MontgomeryTexasHokie

But if I look at that list, PSU and Pitt don’t fit and for that matter Indiana. So, to me it’s us or Notre Dame. If this kid is and has been tight with Franklin - I think that’s the chip that wins it for us. Franklin sure seems to have a one on one magnetism with these recruits. Landing this guy would be huge. And, I think more surprises are coming - to us. This dead period JF had after he was fired and when he knew he was coming to VT gonna prove invaluable. Again biased. But, that’s my read. MTH

Geez is this good news!! Monsters on the OL and a top flight RB. Somehow I don’t think JF is done sprinkling in more before signing day. So pumped reading these and putting the past behind us. Kick the French’s a$$ Sarurday after leftovers- solid Thanksgiving weekend. MTH ** Edited by MontgomeryTexasHokie at 11/28/2025, 6:59:02 AM

If he’s in the “mix” or “discussions” then the bar for such inclusion is fairly low. And, I still say we beat their arses (again) next week. What a great way for Monty to exit. Be a great way to head off to a new gig. MTH

It’s just not a good idea and the first time a big defensive let down happens - Franklin and staff will be crucified over the choice. That ship has sailed. There’s a tremendous amount of goodwill present now. Fans and alums are stoked. There is genuine hope for what will happen in Lane Stadium going forward. As close as Franklin is to Pry, as much as he believes in him - not a good choice. Not happening. Same with Shane. Would have been a terrible move, and if he came in and went 13-23 and got fired - the Beamer legacy permanently damaged and both Sr and Jr the worse for it. Pry needs to go to a JMU or a Tulane and follow his mentors advice to “learn” from the mistakes and get his career back on track. He can do it, and I wish him well. MTH

in a different state (compared to prior), then Beam Me Up Scotty. National Title? I’m not guaranteeing that, but we just made a move that will put this painful last decade behind us and at least allow us to have such conversations. The theme song from the old sitcom “The Jefferson’s” would be appropriate right now - for those who recognize that show and that intro. Welcome James Franklin. Better days are soon to come. MTH

You made your decision - deal with it. Got in a snit and pulled the plug - your problem. I actually think the PSU opening is down the list of those open. That’s where “they” put themselves. MTH

like buzzards on roadkill. That has been the toughest part of this (for me), watching this list / firing squad process on this board. Yes, it's a message board, but you've got some on here that actually think James Franklin is a bad hire, loser, can't win the big one, posting the cherry picked games for what..........? Cause "their" guy wasn't the pick?? Can we for at least 24-48 hours rally around this monumental day (that is my opinion 100%) and stop with the busting chops and tearing people down or apart before we even get to Spring Ball? IS that too much to F***ing ask? We've gone through a MESS the last 4-5 years and there should be some respite and celebrate a new day in Hokie Sports. Good grief, some people on here are just obsessed with negativity - we've all had enough of that from what we have seen on Saturday's and read on this board. Big day. Let's act like what it is - new chapter with a very high ceiling. MTH

Guy has stuck to his guns and put his detail out there. Took all the incoming - held his ground, didn't get weak in the knees. Given all the other stuff on this board, the most bizarre being James Franklin is some kind of bad hire, this has been more than refreshing. Well done my man. MTH

It appears we are on the verge of landing a top P5 coach, and somehow the fact he got fired at PSU and comes to VT is a bad thing? So, now you are spending time finding out if your "zero" number is correct, and I'm afraid others have proven you wrong. Now we can debate, and we'll all be looking for each other and who said what about who to hire and why, but whether I am in the majority or the minority this is a major upgrade I'm not sure I'd ever see on the top side of the dirt. The fact he got fired a month or so ago, means nothing. Lastly, if "rehab" is some kind of pergatory or time out, he is picking a very good spot to do his time as we are sorely in need of a rehab from the Administration down. So, rehab might be made for both of us. Sadly, coming to VT and the state we find ourselves is rehab. MTH

Not sure about this year. But going forward, This Guy will be in the mix. MTH ** Edited by MontgomeryTexasHokie at 11/16/2025, 7:00:17 AM

You friend have been consistent and on point through this process unlike myself and countless others. You’ve garnered a following. Well done. MTH

of great interest to those on this board. And, finally, if true we will all be able to collectively tell the Arky Pigs to SUCK IT. MTH

