I, by no means am a insider. I am a avid VT supporter, season ticket holder, and read way to many boards. I look back at CFB, and realize that in today's frantic and crazy world, he would have never made it past his 2 win season. We all knew that he rose to the level of being the all time winning coach in history. Beyond that, it is hard following a legend, and I actually was excited to see FU get the job, with the promise of a highly potent offense, knowing the BUD's defense would be solid. All of these thoughts come into mind when we ask ourselves what went wrong with FU, and I know a lot has been covered. However the following thoughts are my take on what lessons can be learned:
- We need a coach who has regional ties to recruiting, and prioritizes Virginia and the surrounding states. Much can be said of developing good ties with Va. coaches, because those ties can be what get's VT the next rising star at any particular school.
- National recruiting is great, but it will not work at VT. We are not Alabama, LSU, Ohio State, or any number of SEC schools. We have to identify who we are, and while competing regionally and occasionally for the national recruits, stick to what we know, and who we know.
- Experience is important. Let me go (even though it is in another sport) to coach Young and VT Basketball. He is a VT guy, wants to be here, and if it come to doing anything to make VT better, he would work his tail off. He does that because he knows what hard work it was at a lesser league college, and appreciates the opportunity to represent VT on this level. His experience as coach over a number of years allows him to jump immediately in the fire, and be instantly accepted as a pier in this league. He can recruit to VT because he believes in VT, and the body of his work says he will be successful. We need that in a coach.
- Staff is as important as the coach. It may or may not be VT guys, but they need to know what they are doing. For instance, what good is a running back coach who has never played offense, or dealt with scheming offensive plays? (without naming names). Our pay for assistant coaching needs to be on par with the league we are in, or we will be poached all the time. Those coaches need to know we value their time, their commitment to the program (like being away often on recruiting trips), and their progression to becoming head coaches. If you look at the major coaches (Saban certainly comes to mind), the excitement of being an assistant coach is knowing it leads to a better place. The assistants have to respect that.
- Always be redshirting. This is a hard one, because all college teams are going away from it, because of the portal and the attitude of players. Identifying players who can play immediately, and being honest with the rest, is the way to go. We will loose a few, and gain a few, but the focus needs to always be on redshirting.
Sorry for the long post, it's just my 2 cents worth.
- We need a coach who has regional ties to recruiting, and prioritizes Virginia and the surrounding states. Much can be said of developing good ties with Va. coaches, because those ties can be what get's VT the next rising star at any particular school.
- National recruiting is great, but it will not work at VT. We are not Alabama, LSU, Ohio State, or any number of SEC schools. We have to identify who we are, and while competing regionally and occasionally for the national recruits, stick to what we know, and who we know.
- Experience is important. Let me go (even though it is in another sport) to coach Young and VT Basketball. He is a VT guy, wants to be here, and if it come to doing anything to make VT better, he would work his tail off. He does that because he knows what hard work it was at a lesser league college, and appreciates the opportunity to represent VT on this level. His experience as coach over a number of years allows him to jump immediately in the fire, and be instantly accepted as a pier in this league. He can recruit to VT because he believes in VT, and the body of his work says he will be successful. We need that in a coach.
- Staff is as important as the coach. It may or may not be VT guys, but they need to know what they are doing. For instance, what good is a running back coach who has never played offense, or dealt with scheming offensive plays? (without naming names). Our pay for assistant coaching needs to be on par with the league we are in, or we will be poached all the time. Those coaches need to know we value their time, their commitment to the program (like being away often on recruiting trips), and their progression to becoming head coaches. If you look at the major coaches (Saban certainly comes to mind), the excitement of being an assistant coach is knowing it leads to a better place. The assistants have to respect that.
- Always be redshirting. This is a hard one, because all college teams are going away from it, because of the portal and the attitude of players. Identifying players who can play immediately, and being honest with the rest, is the way to go. We will loose a few, and gain a few, but the focus needs to always be on redshirting.
Sorry for the long post, it's just my 2 cents worth.
