It's been a while since my last post. During that period, there have been many ups and downs. The football season-ending bowl game against Rutgers was pretty-much a disaster. However, the way that the defense enabled the Hokies to prevail and to ultimately win was positive. The play on offense was sufficiently disjointed enough to remove any doubt that the coaching "brain trust" on that side of the ball needed to be carpet-bombed. And so we have a new offensive coordinator, a new offensive line coach, and a new wide receivers coach.
The former beloved Hokie football offensive coordinator has been "demoted" to a position that only warrants a salary of $300K/year. Only in NCAA and professional sports can a big demotion garner that kind of money.
Cav said that new offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler will place a renewed emphasis on running the ball, and that he will find someone capable of running the ball consistently, one way or another. Expect to see Trey Edmunds and Chris Mangus compete in the running back stable.
There was also a local 2014 recruit in attendance, which NCAA rules prevented Coach Cav from introducing. Judging from his size and racial profile, he is either a punter or a kicker... (smile)
Some random comments regarding each recruit are provided below. If no comments are listed below for a particular player, it only means that I didn't find the comments that were made to be noteworthy. All of the recruits are highly regarded by the staff. Any comments in parentheses are my observations, not Cav's. The video's that Cav displayed and commented on appear to be the same video's as those found on HokieSports.com in the "2013 Recruiting Class" section.
Offensive line was a point of emphasis and need for 2013, and Kyle Chung (OL) is regarded as key acquisition for the program. Speaking of O-linemen, Cav said the the new O-line coach, Jeff Grimes, "is a real sonuvabitch" and should bring a whole new attitude to that group--and the running game in particular.
Charles Clark (FS) has some very impressive kick-off returns and punt-returns in his video portfolio. Recruited for the secondary, he could provide a few David Wilson/Jayron Hosley moments in the return game.
Brandon Facyson (DB): His name is pronounced "Fay-sun".
Holland Fisher (FS): "You can't coach speed and you can't stretch players" after you bring them on board, so height and speed is always highly regarded. Fisher was a good acquisition and could end up at outside LB.
Kendall Fuller (CB): Coach commented the Fuller parents need to crank out some more babies to keep their progeny in the VT recruiting pipeline. Clearly, Foster owns Kendall on defense, but new wide receiver coach Aaron Moorhead saw his ball-handling and catching skills and commented that "He needs to play some offense." Cav's response: "Moorehead is a little wet behind the ears. He is going to get schooled about how things work around here over the course of the season."
Bucky Hodges (QB): Looks like another Logan Thomas, but Cav commented that he was a little "quicker" when running the ball.
Cequan Jefferson (CB): "Great football instincts."
Jonathan McLaughlin (OL): "Big", and "a good guy on-and-off the field".
Jamieon Moss (LB): No noteworthy comments.
Andrew Motuapuaka (LB): Cav asked Andrew's mom if it was okay if he just referred to him as "Andrew M". (He reminds me of Troy Palamalu in his heyday--just a wild man creating havoc all over the field. Personally, I think that this kid is going to be a rock star for VT, like Macho Harris but in a different capacity.) In one video clip, one of Andrew's defensive teammates in the secondary snagged an interception for a long (~85 yds) "pick six". During the return for touchdown, Motuapuaka made 4 separate blocks to either seal off the returner or put would-be tacklers on their back-sides.
Deon Newsome (ATH): He will play as either a corner, safety, or wide receiver, depending on what they end up needing the most.
Parker Osterloh (OL): Another highly-thought-of offensive lineman. He's 300 lbs now, but Cav expects him to ultimately play at 350 lbs. He commented that, at 6'8", "with arms like that, he should be wearing long sleeves; but Coach Gentry will take care of that..." In the film, there is one clip that shows him catching a pass as an eligible receiver. Cav said "He should save that video, because it was last time he will be thrown a pass in a football game."
Carlis Parker (QB): A lefty QB, with an uncanny ability to avoid tackles and make plays. Even if there could never be another Michael Vick, this kid will remind people of him. (It's a year too early, but let the comparative hype begin!)
Braxton Pfaff (OL): The last of the O-linemen recruits. This kid looks ready to rock; and he squashes opponents. Cav commented that he is incredibly nimble and he "finishes plays". They are targeting to get him up from his current weight of 285 lbs to ~300 lbs; but they don't want to get him so big that his speed and agility are compromised.
David Prince (ATH): No noteworthy comments, but obviously when you recruit somebody as an "athlete", it means that they are talented and versatile enough to play multiple positions.
D.J. Reid (RB): Cav compared him somewhat to Ryan Williams, but without Ryan's strength. (Speaking of RMFW, let's pray that his third year in the NFL is the charm. Two straight years of early season-ending injuries must be discouraging for him.)
Anthony Shegog (FS): Currently listed at 200 lbs, Cav said that they will get him up to 220 lbs. Cav described him as a "safety who will knock your lights out!"
Wyatt Teller (DE): This kid looks strong and fast in the video's. Cav described him as "flat-out mean!"
So there you have it. Another thoroughly-entertaining evening, courtesy of Coach Jim Cavanaugh.
Go Hokies!!
haha, good read. 6'8 OL that should be nice to have and get some aspect of our running game back. I hope all these changes equal success. I like the sound of this Jeff Grimes already
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Cav was also asked to respond about repeated rumors regarding VT leaving the ACC. He said that no one at the school has even considered this. He thinks the the university is extremely happy with the conference, and he cannot envision circumstances leading to a departure in the foreseeable future.
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