Was encouraged by Airbornes increase of his 99.9% prediction to 100%. I see and read the Arkansas stuff, and no doubt the Walton family can write a check for whatever amount, but I just do not think that is better fit for Franklin versus VT - save the money difference. He can hit the ground running here; knows the recruiting base; less pressure; quicker path to turn around; easier path to a hopeful playoff spot (someday - we can all hope!) My source matches those I've seen on here - the holdup has been PSU. How to structure the amount due, how that fits into his new VT package, etc. It seems they tried the lump sum LSU type approach offer at least a couple versions. I get all the agent maneuvering a leverage - but at some point someone has to go first and start the domino effect and I would be very happy if that white smoke is James Franklin introduced as the new Head Coach of the Virginia Tech Hokies. MTH ** Edited by MontgomeryTexasHokie at 11/14/2025, 7:30:09 AM ** Edited by MontgomeryTexasHokie at 11/14/2025, 7:41:54 AM

Listen, I am no fan of Brian Kelly, but you guys gave him the deal (crazy) and now you want to come up with some bs on "cause" and stiff him. See this all the time in business - things go south people want to re-negotiate what they signed in happier times. They tried to offer about 1/2 ($25M) for a one-time payment (he told them to go pound sand) and then upped it to $30M and he told them yet again - no way, pay me my contract. LSU is NOT aTm or Texas - they are not rolling in cash to re-do mistakes every three years. Whoever goes there is going to demand a Kelly type clause if they terminate for non-cause and given their track record, crazy if they do not. MTH

Intent was “more recent”. Switzer and Johnson won their Super Bowls in the 90’s, three decades ago. Pete Carroll was fired at NYJ before rehabbing at USC. Eventually fired in Seattle and doing poorly in Vegas. Yes - all eventually get fired. My point was the more recent history of college coaches going to the NFL is not good. Not at all. It seems to me the better head coaches in the NFL come up through the ranks in the NFL, as the last two offensive co-ordinates for the Tampa Bay Bucs are head coaches at Carolina and Jacksonville and doing well (I’m a Bucs fan). Todd Bowels the head coach had a similar path. Dan Campbell with the Lions wasn’t a college head coach, nor Bowels. James Franklin is not a good fit for any NFL team. He might not come to VT, but he’s not going to the Giants or other vacancy. Could have been clearer - I was not. Harbough at LAC the outlier but even he, like Carroll, was in the NFL prior to college titles. MTH

the most recent ones still breathing and those who have not assumed ground temperature. Hank Stram? Paul Brown? Tom Landry has been dead for about 30 years. Lombardi has been dead for over 50 years............... I should have said "recent" or "modern" and I did leave off Urban Liar, who only makes my point (imo) further as he was just awful in Jacksonville, maybe the worst of the lot. Again, not picking stats or shading anything - but the "most recent" batch who have tried this is not good, apologies to Walsh and the rest of the deceased coaches you listed. MTH

Here is a little reminder: 1. Matt Rhule - Fired from Carolina 2. Chip Kelly - Fired at Philly 3. Steve Spurrier - Fired in Washington 4. Bobby Petrino - quit / fired in Atlanta 5. Pete Carroll - fired at Seatte 6. Lane Kiffin - fired in Oakland 7. Barry Switzer - fired in Dallas 8. Nick Saban - fired / quit in Miami 9. Dennis Erikson - fired in Seattle To be fair......Jimmy Johnson left the "U" and won "2" Super Bowls and arguably the team he built in Dallas has never quite returned to that level, which is fine by me. So Frankin may be looking, but the track record of success is not good, actually very poor. He's a better fit in college, but money is what is driving all this stuff, not necessarily the best fit. Spurrier was so out of place in Washington, as was Chip Kelly in Philly. MTH

