Five days til National Signing Day. Rather than adding any salient information, I'll just leave you with this and let you guys rack up another 600+ related or unrelated comments.
Forums:
DISCLAIMER: Forum topics may not have been written or edited by The Key Play staff.
Comments
I give it until 3 PM for this to devolve into a gif battle.
Challenge accepted.
This kills the thread
I am ready!
via GIPHY
GoT gifs always get a leg
via GIPHY
I'm pretty happy about this, that last thread was making my mac run hot every time I opened it haha. I had resorted to just checking the comments tab to see what was said in it.
If Saban pulls in Speed then I think we can name this Part V: The Empire Strikes Back
I think whether he pulls in Speed or not, The Empire will Strike back. It took everything Clemson had, with the best team they've ever had, to beat Alabama this year with one second left in the game and they got 6-7 more drives than the average team did against Alabama this season. An Alabama team that had an elite defense but a seriously flawed, over conservative offense with an 18 yr old QB they wouldn't let throw past the first down marker. In hindsight, when I look back on the game, it just makes Alabama more scary.
The problem with this analogy is that Saban would be more fitting as an Ewok.
Don't you lump that evil satanic disciple in with the amazing little guys, Ewoks are the best.
Judging by the graph below, I'm going to guess you were born after May 25, 1973:
Alabama is no scarier than they have been the last 7 years. Next year they'll be a top 5 team with an elite (likely the best) defense. They'll be the team to beat, but they won't be any more unbeatable than before.
If Hurts progresses as a passer and they trust him with the ball more, they will absolutely be more unbeatable. Though I agree that overall they've been consistently great since 2009.
The thing is though I don't think they'll ever really open up their offense. Kiffen tried to do that and was met with a lot of backlash. I don't think Sark will expand much on that. I don't think Saban ever wants to have the game in the hands of the QB.
It'll likely never be totally wide open, but people forget how great McCarron's 2012 and 2013 seasons were. Pretty sure he was a heisman finalist in 2013. To the point, they will let the QB throw intermediate and downfield more if they trust him more.
Will also depend on having another Amari Cooper or Julio Jones. Even the most stubborn and conservative of coordinators would have to let someone like that loose.
losing lane kiffen hurt them A LOT
Said no one ever
He LITERALLY just said it though
Good use of literally, I'm literally so proud of you!
I am figuratively high fiving you right now.
I'll take your figurative high five, match it, and then follow up with a literal one!
hate the guy all you want but hes not a bad OC. I think they win the game if hes still around and i bet nick saban is kicking himself right now. outside of 1 or 2 drives clemsons defense handeled them pretty well.
We all know Bama is great but goddamn man...have some respect. This reads like a PAAAWWWWWLLLLL call in lmao.
It's an accurate assessment of the game. I don't think there is bias in pointing out facts. I also left out more subjective aspects that hurt Bama like Scarbrough getting hurt before the 4th quarter. Bama led for all but maybe a minute or two that whole game? Clemson made the great drive at the end and won the game, credit to them for that and making plays.
You framed it in a way that diminishes Clemsons win in the same way a Bama fan would describe the loss to still make sure their superiority is apparent.
Let me put it this way. Would I be crazy if I said that Clemson is a better football team than Pitt? No, even though Pitt beat them, that result probably doesn't repeat consistently over a large sample. Was Syracuse a better football team than Virginia Tech? No. And you wouldn't be crazy for thinking that. I think Alabama was a better team than Clemson this year and I think a look at their schedules and film supports that. Clemson won the national championship fair and square, and are deserving of the attention and praise the program and those players are receiving. You can read my other responses and this one however you want, but I don't think I'm being a homer or biased towards Alabama in my assessments.
CLEMSON AIN'T PLAYED NOBODY PAAAAAAAWWWWWWLLLLLL
Clemson went into the playoffs and donkey punched Ohio state then beat "the greatest team ever in the history of history." That makes them the better team in my book. That game was for the national championship and can't be compared to a regular season loss against Pitt. Clemson's players stepped up more on the big stage then Bama's. Period. End of story. Bama was the 2nd best team this year.
Bama had #1 sos (with a massively overrated SEC) and Clemson had #3 sos (with an underrated ACC). I don't think their schedules prove Alabama was the better team.
I don't want this to continue any longer, but my reference to their schedule is being misinterpreted as "strength of schedule" whereas I'm pointing out that Alabama was dominant all throughout the year and Clemson played 8 one score games throughout the year. They avoided losing to a very average NC State team at home because their kicker missed a chip shot field goal. You are free to think whatever you want. But from start to finish Clemson's season was not as impressive as Alabama's and they could have easily been 8-4 (I watched every Alabama game and Clemson game this year, except Clemson/Syracuse, and Bama/Kentucky.. The same cannot be said for Alabama's season. So I'm done talking about this, agree to disagree on which team anyone thinks is better. I just wanted to point out that my statement was being misinterpreted
That's totally a fair assessment.
I'll make it easy Clemson beat Alabama, head-to-head, in the 2017 National CFB Playoff Championship game.
We'll of course... The ACC is a good conference and the SEC is Bama and everyone else. This was proven in the bowl season, so I'm not sure why this is used as a slight against the Tigers.
i mean how do you define a better team? clemson completely dominated that game statistically. i remember sitting there thinking itd be really sad if clemson lost this game because they were the better team that day. clemson thoroughly deserved to win that game and only lost 2 real battles the entire game. Turnovers and field position, which frankly were the only reason the game was even close
just because they had close games in the regular season doesnt mean their any worse. the SEC was average this year and the ACC was really good. its all just national perception.
Did you only watch the fourth quarter? Because Alabama was dominant until they hit like 75 defensive snaps. They gave up 14 points through the first 14-15 drives of the game (their normal amount they had to defend) but their offense going 3 and out and Scarbrough getting injured kept them on the field longer and prolonged the game.
Troy was not "really good", SEC Auburn was one of those one score games, NC State was not "really good" they lost to BC breaking their almost two year ACC losing streak, The SEC was down, but don't pretend like all those close games were to great teams.
I watched the entire game, I think Clemson were a much more complete team than Alabama. Alabama's offense was much worse than Clemsons defense. I think Clemsons offense ultimately pulled out the win but you cant sit and expect your defense to single handidly win a game consistently tech did for years and I think ultimately you need at least a relevant offense. Look at the stats, the defense and special teams carried them through that game.
Dont get me wrong the defense was WORLD CLASS like one of the best ever if not THE BEST but i think the offense was sorely lacking and let them down in the end. Part of a team is the offense as well, and Clemson had a great defense, along with a great offense, and a solid special teams. They beat bama in the end and its not like they had a bad season and fluked their way in. Keep in mind the dominant USC teams of the early 2000s probably would have a few more national championships had it not been for their "ugly" losses. Those Pete Carroll teams dropped games to a 3-9 Stanford, a 4-8 UCLA, and 4-8 Oregon State, that doesn't mean they're a bad team. It means they're college kids that didn't play one game well and paid the price for it
my point is basically Clemson's season was really good and they beat Bama. Bama's dominance cannot be underestimated however their schedule was pretty light and they did have some close calls too (note Ole Miss and Arkansas were close than they should have been) but thats OK they're college kids. Clemson dropped one and had some close calls, but beat bama in the end. They're both 1 loss teams and I dont think this is some kind of monumental upset. Clemson totally deserves credit and has earned the right to be national champion and be called the best team this year. This isn't the Ohio State upset of 2002 Miami
Yep, Clemson and Bama were both great teams. Bama had a glaring fault in their passing game, but their run game was so good that they could use that to open things up in the passing game. There were two teams that they played that could field a defensive line that could contain the run game and those were LSU and Clemson. Bama struggled against LSU and lost to Clemson. Every knew that was how to beat them, but only a few teams have the players to achieve it.
Totally agree; in fact I thought LSU's D was more dominant on Bama than Clemson's. But LSU's O was too woeful and Watson-less (i.e. One-dimensional) to take advantage of that.
Bama's play calling was more conservative vs LSU too. They knew that they could keep LSU from scoring, so they could afford to bide their time in scoring. Feels like a standard pattern for LSU-Bama in reg season games.
