Per Schefty's below. This is a bummer for whatever games we may have this fall. Really looking to see his play-making ability be an anchor for this defense.
Virginia Tech CB Caleb Farley, a projected first-round pick, is the first college player to opt out of the coming season, a source tells ESPN. Farley will spend the year training for the NFL draft. He has seen NFL players opt out and is uncomfortable with playing this year.β Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 29, 2020
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Is there an echo in here?
just kidding. Commenting on this one to put it back up on top of the tracker since it was posted first.
I have 2 other "TKP" sources the can confirm this...π
I'm happy for Caleb. While he would be missing game reps (if there actually is a season), he can focus on training in a safe environment. Go get the money.
I hope we don't have football now....../s. Jokes aside this is really bad for us, but I don't blame him, he's had injury issues in the past, and imo (hope this isn't against community guidelines) football season should be canceled or postponed. look at the NFL, so many players testing positive, tons in CFB too.
Certainly don't blame/fault him for the decision, but man oh man, another talented Hokie leaving earlier than expected for the NFL.
Just need to keep him involved with the program so we can use that for recruiting, etc.
Gotta take care of our elite guys when they earn their opportunities. Support him in going to get his money.
I beat you to the punch but people seem to like your thread better :(
Some additional info:
Oof, a double drink day.
Lemme grab a rail real quick.
I dont blame him. Go get the money. Good luck Caleb!
2020 blows, how does this stuff sneak up like this just when recruiting hits a nice uptick we get this.
Smart decision, Caleb. Go work and get paid, son.
Awesome for Caleb, but farts for me and my VT fandom. I wanted to see what that secondary could do this year
Insert
Petethe Virginia Tech account tweeting about players being loyal to the program. /sI mean... does anyone think we're still going to have a 2020 football season?
i do!!! let the positive vibes flow man!! happy thoughts!
I don't think this will end up being necessary as it seems highly unlikely any college football will be played this fall. Props to him for getting out ahead of it. Would have been nice to see him this season, but it would also be nice to see any football this season.
I can't fault him. I wish him the best of luck training for and in the NFL.
I will say, I will be so unbelievably mad if all the elite players opt out except Clemson's. That's some lucky bs that would happen for them.
All the Clemson players have already gotten Covid. They might all be fine to play the season.
Clemson is a cult, they don't even know what the NFL is until they get there.
Yep, that's what bothers me too. Since half way through his freshman season, everyone knew Trevor Lawrence would eventually be the #1 pick when he was eligible. As of now, he still plans on playing. And then Etienne didn't leave early last year...that coaching staff should've been pushing him out the door last year.
Dabo is the best rescruiter in the country...both of high school kids and his players vs the NFL.
Well that worked out well.
I am not at "bet the mortgage" on there being no fall season, but I am close. Instead of coming in and taking the risk of getting exposed and then CFB pulling the plug, at least he can control his risk. Hopefully he does a great job in the combine, and if he has any classes left, he can knock them out online.
Can't blame the kid. Go get tech Some first round pick Status that we can brag about in recruiting.
That would be a big win for everyone given the state of the season, and everything that is going on.
When you read on your social media about the whole Rutgers team on quarantine because 15 player got the COVID and then scroll down and see this news, Caleb made the right call. It sucks because IF there is any football this year, I'll always think "what if". He's probably one of the first dominos to fall as far as players protecting themselves for 2021.
When your projections all say first round and you can leave early with no repercussions you go for it.
Will be pretty sweet for Tech to have three first rounders in four drafts. Wonder how many other ACC schools not named Clemson can say that.
Deleted. Incorrect info.
Smart move, best of luck kid
Good for him. I cannot comprehend how there could be a season anyway. Go Hokies
Good luck to Caleb. Hope he does well as a pro. Since I'm not expecting a college football season this fall I am not worried about the impact on the team.
Hopefully he sees Clemson, Miami and UVA on our home schedule and changes his mind, but either way, best of luck to him.
