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This is my only concern. The OL room looks to be (hopefully) improved, and we currently have our best OL recruiting class on paper in many years (still got to get them signed, of course). However, if we don't turn it around this year, and Pry gets fired, it's probably impossible to tell how many, if any, of these guys we manage to keep, and thus the long-term prognostication of the OL room goes out the window.
So that brings us back to the key part here: We brought in a bunch of OL guys for this year, a bunch of backs, and have Drones back (hopefully, fully healthy), so if we can show immediate, significant improvement on the OL, it will probably lead to a season where Pry keeps his job and we can move forward. Ultimately, it all comes back to what we already know -- that this season is critical for Pry's future.
I might be in the minority, but lets redeam those black and orange uniforms from (winces) a decade ago.
I agree with all you said but, at least with the projections/ratings, they are in the correct direction.
Made it back from the epic road trip in one piece. 4,008 miles driven in the camper van. 4 national parks. Lost count of state parks.
The only real screw up we had was that Seattle's Pride parade was on the Sunday we were there, so no Space Needle or Pop Culture Museum. But we still got to see the Mariners' and Seahawks' stadiums, and drove up to Magnolia Park for some sweet views and then drove up to Everett for an Aqua Sox game.
That drive between Oak Creek Village and Sedona has amazing views of all the red rocks. Really enjoyed that when I was out there a few years ago.
We also took the Grand Canyon Railroad from Williams up to the National Park. Was a cool experience taking the train.
We went through Sedona on the way to the Grand Canyon because we were still very much on east coast time and woke up before our alarms at 430am local time in North PHX. I was also shocked at how small Sedona is. I also didn't expect it to be "desert Gatlinburg". We passed through before everything was open, but it was beautiful to see all of the rock formations.
Yeah I'm in the same boat. Definitely like what Matt Moore is about, but I too feel like the sun is setting quickly on the Pry era. There seems to be very little enthusiasm from the fan base and VT media this offseason. Moore and Mines are both individually great recruiters and keeping their positions stocked, but Pry overall (and particularly on defense) has struck out big time this cycle. TBH I'm expecting Montgomery to give the offense a good spark, he's a proven guy and an extremely experienced and savvy coordinator. I am still incredibly nervous about the defense - Siefkes still seems like a gamble to me. That's been probably one of the biggest frustrations of the Pry era, aside from overall bad game management and coaching. The defense for a defensive coach has been inexplicably bad.
I definitely think Montgomery and Moore will give us a coaching boost on O - but is it too little too late? And a lot is riding on Drones who has been injured and really struggled last year. Will he thrive in this new system? Will injuries continue to hamper him?
I have to see something on the field first. I can't get remotely excited by the offseason hype machine at this point. We've been burned too many times.
This running out of time is my biggest stomach ache. That the OL will improve a lot but with all the losses in other areas and our inability to develop a QB, we still end up 5-7 or 6-7. If that happens, what do you think the odds are that the staff stays to allow Moore time to develop the line? Assuming we do not see lots of bad coaching mistakes at the HC, OC and DC levels, so there is improvement there and that the OL is clearly better and improving throughout the year. Would we keep the staff? In the scenario above, I'd hope so. Now if we see the same mistakes at HC, OC and DC, then totally different story.
And if Pry is let go, would Moore be a possible HC to allow for OL continuity and development assuming the OL is developing. And we are willing/able to pay the key OL players, so we are setting money aside for the moment.
Where is home???? pic.twitter.com/m1E3Lt9bt1— "D1" (@DaMari_Carter) July 3, 2025
Can we keep it going? No much CB info, just a single medium confidence to lolUVA a couple weeks ago
Thanks for writing this up, I appreciate the honest data informed view.
This is definitely exciting, and I hate to be that guy, but it just feels like the clock is running out. If this offensive line doesn't get us to a regular season wins, I think Pry is likely (but not definitely) gone.
