The First Bank & Trust Company Friday Q&A: Remaining Recruits, Strength & Conditioning, and More

Related Recruits

22 Comments

1. 

   HOKIERIT December 11, 2022 at 7:50 PM

   While Whit has indeed done a good job with all the other sports, so he would get a good grade. Those sports are nice to me. I will NEVER consider him a complete success if the football program is not back in the think of things. I know Nattys are off the table with the best players (and thus teams) going to the highest bidders, BUT I expect us to return perennial "best of the rest" statue. To me, failure to rebuild the footfall program (regardless of who the coach is) will be a big black mark on his post script.. I am, and always WILL be, a football first guy!!
2. 

   namibiahoke December 10, 2022 at 3:13 AM

   If you haven't seen it, this is an interesting read on new hires of football coaches: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2022/12/06/looking-successful-college-football-coaching-hire-heres-formula/10705810002/. Just don't look for Pry...who I wish all the luck possible! GO HOKIES!
3. 

   ONELLY December 9, 2022 at 10:31 PM

   I like Whit. Good synopsis.
   1. 

      Cheesehokie December 9, 2022 at 11:39 PM

      It would be a damn shame to judge Whit solely on the performance of the football program. We all realize it pays the bills. But I think our expectations got a bit out of hand during the Beamer era. When VT completed its 11-0 regular season in 1999, Paul Torgerson famously referred to that in SI as "a perturbation". Alas, it turns out he was right. There have been so many "woulda, coulda, shoulda" moments over the last 25 years. But the brass ring, once within our grasp, eluded us. It's been a long, slow descent to the present state. VT will be doing well if we can get back to being occasional conference championship contenders. Meanwhile, let's play some hoops!
4. 

   fosterD1 December 9, 2022 at 7:57 PM

   Going to be real tough to bring in top-tier receivers without a big time QB. These guys aren’t coming in after what they saw out of Wells last season.
5. 

   VaPoly07 December 9, 2022 at 7:11 PM

   Imagine a job where you focus on 90% of things that COST money, and totally ignore the cash cow that’s football. That happened.
   1. 

      extremehokie December 9, 2022 at 10:08 PM

      Boom!
   2. 

      jjhokie2 December 10, 2022 at 8:18 AM

      Don’t think it was ignored. But he might not have gotten it right.
6. 

   skautdog December 9, 2022 at 6:47 PM

   Men's basketball advanced to the Elite Eight in 1967.
7. 

   lotion boy December 9, 2022 at 5:45 PM

   Didn’t VT make and elite 8 in the 60’s. Lost to Dayton in the regional finals.
   1. 

      jdbeaton December 10, 2022 at 12:09 AM

      That is correct. The field was only 23 teams. Hokies beat Toledo & Indiana before falling to Dayton and Donnie May. Hokies had game won before the coach called a slow down aka 4 corners, which I do not think they ever practiced. Game went into overtime.
8. 

   VTHogmollies December 9, 2022 at 5:12 PM

   "wised up and decommitted from North Carolina" Well done CC - I love it!
9. 

   mmoses7293 December 9, 2022 at 4:26 PM

   What does Pry need to accomplish to be considered a successful hire? Fuentes was 43-31 with 1 coastal division championship, 2 2nd place finishes and 1 ACC coach of the year title. He went to a bowl game all but 1 year. He was considered a huge win at hiring by the national press, but we now judge him a terrible hire. Short of a new Beamer era can Whit win with regards to Football?
   1. 

      vtgriff09 December 9, 2022 at 8:14 PM

      And the one yr with no bowl gm..they opted out in a Covid season without the multiple layup gms like Wofford. Those stats make you wonder why we moved on.
      1. 

         atlhokie1 December 9, 2022 at 9:28 PM

         Trajectory
      2. 

         Glenvar Hokie December 10, 2022 at 12:15 PM

         The coaching staff that Fu put together was below average for the ACC. And it was showing his last 3 years.
         1. 

            mmoses7293 December 10, 2022 at 1:41 PM

            Didn't Fu have less money for Asst Coaches and staff than other programs? Not trying to defend Fu, what's done is done. But I don't think we can call the Fu era a Whitt failure.
10. 

    gemrooty December 9, 2022 at 3:17 PM

    As usual, thoughtful analysis about Whit. You almost make a case for separating football from other sports; make it its own entity. Many colleges descend into some form of Auburn-like madness to achieve football success. Future column...is it really worth it?
11. 

    VT Rockie December 9, 2022 at 3:08 PM

    In Whit I still trust!!
    1. 

       phoenixhokie December 9, 2022 at 10:11 PM

       Me too! The dolt basement dwellers constantly calling for Whits head have ZERO clues about running an entire athletic department. Completely clueless. Whit is a baller and chooses to stay in Blacksburg. We’re fortunate for that as fans and all those student athletes are as well.
       1. 

          HOKIE SEAN December 10, 2022 at 8:57 AM

          +1
12. 

    vtgriff09 December 9, 2022 at 2:21 PM

    Chance Fitzgerald is the one recruit we need to go full court press. He has game changing speed and can accelerate very quickly. Maybe the A. Greene kid works out, but he looks very similar to what we already have..avg size, not great speed.