I'm with you but he's already removed from the roster so he gone. He's a 1st rounder but man it would've been great seeing he and Waller balling out one more year together. I still think the D plays great and it opens the door for another DBU player to shine.
Mixed emotions, but FFS 2020
I'll add that he's likely making the right decision (definitely the right business decision), but announcements like this and early departures in general really bug the hell out of me because it makes me not want to get invested in the individual or the team. I know I dont have a popular opinion, but my interest in football (in general) has already waned significantly since my undergrad years (98-02) and moves like this, that always feel like an "its not you, its me" breakup, only diminish my ability to care.
Rif I get your feelings. Remember when players stayed with the teams for an entire career? Your investment was in known players as much as the team. I too, am loosing interest or trying to care about VTF.
Interestingly, my interest in VT football, basketball too, has remained constant since the '80s, despite the ups and downs. But I can understand the way you feel and that describes the reason I don't bother with pro sports anymore. Friend today, foe tomorrow and vice versa just really messed the whole experience up for me. VT athletes, however, come with a built in time frame, turnover is part of the college game but VT is the constant. I will go to my grave lovin' you, VT.
I know what you mean. Barney's video had soul. But football in the groin had a football in the groin.
--Caleb Farley
In all seriousness, this is a smart move for him. And i doubt there is a season anyways.
Damn too late to get Webb back? Lol
Seriously. Need.
Figured he would opt out of spring ball if it came to it. A bit surprised he isn't trying to see how fall pans out. But, I can't say it is a bad move.
Good for him. Not that I was actively rooting against him playing for VT, but 2020 is a mess. You need to look out for yourself and your family first. If I was running some type of football consulting firm for kids looking to be professionals, I'd tell every kid in his shoes that its just not worth the risks to play this season. Be safe and prepare to be a pro somewhere. Especially if you're a projected 1st rounder like Farley is, but I'd say the same for any kid that has a 3rd round grade or higher. It ain't worth it, especially considering there's still a high chance there won't be a college season and also a high chance that if there is one, it'll have starts and stops and who knows what else.
This is why I'm not mad. Disappointed yes, but not mad.
Good decision Caleb and best of luck with your training. Seems like a long time ago though when I saw him make that reception in the spring game and said hell yeah we got ourselves a deep threat WR!
Best decision for him. Will be rooting for him at the next level.
Definitely a smart move. No sports should be happening until a vaccine is found.
Seroius question..if he opts out, i assume VT pulls his scholly, right?
If a player opts out, but stays in school, I don't think they will, but I'm assuming he's not going to be enrolled for the school year if he's training for the draft, so that would take care of that.
This year no. But Farley won't be taking classes. If a player just opted out but is going to try and play next season ACC schools will probably honor it.
1. I have a little bit of a tear in my Eye...I love this kid, feels like he never really got a full season in him due to Injuries
2. Best of Luck to you Caleb, go grab some Interceptions (Hopefully for the Ravens)
3. Next man up....
4. Hoping there is a Football season in the fall
Go Hokies
The Ravens already have all the corners you'd ever need. Now the Chiefs could use a new CB since Kendall left town....just saying.
Caleb going to the NFL and producing will help VT and recruiting in the long run. Happy for him. Made the right move. In terms of VT 2020, losing your best player hurts. Losing your best player on a team without a ton of top end talent and depth hurts even more.
I will give a special shout out to some other fan bases who are trying to skew this as another reason why Fuente(s) is on the hot seat for recruiting purposes and completely ignoring the sound decision making process by Farley. If I had lost a parent to a terrible disease in cancer, I too would be worried about the surviving remaining parent.
LA if you're out there do you think this means Walker takes his place in the lineup? Interested in seeing such a highly rated guy get after it early.
JR Walker? I think he's always been slotted at safety rather than corner. Seems like Murray or Chatman are the likely replacements.
Smart move for him. I wonder if he would have declared last year if he didn't miss the final 2 games with back spasms. Go get that money and return frequently to campus to help sell recruits!