Interesting note on Saban: Yesterday I received a text from my son at school that Saban had arrived, via helicopter, to visit with QB Justin Fields (has an offer from VT, but is a Penn St. commit). He did the same thing at nearby McEachern high two years ago to visit QB Bailey Hockman.
He did it to visit several kids in Jacksonville area including Speed.
The empire never rebuilds it just reloads.
Well, now I know what will be stuck in my head all day.
"Carrie" is a pretty solid power ballad.
edit - was too excited to post Europe meme that I missed the opening video. #fail
hope we finish strong
Oh, thank God. new thread.
I'm trying to put out some feelers on Zion DeBose but so far not much.
My #sauce thinks he'll come to the good guys.
Visiting this weekend with his parents. Wants an engineering degree. We have a good shot but have to wait a few days after for his decision
Please don't talk about Vt recruiting. This is a Bama thread if you didn't notice
Excited that this tweet says "statements"
Theory -- All of the push for DE's (Proctor + BJohnson + DeBose + Porcher + Wardlow + TJohnson) is because we woo'd Garbutt back with a promise to make him the next Bucky Hodges.
Corollary -- We see Proctor as a Backer and/or we see Porcher as DT.
I'm guessing our goal is 3DE's to go with Jimmy Taylor to have a full 2-deep over the two classes.
Thoughts?
Wiles sees porcher as a DT
I love Proctor at backer, and I love Porcher at DT (needs to put on weight). If/when your first theory pans out, we'll need 3 DE commits out of that group. I have a hunch that we are solid on DeBose. I know very little about Wardlow's recruitment and he comes up seldom on TKP - anyone? And I wonder if there's any traction with either of the Johnson kids?
Edit: I know Brad Johnson is down to pretty much us and USCe - I meant 'does anyone have any juicy insider stuff on either situation... thx)
B.A.G. should we expect any surprises?
Nothing more than we already know. We are coming down to the wire and have a great class already.
List of recruits in play:
Speed (if Alabama offers, he may be gone)
Debose (OV this week, probably the good guys)
Garbutt (the good guys)
B. Johnson (50/50 will come down to signing day)
Becton (the good guys)
If I missed anyone let me know and I will clear it up, best I can. We have our final OV this weekend with some quality players and some potential flips but I am not sure what to expect or worth to writing about.
Coaches need to close out strong and are doing a great job. Class of 2018 are already taking notice! Next year is going to a wild right!
Who all is visiting this weekend?
Speed isn't visiting Alabama this weekend. So I doubt he gets an offer. UGA is the team we will have to beat.
He is visiting somewhere, he is on a plane he said.
Yup. Oregon.
Hopefully that long ass flight and then the thought of his parents not being able to make many games will work against them.
Something tells me that his family would be able to get there rather...quickly.
You think they could just dash... right up there uh.
If Speed has a cousin named Victor, he should totally go by "velocity"
I think Victor may make a better player, too. He'd have the same speed as Ameer, but always head in the right direction.
edit: Nevermind
disclaimer: I did not see what you said before editing, pi.
Pi, you wouldn't understand Victor Velocity. You're just a scalar multiple.
(or we can get into the unit circle and direction can be described by angles in radians - where 90 degrees = pi/2. In this case pi knows a lot about vectors).
I was just setting myself up for the joke-goes-over-your-head gif. If anyone cares to put it out there anyway, I'd be fine with that. I suppose I could counter your "just a scalar" slur with some sort of angular momentum joke, but I'm just not thinking rationally right now.
Can you remind me who has Michigan pursuing them now that they had an OL decommit? I find them being in the mix just as concerning as Alabama with Speed
Becton
Shouldn't we be concerned about Louisville with him too?
I haven't heard much chatter on Louisville. Apparently Becton is heading to Oregon for an OV this weekend so that might be another threat. Despite what people say and the big push from VT, I would consider myself very cautiously optimistic here.
via GIPHY
I will always +1 leg for the Cubs... especially Rizzo
I'll leg for the Cubbies as well, even if I don't need to talk to you.... jerky.
Mekhi Becton
Wardlow? Tyree Johnson?
Dazz?
wut?
I'm disappointed it took this long to get to this commercial
And then this just randomly pops up. This is great. Don't stop.
Yes, quite
Reading this doesn't do it justice. I couldn't breathe the first time I heard his thing about poptarts. Maybe I was just in a susceptible mood to laughing, but I rolled off the couch and couldn't breathe.
His delivery is 90% of the joke. Guy always cracks me up.
His bit about playing baseball as a kid still cracks me up to this day
GRAPE! or CHERRY!
Former co-worker of mine struck out playing softball in front of his family. His eldest son didn't give him a hard time until they were in the car. His phone connected on Bluetooth as soon as the car started and he had it perfectly lined up to 10-strike kickball. He couldn't even be mad, son played it perfectly.
It's a cup...of dirt.
I before E except after C and when sounding like A as in neighbor and weigh, on weekends and holidays and all throughout May and you'll always be wrong no matter what you say!!
That's a hard rule...
Take...luck! Take luck and care, good luck taking care of the luck that you might have. If you have luck, take it, care for it!
Met my first girlfriend at VT laughing over mp3s of this guy playing on WinAMP. Still cracks me up
The latest VA prospects ranking.... Hunter drops 2 spots to #3 overall.... Capehart has biggest drop with 8 spots down to #17 overall. Doesn't really matter imo...
clicky clicky
Something tells me Hunter doesn't drop 2 spots if he commits to Bama, but I'm just a conspiracy theorist
Not to mention the top "Virginia" prospect isn't from VA.
lol what
"sorry luiji, we know you go to school in va, but for these rankings that won't matter a year from now, we're going to have to exclude you unless you can provide further documentation"
Because when an outsider looks at that list and says "look another Virginia kid who Tech didn't get" when point of fact his actual home is closer to Michigan. He has no real ties or loyalty to the state to built a starting point with the kid.
Canadian at boarding school for a year.
Honestly VT coaches need to build a relationship with the guys at Episcopal ... lot of talented players filtering through there lately, and none of them winding up in Blacksburg.
yea, didn't Danny Coale go there?
Interesting ... that school is down the street from my house. Didn't realize until just now it was pumping out legit players.
It's something of a recent trend, last 3-4 years or so
Danny Coale did go to Episcopal. He's a Virginian though, from Lexington. His dad was (is?) the S&C coach at VMI. Since 2007 there's been a coaching turnover and complicating matters is that a lot of Episcopal's top talent the last few years is coming from out of the country.
He's only 3rd on a technicality, they are all tied at 97. And he's still second in the composite.
247 actually increased his rating from a 96 to 97. They just also increased Vilain and Laborn.
Capehart got hammered in the rankings, that seems strange
I honestly have no idea how any of the rankings change after all the games are played unless someone got hit in the knees with a bat or something.
By evaluating senior tape. Like just happened with Watts
Everything's been done for so long now you would think things would have settled.
They are watching tape of thousands of football players. Takes some time.
I WANT IMMEDIATE RESULTS.
No but really that makes sense. Though for the top 10 of a state flipping that makes less sense but still that's at least 500 players.
Pimpleton just got bumped from an 82 to 87 by 247.
Pimpleton is an absolute steal in this class. Watch his film and tell me CornFu didn't have tons of plans for him in this offense. Will be a huge weapon in the slot, jet sweeps, occasional RB, and kick/punt returns.
Pimp and Farley will be bringing us much joy or the upcoming years.
I think people are sleeping on Savoy. Damn our class has some nice pieces
Savoy and Pimp are going to be awesome in the slot. If Farley adjusts well to the transition to WR, he may be unguardable split out wide. For his size, his speed is elite. Watch the film, folks, if you haven't!
I think people are sleeping on Grimsley. Not a burner but good wiggle and catches everything
So you're saying he's another Isaiah Ford? Yes please...
I'm looking forward to the Hooker to Pimp connections over the next few years.
That just sounds wrongawesome. Leg anyway.
