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I don't think its directed at S&C in particular but it was definately a part of the problem. I doubt Ford came up with his own workouts to do. However, was he in the weight room more often? Was he asking for what to do in improving speed and strength together. But if for the most part the TEAM wasn't busting their ass in S&C because no one was holding them accountable then there is a problem there. Ford can be a straight beast, which he is, but him alone won't win us football games. I'm sure Sam Rogers wasn't one to skimp on workouts either. Everyone has great praise for how hard Juice and Shai work to get healthy. It's up to the individuals to do the actual work but if no one is keeping them accountable then those that aren't pushing themselves don't help the team.
Again, I don't think S&C was the sole problem for our woes the past few years, but it was definitely a contributing factor. I'm glad there is change there. It's nice to hear this change from the new coaches too.
Two seasons of sub .500 ball? I'm sorry, but that is the most pessimistic scenario possible, we have too much talent to go under .500 for the next two years and the fanbase would likely be fed up Fuente and co. after year two if that were to happen.
🚨 🚒 🔥
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10 years 5 months
# | Virginia Tech Confirms Torrian Gray Has Resigned, Expected to Take Same Position at Florida Gets out the of the Bud Foster bubble of influence to show his own skill set.
FWIW Wiggins said last tonight that Texas made a big time push for Evans, but that at the end of the day he wanted to be a Hokie.
That's awesome.
I hate how the article has to have a caveat "If you don't know what office space is. Here's the clip from the actual movie" If you haven't seen office space ...grow up.
When do you start to feel like you're getting old they ask?. 27. The answer is 27. When you start sitting in the east stands because you think. Phew. It's a long game to stand up the whole time. And when Sharkys goes from your favorite bar to your least favorite and you always find yourself saying 'ughhh. It's so crowded in here' I wish they would turn that music down.....
🦀🦀SHEEEEEEEEIT🦀🦀
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10 years 5 months
# | Virginia Tech Confirms Torrian Gray Has Resigned, Expected to Take Same Position at Florida How is this an advancement in his career? Same position at a school that over the last 10 years probably is ranked the same or lower in defensive stats than us (on average). We complain about the SEC myth, but calling this an advancement is perpetuating that myth.
This comment isn't directed at anyone in particular...just adding to the thought here.
I find it interesting that everyone is piling on the old S&C staff. It may be warranted, it may not. I have no idea, really. I want to single out Ford here. He worked his tail off in the off season to add muscle and improve his endurance. That work paid dividends. He transformed himself into one of the more dangerous WR threats in the ACC. My question is this. Did he know what to do and how to do it in order to reach his goals or did he have guidance along the way? Was there somebody pushing him or did he just come up with everything on his own?
I understand that it's possible he formulated a work-out regimen on his own or modeled it off of something outside our program but I think it is just as likely that everything came from in-house. It may not have been an issue with the S&C staff so much as the general attitude or culture of the players. I guess you could argue that they go hand-in-hand but if Ford was motivated to transform himself and was able to do it successfully why couldn't anyone else?
All I'm saying is that maybe the S&C coach(es) / program wasn't the real problem. You know that saying, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. Well if you bring in a bunch of soft players and ask the S&C coach to turn them into mean hard-nosed monsters what are the odds at success? Maybe our S&C program grew soft. Maybe the players we were getting were just soft. Maybe it's a combination of the two. I don't think that the problems this program has had over the last half decade can be attributed to any one person or thing. Blame can and should probably be spread fairly evenly across the board.
I'm hoping that the influx of new and young coaches whom are hungry for success will give this program the jolt it needs. I feel that VT football stagnated a bit over the last few years. The energy and intensity needs a shot in the arm. I just don't know if we can blame the lackluster attitude/culture solely on the S&C program, or any individual for that matter.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-saturday/houston-s-tom-herman-des...
Herman lets the fax machine know how he feels.
