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KeAndre Lambert to Penn State. Not exactly a surprise after he canceled his visit, but still stings whiffing on a relative of Kam's.
https://247sports.com/player/keandre-lambert-46052214/
/ thread
Unless I missed something, we didn't even make it into the commitment video. Looked like he chose Georgia, Clemson, and UNC before the final reveal that he is PSU bound. For the record, he wasn't even a take at Clemson or he would have committed there months ago, and they are only taking one more WR and he is behind several players on their priority list for that spot.
*crickets*
I'm just wondering if our new DC, probably OC, and possibly HC can bring some cruits with them.
Thats the big question, we have a dedicated position on the coaching staff strategically to talk to recruits (Adam Lectenberg) who hasn't exactly lived up to his expectations. Similar to Cornelsen, I think its time to clean house at this position too
Yeah, I am not a fan of that usage of the 10th asisstant spot as a full time recruiter / scout. Especially when we have a young team that really needs to focus on development. Maybe if it was paying off with this year's class, but it sure doesn't seem that way so far. And it will be a year or two before we'll know if any of these 2020 recruits break out or bust out.
It's a fine approach as long as you hire someone who knows something about football, instead of just hiring your babysitter.
Hurts to miss on Lambert for a various number of reasons.
SO
Who else are we targeting? Who do we have a shot with?
Coaches or recruits? I don't think we get any more recruits without knowing our coaching situation.
Walter Simmons was at the Miami-VT game. Also of note, his 247 profile only has him warm for GT and UCF.
Paging 904...
I'd love to land WSIII.
He's listed as "DUAL". Is that dual-threat quarterback, or could play offense and/or defense?
Scouting Report
Athletic Background
Walter Simmons III is a 6-2, 180-pound Dual-Threat Quarterback from Orange Park, FL.
he'll be at UNC game with me
His dad followed our JAX Hokie twitter account. Been making sure there are plenty of posts about our 904 players.
nice! his dads riding up with us as well. theyre a great family. ive gotten to talk to his dad quite a bit at some of the 6 points camps (they hold most of them at UC)
I'm not sure if Fuente is cooked yet. A week ago, I would have said there is a major house cleaning. I have a feeling we might turn around the rest of the season, and that could help everything out.
My fear is we win just enough to not make changes, and this product becomes the new norm. Better to cut our losses now while there is still talent (in theory) to build on.
there will be changes... how many is yet to be determined.
JUGS swooped in with the intel:
via GIPHY
S/N: Average Joe's, little double entendre there
Yes we will have a new DC
... Technically and factually correct. What more could you ask for?
I wouldn't be surprised if Wiles retires too
If Wilder gets fired at ODU I could see Wiles end up there with that new staff.
... Oh shit?
Sure. Our Defensive Coordinator is leaving, so we'll have a new one of those.
I'd expect some changes on offense as well, though I suppose nobody knows the extent. The rest of the season results will likely determine how drastic they need to be.
We know DC, would also like to see OC. But beyond that, I'd happily look for a new ST coach, S&C, and 10th coach. ST play and Shibest's recruiting have has been pretty lackluster since year 1, and he's paid a lot. I know some folks are fans of Hilgart, but the team plays soft, the off-season conditioning was an area there were a ton of player complaints about, and there have been multiple reported dust ups between that staff and players. I think the negatives are outweighing the positives in that dept. Also gotta start getting more out of that 10th position. Results speak for themselves when you're talking a recruiting-specific role.
Agree on S&C. The dust ups, complaints, DL's who need to gain reporting lighter... something seems off.
guys not reporting at the right weight is on the players. The coaches can only give them the information, the players doing their part at home during the summer is on them
Don't majority of players stay on campus and work with S & C over the summer?
That's my wish list too. I'm not yet convinced it won't happen.
My fear as well, Fuente:
Saw we offered a Canadian DE for 2020 who lives in Florida.
https://247sports.com/player/wesley-bailey-46053643/
#ALLTHEDLBAILEYS
6-5 225, yes please. Also we offered his teammate SDE Akheem Mesidor 6-3 250, might be a DT for us, might be a DE depending on next DC.
I was not familiar with this school heading into this year, but Clemson gave one of their coveted WR spots to 3* Ajou Ajou from the same school for this class. So we would not be the only school taking some chances on these international athletes.
so...not a take for Penn State, I assume?
Wasn't NAW Canadian and came via a FL academy?
I thought NAW was in Memphis with his cousin and Penny.....
It's october, the fall colors are coming in, this is prime recruiting seasons at VT, so gorgeous.
Truly a beautiful sight. I've never brought anyone up for a game who didn't think the campus and the surrounding area was absolutely beautiful.
Is that really a top play? Not trying to be a debbie-downer, but it honestly looks like a (nice) catch and then just jumps over the DB's legs/feet as he was falling down/already down
3* DB/ATH out of Portsmouth, VA and current commit to Liberty received an offer from the Hokies last night, AND managed to use the full name of Virginia Tech correctly.
Looks like he got his ranking today. It'll move. They're just ranking based on reported offers.
Another very weak offer list, but hey, at least its a 757 recruit everyone says we need to be targeting to reestablish ourselves in the area
VPI & SU is a solid take every single time in my book.
Desmond Evans, 5* DE out of North Carolina will be announcing his commitment this Friday at 2pm deciding between UNC, Florida, and VT. Don't think he's been on campus since the spring and UNC is the heavy favorite as he's been to (3) of their games so far this year.
definitely not getting my hopes up. best case scenario is probably him picking florida, and then powell reconsidering us.