Have to agree. Dude won't get much bigger than he is now but he is a dynamic player.
lmao
I for one applaud the use of CornFu over FuCorn. It sounds more martial artsy, less vietnam screwup.
A leg to you!
DON'T THROW IT TO STONE HANDS.
It matters in the sense of continuing the "Tech can't recruit the state" narrative which leads to worse recruiting classes.
On the field we've pretty much always outproduced our recruiting by a lot and I definitely trust what Fuente thinks he needs over anyone else.
so we're looking at 2 of the top 10 (3 if we land garbutt)? That has me super excited!!
Yup. We usually clean up in the 11-20 in the state range, but this year we are pretty light there. Seems we went more out of state. Tajh at 15, grimsley at 20 and bekton (if he commits) at 16.
Looks like we may have an announcement soon.
wait is that legit? That's incredible artistic ability
No idea, stumbled across it on imgur. Being an engineer, if I was gonna make this picture, I'd crank it out in photoshop, but there are people this talented, so who knows?
I think it is something like this video, which looks staged, but the idea of using something tacky and then dusting it would probably be my bet.
How the hell did you find that video? That's crazy
Dude did the Hokie Pokie and turned himself around!!
via GIPHY
Seen his work before, google Allan Pachino Wallace. Guy is an artist out of the Caribbean I believe.
.
Holy shit, nobody in that room is allowed to breathe. or open a window, or a door, or disturb airflow in any way or else that salt picture is all over the place.
Guerry signal up?
This is....kind of disturbing
https://twitter.com/thomasguerry/status/825065669809074176
did u guys see guerry's tweet?
I think we need to see that Guerry tweet in another format. There isn't enough.
My joke was 6 seconds better.
That's a DRINK twofer!
I think we're at the finish the keg stage at this point.
Mid Offseason Form for TKP.
Underrated dumb funny movie.
Super Troopers 2 will be out soon.
Did Thomas Guerry just tweet something?
I'm 2 seconds faster.
What's twitter?
He said Twitter not 4chan.
Highly suggest the documentary on Anonymous and its ties back to 4chan. Mind blowing stuff.
I dig the user pic. I'm a huge Offerman fan. Currently reading his new book "Good Clean Fun" The man has many talents.
Your Ron Swanson profile pic makes this. It's totally something he'd say.
[kicks in door]
Hey guys I got here as quick as I could to share this tweet from Thom-NOOOOOOO
I heard that Guerry posted something. Can someone confirm this for me?
I want to buy one of these Twitter machines. Seems neat.
They're actively looking for buyers. Can be yours for the low low price of $12 billion!
Any word on Guerry? Asking for a friend.
Whats all the buzz about? I know im new to this social media stuff, but Guerry aint posted shit on MySpace........
You gotta check Friendster bro...
Can't remember my log....
I'll shoot you a message on AIM and fill you in
Hell yes, im AOL active...haha
Want to be in my top 10?
Anybody see that picture of Fuentbae?
Fuentwellqualified.
FTFY
Garbutt recommits.
Per Andy Bitter: Garbutt to the good guys!
Isn't he supposed to be with Alabama?
He has an OV with Oregon this weekend.
Took him over 9 hours to get to Oregon, momma ain't going to like that.
Does anyone in Norfolk/757 area have any info on the recruitment of Lake Taylor Senior DT Darnell Ewell? He's 6'4 295 and currently commited to Notre Dame. Ewell looks like a MONSTER, bigger/stronger frame than 5* VA recruit Da'shawn Hand who went to Bama. IMHO, this is the kind of DT recruit TECH needs to get in order to make next step. Im just curious about this guy as I didn't hear much about his recruitment and it looks like he's going to a school that got beat by the Good Guys.
Never even remotely gave Tech a chance. Essentially thanked zohn and Wiles for the offer and then moved on. Good kid but just wasn't interested in VT
As much as that sucks, you gotta respect that move. He didn't waste our time/resources.
So in the last 8 days we have gotten a 5*, 3 4*, and 2 3* while UVA lost their top recruit. I think the commonwealth cup is safe for a while
WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT?!?!
Ok, here are the main guys I'm waiting on: Becton, Speed, Johnson, Debose, Newsome.
I think we get Debose, which I'm pumped about. I think Becton is likely, but not close to a sure thing. I think Speed and Johnson are both about 45 percent chances, but I hope they surprise me. And I think Newsome is UNC bound. (With this, and any other post, just assume I have no sauces).
It would also be great to get some random DT flip before signing day, but not holding my breath for that one.
We are right there for Wardlow, may be the favorites.
http://247sports.com/player/blake-proehl-84327
Blake Proehl a WR from Charlotte committed to ECU reports he has a Tech offer.
According to the 247 timeline it looks like he committed to ECU back in June and we just offered him today.
Interesting that we came in with the late offer. Wonder why? We've brought in a ton of WRs. Maybe we are trying be the school with most sons of former NFL players on our roster?
Now, the kid looks like he has great instincts, great hands, and great route running, with good speed. I'm sure his skill would see the field at VT. Its just curious that this came out of nowhere.
Son of Ricky, brother of UNC WR Austin (who we also recruited hard and probably finished second for).
Meanwhile, in Charlottesville, UVA approaching signing day like
Must have been the performers at the spring festival, judging by the crowd.
I literally can't undo what I just heard.
WE HEADING FROM VENUS!!!!
Also, love how he sings the echos.
I just knew i shouldn't have listened to this. My ears would like to tell you to go do a certain something to yourself now.
Did anyone else see that Rutgers picked up a crystal ball for Drew Harris and was super confused before they realized it wasn't the same Drew Harris of legend? I mean.....not that I did or anything. I'm just asking for friend here.
maybe i just missed it but when is Mekhi Becton's commitment date?
According to Andy BItter's podcast with Jason Stamm from scout.com, Becton is announcing on nat signing day.
thank u
FTFY
Thank you
Hooker got bumped up to a 4* it seems and up to the 5th rated DT guy.
Looks like capehart got moved to 3
Yeah, there's a few guys on that list who are rated higher than HH, but few on that list with as high a ceiling as Hooker, IMO. He may not be as polished now, but in a couple of years, I think this guy is going to be very special.
Been watching film of recruits for a few years now and concur. This dude is gonna ball for us.
247 ranked Oscar Bradburn as the best Australian football prospect.
Just saw the third guy and I have to say I think that's the first time I've seen a 1* player on the composite.
Slick recruiting moves on display.
This recruiting effort is unreal.
We've got some seriously crafty people behind the staff
247 moved our composite ranking up to 18th.
I imagine we'll hold pretty steady in this range come NSD, as other teams pick up their last minutes as well
What's the ranking for just 247 since they actually looked at the prep player?
12th
Fire emoji
i swear i put it in there. oh well i know i did, just trust me. its like a fire with a white center radiating out to red across that color gradient
Any news on how the recruits in for a visit are doing ? Debose? Who are the others?
DeBose and his family are apparently loving VT
I mean, who wouldn't?
Tackle from Blacksburg just committed as a walk-on
6'3", 360. He's probably one of the quickest 360 pound players I've seen.
[ mod edit: I gotchu fam ]
His announcement:
Due is a load. They will not Settle for that.
Big Tim needs to be his mentor and nutrition accountability partner. Big Tim shed those pounds. This kid can too.
Pretty awesome for him. I'd say he needs to drop about 40 pounds and hopefully gain some quickness. Walk-ons are usually extremely motivated and we've had some great success with them.
Anyone else get a kick out of the circle on hudl? Like there was even the slightest chance we'd miss him on film.
The circle could barely get around him.
Him and Settle on the line at the same time.
[thinkface emoji] #heavy
Had to laugh at the 1:30 mark when he blocked the kick. The poor kicker looked so dejected, like, 'Again?'
This is a gem. This is the kind of guy that will benefit ridiculously from a S&C program and a proper diet. If things go well, he'll burn a ton of fat, bulk up in the muscle department and be a tweener DE/DT. The dude has the right instincts, power, and speed. This is the kind of guy who comes from no where because he wasn't physically where he should have been in high school but could explode with the right coaching. I'm storing him on my dark horse list.