Good luck Caleb! Thanks for the memories.
Seeing him ball out was one of the things I was looking forward to the most this season. That being said, not even mad. Handle your business, young man. Thanks for the memories.
Sucks for the team, as it's going to be tougher then normal schedule (if we play a full season), and we're going to need every star player we can get. However, I know it's likely the best move for him considering the odds of him improving his draft stock is minimal, a significant injury can cause a major slide.
Is there anything stopping him from directly signing with an NFL team and playing this season?
I know most players go through the draft (or subsequent undrafted FA process), but every couple of years you hear about some international physical freak who gets a few look and is brought into a training camp. I think you also get a fair number of new kickers who try to walk onto teams (eg Austrian rugby players trying to be punters).
During a normal year the NFL has a supplemental draft in July for these kinds of situations, but they elected to not have one this year. College players have to go through the draft, and if they are not selected, then they can sign as free agents, part of the collective bargaining agreement. So Farley has to wait.
He wouldn't have been eligible for the supplemental draft, if there is one. He still has to meet the "three years from high school" constraint.
And he has.
Oh, right, he redshirted, didn't he?
Yes, due to the ACL injury. Then his 2nd year was that year of inconsistency. Then last year was his breakout year.
I recently re-watched the VT-Miami game and Caleb was a beast for us there. If we play (fingers crossed that we do), we will likely miss his skills on the field.
Best of luck to you, Mr. Farley.
He was out the last two games, we lost the last two game. Coincidence? I think not!
His final 2 games for VT were shutouts.
What a kick in the nut-sack for us. But good for him.
Well. It would have been nice to have a season to see him play out his full potential for us.. But we can't. Well, because you know!
Good luck to him.
Sure would've been nice if that Iowa CB hadn't been fucked over by our admissions office...
Hot take: every college football player in the country will be required to opt out of the 2020 season
Any takes over 101 F have to sit at home for two weeks or have two negative tests before breaking.
I wonder if we will start to see more of this post-pandemic. Farley was coming into his Junior year correct? Granted, the number of rising juniors that are already being projected to be 1st rounders may be limited, but if I'm that good, and still have to be one more year removed from high school, I'd consider it, why risk injury, or just add to the typical wear and tear on your body from another season of football?
I remember Clowney was advised to sit out his junior year, but played anyways
This wasn't about waiting until he was eligible. He could've gone last year due to him redshirting his first year at tech due to injury.
Ah, right, I forgot he redshirted
I hope this works out for him and he has the right information related to the NFL. I hope he has Dalton Keene's advisors and not Jerrod Evans guys pushing him this way. We (VT) all know he's a top talent but he has 2 years of tape, where year 1 wasn't great, and some injury issues. For his sake, I hope his combine and 2019 highlights put him in the top 3 rounds.
Don't think it'll be much of a concern for Farley, he is an elite athlete with great size and just rated as the top CB in the ACC. Unless his injury issues raise a red flag I'd be surprised if he makes it past round 2.
This feels strangely familiar.....almost like when I heard MV7 was leaving. You want exceptional talent, and when your school has it you want to see those guys perform to the best of their abilities in your school colors. I understand the decision, and even agree with the logic. Can't help but wonder what might have been. Godspeed Caleb Farley.
I can't blame him, but it is sad as a fan that we never quite got to see him realize his full potential as a player at VT.
Still, support him 100% and look forward to seeing another Hokie playing in the NFL.
Yahoo Sports asks if Farley's early departure is the start of a trend (yes it is, of course):
https://sports.yahoo.com/will-there-be-a-mass-exodus-of-elite-talent-fro...
What is zero, Alex.
I disagree. Keep in mind we have over a month and a half until the scheduled start. Football has to happen from a revenue standpoint. If there is no football this fall, people are likely to lose their minds. I'm talking widespread looting, crime, and violence. The sheer stranglehold that CFB/NFL football has on our economy cannot be underestimated. MLB is not promising, but it's July/August. Let's reassess in mid-late Sept.