are made for and rightly so. Plus, we canned our guy weeks ago, team not playing especially well, voila - endless specutlation and chatter about who it is going to be. Understandable. Again, perfect message board environment. I'm fine with JF and anyone who thinks these agents aren't pushing all this stuff to get competition going and drive the prices up is just crazy. That's their job. First and top of my list regardless of the name - They TRULY want to be here, full stop. Proving that......I get it. But, hopefully we can ferret out the phonies from the really mean it candidates. Second - proven winner at the HC level, preferably over a longer period of time. Third - proven recruiter over a decent sized geography. Development of the recruits. I hope our list is being used to push BACK against the Sexton's et al with solid counter's that we have options that WANT the job and while negotiation is fine and part of the process - we are only going to negotiate so long and so much. I really hope those are some of the tactics being employed by our side. Having done this for a long period of time in my career you have to know a.) what they are most likely going to do - their tactics, b.) counters to the expected tactics and forceful replies based on our position and facts on the ground, c.) surprises - no matter how you plan these things out and role play, there are surprises that happen - off the wall crap. You have to be prepared for all of this and I HOPE our guys are battling in that fashion. One thing likely not working in our favor is most of these guys have the same agent. Its a small fraternity that manage these coaches and if Jimmy Sexton is the agent for "2" of the guys we are targeting - he KNOWS what our a,b,c's are. Even if the top 2 are represented by different agents - these guys are working together in a "I'll help you here, you help me there" type slimy unstated agreement. Colusion, if you will - plain and simple. MTH

(my son in law one of them) would love for that guy to move on. Everyone needs to take a deep breath. I am likely being Charlie Brown’d again with the football but I think Lucy is actually gonna hold the ball. VT is in the running and if you want a lower pressure, easier path, but still challenging - we ARE the ticket. I’m good w Franklin and Mullen. Hoping the committee holds fast on a “proven” P4 coach who has succeeded in tough conferences. Those two fit that bill. MTH

don’t “think” we can get him or he would not consider coming to VT. A long shot if you will. I’m willing to categorize the “no” crowd as that. I watched him on game day. I left with a better feeling about him and maybe I’d unfairly judged prior. He seemed genuine, humble and still had the fire and passion. The least pressure, easier path, yet still a challenge is VT. He wins 8-9 a year here - he’s a hero. He wins 8 in the SEC he’s on the hot seat. Anyone who thinks he’s not a major upgrade is simply wrong. MTH

before the end of this season. This is NOT a Shane Beamer flame, just putting out the facts. He’s currently “3-6” and overall he’s “32-28” with a sub .500 record in the SEC at “16-23”. At $8 mil plus per year. I’ve said this many times, Lou Holtz and Steve Spurrier could only do so much at SC and it’s just a tough place to win consistently and break into that upper tier. Always thought he should have gone to a Tulane, Appy State, or a Murray State like his Dad first before jumping into the boiling pot of the SEC. MTH

Not good for him. Not good for us. The Beamer ship has come and gone. There will only ever be “1” Beamer for VT and it’s not Shane. He’ll be lucky to survive where he is, and I wish him well. Way things are going he might be able to drive up the road after Dabo gets shown the door - which is gonna happen. MTH ** Edited by MontgomeryTexasHokie at 10/28/2025, 8:07:57 PM

have a different twist on that. Not saying you are wrong - LSU expects SEC Championship's and Natty's, but so does Florida. I think I saw on ESPN that there is "$190 Million" in dead money owed to Jimbo, Kelly, Franklin and Napier. Sam Pittman didn't even make the list, which likely grows before year end. MTH

Out to be able to hit a 5 yard dump off to a receiver, among other short comings. If you think he’s gotten better since he came from Waco, we’ll just have to disagree. MTH

Throw in your lying eyes…….you get emotional responses. Nice retort. Most get it. MTH

1.). The coaches still think Drones is their best option - and they’re wrong. 2.). The other options are indeed worse. I used to get upset, yell, pound the couch, act like a 3-year old (that comes out at other times too). Now, just numb to it. Watch Drones hold a ball about three seconds longer than he should……ho hum, oh well. Watch a defense clearly offsides give the other guys a first down…..no biggie. Just numb to it. And sadly, not sure James Franklin or Dan Mullen or Vince Lombardi incarnate can break the funk 6 years I’m in and what these debacles have done to me. Just bad. Plain and simple, bad. MTH