Have to say the idea of a 360 lb kid being a "tweener DE/DT" in Bud's defense got a chuckle out of me.
He's only got about 140 lbs on Dadi.
A thought occurred to me while watching him chase down a couple ball carriers. Imagine the shock to his body when he goes through his first off season conditioning under Fuente. With this kids attitude I hope he sees the field leaner, stronger, and meaner and kicks some ass
He's over weight. It's clear as day. That's what camp will fix. The guy isn't even in the proper for a ton of times but has great instinct and a knack for taking the carrier down when he touches him. If he develops, he;s an absolute steal.
This guy is great, had me both impressed and laughing at the same time.
Positives in my opinion:
1. He is a big boy.
2. I'm totally digging the emotion he plays with. Has a swagger and celebration for every tackle. He's feeling it!
3. When he hits guys, they literally just collapse.
Would focus on:
1. Building muscle mass
2. Driving feet after contact. Then again, if the ball carrier crumbles at first contact, he doesn't have much of a chance to drive his legs!
Great grab for the good guys...go wreck havoc brother!
Would love to see him become a wrecking ball nose guard like that damn guy from ECU a few years ago that clogged up the middle of the field on us all friggin' game.
Zion DeBose checking in on his OV.
via GIPHY
This show deserves an american reboot
I've been at my sons wrestling tournament all dang day practically so I haven't been on to the twitterverse. Any news coming out of this weekends OV's??
Somebody feed me some 411 please... I'm starving for some crootin intel !!
This gif makes me feel weird
UMD commit Sean Nelson looks like he had fun. Whoever is in charge of our graphics needs a raise. These are all pretty slick.
I see the names DJ Matthews and Laborn, being tossed around. Is there anything there or just a bunch of wishful thinking?
No chance with either, only hope with Laborn was if he visited and he didn't and Matthews shut down his recruitment for good back in December.
4* DE Brad Johnston looks to be slightly more USC-e than VT
Really feels like he's gotta rep the state of SC
You are right. I was hoping he would be a Hokie. I really love this kids tape, but I can't argue with someone wanting to stay home and rep their state. That is how we got the foundation that Beamer built. Built on the back of VA kids. Best of luck to Johnson.
USCe class has had a lot,of decommits recently. Hoping he sees they won't be very good.
bet they are selling him as the next clowney when that staff had nothing to do with his development. Was also hoping he'd see their class, but even with the decommits it's not that far behind us. They are still top 25.
Muschamp is the coaching equivalent of a sleazy used car salesman. When he first got to USCe, during his introductory press conference he said "Gamecock Nation, if you don't think I can recruit, look at (my wife) and look at me, I can sell ice to an eskimo."
Honestly I don't know why recruits think that he can do any better at USCe than he did at Florida.
Man, that is a cringe-worthy comment. But in the SEC, I'm sure it was met with cheers, applause, and WOOOO YEAAAH.
I like how this is actually insulting to USCe
Damn, this is a tough crowd. I feel like if this joke was told in a different context yall would think it is hilarious. Self-deprecation doesn't strike me as sleazy at all.
The problem is he's not selling knives door to door, he's selling kids on their futures. It's the context that makes it sleazy. (Talking about the Eskimo comment not the wife part)
...it's expression on how he is a great salesman...I can sell water to a well, I can sell fire in hell, I can sell ice to an Eskimo. Maybe verbalizing the fact that recruiting is a sales pitch makes you uncomfortable? Idk, plenty of users on here talk about how Fuente is selling something special here and that isn't a problem. All of these schools feel like they can provide a great environment to these young kids, but you gotta make that known to them, hence why it is a sales pitch. I just some of yall are hatin' right now.
It makes his marriage sound like a sleazy sales pitch and that he convinced her to do something (marry him) she wouldn't have done without an aggressive amount of convincing, instead of a mutual agreement to spend their lives together
Ehhh it's not a hill to die in for me but "selling ice to an Eskimo" is not just a sales pitch. It's selling for personal gain at the detriment of the buyer (i.e. An Eskimo doesn't need ice and the seller knows it). It's just a pet peeve of mine when coaches will say anything to get a kid to come regardless of how true it is (and Muschsmp has a bad track record of this). It's one thing to con somebody out of spending a few bucks on something useless. It's another thing to deceive kids when it impacts their lives/futures.
Muschsmp has a bad track record of this
Got any sources for that? I know many people don't like him, but I haven't heard anything substantial about him.
Yea it has to do with a certain current QB that has gone on record about it. I probably shouldn't have brought it up as I have further #sauces into the extent of the circumstances. Not really appropriate.
Without sources, they are just unsubstantiated claims...so I'm not gonna buy he is this sleazy ball, anger nut that many are trying to paint him as in person.
it's actually an expression laden with an insult, insinuating that you are swindling someone to "buy" something they don't need or want. It's less about being a great salesman and more about being a great liar.
to sell ice to an eskimo:
To persuade people to go against their best interests or to accept something unnecessary or preposterous. He's such a smooth talker, he could sell ice to Eskimos.
And in the context that he used it in, it is clear to anyone that can utilize common sense that there is nothing malicious about it...it was clearly a self-deprecating joke about how his wife is way out of his league. I heard so many husbands make variations of this joke...
Annnd there goes civil discourse.
Edit: Oh and the real irony here is who you directed your comment towards.
Well the people on this site have some of the most steady common sense on the internet, so I'm not seeing why anyone is offended...it's just an expression to portray how it would be difficult to mistake it.
I know what he was attempting to say. Everyone does, with or without your insult about having common sense.
I think I made it clear above that I enjoy the irony of him using the idiom incorrectly. I like how he actually used it in a way that is insulting to both his wife and USCe in the context of him trying to convince people that he can sell the program. His intention is plain as day, which is why I never said it was malicious. He failed and it is ironic. Hence my enjoyment.
did not downvote, btw. But perhaps chill a bit
He ain't got nuthin' on Beliema.
Wait, so how much was the dowery for his wife?
Growing up in SC, the only big time DE to leave the state that I can think of off the top of my head is Sam Montgomery to LSU. Every other big time DE, and there has been a lot of them, has gone to Clemson or SCar. Also, whether they are selling him on that or not, Muschamp is a proven recruiter, particularly on defense.
Crazy. I wish all Virginia recruits had the same state pride as SC apparently does.
oops
Yikes, major shot at SC here. SC's education issues are largely propped up by a few really, really unfortunate poor areas like Dillon, SC (which is heartbreaking, those areas are really struggling). Our rankings are also worse because they encourage all kids to take both the ACT and SAT, which not all states encourage both, it's common practice for some states to encourage all kids to take the ACT, and then only encourage brighter students to take the SAT, this props their scores up significantly. Anyway, definitely a lot of issues in SC public education, but it's not as bad as many outsiders believe, at the least not where I'm from.
Yeah, Dillon is rough. I did an install at the wix plant down there a wile back and it's up there for most depressing towns/cities I've ever been to.
South Carolina also has two major football programs.
Virginia only has one.
Something was done here.
Virginia also produces wayyyyy more talent than South Carolina, so more of the big time schools have interest in Virginia recruits than South Carolina recruits.
It's hard not to like the climate in South Carolina
Humid, sticky, oppressive heat? Or are we talking about the coast?
My aunt and uncle live close to Clemson. They were trying to talk my kid into coming for a visit to look at Clemson. Don't get too excited, he's a baseball player. He has to fill out a recruiting prospectus that lists his top 5 choices of schools for his summer baseball program.
I noticed he had the good guys at #1. I tried to raise the boy right.
What summer team does he play for? We play weekend baseball as well. Play a lot in NC, some SC and TN.
He plays on a team from Burkburnett, Tx. Burkburnett Blacksox. They are a college prep organization. Kids live there all summer and travel around and play baseball. Pretty blessed to get in with Blacksox. They've been around for like 40 years, put 900 plus kids in college baseball. Hes 16 now so I felt like it'd be pretty good for his development as a young man and baseball player. Sounds like your son is a pretty good player, with all that traveling.