Dang, was hoping we could get him on his official visit this weekend. Those dang tar heels.
This is the type of recruit I've been talking about where everyone on TKP is going to act like this is some recruiting coup because Mack is the coach. This kid was always going to UNC. You could pull any person off the street, put them in a UNC polo and tell them to recruit Evans and they'd get the commit.
So not really an indictment of poor recruiting for VT. Sometime kids are just fans of a school.
As for Evans, he has all the measurables you want from a DE prospect, but I've seen games where he's been dominated by smaller OL. So I don't know what to think of him honestly. I think his a 5* because he looks the part.
The difference is there has been a load of 4 and 5 * kids that were lifelong fans of Tech that ended up going somewhere else, going back to the last several years of Beamer's tenure.
They had a very strong DL class even before Evans committed. This is abnormal and noteworthy to comment on how Mack Brown is currently recruiting a very strong DL class after a 2 win season. It's not just about them landing Evans, regardless of whether he was going to UNC no matter what or not.
It will be interesting to see how it pans out moving forward. They're running a 3-4 and have 4 DEs and 2 DTs committed for 2020, with 2 SO and 2 FR on the current DL depth chart, and another 4 DEs and 3 DTs signed in 2018 and 2019 who aren't on the depth chart. That's a whole lot of players (and scholarships) looking for playing time at 3 spots.
Many of the "DE's" are likely stand up OLBs in a 3-4 scheme.
And in fact Evans committed to UNC.
UNC Football: Desmond Evans, ESPN's #2 recruit in the nation, commits to North Carolina
Not that this is a surprise given the lack of news around Malcom Greene (S out of Highland Springs), but he just got 2 crystal balls for LSU. Could play the optimist and say that this means his coach can be on staff next year, but probably just got big timed.
The feel for awhile has been that if he became a take for Clemson or LSU he'd head there.
LSU has become my second favorite team to watch this season after the Hokies...plus im a fan of Ed Oregeron...i think when he retires from football, he should just be on Social Media or get a reality show..seems like he's a fun guy to be around..
Delpit is a beast..so i'm sure they are selling him on that
"Geaux Tigers"- Ed O.
"sdklfhsdlkfjsdlf lkfjsdlf lkjlfskdfj lkjlsfkjdlsd... Go Tigahhs" - Coach O
Love hearing every one of his interviews... cracks me up all the time. Would love to have him as our head coach. Love his expressive passion for the game.
I have it on reasonably good marinades that he's still leaning good guys. Reasonably good, not great.
Mmmmmm marinades you say?
Highland Springs kids won't be staying in state if they got out of state offers to big time programs. It is what it is, until we can get back to our glory days. It used to be a very strong pipeline for us, but that was then, and this is now.
I'm not saying Loren Johnson is promoting players to go elsewhere, i'll caveat that now. The vibe around the program is big-time, and they are seeing big-time results with their former stars winning national titles. If we can get to the playoffs, or make some noise in the NY6, then we'll see Highland Springs kids coming to Blacksburg.
According to Hokiesports, we have 0 Highland Springs kids on the roster. You have to go to Jerome Wright back in 2015, and he ended up transferring.
Former Texas Tech commit, before prepping a year
Naquan Brown visiting this weekend
Is there a full list of visiting recruits for this weekend?
If you ask, you shall receive
Whole lot of 3*'s right there.
AYEEEEEEE!!!!!! 904 guys stand up! the party bus is ready to roll and headed to Blacksburg for the weekend lets show them some hokie hospitality!!!!!!
2020
•3* WR Tyree Saunders (VT commit)
•3* CB Derek Bermudez (Florida State commit)- one of tyrees good friends, VT showed interest when they were down earlier last month on the bye week. hoping we can flip him a little bit, not solid on FSU.
•RB Max McClendon (No Offer) STUDDDDD but to small. wont be an ACC guy but trying to get him some exposure so we can get him an offer. (didn't put out any film had no one in his corner helping him with getting recruited. dad played at UF in the 90s and for the tampabay bucs, they are old school family not with all the online twitter and what not)
2021
•3* QB Walter Simmons III -dual threat guy. live arm. Keyshawn kings QB and former teammate
•3* WR Pat Bryant worked out for VT has a lot of ACC offers including VT (we lead for him right now if hes a take) long, can high point the football well and make tough catches lacks top end speed.
•3* TE Christopher Johnson (VT offer) plays DE/TE pretty good from his film but I haven't gotten to see him play live yet
•WR Malcolm Seaborn (No Offer) came up for a camp, shifty slot guy GREAT return man. probably wont end up in the ACC with his frame though
•OT Walter Rosas (No Offer) VT is high on him but wants to see him in a camp or workout before they offer
•QB Ridge Jacobs (No Offer) big strong arm. lots of VT interest and other ACC teams no one has pulled the trigger yet
2022
•RB Arthur Walker (No Offer) ** better linebacker than RB but is really growing into his body remind me of trey Edmunds
•CB Marcus Smithey (No Offer) **pray he gets an offer lol but that's just homerism
2023
•CB Orel Gray (No Offer) ** will be rated kids a stud!!!!!
add keonta Jenkins *3 VT commit and amp green rebualt teammates to that list. (keonta had senior events planned but cancelled them at the last min this am to make the trip with us)
Have a safe trip! Jacksonville is near and dear to my heart. I worked downtown in the SunTrust building and lived in Indian Springs off of Atlantic Blvd from 1985-1987. I absolutely loved living in that city. Great beaches, great seafood, nice people, and some of the best looking local talent I've ever seen.
