in his game to pass or be with ashby but you don't see dax running for the woods because rivers started and when healthy got some reps back.
i honestly have really mixed feelings about the whole situation. i agree with most points. because most are valid. i want a successful football team. and i want the kids to be successful whether or not VT is the best fit for them or not.
Fair enough, I don't have anything that tells me they will be passed next year but in Savoy you see a guy that went from a main function of the offense last year to taking far lass snaps. He's had consistent drop problems his whole time here which we're always frustrating when you see what he can do. I still don't know if I can wrap my head around the Kearny situation completely other than our LB room is pretty full.
Edit: I replied to this thinking it was a reply to my comment cause LA and I are saying the same thing essentially.
I'm not saying those guys have passed him already but I do think it's very possible, if not likely, to happen this coming year. He's just not a trustable player right now. That and the staff always has conversations with kids around this time of the year regarding where they are on the depth chart and where they see them fitting in in the future. I don't know the exact conversation they had with Savoy but I do know that his decision had something to do with that talk.
For Savoy, besides the one stiff arm TD against UNC, hurt us way more than helped us. The goal of a Slot WR is to have the best hands on the team (think Hunter Renfrow). Savoy had some of the worst if not the worst hands on the team to go along with poor situational awareness and ability to stay upright. From all sources and film tell me, that won't be a problem with ellis or robinson.
For Kearney, I think it came to a surprise to Bud bc he had a better shot to get PT but like LA said just a victim of other players his age either being better or having a higher ceiling. With Ashby, Artis, Dax, River, and Tisdale all Fr. and Soph., he wasn't likely going to see the field unless another huge bout of injuries plauges the team. I hope he can latch on somewhere because I think he could be a G5 starter or a low P5 starter for the rest of his remaining eligibility.
I remember Savoy having the dropsies and a number of non-catches.
i remember hazzy having the dropsies and a # of non catches too.
who
damon hazelton. has had atleast 8 drops this season. 2 or 3 of which have directly lead to INTs.
wasn't sure if "hazzy" was supposed to refer to hazelton or was a typo for hezekiah "hezzy" grimsley. thanks
It's actually both. He's referring to the genetically engineered offspring that was produced in one of Tech's labs.
I wish they'd spent some time creating Camiah Phreephord (can they do 3?) and DaRyan Williamson.
Re: DaRyan Williamson - hopefully with all the strengths and none of the weaknesses...
Just saw this thread this morning, so maybe I missed it above, but was there really such a big discussion about Torrian Gray and there were no snarky comments about not saying hi to mom?
By the way, I believe Fuente is letting these guys transfer with no restriction, so they can go anywhere they want...uva, unc, etc... That's a stand-up move by him. I bet that doesn't go unnoticed in the locker room. I read that as him truly caring for these guys, and having their best interests in mind.
Ixnay on the "Ommay" Ommentskay.
If Duwayne Johnson hears even one more of those he's going to transfer.
even funnier because you got his name wrong
... Or did I?
Coaches can no longer impose transfer restrictions, so not stand up move there. That changed this past summer along with the redshirt rule. Basically all player has to do say they want out, and there name goes into a database. I think conferences can still impose restrictions, but to my knowledge no conference has done so yet.
Good.
Because I was thinking letting a kid transfer to UVa was unnecessarily cruel.
Hey guys just a reminder to be careful with any unsubstantiated rumors. Some of the idiots over at a certain other "fan" site have a thread that links to some of the rumors and other things mentioned here and they're running with them.
Curious how that group is considered idiots when there are multiple comments on this site of people doing the same thing. Additionally, there were melt downs all over this board about the transfers when no one knows the actual situation.
Sometimes I wish we had to post our age and profession in our signature. Perhaps that could give context to why some people respond the way they do.
I agree that a lot of dumb things have been said around here but I'm guessing you haven't spent any time over there if you think the two communities are comparable.
