Recent Comments
The entire game is changing. From student-athletes to professional players. So there will never be "fair" comparisons between pre-NIL and post-NIL.
For now, though, I'm still thinking Franklin was a pretty good hire.
I think that's being MORE than fair.
Franklin is (and has been) better resourced, but he has achieved more. I'm also hoping he achieves more at VT, with time and NIL.
Germany exerting their will on offense but their defense looks vulnerable. Will be interesting to see how they fair against more formidable opponents
Well first, I didn't say 'the same' - I said similar. AND, this is NOT me suggesting that Pry/Fuente would be winning ACC titles if not for proper budget.
Secondly... Franklin seems to think this, and has said multiple times publicly about Fuente and Pry. Maybe it's disingenuous and a way for his BFF to save face, but I think there's quite a bit of truth behind it.
Do you think Franklin is winning more than 7ish games with the 2024 roster? Do you think Franklin could have assembled a better roster in 2025 with the same amount of NIL? Do you think Franklin can attract better coordinator hires than Fuente did in 2018 with the same budget?
Oh come on, this is revisionist history - certainly Fuente and Pry weren't resourced the way they needed to be but to say they'd perform the same is ludicrous. It's not like Franklin hasn't proven himself multiple times before, especially at Vanderbilt - they've been substantially better in recent years so people forget how terrible they used to be.
In all seriousness, I'm not sure the last time the Hokies had a javelin thrower. Also a great way to score team points because there just aren't that many participants. 10 men competed at ACC outdoor and top 8 score points.
Not to be a buzzkill, but Qmari Hudson (247 profile) committed to Tennessee yesterday. I guess we can't win every recruiting battle.
To be fair... neither of those guys had the funding that Franklin has had. And franklin would be performing similar to them if he had the same funding/resources/support.
So far, Franklin has significantly increased VT's media profile and recruiting. I like Pry, but I'm not sure I ever believed he'd significantly change the trajectory of VT football. I thought Fuente might, but he unfortunately crashed and burned. He literally lost the locker room and set the program back.
Franklin's record is more proven than either Fuente or Pry. I'm team Franklin, all the way, and recruits clearly feel the same way.
It's almost like Bellicheat has only been able to adapt to the off the field side of college athletics with the co-eds.
Both.gif
UNC-CH?
UNC Chapel Hill?
UNC CHeat?
I'm surprised to see unc-ch near the bottom of ACC recruiting rankings (just ahead of uva, behind fsu!)
They were always good for taking some eastern VA players away.
JMFF representing in the state and going into NC is making a difference. (Plus other things....)
Yeah, there are a lot of destination type fishing excursions I'd love to go on, but the ways and means don't make for many of them and my age is beginning to be a factor. If the fishing was still decent around the Mobjack, I'd be pretty happy staying for a while, but waiting it out just doesn't seem to be working. I'll be gone for good in a year or two.
inferring ranks from the recruits they get unless they changed methods
I don't follow how they calculate it, but are they actually rating recruiters or just inferring their rank from the ratings of the recruits?
That's the best I think I've ever seen the USMNT play. That one game changed my outlook for the entire tournament. Coming into it I thought the US would advance, likely in 1st or 2nd, and lose in the first knockout. After the way they dominated Paraguay I feel like this US team could go toe to toe with 90% of the teams at this tournament. I actually feel optimistic that the US could have one of their deepest runs ever.
It does beg the question: how much of it is the US quality vs Paraguay maybe being poor? But then I think back to the Mexico South Africa match. South Africa was terrible. Absolutely awful. And Mexico won, as they should. But they didn't look convincing in doing so. That's the difference to me. USMNT looked the part in their win over a lesser team. They beat Paraguay the way you'd expect France or Brazil to. Exciting times! (plus, it was fun to watch. The aggression, the coordinated pressing, the ball movement, the chance creation. These are things I've never seen from the USMNT before)
Marlin Fever takes home $6,513,188. Incredible
He, like many coaches, need a 13 y.o. that plays madden to tell him how to run a 2 minute drill. He would have fucked up that mismi game just like Pry did.
He is better than Pry going 30-29 in one score game, but thats not great. Frank was 54-23-2. Dan Mullen, Kyle whitingham, Gary Patterson, Mark Richt, and Bill Snyder all had way better winning percentage in 1 score games.
At least they gave the big marlin to scientist to study and do tests on.
So he's Frank Beamer 2.0, I think we would all take that!
UNC beat Ole Miss in first game yesterday
Both the Indiana and Ohio Gaming Commission's have been reported to be investigating
Home run hire on so many levels, but I really don't agree with the assessment of him being a horrid in-game coach, unless that is predicated strictly on his record vs. Top 10 teams. He's probably no worse than any other P4 coach in terms of in-game management, plus isn't that why these coaches (especially Franklin compared to our former coaches) have an assistant handling virtually every game time task imaginable? Franklin is simply the oversight manager of the analysis and recommendations/decisions of his assistants. I'm a firm believer that you're only as good as your assistants., just as Frank had Bud.
VT/FSU 2018 vibes? 😬😬😬