VTECHFAN

...at taxpayer expense... THEN he'll further commence the outrage and attempt to close the door behind LSU so that others can't continue doing what they did one last time.

UVA isn't "laughing" about us potentially hiring Franklin. I don't think they're trembling in their boots either but he's the first coach with proven P4 success we've had since Beamer's success here. I do think a lot of the fanbase underrates the risk with the Franklin hire. He'd be a grand slam hire... but there's no such thing as a sure thing. Recruiting would likely improve a bit at least early on (in large part due to the NIL we're adding)... but a couple of 7-5 seasons could deflate things quickly too.

He was the Head Coach here... and not a particularly good one. IF (VERY key word here) James Franklin were to be the Head Coach here, that's a lot different. Again, I'm not saying he'll recruit like he did at PSU.... but some of the kids who went to South Carolina or Maryland may start coming back to us.

However, there will be a new coach bump. A hiring of Franklin in the short term will almost certainly bring a heavy infusion of cash. Now, if we go 7-5 each of the next two seasons and the enthusiasm starts to damper, that may cause some of that money to pull back and make recruiting difficult. But with the NIL money we should have and the buzz a Franklin hire would create, we will see a bump. Top 10 classes? Of course not. Top 20? Not for a while... and probably not even then. But top 25-30 is realistic as long as we can have a reasonable amount of NIL available as well.

...compared to what we've grown accustomed to under Pry/late-Fuente. But I do think IF Franklin is the next coach, we could potentially see us get back to classes around 25-30. Recruits like Delhomme or Kendall Daniels or Caleb Williams who we've lost out to to the likes of South Carolina and Maryland may become more likely to start signing with VT again. These days, we're not going to beat out Penn State or Ohio State or Tennessee on the trail with any kind of regularity. But we might not have to shy away just because they got ANY P2 offer.

IMO, the 1st half will be a bit of a slog as each team feels the other out. IMO, we'll have a close game going into halftime. In the 2nd half, after adjustments are made, South Carolina's talent advantage (especially on the lines) will begin to really pay dividends for them.

MJ is back there. It's in his backyard (not sure why anyone would ever want to go back to the hellhole that is Hyattsville/College Park but to each his own I guess).

But the Birmingham MSA consists of about 1.1 million people. It's about 2 spots lower than Richmond's MSA as far as population. I've never been there and I'm sure it isn't nearly as "urban" as Richmond, it IS 3X larger by population than the Roanoke market. I also did state though that I thought Alabama is a fairly decent comp though. Birmingham isn't a huge needle mover and it's still about an hour away while the Tuscaloosa MSA is a little smaller than Roanoke (but the city itself is about the same size). Alabama is pretty isolated.... but it's still considerably less isolated than Virginia Tech. And as I mentioned, they don't have a long history of basketball success. ** Edited by VTECHFAN at 10/26/2023, 1:36:00 PM

are not exactly what anyone would call urban, they're all either considerably bigger than Blacksburg or they're near much bigger metros than anything VT is near. Kansas is less than an hour from Kansas City. UVA is less than an hour from Richmond and really only 2 hours from NOVA. Lexington is HUGE compared to Blacksburg and is also just a little over an hour from Louisville and less than 90 minutes from Cincinnati. Spokane is isolated but, as already pointed out, considerably bigger than Blacksburg itself (it's about the size of Norfolk). Purdue is about an hour and change from Indianapolis and 2 hours from Chicago though West Lafayette is probably the closest comp of the ones listed. Alabama is also a fairly decent comp though Tuscaloosa is considerably bigger than Blacksburg (about on par with Roanoke) but it's also less than an hour from Birmingham which has a decent sized metro. Alabama hasn't exactly been uber successful until late.

It may not be the be all end all, but it is absolutely an eliminating factor for more kids than many care to admit. Virginia Tech is among the most isolated major college campuses in America. And many of the others that are similarly isolated also lack any real long-term sustained success. Kansas State for instance has had some sporadic success but then you look at programs like Penn State and Washington State and let's just say they've struggled.through the decades. And don't get me wrong, VT creates many of its own issues too. But location isn't something in VT's control and does rule us out for a fair number of players we'd love to have. Not sure location has much if anything to do with Rice.... but the whole Rodney Rice saga has been bizarre. It always felt like something more was going on.

To have any clips relevant to their own program worth using. ** Edited by VTECHFAN at 8/25/2022, 3:07:49 PM

Looking like we'll be playing UVA, Miami, and GT FWIW.

But we'll play Clemson, FSU, Lewisville, NCSU, etc every other year. On the down side, we'll play in the Carrier Dome every four years now.

But JS has clearly done a hell of a job. Last year flashed the potential. Now these guys arent going away.

But JS has clearly done a hell of a job. Last year flashed the potential. Now these guys arent going away.

And that he didnt know how to win at this level?

Good times.
[Post edited by VTECHFAN at 05/08/2022 1:25PM]

And that he didnt know how to win at this level?

Good times.
[Post edited by VTECHFAN at 05/08/2022 1:25PM]

Barno's 40 was eyepopping but IIRC, his other numbers were pedestrian. Combined with production, not a recipe for a high pick.
[Post edited by VTECHFAN at 04/30/2022 3:35PM]

Barno's 40 was eyepopping but IIRC, his other numbers were pedestrian. Combined with production, not a recipe for a high pick.
[Post edited by VTECHFAN at 04/30/2022 3:35PM]

Unless he was just done with college which is possible.

Barno I understand why he left at the time but in retrospect should have come back.

Mitchell leaving was IMO a bad idea even at the time.

Unless he was just done with college which is possible.

Barno I understand why he left at the time but in retrospect should have come back.

Mitchell leaving was IMO a bad idea even at the time.

He could contribute very little. He could be a star.

Those guys tend to go in the mid/late rounds. Barno is best suited as a 3-4 pass rusher. I think he'd fit well at GB.
[Post edited by VTECHFAN at 04/30/2022 3:03PM]

He could contribute very little. He could be a star.

Those guys tend to go in the mid/late rounds. Barno is best suited as a 3-4 pass rusher. I think he'd fit well at GB.
[Post edited by VTECHFAN at 04/30/2022 3:03PM]

Such as the 2nd or 3rd round. But he was always more likely a 4th/5th round guy who could drop further due to production.

Mitchell was always a late round guy. I had him as 70/30 to get drafted coming in. Turner is similar IMO.

Smith and Waller were 50/50 guys. Smith probably just under 50/50 and Waller more like 40/60.

Hoffman is a longshot at very best.
[Post edited by VTECHFAN at 04/30/2022 3:45PM]

Such as the 2nd or 3rd round. But he was always more likely a 4th/5th round guy who could drop further due to production.

Mitchell was always a late round guy. I had him as 70/30 to get drafted coming in. Turner is similar IMO.

Smith and Waller were 50/50 guys. Smith probably just under 50/50 and Waller more like 40/60.

Hoffman is a longshot at very best.
[Post edited by VTECHFAN at 04/30/2022 3:45PM]

Anything below the 8/9 line was ridiculous. 29-2 and a friggin 12!