DBU will do what it does. Caleb will go first round and Waller will ball out and go first round next year. And 2 guys will set up this season as corners and will be top notch from the jump. Get that money, don't forget where you came from, much love!
Best of luck to you Caleb!
Incidentally, three of the top secondaries in the NFL have Hokies in the two deep:
Ravens - Chuck Clark - Safety
Steelers - Terrell Edmunds - Safety
Chargers - Brandon Facyson - Corner (second string)
And of course, Kendall Fuller won a SuperBowl last year in KC and now moving back to DC, with Kyle Fuller still locking it down in Chicago.
You paying attention NFL?
There's a segment in Peter King's Football Morning in America by Caleb (it's about halfway down the page). Interesting read which reveals he was not willing to accept the risk to his dad's health after losing his mom. That said, there was some information that greatly concerns me regarding how VT football seems to be handling things.
Personally I think it's unacceptable that we didn't have precautions and safety measures in place for the health and safety of everyone involved with the team. I can't help but see this as a massive failure that at a minimum cost us our top CB for the season and, if it hasn't been addressed, these types of actions are going to be the undoing for the entire college football season.
That's a big yikes. Even bigger yikes is that I bet we far from the only school that is being lax in its preventative measures.
It seems to me some players aren't taking this as seriously as others via social media. There's no need to call out names, but I've seen a few guys where if I was Caleb (and I share his concerns about my own father), I would be pretty nervous about their laissez faire attitude in regards to putting me at risk of infection.
A bigger issue is going to become apparent pretty quick. It's not just student athletes or students in general not taking this seriously enough. Faculty and staff not reading the guidance put out by Tech COVID working group, not coming up with plans until after what was supposed to be the deadline, leadership not holding to account people who break what is supposed to be rules in place. It's already and will keep being a cluster just get exponentially bigger as more and more people come to Blacksburg.
I'm sure testing playesr and staff will solve this...
I agree with the title, "The Problem with Testing Delays."
My concern with this type of cartoon/graphic is that many who see it will miss the critical last word there and jump to the conclusion that testing cannot be effective and is useless. One data point reported after 7 days is not good but 1) we can and should be to do much better than that and 2) I'd still maintain that one data point is better than nothing.
agreed. And one data point from 7 days ago, if the person is self isolating, can still be valid. It took me 6 days to get a test back (negative, yay!) when I returned from SC a few weeks ago. Thankfully, I could work from home during that time.
I've known injured players who would give a nut to play if they could. Now we have one quitting because his teammates are practicing in an "unsafe" manner? If there was something that dangerous, we wouldn't have 100 players practicing. Way to leave them hanging. They don't make em like they used to.
Yeah well remember when Cowherd said VT beats UVA because they're just tougher? Those days really are over with I guess.
Take a breath. I'm glad you are back active after 6 months from the site, but this isn't the way to kick the door open...
Clearly to defeat the virus we must be tougher than it is.
I saw on facebook that it's all about pad level, but I think you're on the right track.
Bitch ass virus ain't never seen jet sweeps like these.
Low man wins.
Covid just has a little better knee bend than us right now.
The number of people who think down of athletes that are not willing to destroy or endanger themselves playing sports is too damn high.
It is the "shut up and dribble" group which has their roots deep in some serious disgusting past of American history.
LOL with this bullshit
This passes for a leg worthy comment nowadays?
What's the danger of playing football vs Covid 19 to a healthy 20 year old? Give me a break
It's clear you haven't read or watched a single thing Farley has said about this. His mom died just a few years ago. He lived with his dad in Blacksburg and the thought of getting his dad sick too was too much for his mental health and well being. His stress levels from being worried about that led him to this decision. Again it's not all just about you and YOUR desire to watch sports here.
