Whiskeyandfootball

There are a few things to consider. When he got fired, did Franklin say, "I'm going to bring you back, no matter where I go" and Pry not actively seek out other jobs? Secondly, Pry had pretty decent defenses at Penn State, even his defense in the first year or 2 at VT were solid (relatively to the players, roster, etc).

A) I really hope we win big.... B) Mike Young & Robie aren't going to start having to build rosters out of ramen noodles are they?

I think that seeing VT football in complete disarray and spinning in mud, while the team up 81/64 is doing well adds more urgency for the increased funding. They say it is always darkest before dawn, so I say, VT football is down and out, it's painful... and it should be. It should force conversations and force changes. If UVA winning more this year pushes that forward, good. Let them lose to Miami in the ACCGC for all I care.... I mean, I can't think of a better worst case for VT than for their worst season in nearly 40 years to have 2 of our 3 rivals playing for a conference championship. If the school doesn't pony up.... give up.

Maybe something like 8-4 could put him in play. But, it will need to be a big, big number of wins.

With the way the transfer portal works, you need to run systems that can be executed by anyone and not take 2-3 years to learn / develop. It's been one of the things we've seen with Mike Young, when he has a more veteran team, they're really strong, because of the time it takes to operate his system. We also see that with him, where the teams are generally better toward the end of season (vs beginning). If not that, I am not opposed to a gimmick style offense. Georgia Tech had a solid run under Paul Johnson, so maybe you go down a path like that (or similar with the Jamey Chadwell style quirkly option). It isn't flashy, but can help get to a solid 8 win seasons. Similar, if someone has a quirky air raid or similar scheme. Find someone who runs a high impact scheme that focuses more on spacing than talent.

I get that bugets are limited, but if you want to develop something like that you need to spend money to make it look inviting. That looks like someone who runs a bounce house business set-up. VT should look beyond just college football to elevate their "premium" offers. Talk to luxury brands (Neiman Marcus, Saks, Louis V.) to see how they build similar "pop-ups," talk to F1 (they sell luxury experiences to races that don't have any racing). The main point is, sport is irrelevant, you want to make Lane / Cassel a place to see / be seen.

He began his career as a HC in 2015. Maybe he is someone who is better as a coordinator than as a HC? His offenses before he was HC, his offenses were good (excluding Auburn, b/c Auburn). I think, going back to 2003 to 2014, when he became a HC, only 2 times was he a coach (position or coordinator) when they scored less than 30 PPG. That is what I expect out of him. There is talent on offense, a good QB, a solid looking OL and some of the better position coaching VT has had on offense in the Pry era. If VT can score 30+ PPG, that is probably a bowl-eligible season, with modestly happy fans (6 wins ... less happy than 8.). If it turns our the Auburn version of him is what we have ... Coach Vick, Chesney, someone else? But, you can look deeper into his numbers. For example, with his 2021 Tulsa team. They went 7-6 (6-6 + Bowl). At the end of his tenure at Tulsa, the entire roaster was ok (which is why he was let go), but, look at his 2021 team. They went 7-6 (6-6 + Bowl). Losses to 4 top-25 teams OK State, Ohio State, Houston, Cincy (CFP Cincy). All 4 of those teams had better players and defenses across the board than his Tulsa team. They did have 2 bad losses (1 FCS team and a 4-8 Navy team). So, many many many words to say... Pry has gambles on both sides. An older, seasoned OC with past success who is probably at his last stop and a young, interesting defensive guy that people have pegged as future NFL DC/HC. If both are average, 6-6/7-5. If both suck, all are fired. If one over performs, 7-5/8-4 or better.

I would imagine that this will be the core of what we see at Tech.

I thought I read where Montgomery recruited or had interest in Drones when he was the Tulsa HC. I don't think he takes a flyer on VT if he doesn't believe he can win with Drones or Watson. I also assume that part of time coming to Blacksburg was Pry giving him free reign to do what he has done best in his career. Could we be in Big 12 style track meets? Maybe, but maybe that is also why Pry picked the DC he picked... if the offense is going to run down the field, maybe the plan is for a defense that is boom or bust. If the offense scores of 6 of 8 drives per game and the defense gets 1-2 turnovers per game... you're winning games like 45-31. Plus, at 53, Montgomery isn't new, but a good year or 2 at VT and he has his name back in contention to be an NCAA HC. Heck, if he has a Top-20 offense in Blacksburg and the team (overall) sputters or otherwise flames out, he'd get an interview. This is especially true if the team starts off poorly and Pry is done by mid-season. If he comes in ... maybe he looks like the Brent Key to our Geoff Collins.