I don't understand the downvoting for this comment but I would ask what the purpose of your comment was? Is your comment meant to throw shade at the kids who are visiting this weekend? Right now with the recruiting class that we have I'll take all the 3*s we can get. It's been discussed many times on here but not all 4* and 5* recruits pan out and some of the better players that have played for VT were 3*s. Hell, even some walk ons have been huge successes at VT. I would say that we shouldn't knock any 3* (or any kid who commits) because you never know what the future may hold.
Or...you know...just don't be a dick online where all sorts of people can read it.
Which falls under the most basic of rules:
Don't be a dick.
Scrap that trash link. Best VT Visitors info on the Internet!!
Ohhhhh would be nice to lock up Gary Smith on this official visit and get a DT in this class.
I'll be posting something tomorrow on the forum and I'm looking to get as many comments about their weekends as possible! Stay tuned
all the 904 guys will be with me if you wanna shoot me a text and try and get up and talk to some of them before or after the game let me know and we will make it happen
I cant seem to find any recruiting info on Devin flowers, I believe he's class of 2020? Anyone know if we're giving him a look...or if anyone is giving him a look? Someone who breaks Macho's record I think at least deserves a conversation....
I graduated from Glen Allen. Knew his 2 older brothers who also played football. Great family. I haven't made it out to see him play at all which is a shame. Devin was always a big kid growing up. Weird to watch his highlights now and he is a grown man. Not sure what the deal is on not getting looks. He is class of 2020.
Just saw a report that Porcher is transferring. Is this real life?
Yes
Bitter is confirming it, and if you go to the roster he's not listed there anymore.
Wellp.
We used to be TE to OL, or TE to QB.
I guess now we'll be WR or RB to DT.
Seriously, where are we going to find the bodies?
Bud has dug us one hell of a hole here.
I fear we are at the "Independence Day" level of looking for D-line depth....
He won that MF war!
I'm pretty sure if nuclear warheads aren't already illegal in NCAAF, you could only get away with it once and then they'd never let us use it again.
You would only need one.
Just please not at Lane Stadium.
Honestly, when kids can transfer just because they aren't getting playing time...that's kind of annoying. What happened to putting in the work to get better instead of transferring to be a bigger fish in a small pond?
That also means kids can transfer in.
Or make the '20 class a little bigger so VT doesn't go through this young team/small recruiting class nonsense again in 4/5 years.
Next year
Fr - Fuga + Hopefully a. 2020
So- Kendrick and Pollard
Jr- cunningham
Sr- Crawford and Hewitt
Need 2 this cycle
Don't forget we had some pretty solid preferred walk-ons this year as well. Hopefully, at least one of them pans out as well.
16 total tackles and two sacks over the past two seasons, sounds like he needs a better place to get his snaps and stats.
Was frustrated that he wasn't getting snaps over Hewitt, and frankly I don't blame him
Well he is now guaranteed not to get any snaps over Hewitt.
This aged well....Hewit was unstoppable this week.
The guy is a captain for a reason.
I am really worried since the game took so long Fuente won't have enough opportunity to not talk to recruits and their parents.
He said post game that they had a dinner set up for all the visitors after the game
Damn shame the food probably got cold.
he lied! lol. JK, they had dinner with some guys that were on official visits. that was set up. wasn't for ALL the visitors. but hey, they hooked my guys up with some chic fila chicken sandwiches which was the post game meal for the players too and they were luke warmish still lol
Any plans to give us a full breakdown of the trip like last time?
yeah ive been working on writing it all up. just been crazy busy since ive gotten back. I should have something up by tomorrow sometime. going to work on it some more tonight.
But.....but.....
Thanks!
When the writeup drops, we shall do what we can to give you plaid internet points
going to post today. its own thread. idc about internet points haha but thanks! anyone know how I can upload pictures from my computer to the site? I emailed myself some of the pics from the game id like to post them for you guys.
Easiest way is likely hosting them via like imgur, but someone better versed might be able to provide another avenue.
this is the easiest I've found.
Go to imgur.com
Click new post in the upper left.
click and drag images into the box that says "Drop Images Here"
Once it creates the post, you can right click on each image and copy image address and that's what you can use to post using the image button on TKP.
that worked great thanks fellas! +1 for you guys for the help!
You are real fun at parties aren't you?
Do you ever wonder why people don't want to hang out with you by chance?
I get what you're saying but really the game didn't last but like an hour longer so it probably didn't affect much.
Anyone heard if the recruits had a good time and wanna stick with the good guys?
Some really good tweets from some croots who were there. I imagine the vast majority had a great time.
Here's one from LB commit Tyreem Powell
Recent UNC decommit Lamareon James
Probably our no1 target for 2021 DE Naquan Brown
And peep this thread. Lots of top targets talking going to VT together. This happens a lot in recruiting, but it's certainly not a bad thing. Scroll up to see Tony grimes, Tyleik Williams, Tai Felton, Na'Shawn Murphy, and Naquan all talking about going to Tech. That would be a game changing bunch to land.
https://mobile.twitter.com/quanbrown_4/status/1185730843291148288
Shit, people are on there tweeting at the 'croots. They gone now.
DON'T TWEET AT 'CROOTS!
Well shit, he's young...I'm not. This is almost certainly the craziest VT game ever and I'm older than his dad. He is not wrong.
Wonder when he decided to de-commit from UNC? 7:38 Saturday night?