If the line does drastically improve, then we have to fight to keep everyone again, as offensive line is the most scarce position group and these guys are particularly young
That said, supposedly offensive lineman absolutely love Moore in our willing to follow him anywhere. If that's the case, then we better give Moore the Fontel Mines treatment
So important to get more wins this year. Staff needs to step up, rest of the team needs to step up. This OL improvement can set the team up for success, but if the team goes 5-7 or 6-7 and Pry is canned, all these recruits are gone anyway. Oh please, let's take a step forward on the field this year and keep the momentum going.
Big improvements in this group vs. the past several years - which is not a total pipe dream given (1) how bad the OL has been (2) the new coach with a positive track record and (3) lots of new players with some talent - is the one real hope I have for improvement. The irony is, we could improve a lot here and have the foundation for a brighter future and everything can still fall apart. If the rumors of Pry needing to have a winning record or getting canned are true and we go 5-7 or 6-7 and he is gone, everyone will likely be gone. Why it's so important for the team to step up this year.
And heck, we could go 9-4 and still lose most of them as they are bought out by other teams. Ugh.
High school offensive line rankings are tough to trust because projecting how linemen will perform at the college level is incredibly challenging.
Scouts must evaluate how players will adapt to college weight rooms, which depends on work ethic, maturity, and physical development—traits difficult to assess at summer camps where rankings are often determined. They need to predict how a player's performance will change after gaining 40–60 pounds. Will they lose speed or fluidity? Become top-heavy? Does their new physique maintain the biomechanics needed to minimize serious injury risk?
The technical demands of the offensive line position are immense. It's arguably the most technical position in football, yet most high school linemen have poor technique. Many dominate with size rather than skill, making it hard to gauge their true potential. How well will they absorb and apply new information? Will their mental processing hinder their footwork?
Mental toughness is also critical. Offensive line play is effort-driven, requiring relentless block-finishing against college defenses. This is tough to evaluate in high school, where linemen often face little resistance.
With all of factors coming into play, it's damn near impossible to evaluate them unless it's a can't miss, 5* prospect...and in some cases, even guys with 5* evaluations end up being busts (see Rice, Zach).
Consider our two best offensive linemen this century: Christian Darrisaw and Duane Brown. Darrisaw was a 2-star recruit with only one Power 5 offer and had to grayshirt at FUMA after high school. Brown was an unheralded 3-star, 250-pound tight end in high school.
Among our "big-time" offensive line recruits over the past 20 years, only Wyatt truly panned out. The others ranged from busts to UDFAs.
I'm optimistic that Coach Moore can turn things around, but it's hard to know what we have until these players spend multiple years in a consistent program, under the same coaching staff, and actually get on the field.
Disappointing result for the US. Granted, we weren't at full strength. Still sucks to lose to Mexico. The US has a huge mountain to climb over the next 11 months. Will need a favorable group to have a chance at the knockout stages.
Nah.
We need a Black Out night game. Black uniforms with fans wearing black. LED lights making their debut by suspiciously "flickering" periodically during the walk to the tunnel and the "Let's Go" chant. Followed by a brief pause where they go out completely and Enter Sandman starts. Thus triggering the lights to begin a pre-programmed flash/strobe/etc to the beat of the song while the stadium jumps. Then reaching the climax where the players rush the field triggering the tunnel pyro and fireworks.
10/10. Would lose my mind.
West End was good for 15 lbs a year by itself but getting them around 300 lbs out of high school is a better approach.
Thanks for posting.
'Tangential Hokie' cracked me up.....
A drone show added to the entrance would be pretty epic
Had offers from Duke and Stanford, heard he wants to go into engineering.
Mama didn't raise no fool, he's here to play school as well.
St Johns pipeline back up?
The announcers were like "#3 Miami vs" and I waited for "number X Virginia Tech". Then they kicked me right in the Sandbag.
Some serious size coming to the OL, two guys at 6'6" and one at 6'7". Recruits coming in at 300 lbs. I remember them at 265 and needed 30 lbs added over the first year.
Agreed, see how the Sumo guys handle a speed rush with a rip and swim combo. Moving sideways while keeping him still is different than planting a leg and pushing.
"BEEEEEEEEEF!"