As bad as the two kids were that committed the murder are, I think at some point you also have to ask where Nichole's parents were throughout this whole ordeal. If she was talking to the guy online, it's her parents responsibility for monitoring the online behavior of their children. Yes, in this day and age it can be difficult, but at some point, there had to be some warning signs, especially if the rumors of Nichole and her murderer being sexually active are true.
I think what the two students did was absolutely horrible, but it does raise some question marks in the fact that she was able to communicate regularly with a male 5 years older than her without her parents getting involved.
Oh Boy-kin
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10 years 5 months
# | Virginia Tech Confirms Torrian Gray Has Resigned, Expected to Take Same Position at Florida Please explain your fear of this. Do you not have confidence in Coach Fuente and Coach Foster?
I'm curious.
Has there been a difference in player development on each side of the ball?
Had the defensive players not developed as much as the offensive players or vice versa?
Or was this relative to the initial talent level the staff had to work with?
Unless it's part of a regional or cultural dialect.
I would not lay all that on Frank. He asked for and was rejected for recruiting staff. It wasn't until recently that they started to add recruiting positions.
You can overlook in-state recruiting all you want so long as we are successfully bringing equivalent talent in from other states. Over the last few years, we can't claim that to be true. Along with places like California, Texas, and Flordia, Virginia is one of the most fertile recruiting states in the US. Its not a coincidence that VT was most successful when they could consistently bring in the top talent in VA.
TEEMING WITH INTEL
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10 years 5 months
# | Hokies Point to Encouraging Early Enrollees on an Otherwise Dreary National Signing Day No doubt there are fewer gems as the focus and sheer number of people/camps for evaluating recruits. I'm not saying it isn't important to step up our recruiting into landing more of these better prospects, merely offering a positive opinion on someone we have to work with in the meantime as we prepare to assemble the product on the field that will help us get those better recruits.
Honestly I'm over the must win instate recruiting. I find it short sighted and too simplistic for the modern era.
Yes, in the early day of Beamer it was a must, but kids these days have a broader sense. Parity has occurred, and being a top star at a P5 team can happen. So VA kids are looking elsewhere, whether it's for immediate playing time or the desire to get away. Imntired of people a using the staff, new or old, of dropping the ball because a top recruit chose some other school.
In addition, I don't want to only keep my sights on VA recruits. I want top kids from FL or OK to play for VT. To me, that means more than a VA kid playing at VT.
Just get over it. People are going apeshit on high school kids making choices. When I graduated high school, I wanted to be an engineer, after some course correction, I realized I was and always had been an interior architect. Decisions like these happen. So stop being a bitch.
Wow - This might be my most successful thread on the site.
I can see that I'm late getting back to the computer and posting my notes/results from the evening but this was date night w/ the Mrs. so we grabbed some dinner before heading back out to the suburbs. This was our first recruiting night so we didn't really know what to expect. I have to agree with VTCPA, the clips seemed a little bit rushed. A couple of times the video seemed to get ahead of Coach Wiggins. I don't know it this was a result of the technology at the Arlington Cinema Draft house and Coach Wiggins had no control over the presentation or if this was planned to keep the event moving.
Thansk marcb2 for the notes from the player video clips. I was taking notes but my fat fingers swiped or punched something they shouldn't have on my phone and those notes are now somewhere among the ether. You captured most of the points that I had noted.
VTCPA, thanks for capturing the answers to French's questions. I think you've got them all covered in the order French asked them. Since VTCPA has summarized the direct answers to French's questions, I'll just dive into my notes from the evening.
The rest of the post will follow this format: Rough question summary - Synopsis of my notes and memory. I was taking notes on an iphone so I may have missed some things.
What was is your recruiting pitch/style -
Build on the family atmosphere of Virginia Tech, This year they focused on spending time with guys that had already committed when they first arrived. Really dig into the backgrounds of those guys (interviews with coaching staffs, teachers, high school staff). Ensure the their academics are in line with VT; 5 days a week these guys carry backpacks and we need to make sure they understand that. Ensure that the recruits fit the style of VT and CJF.