Will help improve that speed to proficiency? I know he has good recruiting chops and good player relationships.

Larry Brown won 2 championships (1 NCAA, 1 NBA). Kevin Willard seems to be following the Buzz model, too.

If... getting promoted means more $$. People would watch, for example, Virginia Tech play Georgetown to see what team is in the A-League vs B-League. That is captivating TV and if it comes with materially more money, I am for it. In Hoops, what rival does VT have, other than UVA? I can't think of a single one that I'd miss. Memphis was good back in the day. There are still gremlins in the (formerly known as) Carrier Dome. And, Miami is Miami.

I doubt anyone has "exposed" him or cracked some mysterious nut. This year's team and last year's, frankly, were just guys who played hard but weren't good enough.

And, got the same regular season results. In basketball seriousness, CMY is much better at developing players, so I'd expect that if he had the exact same roster 2 years in a row, you'd see a modest improvement in wins. Give that man a real NIL budget and he'll deliver an NCAA tournament caliber squad. I think the last 2 years, he has had to take chances on guys he normally wouldn't because of the lack of solid NIL.

VT could become #1 in ratings and go 3-9 / 4-8 if they play Alabama, Texas, Notre Dame, Ohio State as OOC. I don't think anyone wants that. I am not sure how to weight things based on the school / schedule. Maybe it is a more complex system, where if School X gets an average rating of 1.5M viewers, but plays you and gets 1.2M, that is a somehow factored in as a "minus." And, by the same token if School Y gets an average of 750K viewers, but gets 900K viewers in your game, that is seen as a plus. Couple that with how other games did in the same time slots, if Texas and Alabama are ranked 2 and 8, if you're in the same time slot, your ratings will be lower, that should be accounted for, too. Maybe it is some version of a ranking in the time slots (e.g. if you were the 3rd highest rated game in your slot that is good and if you were the best ACC school during that slot, you get a bonus).

VT was ~7th in TV ratings in 2024 (if I can count). Of course, that is at least, if this X post was to be believed. GT and BC also had pretty sizable numbers, so I am sure there is some normalization that will occur. I'd imagine we're probably similar in most years. VT has a pretty large alumni base, so that has some advantages. I'd assume schools like Cal, Duke, Wake will be near the bottom. Possibly Syracuse (and I'd would've put money on BC, too... good thing I didn't). And, while the ACC Network doesn't have true TV Ratings, I am pretty sure they get viewer data from the streamers (Hulu w/ TV, YouTube TV, ESPN+, etc). That info is pretty easy for them to get. So, of course, the lesson is... when you are watching a game at home (or not at home to watch the game), ensure that all your devices are all running the game to goose the numbers (unless the streaming services count multiple streams for the same IP as 1).

He could be a little predictable at times and may have over scripted, not allowing players as much freedom to adjust (or so I think I've heard). I agree with the Bowen review, too many 3 & outs / reliant on big plays (especially if the RB wasn't cooking). Stinespring and Loeffler, both seemed to understand the game, but weren't as flashy. Stinepring, like Loeffler, always seemed to be better suited to "HC" than OC. Loeffler is now a HC at BG, with 3-straight bowl games and not awful (sans the 0-8 COVID year) and Stiney is running Roanoke College's new program.