Just saw where FSU is on the hook for about 74 mil if they totally clean house. What’s Franklins tab, 50 mil. Jimbo was 75 mil Florida gonna be paying “3” head coaches again by firing Napier (Mullen, Napier and new stooge). That’s gotta be 30-40 mil. What was our tab, 10 mil? Fickel couldn’t be far from joining the list. Don’t know where this ends but just a very brief recap and I’m in the 300 mil range for the above wo Fickel. You add in Arkansas, Ok State…….geez that’s a lotta money. Somebody has to have a tab on dead money paying ex coaches and I bet it’s well above 300 million. Could it be a half billion? Probably after some more walk the plank. This is the predicament DimWhit and JB put us in with back-to-back payouts to do other things on Saturday’s. MTH

till next weekend. With all the firings (and more to come) they’ll need to get in line to hold their place. FSU is in my opinion a decent pathway to the playoffs. Puts more pressure on our group to get something done with their top pick before who we want gets sucked into the Tsunami of growing openings list. Pressure will be higher in Tally than the Blacksburg so we have that. I don’t think Franklin is a fit there, but these days who knows. MTH

in these type of negotiations. Hope it is strict - and enforced. Toothless document without distinct penalties for ANY disclosure of their work. The primary effect I see for one of those talking “to his buddy” under double secret probation understanding is spooking a potential candidate and worse yet running up the cost for a candidate that is interested but also on other schools list. In spite of our issues - there are many pluses to take this job. I hope the NDA is honored to the letter till we name our new HC. MTH

I get it - we are beyond listing, been taking on water, our outlook dim. The “this guy” talk understandable given where we are. Message boards are tailored for these kind of hypotheticals. But James Franklin is not coming here and should not. So, here’s my hypothetical. 1.). Clean break from the current group who played roles in this disaster - gone. All must go. New eyes and ideas. 2.). A search committee of proven football acumen (subjective for sure) who put together a list of viable candidates - they operate with independence and report to BOV. 3). Head Coach MUST have HC experience with proven record over at least 5 years. Preferred at the P2 level but not required. Ideal coach has done well at their standard coaching progression stops. 4.). Proven recruiter with notable recruits who come in; develop while here; make it to the next level. 5.). Proven communicator and able to relate and interact with recruits, parents, players, alums and fans. 6.). Able to make good decisions with a fixed budget; able to find the Tuten’s that are out there. 7.). Willing to commit to “5” years to us and support to show progress over initial first 3-years (beating ODU would have checked that box). 8.). Coach willing to work with incentives laden contract during first term - no renegotiations during 1st term. Now, that’s a pretty simple list. Many fit that - many do not. Texas A&M has proven you can spend less (they can buy anything they want by the way) with Elko and put a better product on the field. Most of that roster is Jimbo’s but the on-field product far better - Mike Elko. The right guy can do that here and get us back to 8-4, 9-3 in 3-4 years. I really believe that. MTH

Wanted the Jags to win but sorry for him. Tuten played well. He’s a keeper - has great speed, blocks well, good hands on the rpo. Troy had some very nice things (warranted) to say about him. Point I want to make is those type of guys are out there. Bama and Texas didn’t recruit that kid (best I can tell) but we found him. They’re out there. Just have to find 4-5 like that. Josh Allen couldn’t get a sniff from a “big” school. Goes to Wyoming and as they say, the rest is history. MTH

Have to have a solid decision maker to win. You can go the Carson Beck route - doesn’t run much but is highly accurate and can drop the big ones in against elite corners. Or, you can do the Diego Pavia route and have a good thrower but chaos creator with the RPO type play. Bottom line is you have to have a playmaker back there that cause the defense issues each series. Don’t think we have that with Drones. Defenses don’t think he can hit that tight slot pass or precision long ball so they can play more off and focus more on if he runs. Just my take. MTH

the hot sauce. If that’s 10/9, fine. Tomorrow, that’s fine too. No way he has anything to do with new coach. And I hope there is an active list of HC candidates being compiled to quickly vet and narrow to top 2-3. MTH

I remain elated in the decision on Pry. It should have happened last year. Oh well. But, for the heaps of criticism I piled on Pry, deservedly so imo, commensurately have to give him credit for Monty being here. Can he “win” the job? Not sure. I can say this, his audition is going pretty damn good and it’s clear (at least to this old geezer) to me that these kids will play for him. Not sure what that’s worth, but a bunch in my opinion. Congrats Coach M; Congrats to the Team; rack ‘em - let’s go. We can be “3-3” in about 6 days. Who thought that was possible after the ODU disaster? Not me. Go Hokies. Beat Wake! MTH