Any word on if we have improved the relationship with Grimes' father? He doesn't seem quite as anti VT on Twitter lately and even praised the VT coaching staff
Figured it was worth embedding the first tweet that started the chain.
Seeing all these young players ball out, I would have to think that these recruits would want to hop on the hype train and be apart of what is happening.
https://247sports.com/college/virginia-tech/LongFormArticle/Photos-Recru...
Pictures of Recruits from the UNC Game
Who normally does the coaching carousel thread each year? It's about time we started one, yeah?
Looks like FSU is pretty interested in parting ways with Taggart, and have labeled Urban as the man that they want (won't happen)
Here ya go! Just for you...
https://www.thekeyplay.com/content/2019/october/22/2019-2020-coaching-ca...
I found this a bit humorous, but also a little sad for that kid. Wake has a negative class ranking for 2021.
For context their 1 recruit is the #2 Kicker in the country
it kinda seems crazy to think that it's almost 2020 and we still don't know how to rate/rank specialist positions like kickers, punters and long snappers. I have seen plenty of "he's the number #1 ranked kicker in nation" posts over the years and look up the kid and he's almost always unranked or barely has a hudle account. I mean, I guess I can see not ranking punters/LS but Kickers should have better up keep on 247/Rivals. I mean they score a lot of points and are constantly under appreciated. anyone else agree?
Maybe 247 could give them legs instead of stars
Insert Joe Montana Kickers Are People Too commercial here
here is a page for a 4.5* Punter....
https://kohlskicking.com/player-profiles/trevor-haire
He's the number 1 punter in the country and a top 10 kicker in the country
The wake forest punter i mean not the GT one
I always laugh at all the people who shit on our low 3* recruits when they commit and remain silent when big time offers roll in.
We're calling Michigan St a 'big time offer' now?
Absolutely... not blue blood, but big time for sure.
We'll disagree then. In fact, I'd actually say we should always be signing players that have MSU-caliber offers.
Are you saying that we should wait to offer players who already have offers as good as or better than ours to begin with?
Or are you saying that against a team with precisely the same Team Talent as ours, that we should win every single one of them?
I'm saying neither of those things.
I'm saying we should be recruiting at generally the same level or same caliber player as MSU. Calling an MSU offer a 'big time offer' like they're Florida St or OSU is crazy to me. It's a P5 offer, which our recruits should have 10-15 of on average, hopefully more. If we don't think we can recruit on par with the 6th or so best team in the B1G, I'm not sure how we should expect to win the ACC.
So, why isnt MSU a big time offer then? OP was just saying we get in on guys early sometimes. Getting offers later from other P5 teams helps to validate the talent evaluation, but it is never good to lose those recruits.
I guess I don't see MSU as a 'Big time' program. I'd reserve the 'big time offer' moniker for schools that would really sway a kid from VT in name alone, like Alabama or Oklahoma. MSU isn't a program like that, unless you'd say VT or any P5 offer is a 'big time offer,' also.
Additionally, more offers can definitely mean we did well getting in early, but MSU is his only P5 offer outside of VT, and they could have simply missed on someone and are offering now later in the cycle - like we probably should have. If he had, or starts having 7,8+ P5 offers roll in, you may be right, but that's yet to be seen.
I wouldn't say any P5 is big time.... there is a clear distinction between Bama (blue bloods) and MSU (big time) just like there is a big distinction between MSU (big time) and Rutgers or Kansas or Vanderbilt (P5). In my opinion there are more than 2 tiers in P5 football, and MSU is at or near the top of tier 2.
I think if you're one of the 10 schools that has made the College Football Playoffs then you're considered a big time offer.
Yep. I'd sure like to have the bowl record and success Michigan State has had the last decade.
MSu is essentially on our exact timeline, but 5 years later.
They are also by FAR the worst team to make the Playoff, and the Playoff Committee completely shit on their stated goal of "four best teams" the year they put Michigan State in the playoff. Quite frankly, Michigan State's inclusion in the playoff is what has led to the ever-changing criteria. They said from the start it would be the four best teams, then they put the more "deserving" Michigan State in, got thunderblasted by Bama 38-0 in a game that was not remotely competitive and everyone patted themselves on the back for letting one of the little guys have a shot. So we got shitty playoff football so that the "THAT'S NOT FAIR" crowd could all feel good about how MSU "deserved" a shot.
Then everyone got mad in 2017 when they actually put the 4 best teams in the playoff and we had great playoff games as a result. Clemson-Bama that year wasn't a great game, but at least it wasn't 38-0. Georgia-Oklahoma was an instant classic, and the National Championship that year featured a true freshman QB coming in down 13-0 at half and throwing a walk off game winning TD in OT on 2nd and 26...
I'll take 2017 100 times out of 100 because sports are ultimately supposed to be entertainment.
Being the worst team out of 10 to ever make the playoffs is like being the 10th fastest guy at the olympics. Its equivalent to saying the guy that got killed by Usain Bolt in the 100m wasn't fast. It's still elite company that everyone wants to be a part of but only a few have been there.
Also that MSU team beat the #7 Oregon, #12 Michigan, #2 Ohio State, and #4 Iowa. That's a hell of a season.
I can agree with that, but as others have pointed out, MSU is currently on a very similar, but honestly even more extreme version of VT's trajectory under Beamer's last few years. An obviously sinking ship with an aging coach. Though, I would argue Beamer at least tried to innovate, it was too little too late, and his retirement also had his health factoring in. In contrast, Dantonio is as staunchly and stubbornly committed to living in the past with his archaic and inefficient offense as maybe any coach ever, and the wheels are really starting to fall off for that program. As it stands today, MSU is not in a great spot, and recruits/current players have taken notice.