1) Aggression without purpose is reckless. And, sometimes, it is better to be methodical and deliberate than it is to go all out. Any good OC will tell you that or any knowledge fan will tell you that. Maybe, the opponent had a long (5-6 min) drive, special teams scored a TD and the opponent had another long drive. The defense will be gassed, so you may want a slow, conservative drive to let them catch their breath. Maybe the other team is just bad and you don't want to give them hope. I remember a VT-UVA game a few years ago (2017). We won 10-0. It was pretty clear early in the game, UVA couldn't do anything. In a situation like that, you want to play it smart because 1 mistake by trying to be aggressive could've given them a turnover / score and then it would be a ballgame. 2) That is literally the job. It's stupid to say aloud. If any OC or coach in any sport tells you otherwise, they're not going to be a coach any longer. Listen to any of our OCs and they'll tell you in their press conferences what they were trying to do and why. No OC will say, "they've got the best run defense in the world, we're going to run it down their throat." They may still try to run, if that is the core of the team, but they'll tell you some version of "we went after their weakest link." By the same token, if they have a great shutdown corner, sometimes it's better to put your worst WR on that guy and let your other guys take on the other dudes. I remember a Packer - Seahawk game a number of years ago when VT's own, Jarrett Boykin lined up against Richard Sherman all game. Sherman was pissed he didn't follow Davante Adams because the Packers just schemed Richard out of the game. 3) That is literally the point of performance management. Pry did it with the S&C and OL coaches, plus the DC. And, frankly, sometimes other people are just better.

Saw in an article about him, regarding his time at W&M: In 2022, Taylor incorporated more plays utilizing two quarterbacks on the field at the same time to go with increased triple-option concepts. And, we have as Assistant OL coach, an OC who ran the triple-option at Army.... so .... Now, I don't think we'll fully go down the Triple Option plan, but I wouldn't be shocked if we didn't look interesting on the field, especially given the differing skillsets of Pop & Kyron. And, Pry did hit the portal really heavy in the offseason.

I don't know where he is going or what the plan is, but it is highly likely that this was planned well in advance by Coach Pry and/or his wife. The timing of the OC leaving is unfortunate, but Pry is more than likely already engaged with some candidates, this isn't going to change much. At this stage, either the person has job and is looking to come to VT or they're unemployed... they know the offer, they've probably interviewed, it doesn't matter if Pry hires them tonight or in 6 days. And, heaven forbid someone take a pre-planned vacation.

Given the WVU is on the hook for most of his $10M, does that enable the Hokies to get him as (basically) a cheap Tinder hook-up? We did that before, I think with an OL coach in the early 2010s (Grubbs or Gibbs). Maybe we'd hire him for $250 base salary, 1 year deal. He still gets his $10M regardless. Then we can use the rest of the OC salary to invest in more resources (staff or NIL). If it works, Hokies have a solid 2025 season. He may leave for a HC job or might enjoy the step back for 1-2 years, but that is okay for a 1-year rental. If not, and the offense looks good, he might get a look as HC.

I assume he is getting in the $750K to $1M range. I think that is where Marve was. At this point, Virginia Tech isn't going to get the Super Star, tenured DC. Even a re-tread like Todd Grantham is probably not coming for less than $1.5M (I couldn't find his OkSt salary, but he was getting $1.8M at UF). The best bet is finding a young, up and coming coach. If he works out, great. The team will have won a lot of games and everyone will be less grumpy (until he leaves for a bigger pay day). If he doesn't ... well, we know what next December will look like and it's probably better we didn't make a big hiring splash because that'd be more dead money.

Kliff Kingsbury was fired by Texas Tech, hired as the USC OC, then hired as the Cardinals HC... in the same off-season. And, had roughly the same record with the Cardinals as he did at Texas Tech (.467 at TT, .432 with Arizona). I say that to say to say, sometimes people are who they are, regardless of the league. If he was a very good coordinator at Wofford, there is a chance he could be a good coordinator at VT.

I think it will be interesting to see how the money is shared. My hope / guess is that they'll say money generated by each sport can stay with each sport. And, anything that goes into a "general use" fund would have to be shared equally across everyone. And, of course, each school would be able to change it how they see fit. If VT wanted to put all $20.5M into WBB to win a few Natty's, they could.

Somewhere, Justin Funete is thinking... "Y'all just copying me now."

...the first or second choice. That being said, given the amount of players, including on defense, coming in... they may have better insights. JC Price was co-DC at Marshall. Given how long this has taken, I wouldn't be shocked if he gets a title bump, with some assists from Bud Foster. Xavier Adibi, also on staff, has defensive coordinator experience (at the D2 level and looking at the box scores, his defenses were just okay). Could be something like JC as DC, co-DL coach and they bring in a full-time DL coach. It wouldn't be my primary choice, but I think you could sell that, especially how well JC's guys have played.