That's a great opportunity. My son loves the game and is willing to put in the work. He says he wants to play at VT, he knows how much work it will take and I told him I will help him realize his dream as long as he's doing his part. Sounds like the Blacksox are the TX/OK version of the Evoshield Canes and Dirtbags here in VA/NC. Good luck to your son, I hope he ends up a HOKIE!
Thanks. Hope yours realizes his dream. Best of luck!
So with two days too go ...i'm taking stock of where we are with remaining recruits:
Please chime in if i have anything wrong , you have additional intel or I missed someone.
Becton.......we are in the lead it would seem, but has couple major schools perusing him. announcing on NSD
Wardlow...had a visit this weekend but no word on how it went....No time line on decision
Speed......GA in the lead...had visit to OR this weekend no word on decision date...not trending in good guys favor.
Nelson......had a visit this weekend but no word on how it went....No time line on decision
Debose....Visit went well and we are in the lead....Looking good for the good guys. Announce FEB 3rd
Johnson....trending toward SC...Never came for a visit...not looking good for the good guys. announcing on NSD.
Newsome ...All but gone to UNCheat...this boat has sailed i think...No time line on decision
Speed?
good catch/addition. Really need another CB. Between us and UGA and maybe bama.
Bama just missed out on a CB who chose.........ECU. So they will be looking at him as a filler if other things don't fall their way.
Good lord, looking at Tank Robinson's offer list... and seeing that he chose ECU.
haha no they didn't...
He got a ton of major offers last spring and then everyone stopped recruiting him.
KNEW I FORGOT SOMEONE...EDITED THE POST TO INCLUDE SPEED
No need to yell.
Debose is announcing on Feb 3.
Johnson was here back in December during one of the big recruiting weekends. I remember seeing him at a basketball game
So Ellis Brooks just committed to Penn State.
4* ILB from Richmond. So what was the deal with this one, looks like he had zero interest in tech? Ever state why or anything?
We had no interest in him from what I understand.
Anyone have any idea why we never pursued him? Just not a good fit for what Foster wants to do? Seems strange we never even really bothered with a 4* in-state linebacker, maybe Foster just really went all in on Rivers and liked him better. I'm somewhat leery of highly-touted recruits from the Richmond area these days, seems like we haven't had much luck with the ones who came here.
247 rates him as a 3 star. The recruiting services don't necessarily mirror our coaching staffs evaluations.
Never really recruited him. Got Ashby early as a good fit. Then Foster put 100% focus on Rivers.
and Kearney
I think he was committed to Duke for a little while.
It seems like his recruiting kind of fell off a bit.
we are listed on 247 as making an offer to him
maybe we did and he just wasn't interested.
I really don't care. We got Rivers. We could also end up with Dax Hollifield next year.
Preferred walk-on, but you can never have enough wide receivers.
He's gonna have to learn some hate for his HS mascot.
man is it just me or are we loading the boat with wide receivers?
As long as they don't count towards our scholarship count I say bring em on and may the best man win.
I like the fact that the coaches seem to be generating some interest from walk-ons. Recruiting is a funny business and we all know some players get looked over. We may be offering a chance to some players that can contribute down the road. A lot of lightly recruited players that may need some S&C work or other improvements would jump at a chance to earn a spot to play for a D1 program on the upswing.
It comes hand-in-hand with the change in offensive philosophy. When you run a 3 receiver base set and lots of 4 WR formations, you need more depth at the position. Not to mention that receivers can put up big #s in this offense, so they often don't end up using all their eligibility. Tech hasn't been used to receivers leaving early for the NFL, but don't be surprised when it becomes the norm under Fuente for our top 1 or 2 receivers every season to leave early.
i am totally ok with this ...i sure we have someone that can throw the ball come sept.
247 now listing WDE Brad Johnson 100% for USCe
That changed during the last two hours.
kinda figured it would go that way..sucks...
It sure seemed like it was heading that way. Good luck to the kid if he chooses to be a Cock.
Still think we pull in a few remain big targets:
Becton
Speed (don't think UGA has the pull)
Proahl
Nelson
Debose
Great finish to an already impressive year
What's up with Wardlow?
Still 50/50 for him. Kind of a quiet dude from what I heard. Much of the excitement came from Debose this past weekend.
Speed is gone.
opinion or knowledge?
Opinion based on investigative skills. Just reading the signs. I hope I'm wrong but it doesn't feel like it.
As expected Keonte Jones commited to Iowa State.
Wednesday at 8 I will be signing at sandalwood high school to continue my career on and off the field!! Who will it be — $peed (@OG__speed) January 30, 2017 " target="_blank">
Saw this tweet from Speed, noticed how we didn't have our own option.
You can only have 4 options in a Twitter poll and he is down to 5, I wouldn't put much into it.
Maybe it is so that choice will have the most responses and the race is actually between Oregon and the Hokies?
Notice that there's a turkey next to the "VT or Oregon" one
And there's a duck next to Oregon.
Are we seriously reading into the emojis on a high school kid's Twitter poll?
Please just get tomorrow over with.
Haha I was just being stupid on purpose man, very much not serious
Anyone else see the PSU LB commit tweet about Dylan rivers decommiting and how their new commit is an upgrade?
Context: http://virginiatech.247sports.com/Bolt/Penn-State-commit-Brailyn-Frankli...
When do we play them?
In the CFP playoffs this year, duh.
Like they would get in over OSU or UM even if they beat them both.
Seriously! They could probably win their conference and still be passed over for the playoff by someone in their own division. That name ain't shit
That could never happen.
It seemed like Bray Franklin was about to commit to VT last summer. Anyone know what happened?
What a salty bitch
Thank you I'm not very good with the whole snapface instachat stuff
Wonder if that dude realizes that if Rivers doesn't flip to VT, Brooks doesn't even get a Penn State offer.
Sour grapes because we backed off both of them and quit recruiting them
Edit: Carry on. I can't read before 9 AM.
https://mobile.twitter.com/ericvdunn/status/826183086606077952
This is the funniest god damn thing that I've seen in 2017 so far. It's so damn awkward.
I would've started a new thread, but I'm on mobile, dunno how to embed.
I don't think he could have been more unenthusiastic in that video.
He makes it seem like it hurts to smile.
And to think, they did that in multiple takes. That means someone decided, "you know, this is the best we're gonna get from this guy and I'm tired of filming. Let's just go with this." I'm trying to imagine how unenthusiastic he was in the takes that didn't make it...
Kinda makes me want to see the takes that weren't up to snuff.
I think he's trying to be boring like he talked about in that interview from awhile back.
Either that or he hates his life and job.
I get more of an impression that he's thinking "I'm only going to be talking to you people for the next 10 months and then I'm gone as soon as I get that first call to a Power 5 program".
Not the music I would have chosen for a football hype video.
I just saw that Becton got a crystal ball for Louisville...
*inserts bitingnails.gif here*
Don't fret about one random crystal ball. That prediction is from a Louisville insider. Another person from Louisville Sports Live predicted him to VT just a few days ago. Furthermore, a national recruiting analyst for 247 predicted Becton to VT this morning. It's not guaranteed but we look to be in good shape going into tomorrow. Now if you see a ton of crystal balls changing toward one school before an announcement... that's when you know actual inside information about a commitment has leaked out.
Just saw 2 new CB's for Tahj Capehart to Maryland by Maryland insiders. Wonder if there's anything new going on there? Thought Tahj was pretty solid to VT.
I don't have any sources, but I don't think he goes to Maryland. He and his mom are very pro-VT on Twitter.
Key words: Maryland insiders
One more CB to Maryland from one of the national recruiting experts.
Looks to have some truth
makes some sense if playing WR is a priority
TIL Tahj Capehart went on an official to Maryland this past weekend.
I hope they don't flip him, it would certainly be a bit of a wet blanket on our recruiting momentum.
Everyone on 247 is saying he's gone. Hope it's not true but those guys usually know their stuff.
Damn, just checked his twitter and it's about as all VT as you can be, Statement 17 Banner, This is home commitment tweet pinned. Really sucks when this stuff happens.