I guess we are hung up on semantics. Yes, If I am the recruit, which is what matters most in this case, I would consider any P5 offer a big time offer. There are obviously levels of preference...but still big time.
As the parent also......I'm praying for a free ride for all my kids...lol
I'd agree that we should be recruiting at the same level as MSU, which is what I'd consider a second tier behind the blue bloods, but certainly big time for college football. I just find it entertaining to reminisce about all the hand wringing and frustration over low 3* guys we get who then move on to other big time football schools. Last year it was Sainristil, who has been getting PT for Michigan as a true freshman.
I know what your saying. I don't remember if Mike was one of those guys or not. FWIW, I actually thought Sainristil was one of our better recruits last year - in a position of need, and was really bummed to lose him. But he wanted to play WR (and only had 1 reception this year)
Sainristil was a low 3* when we got him, in the .83 range. Many were saying we only wanted him to increase our chances with the high 4 or 5* safety on his HS team who I think went to Texas... then Michigan swooped in and he is starting for what was a top 10 team...
Keyboard recruiting experts are always good for a laugh or two.
I'm going to go ahead and say that the program with players on the roster today who have been a part of the College Football Playoff could be considered big time.
Yes
Have you seen his offer list?
"I like ... blue ... bloods and I can not lie ..."
You other players can't deny
When big boy coach gets off the couch
And turns on Feinbaum in your house you get sprung
FTFH
Bingo
...and he committed.
I mean seeing as how he was at the UNC game, and that any recruit watching a game would have to evaluate where'd they'd sit on the depth chart, it's gotta be hard to imagine he'd get any playing time in the next 2-3 years. The dudes in front of him are far more athletic, and it's pretty obvious how a more pocket style passer works in this offense. That's not a knock on him, just an evaluation of where'd he'd fit in our system. Hope he does well wherever he goes.
Conversations were had. The MSU offer just greased the wheels
Wonder how firm that offer is with potentially a coach change there.
Coaching change? At Michigan State? What?
Yes many of the assistants will probably be gone next season and if things don't pick up for Dantino he might be not far behind.
I can see assistant coaches being let go, but it is absurd to think that Dantonio is getting fired any time soon, at least not for on the field performance. He's had two losing seasons with three conference titles, a division title, and a CFP berth since being hired in 2007. Look at his record:
2007: 7-6 (3-5)
2008: 9-4 (6-2)
2009: 6-7 (4-4)
2010: 11-2 (7-1)
2011: 11-3 (7-1)
2012: 7-6 (3-5)
2013: 13-1 (8-0)
2014: 11-2 (7-1)
2015: 12-2 (7-1)
2016: 3-9 (1-8)
2017: 10-3 (7-2)
2018: 7-6 (5-4)
2019: 4-3 (2-2)
Michigan State doesn't have the money or unrealistic expectations of the other school in that state nor are they a recruiting powerhouse. They have shown that they are perfectly fine with a few valleys in between peak years where they compete for B1G titles. He survived 3-9 and a whole bunch of unsavory off the field issues that would have tanked a coach with less pull. The only way he leaves involuntarily is if even more off the field stuff comes out and he is shown to have been involved and/or covered it up. He's as close to a lifer as there is in college football right now.
I agree with most of your points here, but living in Michigan and dating an MSU alum, the fans ain't happy. A lot of reactions to the team are met with similar disdain as the later Beamer years. The fan base was happy and excited for those 11 and 12 win seasons as well as the CFP and Big 10 titles. Problem is now that he has achieved that, it is more expected. I wouldn't say he's necessarily on the hot seat, but he isn't getting a pass for doing a good job a few years ago either.
Along with that, their offense this year looks absolutely putrid and many don't have faith Dantonio is the guy to fix it.
If MSU wants to get rid of Dantonio, Tech should get him as our next D coordinator. Dude has one hell of a resume. He is old, but so is Mack Brown. Dude can coach.
I have a very close family member (two actually) who is an MSU grad and follows MSU football very closely. He told me BEFORE the recent challenges and grumbling at MSU that there were strong rumors Dantonio might be retiring at the end of this season.
And take off the O&M glasses. Dantonio is not coming to VT as a DC.
Nationally college football people are discussing whether or not he'll retire at the end of the year
Nooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!! Not Ham Oink!!!!!!!
Yeah I completely understand Noah's decision. Coming off a broken leg and seeing how RW seems to be struggling in the O. I would advise my son the same if he was in that situation.....Good luck Mr. Kim........
Plus Burmeister will be added to the QB room next year so he'd likely fall further down the depth chart....good luck to him
Except he can sit behind him for 2 years.
Kim is good, really good, but he's not starter as a freshman good. Maybe at Michigan State, who have had poor QB play for several years.
But 2 years learning this system would mean successful returns when given the chance. At least, that's the expectation.
I'm with you on this. I like Kim's play. He's a winner, and would make a good Hokie.
Only Rich Rod was dumb enough to play a 170lb QB in the B1G... and you see how that worked.
Don't we also still have that 3* kid from Georgia that won all his games in High School? He's a freshman this year - I'm sure wearing a red shirt.
I think his shirt color depends on what uniform color we are wearing /s
Get this kid a full length name plate!