I believe to start a thread, you cannot base it off a rumor, must link to article or tweet or social media post for relevance. That time doesn't apply elsewhere
not to start a rant or anything but.... how does your profession give any insight to the context you post on a fan forum? fandom isn't specific to a profession. I can be bill gates and lose my shit just the same when the hokies have a season like this just as much as I can be joe dirt sure it may be a little more grammatically correct or better written but the result can be the same.
just as an example: if I was Donald trump and my signature line said; 72 years old president of the USA that doesn't stop him from twitter rants any more than duwayne Johnson 19 back up to the back ups back up special teams gunner at Syracuse.
I am a rich 40 year old dwarf who used to report to the heads of society but got ostracized and eventually dismissed after a hostile takeover of our business. My current profession is drinking and knowing things, its what I am best at.
We all know you're really gritty just admit it
53 year old stripper at Southern X and I know way more about Tech football than yall for reasons you don't wanna know. My sauces are the best.
By day, I am a wealthy businessman and philanthropist.
By night, I use my parent's murder as motivation to put criminals in their place. Some have said I am not the hero that Gotham needs right now, but the one that they deserve.
And I always thought Fernley was Batman!
Fernley is more like a benevolent Lex Luthor (the cool one from the Batman and Justice League animated series, not the spastic Jesse Eisenberg version or the mopey dude from Smallville).
The details of my life are quite inconsequential... very well, where do I begin? My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a fifteen year old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize, he would drink. He would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. The sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. My childhood was typical. Summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we'd make meat helmets. When I was insolent I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds- pretty standard really. At the age of twelve I received my first scribe. At the age of fourteen a Zoroastrian named Vilma ritualistically shaved my testicles. There really is nothing like a shorn scrotum... it's breathtaking- I highly suggest you try it.
I am whatever you say I am.
If I wasn't, then why would I say I am?
This is one of the most haughty and elitist suggestions I've ever read on this board. It does not make any sense because your age and profession do not correlate to your emotional maturity in relation to sports in any remotely consistent way. Not to mention, your age and profession are also not direct determinants of intelligence, and most certainly do not make your opinions and contributions more valuable than any other person. The thought of someone having all of their opinions immediately dismissed by certain users based on their age and/or profession is one of the most thoroughly fucked up things I can imagine for any kind of online community.
Agreed. We should post our ACT scores and then have them double checked by the NCAA.
It would be so easy to get a waiver that it's almost pointless.
Edit: OK, I've had a busy week of traveling, didn't see the NAW news, and didn't get it, but what's with the negative votes? Lighten up, Francis!
True that, I'm a developer and I'm reminded every day how big of a fucking idiot I am.
Your idiocy isn't a bug, its a feature
So, you're married then, right? /s
Well, sorta /s
I know, right? despicable. Anyway, it would be redundant because we're already supposed to dismiss any opinions by people without a key next to their name. /s
*reads post*
via GIPHY
*reads signature*
via GIPHY
haha. I forgot I even had that there. It's a riff on the xkcd web comic's disclaimer:
via GIPHY
xkcd is phenomenal, even though I (as a liberal arts major) fail to understand quite a few of them :(
SPOT FREAKING ON. I shot coffee out of my nose when I read this.
Honestly didn't mean to imply that. However, both age and profession do correlate to understanding I have no idea the scope of certain professions. Therefore, I try to not act like I do. My point was merely wishing that others would do the same.
As for age, my hope was that by having it posted, it might remind us that our behavior should probably match. People get so upset on these message boards and how Tecj plays which doesn't impact their real lives whatsoever.
I'm as blue collar as they come and hardly an elitist.
Well, since we are introducing ourselves and what we do...
My name is Rex. If you study with my eight-week program, you will learn the system of self-defense that I developed over two seasons fighting in the Octagon. It's called Rex Kwon Do. I need a volunteer...
Now, in addition to what you just saw, if you study with my eight-week program, you're gonna learn these things. First off, at Rex Kwon Do, we use the buddy system. No more flyin' solo. You need somebody watchin' your back at all times. Second off, you're gonna learn to discipline your image. You think I got where I am today because I dressed like Peter Pan here? Take a look at what I'm wearin', people.
You think anybody wants a roundhouse kick to the face while I'm wearing these bad boys? Forget about it. Last off, my students will learn about self respect. Do you think anybody thinks I'm a failure because I go home to Starla at night?
FORGET ABOUT IT!!! 😡
Bow to your senesei!
