It's going to be a busy month for Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry. (Ivan Morozov)
Portal season is upon us. Virginia Tech has had 13 scholarship players enter the transfer portal as of the time of this writing, and it’s not over. A few of them are key guys, too, that many of you weren’t expecting to lose. We have to take each player on a case-by-case basis, but it’s also important to remember two things:
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It’s not hard to imagine a time where at the end of every college football season every player puts themselves in the portal to gauge their market value.
Wtcarter12
I don’t know how you create any chemistry in CFB when you don’t know if the guys you recruit will be on the roster in a year from now. I have no issues with players getting paid but there needs some type of guidelines. No wonder Tony Bennett said the hell with this.
HokieAvalanche
Exactly! The current system will destroy college football. Stronger limits/restrictions need to be applied.
billcarstensen
And may take a lot of other very enjoyable sports with it.
moneal
Fully prepared for all the OL excuses next season as to why we're 6-6 again
HokieJ
6-6 may be optimistic.
vtgriff09
6-6 will be lucky. 2 automatic wins on the schedule, well 3....UVA. But honestly, we won't be near the talent level of last yr, and we start w/ an automatic loss to SCar.
HokieBandit
I'm starting to lean toward players becoming employees. Have them sign public contracts like the coaches. Preferably multi-year contracts. Then you can hopefully avoid the current 365 days a year of tampering and we can all have some stability.
hokierespect
Hi Chris - Although minuscule in the grand scheme of things, can you weigh in on how the portal activity will effect the upcoming bowl game? Should it be assumed everyone who opts for the portal will be inactive for the Bowl game? Thank you.
Chris Coleman
I would assume that they won't play. No reason to get hurt and limit your potential offer list.
RTFC
You say that no team will gain players until visits are taken. Maybe technically, but we all know there are back channel offers going on - some players wouldn't risk their position without knowing that. Some teams already have transfer players in the wheelhouse.
Oldfan
I know I am in love with a bygone era, but this whole thing is disheartening. The above comments about these men getting offers from other schools for more than Tech can pay begs the question: do they know about offers before they declare themselves for the portal? Are there any rules about "tampering" or calling agents to encourage these young men to jump ship before they declare? Is it that much of a free for all?
TechHokie13
100% of portal losses will be excused if we sign McDoom and he wins a starting CB job.
TomA
Chris, I really appreciate this article — with the defections to the portal, it looked like the wheels were coming off the VT Football wagon. I never like all the money in college sports; I predicted at least a decade ago that I would give up on college athletics when we got to this point. I'm within an eyelash of stopping giving to the VTAA (although, I just started giving to the SERTC for wrestling — we're a little ways from the NIL becoming a significant factor there). I have not decided yet whether or not I will get football tickets for 2025 (I have only been to 2-3 games over the past 2 seasons) — I just cannot stand that college teams can be so openly bought these days — it's disgusts me. They are pros now… if they have zero loyalty to VT, why should I have any toward them?? I have no interest in being part of VT becoming a sports machine
Humbug…
yugeen
Well said. I'm becoming a Va Tech softball fan more and more each year.
Atlee Hokie
I, too, am a bigger fan of the softball team than the football team. I still come to Blacksburg for football games, but I don't go to the games. I stay at the airport lot and tailgate all weekend.
brownsummithokie
Hoping we can pull an OL coach out of the portal that is so respected he will bring our starters back.
GO_HOKIES_GO
The current environment will require superior talent evaluation, quick response, and good negotiators - things that are in short supply have been in short supply in VT’s athletic department for some time. I doubt this staff can get organized, find players, and sign deals with impactful players in the window available. Just to many variables for VT to process in the new world order.
MKD
Agree, Pry will need to surround himself with some very smart people in order to be successful.
mwills98
Tuten, APR, Pebbles ring a bell? I didn’t see a problem with identifying and signing talent. The problem is putting them in the best position to succeed.
ACChamps2004
Chris - would TSL be able to actually talk to any of the players themselves and discuss why they are entering the portal? I know it seems obvious but I was just wondering if nowadays that is something that can be done and would help with the speculation.
MKD
Chris, great article as always and much respect for your hard work at TSL.
I think Pry and his current coaching staff may have peaked at 6 wins. His overall winning percentage at VT is 44%. In struggling programs, it’s common for players to shift focus from "team" to "me." I hope Pry can find success in the transfer portal this year, but I’m starting to have my doubts. There were rumors in early November that Drones might enter the portal, and InsideTheU even listed him as one of eight quarterbacks likely to transfer on November 16th. I really like Pry as a person, but I believe he’s at a crossroads when it comes to his staff, operations, practice routines, and overall preparation. Here is the link to the Insidetheu article, which I'm sure you read it back on the day it was published.
https://247sports.com/college/miami/longformarticle/miami-hurricanes-football-transfer-portal-quarterback-eight-potential-transfer-portal-quarterbacks-to-watch-during-these-final-weeks-of-2024-239809616/
middletennhokie
McDoom, beautiful! Great analysis Chris.
MKD
I can hear the VT fans chanting "McDoom Boom"
cdogvt
This change is hard on the stomach.
scoop76cs
Thanks Chris! Having this information consolidated in a single article really enhances understanding of the state of the team.