Seems the talk has split a little since my last comment. Seems no one is sure what is going on. Hopefully he's a Hokie tomorrow.
If this has any truth at all, epic fail. I've been completely dumbfounded by all the talk of him moving to DB once he got here. He is a top WR with offers from the who's who of college football. If he flips because we want him to move to defense, that is all on us and would be really disappointing.
Those offers were based on how he was projected to develop as a senior. He didn't. They moved on. We wanted a position change.
Hard to compete when you can't match the check
it's not even nsd and we've moved on to the bargaining stage, we've progressed as a fan base!
Like Pitt insiders drove the additional "decision" by Proctor. I do not have much inside info to Capehart, but I will be very surprised if his letter is not at faxed to VT tomorrow.
So, I mean, if I can e-sign legal documents with the government or buy a house with an e-signature I'm pretty sure they could figure out a way to get that tech worked into the NSD process. Before faxes were invented we did it a slower way. So we evolved that far. Then what? Someone said, "This is the end all be all for the technology of signing kids up to play football. We will never progress beyond this point."?
They don't have to fax it it's part tradition part easier option.
https://www.google.com/amp/www.al.com/articles/12099137/why_does_the_fax...
Well not that Bartow has flipped his CB that is a bit more alarming than the Maryland insiders.
I wouldn't blame him if he wants to play WR. It seemed like he was recruited to be a big-time WR recruit and then everyone randomly decided he'd be a CB a month ago.
This is true... Can't fault him if this is his thinking.
Personally, I was stunned people wanted him to go to DB. He's a high 4* WR recruit. He declared here after watching Ford, Bucky, and Phillips have monster years with 2 declaring early for the draft by playing WR for our program. He's the highest profile WR recruit we would have had in this class, and its by a fairly hefty margin, and its pretty clear he would have been the prized offensive recruit in this class that we would have built around going forward. His competition to start wouldn't have been that hard.
And the talk was about moving him to DB. Where we're bringing in (to some services) a 5* elite DB and are already loaded with other good talent.
I don't blame him for bailing if this is the case. If he got convinced Maryland would feature him on offense, he should leave if we're serious about having him convert to DB, if he wants to play WR. And even if we're not privately telling him we want to have him convert, there has been enough chatter through insiders this would be the case that I can easily see him reading between the lines and souring on us.
I'm not as big on our WR crop as most people are too. Strikes me as more quantity over quality, especially with the talk of Deablo already switching when he was ahead of most others on the depth chart this past year. Capehart seemed like the best bet to make an impact so pretty disappointing to me if he gets moved to DB, let alone flips to another school.
http://247sports.com/Player/Tahj-Capehart-43494
No, he's not. He is a high 3*. He was downgraded by 247 not that long ago and even before that he was a low 4*. I agree that it's a bad look if he flips, but if the coaching staff doesn't think he has the hands to play WR why is it such a bad thing that they were honest with him?
I'm not super dialed in, numbers-wise - can someone explain why he can't stay at wideout? It's not like he provides us with great size at CB - and now that Watts is part of the class (seemingly at CB)?
Certainly explains all the late interest in Nelson, Proehl, the PWO kid, etc. None of those guys bring the zing re playmaking like Capeheart does. This is a bummer.
Who is this "everyone" you refer to and does this "everyone" actually have any input into the process?
yeah but WHO the hell wants to play for MD?...I BET WERE STILL OK
Maryland has the #17 class in the nation right now (two ahead of us). Durkin is straight up working some voodoo magic on the recruiting trail.
He's also got the shady ex-HC from NM too right?
No, Locksley is no longer on staff at UMD. Durkin let him go and picked up London and Shady Beatty. London is gone now, though.
Incidentally, Locksley is on Bama's staff now.
"Come play for me, fourth best team in BIG (east)
Well Maryland actually has a really good class this year. If we let our top WR in the class leave on signing day that's not good. No matter how you spin it.
Farley's already on the roster, so I don't see that happening.
Man the pitchforks come out quick.
I wouldn't say pitchforks, but potentially losing a major cog in this class from the 757 and a school that is a major hotbed of talent is not good. Especially since he has been so pro-VT since he committed.
No pitchforks, just would suck to lose our top WR in the class to Maryland. This is recruting with kids though haha.
He isn't top WR.
4* WR - I'd say he's pretty top.
Farley?
Farley isn't even guaranteed to be a WR either
I'm as excited about Farley as anyone, but can we pump the brakes on him just a tad? Great size and crazy speed, but he is a converted QB. We will have to see how his transition progresses throughout spring before making any more judgments.
Farley is definitely going to be one of the best offensive weapons we have. He is our next rolling ball of butcher knives
I agree, he's a great talent. If he picks up the position quickly and has good hands, I think he could be a matchup nightmare with his size and crazy speed. But I want to see how spring goes before saying he's our top WR.
I don't mean this as any disrespect to Farley, but part of the reason we got into the mess we did on offense is because we spent too much time trying to convert players to play WR and not bringing in kids who have been WRs their career and continuing their development here. Its too much of a mixed bag to put all your chips into conversions.
Farley will likely be great on his own, but someone of his ilk needs to be complimentary to the top end WRs we are bringing in who can step in and contribute from the start. That's why we have had success with Ford and Phillips, because we didn't have to reteach the wheel. They could step in and perform from Day 1.
Where I'm worried is that, if we lose Cape, we lose that ability with this class.
The ATH/ QB to WR transition under the old regime was poor at best. However, Fuente and Corny seem to know how to use weapons properly. The switch to WR may not be as smooth as some think on here but I have much more confidence in it being done successfully than under Beamer. And that isn't a dig at Beamer...
My B - I thought we were still talking about Tahj.
I thought so too
He's not a 4* player and the reason they are even considering moving him to DB is because his hands may not be as good as advertised. That's why he was dropped to 3* level.
Cue annual signing day meltdown...
Haha you're right. It wouldn't suck at all to lose him.
Yes losing anyone would be bad but Jesus it's not end of the world, coaches are still killing it on recruiting, could be best class in a long long time.
I completely agree with that. Defensively this class is amazing. Just would hate to see us lose any skill players. That's all.
247 Page
Context on his arrest
Let him hang out with Alexander for a week. I'm sure it will get cleaned up quick
Hahaha
Want, want, want, want. Big receiver who goes up and high points the football. Lakeland is real deal Florida football too.
Doubt he comes here,but shit...I'll take him.
Well, I don't know how accurate the latest intel from 247 is, but currently he is only "warm" about Marshall. I'm hoping we could out-recruit them with one day to go.
Lots of teams are balking on him, his 247 profile has "warm" for Marshall as his interest stuff goes. If it's qualifying issues we will be in trouble, but if he's qualified we might be his best remaining committable offer.
Sean Labar doesn't hold much credibility he was the one who wrote an entire article saying Hooker was almost as good as gone to Oregon.
I actually have #sauces on him. He has no clue what he's talking about.
So...you're saying you read his column?
Not a chance .. know him
Dude looks like Magic Johnson with dreads...
Just looking at Twitter, Guerry and the HokiesFB account have recently followed him. So there's definitely interest from VT
Let's see if this Tahj thing has legs...
BAG?
THE PLOT THICKENS
and I still want James Robinson no matter how this goes.
it does. Now just depends on the size of the legs. We could be talking "Arm Day/Every day, Legs" or "Thighs as big as tree trunks."
We have a lot of guys who still have to make choices, at the end of the day, tomorrow, I think we will be a lot happier with our group then we have been in the past. And I see less wasted takes in this class then in the last five years. A lot of these guys have potential to see the field a lot in the next 2 years.
Worst part about a Capehart flip would be perception in the 757 and Bishop Sullivan. We need to build these relationships.
Might not be as bad as him coming here and being unhappy. It's one thing to change your mind it's another thing to be dejected and perpetuate an negative narrative about Tech and the coaching staff to bishop Sullivan.
Can't blame him if the "plan" changed when he committed to what it is now. Could be based on his development or it could be due to recruiting misses - who knows.
With that said, love for him to come to Tech and become the next Isaiah.....or Flowers as it were.
