The First Bank & Trust Friday Q&A: A 105-Man Roster, The Expanded Coaching Staff, And More

20 Comments

1. 

   MiamiSailingHokie August 18, 2024 at 3:27 AM

   NFL has 53 - 55 players for a reason.
2. 

   flhokie75 August 12, 2024 at 9:07 AM

   You always provide excellent content. The military analogies in this article are especially good. Perhaps Bowen should draw up a special and call it Chancellorsville.
3. 

   Chasesfish August 10, 2024 at 11:08 AM

   The coordinator / coaching setup is interesting now with the limitations on recruiting. I think we'll continue to see younger / high energy coaches that still have an upward career trajectory having the majority of the 11 spots while accomplished coaches that have hit a career ceiling chosing to take the Xs and Os jobs without recruiting responsibility. The time commitment and amount of offseason is dramatically different and it's not surprising at all to see accomplished coordinators happy to make 3-10x the median salary in the US to enjoy doing what they enjoy without the recruiting grind. We'll eventually judge the 11 by the classes they hall in and the entire staff on gameday performance.
4. 

   Mapmaker August 10, 2024 at 9:58 AM

   Love the historical references. Hopefully we can run thru our out of conference schedule this year like Wellington at Vitoria. As for the 105 player roster, damn, I have a difficult time now with all the duplicated jersey numbers...
5. 

   DW Hokie August 10, 2024 at 3:21 AM

   I'm with Chris on Tyler Bowen. I still can't unsee the offense from those first 15 games, and thus still don't entirely trust Bowen. How can you play "Pickett's Charge" for an entire season, and then enter Season 2 doing the same thing? Just unfathomable to me. I'm just mighty grateful for Brent Davis's influence.
6. 

   Arch72Hokie August 10, 2024 at 12:17 AM

   No more John Engelbergers, arguably the best player in the 2000 class, certainly had the longest (9 years) NFL career, a "preferred" walk-on in 1995.
7. 

   TomTurkey August 9, 2024 at 5:48 PM

   If I recall, the LBs following Adibi and Hall were practically MIA. Under Foster. When he had talent, he broke white boards. When he didn't, he just kneeled and suffered. Couldn't force the silk purse.
8. 

   VTBuck20 August 9, 2024 at 5:28 PM

   I coached high school ball in the Richmond area in the late 1990s. I sat in on a Rickey Bustle breakout session at a clinic where he drew up that double screen for us. I ran it for 3 years before moving to another profession. It was among our most effective plays. We scored several touchdowns per season with it. Great stuff. Like most great plays, it was also simple. I still remember the assignments and keys 25 years later.
   1. 

      Will Stewart August 9, 2024 at 5:57 PM

      Great comment, Buck. ?
9. 

   lazarus1 August 9, 2024 at 4:59 PM

   Very good analysis!
10. 

    7Hokie1 August 9, 2024 at 4:20 PM

    Speaking of Chancellorsville, I live about 1.5 miles from the visitors center & my late wife taught 26 yrs. at Chancellor elementary. Probably had troops in my yard.
    1. 

       GoneFishin Hokie August 9, 2024 at 6:57 PM

       I'm 800 yards from Lee's HQ at Fxburg... on a cold winter's night, I swear I've seen an old man riding a Grey horse in my backyard
11. 

    omhokiefan August 9, 2024 at 3:48 PM

    Don’t you think that VT will have a harder time getting good talent with the 105 limit, because the SEC and Big 10, along with schools like Notre Dame and certain ACC schools, will have 20 extra scholarships to grab up more 4 and 5 star players, leaving less for us.
    1. 

       gemrooty August 9, 2024 at 4:32 PM

       To add to omhokiefan...I would hope that today's players would be more discerning about their college choice, not getting buried down the depth chart on Day 1. Like in the days when Texas carried 125 players. So, it appears that the 20 additional scholarships are an unfunded mandate from the NCAA(?) How does this affect the current non-scholarship players that qualify for financial aid? While Tech can "afford" it, this is not an insignificant expense.
       1. 

          Atlee Hokie August 9, 2024 at 8:46 PM

          But that is why there are going to be record numbers of players entering and leaving the portal each year.
    2. 

       Will Stewart August 9, 2024 at 6:01 PM

       I think that's a valid concern early in the life of the 105 limit, but after a year or two, all of those players who are buried on the depth chart will hit the portal, and it will be a non-factor.
       1. 

          xhokiehurler19 August 9, 2024 at 10:11 PM

          I think that this will allow the P2 programs the ability to sign 20 more players than they otherwise could have in the past. This means 20 more players per school who otherwise would likely have fallen down to the rest of us. That also means that there's a greater chance that within those 20 players there will be more Dorian Strongs who will perform above their rating/expectation and become a starter (or at least a major contributor). The players who will transfer out will be those that either didn't live up to their higher rating/expectation or performed exactly how they were rated (i .e., a mid three star), but regardless, they will be lower performers. The result will be a greater concentration of top tier players in the P2.
          1. 

             HOKIE SEAN August 11, 2024 at 12:17 PM

             Agree. The 105 is (another) bad decision to tip the scales to the bigger boys. How in the world did it get a consensus to pass?!
12. 

    MDHokie79 August 9, 2024 at 3:04 PM

    Good stuff as always, Chris! Thanks and keep it coming! GO HOKIES!!!
    1. 

       middletennhokie August 11, 2024 at 11:50 AM

       Great article Chris. It's a real shame about eliminating walkons. Agree with others, new limits just let the B1G and SEC hoard talent.