The point is he wasn't a top candidate, but it worked out well.

Loyalty is great, but he likes getting paid. And, at the end of the day, he'll hope the best for UVA, but he isn't going to sacrifice his job for his school.

The idea that he couldn't be trusted to make the right call in a football game, to allow his alma mater to have a chance at winning is absurd. Absolutely absurd and, frankly, would most likely cost him any chance at a job with UVA (or any school, down the road). That is the difference between professionals and fans. Professionals will keep it professional, regardless of the opponent. Would he be happy for UVA winning games, of course. I assume Fontel is happy when UVA wins (unless it is vs. VT), but Fontel isn't telling his WRs to play soft vs UVA. He wants that win just as much as they do.

Unless it is mop-up duty. And, I don't mean that as a slight against him, at all. I just hope KD1 gets us up by 20 at half-time of each game, then Pop gets the 3rd Qt for experience and he can get a few 4th qt snaps. But, in all seriousness... he seems like a solid insurance plan and knows what he is getting into.

1) If you're spending time on messages boards or social media to validate (or devalue) your abilities or worth, you're probably not focusing on the right things. Sure, players like KD or celebs like Lizzo get a bit sensitive ... but most others actively ignore Social Media. There is rarely anything positive that comes from it. As the saying goes, "if you start listening to the fans, you'll soon become one." 2) Posting, whether positive or negative shows passion. I think most would love to play for a team with passionate support. And, most reasonable people understand that when things are good, posting is positive. When things aren't... well, yeah. I think it is perfectly reasonable to express frustration ... but ... see point 3. 3) We shouldn't make it personal. And, everyone should just do better in this regard. I think it was Saban who said, "I guarantee, the coaches and players care more about the outcome of the game than you do." 100% right in that regard. Getting into a players DM, death threats or threats of violence, picking fights with players or coaches families is all childish and the adults should know better. And, frankly, does more harm than good. I've never heard a player say, "Oh, well... I was going to play for X school, but because you DM'd me about how stupid of a decision that was and how much I'd hate it there... I am now going to consider going to your school."

And, not the Georgia part. I'd love for her to have stayed 1 more year. But, she had a bond with KB. He left, so she left. That happens. It happens in the workplace, too. If my boss leaves the company and recruits me to their new company, if the deal is right... I am going. When I was a student, if there was a professor that I bonded with and was helping me achieve my goals ... if they left and told me it would be great for my future if I came with them, I'd consider it. (Of course, for me, that would be Professor Coors Light ... but I digress). And, to your point about wearing a UNC t-shirt and then being insulted. It is, frankly, just petty and rude. UNC is a good academic school. If the people didn't know you, that is an honest question to ask. I have family who went to VCU and JMU... I've worn both schools colors at events to support them. If I were mistaken for an alum of either school, I wouldn't feel insulted, I'd nicely correct them... but to feel offended is just childish.

NIL is here to stay, players getting paid is here to stay ... but the current path isn't sustainable. Eventually, people will start to look at ROI and "money machine" era will slow down. Folks who are giving medium and big money will start to re-think why they're giving thousands of dollars to go out in the round of 64 or play in the Random Name Bowl.

I mean, look at ... Buzz, Mike Young, Pry, etc. It's pretty much par for the course with him, he keeps things pretty close to the vest and very few leaks. Folks who write for a living will put out lists of candidates and depending on the author, sometimes it just throwing poop at a wall, other times it's people reaching out to respected journalists to share tips. I'd assume that if the coach (HC or Asst) isn't in the WBIT or NCAAT, interviews are underway. There is probably work underway with Sands, BOV, NIL groups, etc on the package that can be offered. The overall package, as you saw from Buzz -> Mike, Beamer -> Fuente, Fuente -> Pry, will be better than what the previous coach had. No coach that we'd want to hire would just willingly sign onto a deal without getting all the info. My hope is that we get someone who is personable, energetic, and fun (a WBB version of Coach Pry).