If we get another CB that plays as consistently spectacular as Flowers did, I will be Stan Marsh when he "got attacked by a ghost."
Losing Cape isn't good. The guy is talented. But if our coaches don't want him at WR and he wants to play WR, there's no way around it.
As long as the coaches have been straightforward there's no problem here. Hope he sticks.
Problem is - sounds like he was told that he'd play WR and now apparently not. Hope that's not the case.
I rather we tell him now instead of any time after he signs. The kid deserves to know if we are in fact looking at him to play DB, instead of WR.
Yeah but why are we telling him only now?! He's been committed to use for a long-ass time.
You do realize we're speculating on the reason he's thinking about Maryland is because of another speculation that the VT staff was moving him to DB.
It's extremely possible that something Maryland did, or is doing, is the reason he is thinking about going there, as oppose to something VT has done or is going to do.
Outside of some CB's, we're also speculating he's rethinking his commitment. He hasn't even acknowledged his OV to MD on twitter much less tweeted anything not positive toward VT.
Yes agree we are speculating, but that seems to be the only story in town about why he'd maybe flip. So that's what we're going with.
And...we're up to 36% UMD....
Ugh...Terps
Time to stop stressing over it. There's a good chance he's going to UMD and we will live with it.
This has been the fastest traversal through the stages of grief this board has ever accomplished. Bravo, everyone.
Go Big or go home
This is Home
We are an experienced group.
So does the James Robinson thing have legs?
I would hope so if he wants to play football.
Not sure it means anything but he did follow Guerry back on twitter
gotta slide into those DMs
It does go down in the DM
I just hope that if anything remotely negative happens to our class, we can all agree to overreact and form relentlessly strong opinions on situations where we have almost no facts, and to remain steadfast in our negative opinions even as new information is presented. Bonus points if we can make judgments on the intelligence of high school kids or our own coaches without any insight whatsoever. And of course if our forecasts of the future don't vacillate wildly between utter doom and complete certainty of an upcoming dynasty, I will have lost my faith in message boards.
Chris Beatty is a weasel. Just ask Lafonte Thoroughgood (I think that's how you spell it.)
(I think that's how you sleep it.)
Lol, auto correct fail.
So just a little distraction while waiting for tomorrow. Is Harbaugh DTM yet again, or gotta do what ya gotta do? (I think he just loves the attention and being the class clown)
https://swimswam.com/michigan-football-coach-jimharbaugh-trades-glasses-...
Tomorrow will be an interesting day. After meticulously following every recruiting update for the past year, it looks like I'll miss most of the Signing Day excitement. I'm escaping the snow and cold of the Boston area and flying down to Fort Lauderdale first thing in the morning for a little reunion with my three closest friends, all of which I have known for 40+ years. Two of them are fellow Hokies; one I've known since 5th grade (and I've been his Best Man in all 3 of his weddings), the other since high school, and both were former roommates at Tech. The other took a twisted path and ended up as a Terp. But, we don't hold that against him too much.
So, I'll be drinking heavily from the time I get through security on the way down until I fly back on Saturday night. Through the haze, I'll try to keep up with the latest.
Let's go, Hokies!!!
Whether Cape flips or not, I hope fans don't over react and pretend like this class was a failure. Losing him would suck, but we are about to close on a highly sought in state OT with multiple big time P5 offers, close on another solid DE prospect, and might flip a kid from the Terps on top of it. This along with numerous big time prospects such as Rivers, Hunter, Garbutt, and Proctor.
I just hope that Fuente and company can convince Tahj how much of a snake Chris Beatty is and why he typically bounces to different places every two years. Dude was literally at Syracuse for a month before lying his way to College Park to work for Durkin.
(Edit: Maybe I should have read mogwaiaredangerous' comment before posting this, since it basically relays the same message haha.)
durkin durkin durkin
But yours has actual substance and significantly less snark, which some people prefer for some reason.
According to threads on 247, Cape is as good as gone. This one's gonna sting, hoping for a miracle LOI from him tomorrow.
He better have his social media contingency plan ready for action, because right now his twitter banner is Statement 17, all of his tweets are about VT, all of his favorites are about VT, and his pinned tweet is his "This is Home" commitment tweet.
I'll be checking periodically throughout the day to see if he changes that stuff. Can't imagine him sending in his LOI to the Twerps tomorrow morning with a bunch of conflicting stuff on his profile haha.
I'm starting to think this may be much ado about nothing. The only people who flipped their CBs were two Maryland insiders, one national guy (but no one affiliated with VTScoop), and a random Notre Dame insider. Yeah, Tahj may prefer to play WR over DB, and maybe Maryland gave him a lot to think about on his visit. But the guy has been a solid Hokie since he committed. His Twitter page is basically VT Football propaganda. Maybe he does end up shocking everyone and flipping, but I'm feeling fairly confident that this is a bunch of 11th hour drama and his LOI gets sent into Blacksburg promptly tomorrow. Best of luck to him wherever he chooses, but hopefully its VT.
On mobile so can't embedded, but check out Hunter's last few retweets. It's obvious that he is very aware of the situation.
Edit: Retweet of Capehart retweeting Hunter's commitment. This is tweetception boiiii.
We still have a solid WR class even if we do lose Capeheart. Farley and Pimpleton look like the real deal. Add in Deablo, Patterson, and Kumah from last year and we will be fine.
Hope he stays, but if he leaves, its not like we are low on bodies at the position.
Of all people to flip, I'm very surprised we are talking about Cape. He bought in to "This is Home" a long time ago. And of all places to flip, Cape does not seem like the College Park type. College Park is A LOT different than Blacksburg.
College Park is trash.
Yeah, that's what I was trying to say without saying it. It's trash in almost all regards.
Papa Ferrell Edmunds and Darius Fullwood would like a word with you.
it's ok, you can say CP is a shithole
That is kinda offensive - shitholes don't appreciate being compared to college park...
TKP is hating on CP?
We should start a College Park Hatin' thread. But in all honesty, UMD's campus may be nice, but College Park might be one of the worst cities in the DC Metro area. Blacksburg is so much nicer and safer.
UMD's campus isn't that nice
As a UMD graduate, the campus is actually pretty nice, in an old, traditional sort of way. It's no VT campus, but it isn't a crap hole. The journalism building is world class.
The bars along Route 1 are a good time and the Village Pump liquor store is a fantastic. Everything else a hell hole.
It's also close to DC which could be a draw for a lot of people. I grew up in DC and have lived there most of my life so I'd rather not hear any rants about DC—some people like living in cities. I chose Blacksburg over UMD despite both my parents being alums (they had no problems with my decision). My choice came down to: a better baseball team, a better administration (I had friends UMD that weren't able to graduate on-time because they couldn't get required classes), and I didn't want to go to a largely commuter school.
I was told deadpan that UMCP is a "public ivy." This is all while I work at another public Maryland school that Princeton Review said was arguable the best public in MD. I hate College Park. I. Fucking. Hate. Them.
College Park resembles Dresden post-WWII firebombing.
Watkins flipped his CB to Maryland. Capehart is gone.
Three words: Fuck Chris Beatty.
That really sucks......for Tajh Capehart.
I mean I still don't get the flip with Capehart. Why wouldn't he announce it or change some of his stuff to UMD? His banner still says statement17 and his twitter feed is full of pro-VT stuff and retweeting VT stuff.
You're reading too much into it. While some people do, not everyone runs to social media to update their shit the second something happens in their life.
In fact, he has been missing last few days. I'd say he may be avoiding it altogether.
Either way, kid probably had a lot on his mind. Would suck to be all VT for so long and then decide last minute you were wrong.
Some good news... We got 5 more CBs for Becton today, one being a Michigan insider.
Here is the deal with Tahj. Everyone keeps saying why? why? why? He still wants VT but it's not his choice anymore it seems. Fuente & co had in home with Tahj Thursday. They were told then he would not be visiting Maryland. Next day he was gone to visit the Terps. It definitely made waves in Merryman.
i still think we are ok here......he may have just wanted to scratch the itch....it (the visit)probably solidified his decision to be a hokie.....i mean who wants to go to MAryland anyway?
