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2021 recruiting and commitments

We should have taken Colby Smith. This flip and Logan Taylor going UVA means that instead of a class on the OL that could have been great, it may well end up being barely average.

Games are won in the trenches. The DL is clearly being rebuilt big time. The OL may be stagnating. Is this just about Searles?

We should have worked very hard to sign 4 from among Sutton, Taylor, Smith, Wilson, Mougharbil. It's possible we could end up with only Taylor. That is the way to ruin a class with major recruits at other positions.
We don’t have enough scholarships to take 4 OL in this class after signing 4 last year. 2 OL in the 2021 class would be ideal, but I’m sure that Mack would take a 3rd, if he felt like they were elite.
 
We should have taken Colby Smith. This flip and Logan Taylor going UVA means that instead of a class on the OL that could have been great, it may well end up being barely average.

Games are won in the trenches. The DL is clearly being rebuilt big time. The OL may be stagnating. Is this just about Searles?

We should have worked very hard to sign 4 from among Sutton, Taylor, Smith, Wilson, Mougharbil. It's possible we could end up with only Taylor. That is the way to ruin a class with major recruits at other positions.
assuming you mean only Sutton. Taylor committed to UVa. It could still be Sutton , Pounds and Mugarhbil.
 
We don’t have enough scholarships to take 4 OL in this class after signing 4 last year. 2 OL in the 2021 class would be ideal, but I’m sure that Mack would take a 3rd, if he felt like they were elite.
We had the ability to sign 4. We just chose to assume that 3 would be the max and 2 would be A-OK.

My position starts with the fact that the OL is the largest position group on the team: 5. Then we have to face the fact that the OL is always going to deal with many injuries. Then we add the fact that the OL takes longer, often much longer, to develop than any other position group. Then we must accept that even if your RB is Bo Jackson and your QB is Peyton Manning, who has Lynn Swann to throw to, if your OL sucks, your offense sucks.

All that added means that it is possible to ruin a season, or two, by nothing more than blowing 1 OL recruiting class.

Is anyone truly secure that Searles can develop an OL able to win a National Championship, or even an ACC Championship? It is possible that Searles just has no idea how to recruit and develop a Championship OL tradition, that reloads and so never has to rebuild?

Were Mack's final teams at Texas, easily his weakest, known for excellent, deep OLs, or for barely above average OLs that often were walking wounded suffering from lack of depth?
 
We had the ability to sign 4. We just chose to assume that 3 would be the max and 2 would be A-OK.

My position starts with the fact that the OL is the largest position group on the team: 5. Then we have to face the fact that the OL is always going to deal with many injuries. Then we add the fact that the OL takes longer, often much longer, to develop than any other position group. Then we must accept that even if your RB is Bo Jackson and your QB is Peyton Manning, who has Lynn Swann to throw to, if your OL sucks, your offense sucks.

All that added means that it is possible to ruin a season, or two, by nothing more than blowing 1 OL recruiting class.

Is anyone truly secure that Searles can develop an OL able to win a National Championship, or even an ACC Championship? It is possible that Searles just has no idea how to recruit and develop a Championship OL tradition, that reloads and so never has to rebuild?

Were Mack's final teams at Texas, easily his weakest, known for excellent, deep OLs, or for barely above average OLs that often were walking wounded suffering from lack of depth?
Believe me, I would love to add a bunch of OL each year, but you only have 85 scholarships. Typically, you want to have 13-15 scholarship OL on your team. This year we have 16 and none of them are seniors. You can make the argument that players like McKethan and Tucker might try to go to pro after this year and that we might also have some attrition. Tristan Miller is sitting out this year for family reasons, so he would be a question mark for next year. We have 1 OL committed for 2021. If all of the players come back and Miller returns to the program, then that would put us at 17 scholarship OL, if we don't add another in the 2021 class.
 
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We had the ability to sign 4. We just chose to assume that 3 would be the max and 2 would be A-OK.

My position starts with the fact that the OL is the largest position group on the team: 5. Then we have to face the fact that the OL is always going to deal with many injuries. Then we add the fact that the OL takes longer, often much longer, to develop than any other position group. Then we must accept that even if your RB is Bo Jackson and your QB is Peyton Manning, who has Lynn Swann to throw to, if your OL sucks, your offense sucks.

All that added means that it is possible to ruin a season, or two, by nothing more than blowing 1 OL recruiting class.

Is anyone truly secure that Searles can develop an OL able to win a National Championship, or even an ACC Championship? It is possible that Searles just has no idea how to recruit and develop a Championship OL tradition, that reloads and so never has to rebuild?

Were Mack's final teams at Texas, easily his weakest, known for excellent, deep OLs, or for barely above average OLs that often were walking wounded suffering from lack of depth?

Remember when you weren't secure about Mack 2.0 and Dre'? Good times. It's August, long time until signing day. Coaches will be fired, lotta ball game left.
 