RW has struggled at VT because he doesn't see the field well and makes bad decisions at key times, not because of the VT system.
But I can understand a high school kid superficially seeing it as a system mismatch - especially when he has other choices and perhaps was even nudged in that direction.
So does anyone have insight to who his scholarship will go?
I'd vote for a big time TE or DT
Looks like Gary Smith (DT), Lamareon James (CB), and Myles Jackson (DE) are leaning towards the good guys. Pretty sure all 3 have said they wanted to set a commitment date after their visits this past weekend so i wouldn't be surprised if Kim has something to do with them.
Noah Kim was never going to work in this offense. It's as clear as day that we need a dual threat for this offense to work properly.
Hell, I think at Virginia Tech we should always have a dual threat guy no matter what. It's an important part of our identity and the current state of college football.
edit: that's no offense to Noah Kim. I wish him a successful career and free education elsewhere, but this was not the offense for him to excel.
Just think, in about 16 more years, we may just get MV7jr
You feel the same about Knox Kadum?
Nope. Knox Kadum has a frame that can hold more weight and he rushed for 2400 yards and 37 TD's in high school. Noah Kim has a different kind of frame. It's clear as day from pictures of each.
Not to mention, I'm familiar with his HS (Rome) and they were playing real deal competition week in and week out.
Also, I'm cool with a Knox Kadum, a potential diamond in the rough "winner" prospect. But we don't need one in back to back classes. If we take a QB this class I hope it's a more traditional DT guy.
Another thought is that the way things have played out with Hooker and Patterson have made us more confident that we don't auto lose one in the spring. Both have now played in big games and been heroes and rays of hope for VT. It'll be tougher for them to leave now. Before last week I thought we would lose whoever loses the QB battle next year for sure.
If we take a QB this class I hope it's a more traditional DT guy.
Makes sense... given our lack of depth at DT, would be good to have a starting QB who could play on the defensive line too.
Lack of depth at DT? Next yrs roster will have 4 experienced DTs on the roster - plus another promising DT who is redshirting because he can.
Yeah if watching the team this year has taught me anything it's that DT/DL in general is nowhere near the problem it was last year. Just got to hope they never let the DL recruiting cause a black hole as bad as it did in 2018 but they're definitely on the upswing.
If anything both safety positions are the big, big problem on defense right now, though at the very least there are highly touted recruits on the depth chart beneath the starters.
Seems guys like Kadum are a necessity these days with the portal looming. A 4* who loses the qb starting battle is probably gone and someone has to be ready as a backup. You need a solid developmental guy whose knows his role and is not going to jump ship. Dave Meyer comes to mind :-)
i think DT means dual threat
I definitely read it as defensive tackle too! Was trying to envision Tim Settle playing quarterback, wasn't working too well for me.
Why not? He's already a prolific punt returner
Y'all's minds are far healthier places than mine.
I don't think we need a DT as much as we just need someone that is capable of making the right reads in this style of offense, while still being mobile enough to be even a minor threat to run. I think Kim would've been fine form that standpoint, if I worry about his arm and functional strength
This is it right here. Our most successful have been dual threats. MV7, Bryan Randall, Tyrod Taylor, LT3, Jerod, it's obvious that's who we are at VT. Our history says so.
While I prefer a mobile QB due to the options it gives an offense from a football philosophy standpoint, I don't see how what was done in the last related to VT has anything to do with it.
The this is what we have always done argument is usually a cover for failure. Let's get a QB who fits our system, has the physical abilities needed to execute the plays we run NOW vs. this worked 15 years ago with the players and system we had then.
Bro
Don't blame the kid. I wouldn't want to come in and sit for 3 years behind Hooker and/or Patterson either
This is the party line on recruits and the portal. Everyone that leaves is buried on the depth chart or will never see the field. Logically that would translate into a bunch of wins on the field, vs. figuring out if we can beat Wake or Pitt to get to the Pinstripe Bowl. Hopefully next year we will see this play out on the field.
"The party line". Please.
The fact is there's only so much room for kids, and most kids want playing time. If they're not going to get that, I can't be surprise when they opt for a place that might give them that. Especially at the QB spot.
There's obvious problems to be discussed when it comes to the current staff's roster management. But I don't think that comes close to being relevant here, when we have 2 young QBs that have shown in the last 3 weeks they're capable of carrying the program for the next 3 years, Kadum is there as a RS Freshman, and Burmeister is coming in as well.
Georgia lost Justin Fields and Jacob Eason for the same reasons. Kids want to play, not be guaranteed to sit behind guys for at least 3 years.
"Wow, him leaving is going to hurt our depth, he was a good player/recruit that could help us" ... Said nobody on this board the past 2 years. It's ALWAYS- welp, he was passed by younger guys, we don't need him, he wasn't going to get burn anyway. Just look at the comments in this thread. The staff offered this QB knowing what was in the QB room- in a year where we have very limited scholarships. So they are either inept at math or they thought the kid could play for us.
I think it is deeper than that. In the age of transfers being more and more common place, the coaches are forced to look for depth in different ways. If you think a guy may be happy to live the P5 experience on the bench, you may lower the bar to have him versus a guy looking for instant validation in the form of playing time or out the door.
I obviously don't know what they thought of Kim, but I could see him fitting that mold.
I don't get your point here dude. Where did I say the coaches made a mistake offering him a slot? My whole point has been the kid is probably going where *he thinks* he has the best shot to play. For that I can't blame him. And I don't see how it's VT's fault that he made that decision. Are we supposed to be mad that we have 2 young QBs that look like they're the real deal?