MDHokie79
Great insights as always, Chris! What concerns me (and many schools will have this problem) is replacing so many guys, our coached will have the tough task of getting a ton of new faces on the same page while learning a new O or D, and even concerns around the coaches having enough time/practices to really be able to figure out the best 2 deep at every position.
GO HOKIES!
GBOHokie
Thanks CC. Felt better after reading.
jfl639
I'd say that Pry and the staff have a full-blown revolt on their hands right now. Not sure how to put this in a better light.
middletennhokie
I think CC just did that
AlrightGuy
Thanks, Chris, for paying attention to the portal so I don’t have to!
Spartacusjones
This will be an interesting winter and spring for Pry. I took a look at next season's games and can easily see 7 losses without trying.
Pry has to figure this out or he's gonna get a lot of heat.
NMB Hokie
Yet we don't know what any of the teams will look like. All teams will change with the portal, not just VT. It is a nationwide epidemic.
FF Hokie
“Without going into detail, there were chemistry issues on the VT offensive line since before the season began,”
What do you think we subscribe to this site for?
HowBoutThemHokies
I'm assuming that Ron Crook and most likely either Tyler Bowen (who is a former offensive lineman) and/or Elijah Brooks had different philosophies... Call it what you will, but Crook was basically fired by Luke Fickell at Cincinatti when he was there, so I'm not too surprised.
VTCC 65
Two invalids make it VALID, right?
VTCC 65
I do appreciate Chris & other TSLers willingness to speculate & lay out the educated guesses... AKA deductive reasoning
Mapmaker
Well said. Yes, this is my feeling as well and why I subscribe.
LXNTN_HOKIE
Great article. I always look forward to your comments on all things Hokie football. You know way more about it than I do.
92Hokie14
Rumor mill is saying that South Carolina is offering Chaplin $2 million. That’s gotta be a huge overpay no? Sucks to lose him but $2 million can be spent elsewhere.
dllawson
$2 million may not be an overpay for a SC team that was 1 win away from the playoffs.
hokiealum86
Inside source - Chaplin told the OL at UVA game that he had a 900k offer from MD and another from a SEC school that he didn't name.
DW Hokie
When you lose your two highest-grading O linemen, including a big-time NFL OT prospect, due to chemistry issues vs. purely being outbid, that's bad. Perhaps the root cause of the chemistry issues will be removed, and they will be, as you say, begged to stay?
JGalanides
What happened with Khurtiss Perry? Prices’ interview where he got asked about him and refused to talk about him was probably the most negative thing I’ve heard a VT coach say in reference to a player in a while.
buddybrown1
Absolutely phenomenal job Chris! Your knowledge and insight on this ongoing portal news is on point. Definitely crazy times!!!
Chris Coleman
Is this THE Buddy Brown, Tunstall High School legend?
jagerhokie
Thanks for negating all the negativity…nobody has signed with anyone yet until they visit….including our portal entries….we have to be better than 6-6 and my understanding is some players didn’t get along…go get ur $$$ or no $$$ and go in with your ego….we will get some players late Dec/Jan and attitudes will change…Pry is doing it the right way no matter how pissed off or how uneducated u think this works….my contacts are mostly assistant coaches at schools in Florida and they are really happy their players entered the portal and expect them to be toxic at other teams ??
LXNTN_HOKIE
Maybe that's why we didn't have as good a record as expected; too many me, me players and not enough team first players.
huskerHokie
Pyron in place of Kyron . . .
T-Austin
Chris any insight/thoughts on why the McDonald twins haven't entered yet? I really felt like it was a given that they were gone as soon as the portal opened.
Chris Coleman
Nope.
RVance
Chris, do you anticipate any coaching changes? Perhaps a new offensive line coach?
Chris Coleman
What I wrote about it in the article is as far as I'm willing to go.
I-W-K-Y-I-T-N
That means YES!
Coattail Hokie
Marve, Crook and Brooks...... DC, OLC and RBC are the rumors I'm hearing.
jrt3
Agree Marve and Crook need to go. Pretty good source said Marve had lost the LB room early in the season. And Crook is a no brainer, lost our 2 best OL to the portal.
atlhokie1
"and I’m not above begging Chaplin and Moore to come back, either."
Was wondering if the non-player situation wasn't fixed that it wouldn't matter.
tommapp
He gone.
HokiesCrowd
“Another thing we heard, though only from one source, is that Mose was set to come back, but decided to hire an agent, and the agent encouraged him to ask for more and to hit the portal.”
Feel like this is going to be a common theme of players getting bad advice from greedy agents that just want to get paid. No idea if Mose will get more but I have to assume 9/10 times the agent is always going to say leave to get more whether it’s in their best interest or not.
Coattail Hokie
Mose will start for Western Kentucky next year or be a 2nd string Big 10 project. I for one am glad he departed, though I do hope he gets his degree from somewhere.
uvabasher
moose Phillips got some really bad advice. He wasn’t very good imo, I don’t care what the stats show.
jfhokie
Thanks for these articles and keeping us in the loop , so to speak
Hokie67
Will the VT coaching staff now in place be able to improve the breed ( newcomers a + over the transfer outs?
Thanks for setting up the comparisons.
63 Comments