Well, since you asked Β―\_(γ)_/Β―
https://www.si.com/college/indiana/football/indiana-freshman-brady-feeney-seriously-ill-covid-19
https://www.acsh.org/news/2018/09/28/30-ncaa-football-players-have-died-...
That's just during workouts
Is your argument something along the lines of: well these people died from something else, so it's OK for these other people to die too?
Hmm no. The point is football is more dangerous than Covid 19. And Covid is not a legitimate excuse to quit on your team.
This post is a legitimate excuse for you to quit this site tho
ππ I don't really wanna be associated with a bunch of softies like this anyway. This program, stadium/game day experience is a shadow of its former self. The fan base and school is more and more like UVA everyday. Have fun with that
Real men get COVID to assert dominance over microbiology.
You walked onto our lawn...fyi.
Spoken from someone who is hiding behind a keyboard.
Bye Felicia.
Just pointing out the obvious. There is a difference between the teams we've had that won championships vs getting blown out at home to Duke. And it's not talent because VT has never been the most talented team. It's not an attack on one player because it's the culture of this school now. You think a starter on one of Beamer's great teams would do this? No way. I don't think fans understand how vicious those championship teams were on the practice field and in the locker room. There were no quitters. We've had all kinds of transfers and quitters now. If this is what you like, then just accept sub par seasons. I don't accept that.
Dude I don't know how to tell you this but your idea of football doesn't exist anymore. Anywhere. Blacksburg included. Vicious practices don't happen because player safety became an issue when we started to care about our players as human beings. The transfer portal has also impacted every team and it's great because it gives the player more options to do what's best for them and their families.
I'm sorry that the game has passed you by, but that's not Caleb Farley's fault and calling him a quitter won't bring "the good old days" back.
I'm not talking about the junction boys. I'm saying the players were vicious when it came to being winners, and not accepting anything less. They held each other accountable. And you will still find that at every winning team.
Because a Beamer led team of "tough guys" would never lose to JMU, Wake, Rutgers, Kansas, 0-6 Temple, etc etc
so now you are saying its just.....
enjoy your trip to south america because the community here is going to downvote you to bolivian
gotta take it on the chin tho (and not flinch) to prove the tuffness
Think we found C'burg Hokies' alt account?
If i just answer "No." would it be too on the nose?
(no, tho)
Then just leave. We will find a way to survive without your hot takes and you can find a site with a bunch of other fake tough guys.
Spoken like someone who doesn't understand a pandemic. He may not even be worried for himself but for potentially giving it to his dad. Kids have made decisions about playing, whether missing games, transferring schools, or quitting playing altogether for their parents and sometimes their own safety for a long time.
This may be an unpopular opinion, but it is valid to discuss the differences between generations of players, for better or worse.
Not in this thread. Create one if you want to discuss that.
And I feel like the all-time threads that were going around before would be a place for it.
Edit: And that has ZERO to do with Covid, or Farley's decision.
That would be a great discussion. Players today have more knowledge and information than at any time in history. Many young people including NCAA athletes are realizing the power they have. It's not longer "Do what I told you because I told you to do it". I think that's a great thing not just for sports but for our nation. Questioning why and how we do things is an awesome way to come up with better solutions .
We have a joke in the fire service "200 years of tradition unimpeded by progress". That is a great analogy to many aspects of life. Just because it's how things have been done in the past many people feel that's how they should always be done, and people who come in and make waves about changing anything are ridiculed or it's said they aren't team players or soft.
The market will take care of itself. If VT football becomes an NFL minor league with paid salaries and little affliation with academics, the market will adjust. The G league bleeds money, can't pay people to go to games, and doesn't have a national TV deal. March madness - not so much- it's arguably the second most popular sporting event in America. So let's see if people remain glued to their TV's for a month when it's professionals playing for Duke that take online classes and have agents playing against an Ivy league school in the first round.
With more and more players opting out anyone know of any site keeping a list?
In an attempt to get this back on topic. Roanoke Times article on Calebs decision and his feelings on VT