I agree with you that the staff has issues when it comes to roster management, but I think you see everything that happens as some grand referendum on Fuente, even when it's a kid deciding he's probably got a better chance for significant playing time elsewhere.
I agree with you here. Good Post. My point is that if everyone- an inordinate amount compared to other P5 teams BTW, that leaves is a bench guy/not a starter/not in the immediate plans, our team should be at the very least ranked and able to compete with Duke. That is logical, IMO. A bunch of guys have left the program and everyone says its because they wouldn't see the field because they were passed by better players. OK lets see it.
-Sean Savoy has 6 catches for 56 years the entire year with 0 TDs. Tavion Robinson has 24 receptions for 267 yds and 1 TD.
-Kumah has 8 catches for 83 yards with 0 TDs. Kaleb Smith has 9 catches for 121 and 1 TD.
-Eric Cunningham 1 catch for 11 yards. James Mitchell 11 catches for 177 yards and 1 TD.
-Josh Jackson vs Willis is a tossup. Both have 44.4 QBR. Neither have been good, and we all know Hooker should have been the starter from day 1.
-Trevon Hill was a loss, and unless we know the full story, I can't blame either side for this one. Sounds like oil and water. But considering how badly players like Keene went after Hill, it's clear some of the players thought he was a problem. Still, it hurts to lose depth on the defensive line, even though he's had a less than spectacular season so far.
-The two that hurt for me are Cam Goode and Aundre Kearney. Goode sounds like a victim of the brutal offseason conditioning that the players seem to have talked Fuente out of in the future. I don't know. Hopefully it was a one-time issue. Kearney is disappointing. He played well in the limited opportunities he got last year, but the coaches stuck with Ashby. I'd love to still have the kid on the team for depth. But he left pretty quickly.
-Bryce Watts is another one that would be helping us now. Still don't know what happened here. But he would be a great 3rd QB option considering Quinlen can't cover to save his life.
I think saying "Guys leaving means we should be ranked" is weird? It's not like most of the guys that have left are doing better than the guys that are here. And for the record I don't like how many people we had transfer. We're not the only program hit hard. Penn State had a ton of kids leave, not that I'm using that as an excuse. It's a bad look for sure, talent level of the departures or not. I hope a similar thing *doesn't* happen again. I've been hard on Fuente for good reason, but I'd rather have him figure his problems out and get it sorted. The way the team has played recently has me hopeful that's the case but anything can happen in the second half of the season.
Overall, I think you're overstating the quality of player that we've lost, especially compared to the quality of player we'e brought in. Now, are the portal numbers too high? Absolutely, and if the same amount of transfers happen again after this year, I'll be right there with you sounding the alarm. I *hope* that doesn't happen. I hope Fuente has made adjustments that the players requested and has the locker room sorted out.
Actually, that isn't logical. A team can play it's best players, have lesser players transfer out, and still not be ranked. It says the best players aren't high enough quality for the team to be ranked, regardless of if you want to accept/consider that possibility.
Clearly you dedicate a lot of time and energy toward discussing VT football. You are the one making the bold claim and you know the names of the transfers just as well as the rest of us, so why aren't you doing the research to back up your own opinion? Frankly this is the major issue I have with your posts- you have no problem making bold claims, and sure sometimes those include valid points, but you have proven to be completely unwilling to do any research or legwork to back them up. As a result, I find the value added by your posts toward in-depth discussion to be minimal, as you appear content to hold your opinions in higher regard than those of others.
It takes about 10 minutes to see that none of the guys who left VT have demonstrated above-average performance at their new schools so far. Maybe that will change as they finish out their eligibility, but the results certainly don't support your opinion at this point.
I think the post is specific to QB. Honestly, I kind of get it as you have a kid who will be a true freshman with A very real shot of being 5th string and the potential of no shot of improving his position for several years.
To your point of prove it: although the sample size is small it's not a stretch to think Hendon could be a star, QP is different but right behind him for different reasons (especially by next year and the year after), Braxton is a legit athlete and although I might be in the minority Knox Kadum is a very good prospect for the long-term. That's 4 prospects who will all have at least 2 years eligibility next year.
In terms of the situation that Kim is walking into on the surface it might appear daunting to him given this information. When he committed the picture was not as clear is it appears to be now. Things can change, but I think given our situation this year there are two takeaways.
1). We have recruited VERY good QB talent. It needs to continue to progress, but talent and depth is there.
2). Because of #1 it could prove to be difficult to add to that qB talent this cycle as the decision Kim made could easily be the same decision others would make.
If we don't take a QB this cycle it will be critical we take a solid QB or 2 in the next class.
Starting to see it now
I'm not going to waste time by going to find and provide links to all the melt downs that were had on TKP with each player who entered the transfer portal... there were literally national publications that wrote articles about people freaking out over Fuente losing the locker room. I realize that doesn't fit with your narrative of everyone here laughing off each player to leave and that you will move the goal posts, but your assertion that nobody has freaked out about players leaving the last 2 years is absolutely laughable.
Most high school kids don't want to hear it; but most of them need 2 or 3 years to be ready to play P5 football. They need to put on weight and get used to the speed of the game at that level. There is the rare kid who can step right in to college foot ball; but he is very rare.
I agree in general terms, but it's not as rare as it used to be. We have two true frosh DT's, historically one of the more development dependent positions starting/playing starter snaps. By the end of last year we had true frosh LB Dax starting. Even Bama has started games with five true freshman on defense (2DL, 2ILB, 1 safety) this season. Justyn Ross was a true frosh last year physically dominating a junior DB in a national championship. The game has changed and high school development has evolved over time.
