Solid Verbal (full episode) on Pry year 1 with AB

Solid Verbal dropped a new episode with Andy Bitter, full devoted to reviewing VT's 2022 Season. Nothing ground breaking (especially for people here) but I like seeing/sharing any time 'national media' does a deep dive on VT. Also, Andy Bitter 'walked out' to eight-bit Enter Sandman, so that was cool.

All in all, I think they hit the nail on the head. Here's some solid quotes they used to set the table:

[VT] had all sorts of challenges just with respect to talent. Sure. Talent was not there. We talked about it all preseason long, but it wasn't a difficult schedule. This was a very workable schedule last year. The fact that they only won three games. I think many, many Virginia Tech fans would look at that and say, man, that was somewhat disappointing. I think the fact that they struggled definitely underscores the challenge ahead for Brent Pry. And that's why this is an important conversation If you're, if you're a Virginia Tech fan, if you're just a college football fan in general.

This has been a historic program for a good long time. The fact that they have slipped now to the point where we're talking about a three and eight team, where we're wondering about bowl eligibility moving forward... There's a lot going on here that I think college football fans in general would find very interesting.

Towards the end of the show, Dan said this, and I've never felt so heard:

I don't mean this in a pejorative way, but if you were to look at who would be the program, the team to root for, to align yourself with that would cause you the most agitation over these last few years. And it's not just because they'll have a terrible year or they'll have a great year and that they're inconsistent year to year from a win total perspective. But from a maddening, we have talented guys, we lose close games as soon as we have a defense. We don't have an offense as soon as we have an offense, we don't have a defense and the upheaval with head coaches and coordinators. Like I just, I can't imagine what it must be like to be a Virginia Tech fan to have seen so much success and then now going through a time where ACC's not super strong like this should traditionally be a time where Virginia Tech fills that vacuum, right?...

...You show a flash of of improvement and then the next three weeks are just garbage. And so yeah, they're one of those programs that I'm sure is completely torturing its fan base.

The discussion at the end on the long term future of VT is so on point - The first quote is Dan Rubenstein, the second is Ty's response:

Virginia Tech is a clear example of what we would be and what we probably are losing as we head to like the super-2. They are that program that has been really good over the past few decades that, you know, they played for a national championship game. They have one of the most, one of the most electric players in the history of the sport in Michael Vick. They have a ton of NFL talent. Like they are a program that if you're from the West coast, if you're from Texas, if you're from the Northwest, if you're from the Midwest, you've probably never been to Blacksburg, Virginia. You've probably have no idea what a Hokie is because it's a made up Turkey mascot. The atmosphere is pretty much unparalleled. That Lane Stadium, I don't know if you've ever been, I went to a game there. It has the tradition. It has the frenzied fan base.

And as Fox and ESPN further control the sport, people just say, 'well, you know, we don't see as much Virginia Tech.' And I just think it's, it's a clear example of the sort of tragedy of the future of the sport... ...And I know the ACC has done itself no favors locking in its grant of rights and everything like that. But that they're one of those programs to me that is a threat to be lost in the shuffle because it.

Virginia Tech is college football and I don't believe in the like, 'oh, college football's better when Virginia Tech [is good],' I don't believe in that line of thinking, but I just love Virginia Tech.

I've been there. I've eaten the giant Turkey leg. I was on the field for Enter Sandman and so I hope for the sake of Virginia Tech that they get better under Brent Pry and they have better players and they're developing NFL type talent and they take down powers and they're in Big Bowl games once again... ...I don't know how to like phrase it better than that. Virginia Tech football rules. And I hope we're able to have a conversation which they're at the table nationally, regionally, whatever.

if we end up pushing forward on the conference expansion, the super 2, Yeah. Front as you phrased it, Virginia Tech would be in a really weird spot. Totally. If you've got two conferences [and] they want to go all the way up to [22 or] 24... ...Then I think it's a little bit more obvious that there's a place for Virginia Tech. But if they go to 18, if they just stop at 20... ... is there any real impetus to bring Virginia Tech in?

TL;DR - this episode is everything I already knew about the program, but it's also everything I want an outsider to know and understand about the program.

Quick callouts:

• I took these quotes out of context, so as always, listen
• Also, the transcript may not be perfect (I used Podscribe) so the transcript may not be the best. I'm doing my best to edit out the 'umms' and 'likes' and 'ya knows' so the quotes make sense. I'll probably continue to tweak.