How many recruits does he see playing in 2016 -
That up to the players and how hard they work. We have a number of players who have enrolled early so that will help with their preparation. Coaches won't use a guys year just to use it.
What does he look for in QBs/Is the next QB in this class (missed exact question)
As WR Coach he wants to make sure that they've got a guy that can get the ball to the receivers. One of the goals of bringing in the kids they did was to get competition at those positions. Competition will make everyone better.
What was the recruiting philosophy this year, were coaches focused regionally
Coach Cantor tailors the areas for the coaches and has been very helpful at getting coaches up to speed. Coach Wiggins will be taking some parts of Coach Fosters territory and working the NoVA, DC, Maryland schools.
Will there be a focused effort to connect with the DC/Maryland Schools such as Good Counsel (mentioned a couple of other names but I missed them).
Yes, Coach Cantor and Guerry have given him a stack of schools to reach out to.
What experience does he have in recruiting/what other connections does he bring with him -
He's a 'city boy' from LA. He's recruited LA, Alabama, and Texas while he was at Memphis, Tulsa, and Illinois St. He's comfortable going up against the 'big boys' and as long as we go about recruiting the 'right way' we will win out.
Were there recruits that you brought with you from Memphis -
Evans was a target that they brought with them. They have been talking to him for a while. Glad to be able to bring him to VT as he was getting increased interest from other P5 schools (specifically mentioned Texas and Coach Strong).
What will the offensive philosophy be -
Fast paced and multiple. The goal will be for 80-85 snaps on offense (GASP from the crowd)
How much will the new offense feature Ford, Phillips, and McMillan -
Goal of Coach Wiggins and CJF is to get the ball into the hands of the playmakers. Along with that it is critical that VT develop depth at the playmaking positions. He believes that sending guys out tired leads to getting them hurt.
What is the philosophy of the new strength and conditioning program -
Currently there is a blending of the staff and philosophies. If anyone hasn't met Coach Hilgart he is a "Ball of Fire", he matches CJF's style and philosophy. We won't just focus on getting as big as you can get. Conditioning will be critical to matching offensive pace. Running more.
What will the spring game look like, will it be as boring/stale as previous years -
Spring is over by the time the spring game is held. If you are looking for exciting watch the practices. They typically run their base stuff, focus on keeping guys healthy.
How does CJF run game week, will there be changes to the approach -
CJF runs a consistent approach to game week. Process and structure will be the same regardless of the opponent. Sunday: Coaches film review, Lift day for players, 1 hour practice. Monday: Off day, Coaches grinding building gameplan, identifying possible plays and tendencies. Tuesday:practice refine plan (He stopped at Tuesday)
How does CJF operate, is he a CEO coach or more of a hands on coach -
CJF is in this business to coach, when he stops teaching/coaching kids is when he knows it will be time to get out. Very hands on, while the assistants and position coaches are out conducting these recruiting nights CJF is in Blacksburg running the off season workouts and participating with the team. CJF is hands on in meetings, making suggestions, pointing out tendencies. On the practice field he'll even start coaching my WRs whenever I turn my back (crowd laughed)
What is the major differences in recruiting at the different schools you've been at -
What you've got and what you are selling. When at Memphis they only had a dream. VT has ACC, P5 conference, Bowl streak
What will be the Offensive Approach -
Run to win. Pass to Score
Is the next VT Punter on the current roster -
Don't know if you've ever met coach Shibest or special teams coaches in general, they can never have enough kickers. Told a story about Shibest taking a JUGS machine with him to an away game because he wanted to work out some special teams kids on the way home.
How healthy is team -
Majority of the players are healthy heading into spring.
French Question: Do you typically have defined roles for receivers (boundary side, field side, slot receiver) and how do you think the current class fits those roles. I asked this one! Thanks French!! -
Typically has 2 outside and 1 in the slot. He doesn't like to pigeonhole specific builds/skills to the roles, wants people to work anywhere we need them. Looking for the current class to build depth at the WR position.