Amen. Freshman can - and do in a big way- play effectively today. This is not 1985.
But it would be better if more/almost all could redshirt and do it in a bigger, more effective way as a r-Fr, r-So, etc.
That's actually the way it's done by most programs - particularly non-blue bloods like VT - in 2019.
Sure. Agree, but Sam Howell is better than Ryan Willis. Tre Turner is better than Eric Kumah. An "older" team of medicore players is going to be simply veteran and medicore. Sure players can improve some with experience, but an 85 man 4 win roster is not going to be a 10 win roster 2 years later with those same players in the college game. Very rare that happens.
What does Sam Howell vs Ryan Willis have to do with it?
Regardless you can bet Mack Brown would love to be redshirting Howell behind a couple of good or better upperclassman right now. But they're in the same position as VT (at least wrt QB) because their QB situation has been butt ugly the last few years and wasn't going to be any better this year sans Howell. Yeah they'd be worse without Howell but don't forget that for all of his good play for a frosh, they still only have a 3-4 record right now so it's kind of a wasted year.
The real point is to consistently have a good supply of upperclassmen that won't require being supplanted by true and redshirt frosh. You don't get there - particularly with consistency at VT's recruiting weight class - by having 15 or so t-Fr, r-Fr & t-Soph in the 2-deep.
OT question but this is the recruiting thread so I feel like this is the right place for it...
Chris since you are forced to follow Clemson due to proximity, any idea what happened to KJ Henry? He seems buried on the depth chart there.
3rd string behind starter Logan Rudolph. Logan is the brother of former VT QB target, and now Steelers QB, Mason Rudolph.
So this has been a point of frustration for some Clemson fans. They want to see more KJ on potential as a pass rusher and less of some of the more "trustworthy" but less explosive guys who are playing their roles more consistently. His lack of PT has been compounded by Clemson largely moving to a 3-3-5 version of Venable's gap fit, often utilizing one true stand up pass rusher (Xavier Thomas) in most rush situations. It's caused some grief from the players themselves and their families but the defense has been very strong so the results are justifying the switch despite Clemson losing so much talent from last years front 7. If they were in their usual 4-3/4-2-5 I think he would be playing more, at least in pass rush situations.
Thank you
Well you see like all top recruits that come down to VT and some other place and dont choose VT, he won't get as great of coaching as he would have gotten at VT so his development is slower so he won't really play well until a senior.
EDIT: I am not TKP'ing hard enough. ignore post on Noah Kim, I thought it broke last night.
So could this have an impact on whether or not Lawson transfers?
Wait... Lawson is transferring? Beamer is really losing this locker room.
Damn portal.
Don't worry we will run a lot more once Drew Harris gets on campus
Verbal commitment from 3* Safety Jalen Hoyle.
He is averaging 11.4 tackles a game this year, and 11 ypc @ QB. Plus I think his dad is coach.
Let's Go!!!!
First commitment in 2021 class.
And he got the full name right. I'm all in on this kid.
Twitter handle checks out
Committed to VPI&SU. Kop approved.
.8600 seems to be a pretty high rating for a player with reported offers only from Massachusetts and Rutgers. I'm going to assume bigger offers will start to roll in now that he has committed to us. Mitchell was one of his main recruiters, and I trust his evaluations given how he has been able to develop DBs over the years (although I guess Hoyle will be a safety). Also, he has great size for only being a junior in high school. Not a lot of 6'0", 180 lb 16-17 year olds out there. After hitting a college weight program, he might really take off.
Yeah it's still early in the 2021 cycle. I think he will likely get many more offers in the coming months.
Absolute stud
It's interesting to see us sign a defensive player for the 2021 class without having announced our next DC
This^ tells me there's likely some certainty about how the situation with foster is going to be handled.
Why does it tell you that?
Obviously he knows who the next DC is gonna be, quick everyone tweet at croots to get them to spill the beans
I guess that means coach Ham is sticking around.
Not a surprise, but Hokies miss out on 4* S Malcolm Greene. Committed to LSU on 10/26.
Which is frustrating with their head coach being a former Tech player that don't have a pipeline from there.
Very frustrating that our staff continues to have minimal pull with in-state 4-star talent.
My understanding was that he wouldn't have qualified for tech...but I could be wrong.
Actually the opposite problem. He had so many credits that he was having a hard time finding a school accept them all.
3* Tennessee DT Gary Smith III is set to reveal his college decision on Sunday afternoon. Between Duke and VT. Unfortunately, the 247 crystal balls are currently 4/4 on the Dookies.
Auburn redshirt freshman QB Joey Gatewood reportedly in the portal. Big blunder by Gus Mahlzan. . Our kind of dual threat QB. Somebody please head down and show him and his momma some love
Not sure we want a QB who will be a junior before being eligible, who is the same class as QP etc. I think we want to be very selective at QB this cycle as our talent pool for next year is very good and has quality depth.
The roster management move would be to space out the talent age-wise and most importantly get another talented player.
Realistically, I am sure that Gatewood wouldn't consider VT, but we sure need to go get as much talent as we can get anywhere we can get it.
Besides creating a needlessly crowded QB room or pushing out one or more guys in which VT has invested considerable time and energy, I can think of much better moves with limited scholarships available - unless of course VT wants to be in a permanent state of old roster followed by big class followed by young roster followed by small class.