If true, I understand the POV from both parties (VT for not wanting to be lied to, Tahj for wanting to make sure he knows all of his options).
That doesn't change the fact that this all seems incredibly childish.
If he wants to play for VT and the coaches think he can play and fit the system, get over it. Make him wear a Maryland jersey to practice one day or something. This is a stupid reason to lose somebody that you otherwise were very happy to have on your team a week ago.
If true that Capehart lied to Fuente's face that's not a great way to start off on the right foot at Tech...
Yep, Tahj straight lied to Fuente's face. He has a right to be angry.
It's not Tahj's fault though, he was getting some terrible advice and was put into a awfully difficult situation.
Do you know this or is it speculation?
It's basically just reiterating what nowukno is talking about in his post. It's all just speculation at this point, but it's starting to leak on VT message boards and hopefully we'll have clarification for what actually went down after it's official.
Hmmmm, if thats the case interesting, I guess our coaching staff is ok with players taking visits as long as they're upfront about them? They did let Proctor and some others take visits after committing right? Honestly, I think our coaches have the right to be angry, but I'm not sure pulling the scholarship is the right approach
You are correct. If Tahj told them of his plans to visit UMD, odds are he would still like be signing with VT tomorrow.
But once he told the VT staff he wasn't visiting UMD, and then visiting them the next day, everything changed.
Reality is, Fuente was in a tough spot here and so was Tahj. There's gonna be a lot more stuff coming out about the whole situation in the coming days and hopefully we'll have an idea of what really went down.
This makes no sense. Has to be more to it.
if all of this is true and coach FU pulled the offer when the kid lied to his face ...I say good for coach!....It sends a statement that honesty and integrity is more important than talent in his program. and he will not be walked over by a 17 year old kid.
IF CAPEHEART says hey coach i wanna go for a visit just to make sure...... then sure you let him go...but dont lie about it...think of all the money and effort that was put into recruiting him , then for him to lie like that? no bueno!
whoa, whoa, whoa....
lets pull back on the vitriol for a high school kid. Especially when we as a program are pursuing kids that are ALREADY COMMITTED elsewhere and are trying to flip them to the good guys. It's part of the game. It has absolute dick to do with getting walked over or not.
If Coach Fuente is mad that he was lied to then he should explore what led to that decision. Maybe the kid was pushed to go, felt obligated by a family member/coach/friend... etc. who knows. I seriously doubt if he does end up being a Hokie that anyone is going to give a damn that he went to visit Maryland.
lets dial it back down to reasonable volumes.
agree .....its all part of the game...but, when you tell coach your staying put thursday night and pack your bags the next day,,,,,,that is not part of the game .....you have to be upfront about everything.
why? if this were true then we would never flip anyone. He as a recruit has his right to visit any program he wants, no matter what he says or thankfully for us, even if he has already given a commitment to someone else.
that's the point. it's nothing to get mad about because we ourselves are hoping kids do that for us.
Does it suck? yes. Could this be a character issue? maybe, or it could be something else as I mentioned. Should you be butthurt about it? hell no, it's part of recruiting.
i have to disagree.....kid should have said he was going or at very least not told fu he wasnt going.....lie is a lie .....
kid that will lie to your face will do it again down the road ........not good to have in the program
yeah, because everything is so black and white...
so to recap. you are good if a kid comes to visit VT even if they have already committed elsewhere and had previously told those coaches that they are going to go to those schools. Yet you are not willing to accept a VT commitment that may do the very same thing.
a tad hypocritical, don't you think?
At this point it doesn't seem like anyone knows exactly what led to his decision to visit UMD. Nor that when he told Fuente he wouldn't go that he in fact meant it, only to be pressured to go later. Or any one of a multitude of other scenarios that could have led to this. Unless you have some serious #sauces that you're not providing I don't really see your point.
IF IF IF this story is true and he did say to Fuente that he would not be visiting UMD, but then changed his mind for whatever reason (parents urging, felt doubts about VT etc) he should have told Fuente or someone on the staff that he was going after all, and that he was calling to make sure they heard it from him, was upfront about it etc. Even if its a dead period when a coach can't contact the recruit, the recruit can always initiate the contact or get a message to the coaches (at least is how it was when my kid was recruited). And if it were my kid, you can be darn sure he/she would have been upfront or followed up in some way to let the first coach know things had changed and they were going on another trip after all. I doubt Fuente was mad that the kid took a trip. a good coach wants a kid to be sure. It was being lied to and finding out through the social media or the grapevine or whatever. (Assuming that was the case). If my kid had done that, I would not be surprised of their offer was pulled.
sure. if it was my kid I would expect that too and I would have never have let him go without informing Fuente. but that's you and me. not every parent.
And, like it or not, that is not the reality of recruiting. So I believe sans almost any verifiable facts there is little to no reason to condemn the kid just because he said one thing one day and did another thing the next day.
Fuente will decide what he thinks most prudent but I would be fine with this kid being a Hokie next year.
You literally don't know anything, as others have said this is message board fodder, no need to carry a negative opinion. And even if it's all true, he might not have been lying. He could have 100% believed it and the next morning his mom wakes him up with his bags packed and tell him he's visiting umd whether he likes it or not. There are a million different possibilities, no need to hold a grudge.
It's twu..It's twu.....
Buh Bye.TC
Uh oh. Becton just got 2 CB's for Louisville and one was from Steve Wiltfong.
Those dudes prediction accuracy are about to take a hit. ;)
That... that's a winking face...
I hope you're communicating what I think you're communicating.
Haha I'm just trying to stay optimistic, I honestly don't know if the CBs have legs or not but I still think he picks VT tomorrow based on what's been reported that past couple weeks.
That's got to be the craziest CB chart I've ever seen. That graph is being blown up.
2 James Robinson crystal balls to VT.
Not to be a doubter, but what are these CB based on??? A Twitter follow less than 24 hours old??
It seems likely that Robinson would wait til after NSD to make a decision as he can still take OV I do believe and his Recruiting situation just changed drastically in the last 10 days.
As far as our involvement in him...I'm Ok with the fact that he smokes pot...a large proportion of College-age adults do and Recreational use is likely to be legal in the majority of states within the next 10 years. The issue is with Judgement---why would you choose to smoke on your OV weekend? Could you not have left the weed alone for 72 hours? Maybe it was just a dumb mistake; the kind many 18 year olds make, but the way it all went down suggests a serious lack of judgment.
And also, VT DID send Tahj an LOI. So they never pulled his offer despite their feelings towards the situation.
Details to emerge on 247 on Thursday.
The boards are toxic right now I'm staying off for a few days
I just can't wrap my head around people getting worked up over this kind of thing. No one has any details, and even so, who cares? If he's a hokie he'll sign, if not, wish him the best, this won't sink our class one way or the other.
via GIPHY
I feel there are too many assumptions and options being made about what a kid did or didn't do. Let's just wait and watch, no point in making judgements about someone when surely no one here knows 100% what they are talking about.
CBs going to UGA for Brini...could this mean Speed is out and is coming to the good guys?
Or it could mean they dropped off $5,000 in cash for his parents earlier today. You decide.
Speed's HS coach said today, that he would be surprised if it wasn't Georgia. Pulling Speed and Brini last minute is interesting
Guys we failed we didn't hit 600 comments before NSD.
I think you're looking at this all wrong...if you add up all the January recruiting thread comments we are at 2,506...and counting.
Not a bad month's work...
sounds somewhat familiar...
One of his brothers is an absolute stud. Like a legit Kendall to Jaylens Kyle
BTW Jaylen checks in at 6-2 230 per Hokie Sports.
I promise I'm not trying to be a debbie downer and I'm also not disappointed with the class but I did notice that we have dropped to the #21 class in the nation so far today. With most all of our potential NSD recruits off the table it will be interesting to see how far we fall by days end. Hopefully we can make up some of that ground in the next week or so.
You can be a little down. We could drop out of the top 25 WITH a recruiting bump from our "New Head Coach of the Year" and recent success. There's much to be excited for, but I think the disappointment is justified.