Coaches know what we can offer.... Fans can compare staff sizes to see what we can offer... and everyone can see contracts. It is all out there if you want to look for it and it isn't like there is some secretive perk that isn't out there. It just takes a little work. And, as for another coach coming and leaving... I have some JMU alums in my family. They fret about coaches leaving all the time. I tell them the same thing I'll say now... As long as your AD has a track record of hiring good people, if a coach leaves after a few years, you shouldn't be upset. Be happy, because it means they delivered some great results, and you'll hire another great one, rinse and repeat. If fans want to help... instead of bellyaching... donate to NILs and the athletic dept to make it happen. Money drives the sport... and if you want a championship... if all 25K active donors gave $50 to the WBB NIL right now... that'd be an extra $1.2M (or $200K for your starting 5 and 6th woman). That'll get you some pretty good players.

Be something that Will Wade would entertain? He is a damn good coach and in today's NIL era, his recruiting issues from LSU are, in some ways, legal now. I wonder if he'd accept a $2M per year deal with bonuses that would take him up to $4M... and a hefty buyout clause. (I was anti-prove it for Kenny B, because he already proved it... but Will is on the rebound). Do I think he'd say forever? No, but I think he could give VT a nice 4-5 year run like we had with the Mercenary and then take some big(er) money to go elsewhere. Or, maybe... he'd stay at VT until Rick Barnes leaves UT or entices Clemson to hire him to replace Brad B. I like Mike Young the person, I think he is a great X & O guy.... but unless he reinvents himself and how he approaches his roster management and the portal, his days as the Hokies HC are numbered.

You have a coach, who is a proven winner ... and you want to give him a "Strings Attached" contract? If I were KB and that were the deal offered to me, I'd nicely tell you to start interviewing for my position. We're talking about WBB, not Football or MBB... "breaking the bank" here isn't the same as it is in those sports. VT's WBB expenses is (provided the link is right) ~$3.4M. We gave Fuente ~$9M to go away, so the money is there. If you take the $9M and divide it across 3 years, that would nearly double the VT WBB budget and would massively help the program. If I were the AD, I'd ... - Offer larger salaries for KB (+ $500K) and his assistants (+ $300K to share) - Offer more charter flights for more road games (Not sure the cost) - Offer more resources for recruiting and ancillary staff (let's say, + $200K) - Solicit doners to improve the NIL deals (off the record, of course)

Kenny Brooks has won at least 20 games every year, since the 2004-2005 season at both VT and JMU. I don't know him, but judging by how is reacts during games and in his press conferences, I don't think that is his style. And, he will develop a game plan to maximize the players he has on the floor. And, hopefully the Liz thing... turns out to be nothing and everyone can put down the xanax.

Just to add, with regards to ODU.... they didn't reach 10 wins this year. Sure, some of that is due to Jeff Jones's health (hope he gets well), but in the years before that they are: 19-12, 13-19, 15-8, 13-9, with 0 NCAA births. GW, they're on their 2nd coach over that same time period. Mike Young, over that time is 15+ this year, 19-15, 23-13, 15-7, 16-16, with 2 NCAA births. What does all this mean? Virginia Tech is slightly above average in basketball. That is what we're getting from Mike Young, that is what we got with Seth Greenberg. We punched a little higher with Buzz, but not that much. We had a couple of dud hires in there (Rickey Stokes, James Johnson), but even going back... same thing with Bill Foster. Hokies will have years where everything gels and we're a formidable team. We'll have other years like this one. That is what we are and to be frank, unless someone has Phil Knight or T. Boone money they want to give, we're not getting much better (and how is that working out for Oregon and OSU). With our finances, we're better off going all in and fully investing in FB and WBB, with a competitive but MBB team that makes a killing with the diamonds in the rough.

