If you get 13 four stars, enough will pan out to give you an elite football team. I said ELITE TEAM, so before you run your mouth please consider what that term means for a minute.
It's a numbers game gentlemen and we are not winning the numbers game compared to the elite and historically great. It is SO damn hard for anyone like VT to get what is needed to win week in and week out. In our best years we're living on a prayer that our talent level can overcome poor execution in certain games. The BEST athletes win games they shouldn't and it's soon to come that coaching and recruiting amongst comparable and historically better programs in-conference catches up to this program, if it hasn't already.
What do we do about that?
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All those 10+ win seasons and we were just living on a prayer with a bunch of nobodies? I think you're putting too much on the rankings of young kids just coming out of high school.
My question is how close were we to being the best team in the country. I LOVE 10 win seasons. Don't doubt that.
Being the best team in the country isn't a realistic goal for our program.
Not with that that attitude! To be the best you have to think you are the best.
'99
Well you have to start winning games again.
The team is heading in the right direction after last season, the worst season of my VT fandom. Recruiting is improving, this recruiting class is one to be excited about, and if Tech finishes the season strong the momentum will carry over into next season's recruiting.
All you need is 757
Russell Wilson would like to have a conversation with you.
THanks for the response. I hope I don't sound overly negative. The numbers just make sense to me.
Just went through every recruiting year since 2002 and some of our classes in the mid 2000's were horrible. I mean close to bottom half of the country horrible. But on the other hand, some of the highest rated classes were several spots better than the 2012 and 2013 classes. I'd like to see us break the top 20 (preferably the top 15) with regularity. At least that feels like a realistic goal. 2014 is off to a hot start. I'd like to see six more 4 stars in this class, and NO MORE two stars by the time we're done. If we end up outside the top 20 - it won't be a much different haul than normal, an advantage being that we'll have had three consecutive years of top 25 classes. That's good for us, but I don't know if it's enough to win every game on an increasingly difficult ACC slate and Conf Championship - much less with teams around the country that are bringing in double the amount of 'top rated' prospects that VT is.
FSU is kicking some serious ass, Miami is finally starting to harness their players potential, and I don't really see Clemson going anywhere with all the talent they're reeling in - mostly because while Dabo can be a little goofy, players react to him. We have to respond...
and THAT shit starts tonight. Fuck Miami. Claim the coastal. Give FSU every bit they can stand and scream to the world that this team, and this program isn't going away. We will compete for titles, we will win titles, and we will lurk at the door of the national championship before the day that we WILL kick that son of a bitch in.
LET'S GO HOKIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Finished strong on this post. I think we will be in for some good recruiting classes these next couple of years.
Thanks Low. To be certain, I get disheartened when we lose out on guys like Brandon Lee to Mizzou and maybe I shouldn't.....but I beam with belief that VT has earned a reputation that should make young kids drool to play for a great football program like Virginia Tech. Loeffler and Grimes have already shown that they can bring in great guys like Ford and FIVE olinemen. Gotta keep the train rolling.
It defies my Hokie logic that we have whiffed on some of the players that we have out of VA this year potentially, and the last few years.
B. Lee doesn't bug me as much as the in-state guys.
Actually, the fact that VT is in the running with kids like Lee is exciting to me.
Yeah same here about Lee. Just tough, cause kids going to like what they like.
Give me snot-bubbling kids who are under-the-radar and sprinkle in some four and five stars players like we did during the 10-wins season, and I'll be happy. Those under-the-radar kids tend to play with swag and with a massive chip on their shoulders.
I like our guys and I like the way we play. I freakin love Sam Rogers. I love Jack Tyler. I loved Cody Grimm. Who else belongs on this list? I love those under the radar guys and our experience as fans would be lacking without great stories like them.
When I think under the radar, I always think Engelberger. That guy was badass. Media hated him cause he would only talk about fishing. But it's kids like that that built VT.
I still have a signed player card from Engleberger from when I was younger. Guy was awesome.
How many 4 star players did the 99 Hokies field? I don't think you need that many 4 & 5 star guys. It certainly helps but having just a decent offensive line of 3 star guys with a 4 or 5 star QB can get it done with an under rated talent level on defense. Also, having strong special teams and a good kicking game. That 99 team got after ya. The formula works..a top 10 class will never come to virginia tech bc we don't cheat or pay players even if we had nick satan..we would still not bring in top ten classes.
Everyone has been down on VT recruiting recently, and I don't see why.
First of all, lets be realistic about our football "program"; Its a relatively NEW winning tradition that has won regionally (Big East, ACC Championships) but not nationally. Overall, I would say our "program" ranks in the range of 20th-25th range, and if you want to debate the rank should be higher, I have 1 response; National Championships, none. Half the SEC has one, half the BIG10 has one, half the ACC schools have them (lowly Pitt claims 9 alone.) Other schools that could claim a stronger football tradition than VT include Army, Cornell, SMU and Minnesota. So lets keep our expectations in context.
Considering our football program's success over the last 20 years has our program ranked about 20th -25th, about even with our recruiting. Yes, great recruits have left Virginia for greener pastures. Others have wasted away at LOLUVA. Several have graced our campus, but VT hasn't put together a consistent system for them to fit into (on the offensive side of the ball.) Change to a successful system and recruiting will benefit.
Too much emphasis is put on the quality of the recruits and not their development. Lots of programs waste fantastic recruiting with bad coaching. Miami, UVa, USC, Texas, Michigan, and Florida comes to mind in the last few years. The pinnacle of disappointment is losing with a stable of 5-star recruits; just ask a Texas fan.
IMO, I think Beamer has found a diamond in the rough with the new offensive staff. Grimes has always produced good O-Lines. We need that. Loeffler has always been a great QB coach. We need that too. Virginia has too many fantastic QBs that we miss out on, and for good reason; our former offensive scheme was a mess.
Bring our offense up to the level of our defense (whose recruiting isn't any better BTW, but is a good system with disciplined players) and Beamer might fill that trophy case.