Don’t want to say “stunned” but maybe that’s close to appropriate? So happy for the team - what they’ve been through and all the “crap” going on around them. Clearly Monty can get them up to play. Can’t replay the games but after “2” games under different leadership, hard for me to believe we wouldn’t be “3-2” or “4-1” if DimWhit would have done what clearly needed to be done after last year. Happy for the Team! Happy these two wins have brought some sunshine to all Hokies out there. This is fixable with leadership and a plan. Always a great day to be a Hokie, but even better after what I watched on my phone last night. MTH

Had to follow it on my phone but way to go guys! Hell yeah! Congrats Coach Montgomery. You did more in two weeks than your predecessor did on 3+ years! MTH

Been on shaky ground for a while. Note here is that outside a big fat guaranteed contract, a coach going there to an SEC school has about 2-3 years or you’re blindfolded, smoking a cig, and walking the plank. That’s a plus for us imo. MTH ** Edited by MontgomeryTexasHokie at 9/27/2025, 2:05:57 PM

I don’t get the line on that game ( FSU -6.5) but I think an arse beating coming to C-ville Friday. That should worry about that, and if Daddy’s Amex is still active. MTH

But, the proposed $100 per student is not a deal breaker for any student. It’s 8 bucks and change a month. The problem I think we both have is “what are you getting” (for your extra 100 bucks)? I’m there 100%. This current group has proven they couldn’t organize a two car funeral and were shoveling out 15-16mil to cover hiring mistakes. So, in effect DimWhit is hitting the students for about $60-70 each to clean up his mess (student increase supposedly gets like $21mil so about 60-70% of that). If the on field product improves, the $100 per head will be accepted. Just this guy detailing the plan sort of kills it from word one. Get your point. Hard to disagree, but we get a good coach and back to 8-4, 9-3 type years the donations will improve and fees accepted. MTH

Atrocious. You’d think at a minimum we’d have good LB’s and overall defensive play. No. Just another glaring example of how bad a hire DimWhit gave us. MTH

But, he is a good recruiter. aTm had some top talent come in there he had a hand in it. Same at FSU. He had some studs pre nil. So, it wasn’t just Jameis. He won as a coordinator at LSU. He won at FSU. He won at aTm. Now, saying that it’s fair to say with all the talent why no sec title etc at aTm? That’s a fair question. But as far as finding talent and getting them to his school look no further than Haines King at GT or Connor Wegman at U Houston. Really tough fans at aTm and yes the donors have Uber money - but they have uber mouths and uber opinions too. Is he a fit at VT? Not sure. Better than Fu or Pry - yes. The guy wins but I get the “hard no” and “no way” sentiments. MTH

There is no denying he has been successful at the SEC level. Has Arkansas dna, Auburn dna and is widely viewed as a good play caller. Judging from what we saw of the game plan against Bama with Castellanos - not bad. Just a theory, and no better or less than many on this board - he left UCF to get to a higher level program; take the OC job; have some success and get himself into a position to be a candidate for another program. With the ACC you at least have a clearer (easier) path to the playoffs. Just a thought. Guy is like 58-59, the sun hasn't set on him yet, some fire clearly still in the belly. I'm not hawking the guy, as I said a "possibility". If you think ODU would have done to him what Pry got Saturday night, we'll just have to disagree. He should be on the list and it is my hope this "committee" or whomever is on the search process is feeling out agents and their interest level. Pressure in Blacksburg will be much lower and time to fix more flexible than about any other place. That's a real plus imo. MTH

😂😂😂

to compliment my earlier support for Dan Mullen. Gus Malzahn. Former HC at Auburn and UCF. Current OC at FSU. Solid recruiter. Solid offensive play caller. Have to think the FSU gig was to try and get back to another HC program and that “might” be a notch or two higher than VT. He has Arkansas dna and not sure Pruitt survives much longer. Does Stoops last much longer at UK? Also, should Norvell have another 2023 type year is he an SEC candidate? If so, does he get a promotion at FSU? Lots of possibilities but do I think he could win in Blacksburg - yes. Major upgrade? Yes. Get run out of Lane by ODU? No. MTH ** Edited by MontgomeryTexasHokie at 9/14/2025, 9:53:30 PM

And Deablo is playing well at LB. Darrisaw still out hurt rehabbing the knee injury. MTH