What are the recruiting priorities for 2017 -
They have an elite junior day coming up this weekend and will be looking at QB, WR, LB, and DB
What is the overall health of the RBs
Shai is a full go. McClease is cleared (there were a couple others he mentioned but I missed them)
How does Bucky fit in your offense, will he be a WR or TE -
YES, both. He's doing a lot of things well and we need to keep working with him to build him for how we will use him and for his future.
How does Deon Newsome fit in your offense -
Will factor into what they want to do. He stood out and someone Coach Wiggins notice during bowl prep. You can't teach speed.
How will Sam Rogers fit in your offense -
Awesome talent, Always plays tough and physical. Reminds Coach Wiggins of a Memphis kid who was critical to their offense (I missed the name) but Sam has better skills
How will they use Greg Stroman -
Coach Wiggins is trying to steal Stroman for the offensive side of the ball. Stroman willing to do whatever is needed to help team. Talked about punt return in bowl game.
Which coaches will be on the field vs. in the booth -
That hasn't been determined yet.
How will the loss of Coach Gray affect defensive recruiting especially DE
First of all, there has not been a shortage of candidates calling to put their names in for one of the best coaching positions in the nation. Coaches are even calling him to see if he can put in a word for them (no names). As far as defensive recruits we need to build depth across the board. There are plenty of guys in the 2017 class that they are involved with (no names)
What are the chances of Austin Clark returning to football -
Coach Wiggins doesn't know. He did speak with the team chaplain and sometimes the drive and want in a kid changes.
How does Chris Durkin work into the offensive plans -
Chris is currently working to learn both QB and TE roles. He has expressed that he is willing to do whatever the team needs.
Looking at the current receivers, what does he need to teach and focus on -
I'm going to start from the ground up and focus on fundamentals: releases, footwork, blocking, catching. Probably going to get a lot of work against man press. Will be looking forward to the fall when they may actually see a zone (another crowd chuckle)
Will they be installing the offense segment by segment or all at once -
They've learned the hard way to install segment by segment and you can't do it all at once. Coaches looking at skill sets to determine what to bring forward. Current players are seeking out coaches to see what they can learn now.
Another "How will recruiting be split" I think this one was "Who picks up Coach Gray's area" -
Coach Wiles will be going to FL. Coach Scott will spot recruit FL as well. Everyone will blitz VA.
Have you looked ahead at the schedule and categorized the opponents as "Most Likely Win"; "Possible Win"; and "Probable Loss" -
Yes, he has looked at the schedule, probably not as closely as some of us have, but he has looked. He's learned pretty quickly that it is tough to win in college football. Memphis lost to I-AA schools (minor grumble from the crowd - its ok coach, so have we). They are not assuming anything about any opponent. They are taking it 1 game at a time and Liberty is the first game up.
Will he continue to recruit AL -
Yes, he will continue to spot recruit AL, TX, and anyplace else that he has developed a relationship with. Alabama and Auburn can't have them all. He wants to maintain his relationships that he has developed over the years.
Coach Vice gave a similar message tonight -- friendly in tone, but clear that the intensity of S&C was changing, and some guys needed to get used to a new way of doing things. "But they'll learn."
Previous recruiting class rankings:
41 29 21 21 36 34 24 20 26 32 21 35 28 43 16 37
I think it's pretty clear. Our recruiting demise of recent years can be summerized by an improper overexagerattion of previous years recruiting classes.
I think everyone just needs to take a breather. Bud Foster is still Bud Foster. And Justin Fuente still looks like the day 1 great hire.
Something to cheer up about. At least we aren't Houston. Super Recruitor Tom Herman had a bunch of last minute flips turning a top 20 class to out of the top 40. Now that must have been a tough day for them as well.
Yeah, I fully expect two years of potential, actually probable, sub .500 seasons. I just hope rise up after it.
Jimmie Taylor: Size 16 shoes, still growing.
Yea I heard he goes through about 3 pairs of shoes every practice after his toes bust out the ends of them...
Then we could fire him and pull a Bob Stoops... But no
wrong reply