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We could sign zero offensive linemen in this class and it still wouldn't come close to 'ruining it.'
 
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Believe me, I would love to add a bunch of OL each year, but you only have 85 scholarships. Typically, you want to have 13-15 scholarship OL on your team. This year we have 16 and none of them are seniors. You can make the argument that players like McKethan and Tucker might try to go to pro after this year and that we might also have some attrition. Tristan Miller is sitting out this year for family reasons, so he would be a question mark for next year. We have 1 OL committed for 2021. If all of the players come back and Miller returns to the program, then that would put us at 17 scholarship OL, if we don't add another in the 2021 class.

Mistake going in was waiting on Taylor with the likelyhood of him being able to make it on campus for a visit being slim. He was always going to be one of the last ones in the boat or headed to UVA since that's the only school he'd actually visited. Hindsight is 20/20, but odds weren't great, and now we're late offering Pounds.
 
Mistake going in was waiting on Taylor with the likelyhood of him being able to make it on campus for a visit being slim. He was always going to be one of the last ones in the boat or headed to UVA since that's the only school he'd actually visited. Hindsight is 20/20, but odds weren't great, and now we're late offering Pounds.
It’ll all work out.
 
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Anybody got news on Nesbit? I ask bc many think he is South Carolina bound but the Gamecocks are just receiving crystal balls for the #5 TE in the 2021 class, Trigg out of the state of Fl. Not sure if something has changed with Nesbit or if he’s cool with South Carolina taking a player rated much higher than him at the same position.
 
Other than growing up a VT fan and close proximity to home, I can’t see why a recruit would go there.
many kids liked the opportunity of being coached by one of the best defensive guys in college football, but he's gone now. also, va tech did a great job building relationships with hs coaches, especially in tidewater.
 
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for many years kids liked the opportunity of being coached by one of the best defensive guys in college football, but he's gone now. also, va tech did a great job building relationships with hs coaches, especially in tidewater.
Yeah, Foster was deluxe for many years. A friend of mine played for him and he said the players would have run through a wall for Foster. I was sooooooo glad to see him retire from VT, and that due to the respect I have for him.
 
many kids liked the opportunity of being coached by one of the best defensive guys in college football, but he's gone now. also, va tech did a great job building relationships with hs coaches, especially in tidewater.
Go read the VT board , Fuente has alienated many HS coaches in Va. , especially in the 757. Listen to Tony Grimes's Dad on the topic. VT has been shut out of all the top Va. prospects this year and last.
 
Go read the VT board , Fuente has alienated many HS coaches in Va. , especially in the 757. Listen to Tony Grimes's Dad on the topic. VT has been shut out of all the top Va. prospects this year and last.

His dad is gold on twitter. State of VA is loaded in 2021, also, and I don't see them getting any of the top prospects.
 
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Yeah, Foster was deluxe for many years. A friend of mine played for him and he said the players would have run through a wall for Foster. I was sooooooo glad to see him retire from VT, and that due to the respect I have for him.
And that may be what does in VT for a long time. Fuente is not wowing the VA HS coaches or players, and as that gets worse, Foster retires, taking with him all that experience and good will.

It's not just UNC that can and should profit at VT's expense. Mendenhall is counting on that to have UVA take a step or two up.
 
And that may be what does in VT for a long time. Fuente is not wowing the VA HS coaches or players, and as that gets worse, Foster retires, taking with him all that experience and good will.

It's not just UNC that can and should profit at VT's expense. Mendenhall is counting on that to have UVA take a step or two up.
Absolutely. I think both programs are looking to step up and fill the void.
 
VT desperately needs to play this fall. They return most of their team from last year and I could see them making a push to play for the ACC championship. In turn, they are hoping to parlay that into a good recruiting class. The Hokies have enough talent on the roster to win 8+ games in 2020 and 2021. But, if they stumble either of those years, the bad recruiting of the past few cycles will really put them in a downward spiral.
 
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2021 is an opportune year to catch VT while they are in a bit of disarray, and swoop in on the top Virginia players. As stated, the state has several elite prospects. Grimes will shine and the pipeline to Virginia will be established.
 
Kelvin Gilliam expected to announce today with Oklahoma being his most likely destination. He would have been a very good addition for us.

ETA: As expected, he’s a Sooner. Good get for them.
 
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Considering that this season won’t count against five years of eligibility, I suspect that the staff would like to keep some offensive linemen for five or six years.
 
Pounds and TID would be a strong finish. Just doesn't seem likely at this point. But that would be ideal. One more OT and a DL. I think we can live without a TE this cycle.

Proximity to home I think will be a factor in the long run with Pounds, lotta ball game left on him. As far as TID -- I think he commits and decommits and commits again before it's all said and done. I honestly think he wants to go to 4 schools.
 
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