Khamran Laborn in locker room per 247 (throwing that out there amidst all the angst here re: losing the team):
https://247sports.com/college/virginia-tech/Article/Khamran-Laborn-visit...
Its cool, State Penn fans are already preparing for the inevitable Franklin to Southern Cal move.
Not actually joking here
I'd be interested in knowing how much this season has soured Penn State fans on Franklin as the guy to get them in the playoff. He's nearly coached himself out of multiple wins this year and obviously leaned on Barkley a ton to win last season.
Just from my little circle of Penn State die-hards, they seem to really like him and his leadership skills as a coach, but are really starting to question his game-management abilities. Seems to be a capable recruiter and developer but not as strong in the in-game X's and O's. I doubt most Stater's have forgiven him for how he single handedly blew their chances to beat OSU earlier this year. He's a PA guy through and through; USC would probably need to throw some serious coin at him to get him to head west but I could see it happening. Just like Feldman said in that article, he could be a big fish in the Pac-12 and not have to worry about anOSU, Michigan, and MichSt. every year.
So a better version of Mike London.
Yeah the faithful up here understand that Franklin is an ace recruiter but were wondering what would happen when Barkley left. With Myles Sanders still around, the drop-off has been nearly nonexistent, and with Slade coming up they're happy with the running back position and the future players there.
Now they're wondering what will happen when McSorley leaves, since the kid is a genuine baller. Tommy Stevens looks like he will be good and they keep coming up with random receivers that end up being very good too.
The problem they're having - the real, bona fide problem for the future - is how they'll perform after McSorley leaves and there is no Joe Moorhead in the OC role (now HC at MissSt). That guy was brilliant and could pull a great play call out of nowhere. As much as PSU relied on Barkley, they can easily replace his production, but they can't conjure up a new offensive coordinator as talented as Moorhead.
The radio stations up here are suggesting that PSU has already peaked under Franklin (the year they won the Big Ten but got left out of the playoff in favor of OSU) and that 9-3 is going to be a perennial achievement, like Pelini at Nebraska.
That, and if Franklin wants an easy route to the playoff it will be easier in the Pac12 South than it will be in the Big Ten East. As much as we are not happy with this season, there's no celebrating in Happy Valley this year either.
The last bit is key to me usc would be big helping him recruit they would pay him very very well and on top of this plus the easier path in the pac 12 could be the cherry on top
Wonder if this would put Ford back in play.
No, not for VT atleast. Not that we've tried very much since he committed to PSU.
But FWIW I dont see Franklin leaving. He's a PA guy, makes more than Helton, and has PSU in a better position than USC currently is.
Miami lost a WR with significantly greater contribution than Savoy this season. I'm thinking this is just the new normal under the updated transfer rules.
I think the culture has shifted to a "me first" attitude towards the players compared to 10-15 years ago...honestly, I think it's a positive evolution for the players.
These kids are sacrificing their bodies for zero monetary value outside of a "degree" which 5-20% of players take advantage of because it's really difficult to be a full-time student and have a full-time job at the same time. They have a limited shelf life if they're talented enough to go the NFL.
If I was one of these kids' mentors, I would tell them the following- Do whatever you have to do get into the league and fulfill the childhood dream. If it means transferring, it means transferring. If it means changing positions, it means changing positions. Whatever it takes. You have no loyalty to an institution that treats you like an indentured servant. College football is a means to an end (as harsh as that sounds).
The Brotherhood matters but if the NFL is your dream, you have to be selfish.
But have a plan in place for when the NFL is done with you because becoming a 10 year veteran in the league is a 1 in 1,000 chance for a P5 football player.
Is an NFL talent really going to be buried on the depth chart though? The more logical reasoning to me is that college football was also a dream for these athletes and most likely the pinnacle of their career. If they want to move around to make the most of it, I'm all for it. I do think the culture shift is going to change the way teams have to build depth though. Guys that aren't much of a drop off used to be what made a team deep but now those are the guys that can move around and perhaps become the No. 1.
Not everyone is a Kyle Fuller. A guy like Brandon Facyson plays in the NFL but wouldn't start at some programs in his senior year.