Look, a semi-long post and I'll add the caveat that I think Mike Young is a stand-up guy, who engages very well with the VT community, has made the team better than he found it, and is a very smart basketball guy who can coach well. That being said, I think we're seeing with Mike's team and (to a degree) Tony Bennett's teams lately that their systems aren't great in today's college basketball. It takes players 2-3 years to really master Mike's system (similar at UVA) and they rely on guys staying 3-4-5 years. Tony is able to get better players, so you're seeing them win 20+ games (vs 16-20 for Mike), but they're not what they were 6-7 years ago. Mike, nor Tony, hasn't forgotten how to coach, so what is it? Ponderable questions ... 1). Assistant Coaches: Has Mike missed on a few backfills? Or, is he getting all he can with the budget he has? 2). Recruiting: What is our footprint and do we need to adjust? Looking at the current roster, excluding Walk-Ons, we do not have a single player who is from Virginia and was recruited to VT out of high school (2 guys are both via the Portal). Similar with the DC/Maryland area. Pry talks about it in football, that if someone is closer to home, you're more likely to retain them (and our portal pick-ups seem to indicate that, too... guys coming "home"). I think this is also key if we want run a system that takes 2-3 years to learn / excel in. 3). System: Does it still work? Or, if we're living in an area of free agency, so we need a system that is easier to learn? Hokies have a solid NIL deal. 4). Budget: Do we have enough for the analyst and supporting staff? I kind of hinted there with coaching salary pools, too. I am sure Mike can adapt there, but those are questions I'd want to ask to understand where the program is headed. Or, maybe I am out to lunch... but if you look at the last 3 years, it has been mediocre teams (with 1 that had 1 exceptional ACCT Run). Year 1: Rebuild, did great. Year 2: Good team, limited player movement (coming out of COVID), which also probably helped. Year 3-Now: Mediocre, where we'll be close to .500 (probably 16-18 wins this year).

I think he is a solid coach and his system works well. However, it is also predicated on the team playing together. We saw that on his NCAAT teams. But, this year (and he had some down years at Wofford, too) the players, as individuals, are all good enough, we're just not seeing them play as a team. In the portal era (which we're in, like it or not), I think it may get harder to build rosters like that. That being said, Mike Young has never had a losing season at VT and has won almost 400 career games. He knows how to coach and I think this year the Portal and whatnot got the better of him. He will adjust and the Hokies will be back to being what the Hokies have been for the last 20 years. A generally solid school that will make an NIT most years and an NCAA a fair amount (unless the certifiably insane committee makes a mistake). And, frankly, if he doesn't... we'll be onto our next coach in 2025 or 2026. And, even if we win a lot, Mike is 60, so retirement is always a possibility once you get into your 60s.

I hope they're a Top 25 Team ... but I don't care if they're preseason 23 or not ranked. I care more about whether they're playing for an ACC Championship and NY6 or CFP Game.

10 terror inducing words... If anything, governmental involvement will create a more convoluted, bureaucratic process that makes less sense, is staffed by less qualified people (if that is possible) that the NCAA.

It really depends. Do you want to win or be happy with 6-6 and the Military Bowl? If the CFB Playoff morphs into a SEC vs B1G, you have 2 choices -> Try your best to join and accept 6-6, 7-5 for many years (unless we can get alums to donate more) -> Manage the budget will and become a big dog with regular chances win the "English Football League" If the CFP Playoff allows 4-5 Conference Champions and 12-16 teams total... -> Find the best recipe for wins and conference championships, all you need to do is get in then who knows (most crazy is for basketball games, but it happens in football at times, too).

Let's say... FSU finds a way out. If it includes the $500M buyout.... that would be ~$30M per team (so ~$3M per school per year). If Clemson and UNC follow suit, with the same terms, that would be another $3M per school per year. And, ACC still has the minimum of 14 schools, so the ESPN money shouldn't change... plus everyone is getting an extra $9M (assuming SMU, Stanford, and Cal get the same cut). That moves the ACC schools from ~$40M to ~$50M. At that point, $50M per year isn't the $60M or $70M that the BIG10/SEC can give... but somehow the ACC schools will have gone from $30M to $50M. Which isn't a bad deal. And, then we get to 2036. At that point, will the payouts be higher? We assume things move linear... but what if they don't? What if NIL and tranfers and whatnot decrease ratings? ..... then by 2036, maybe the ACC schools are looking pretty solid. That is looking at it with the 3rd Gingerbread Stout half full... but if the SEC / BIG10 came calling tomorrow and VT could get more than $50M per year from them (even if it is less that the rest) ... sign me up. Clearly, schools like Rutgers, Maryland, Vandy, Northwestern, South Carolina, Mississippi State, Nebraska aren't winning big with the extra money.

Leadership qualities seem to be a big deal for him.