I donāt know that I agree about how respectable the '25 class looks. Improvement, sure, but still outside the top 50 on On3 and unlikely to improve in ranking.
Because thereās more to recruiting than just saying āhey I won a lot of games at Clemson?ā He canāt make our facilities not suck, he canāt magically erase 20 years of being a joke in most every high school locker room in the Commonwealth, he canāt make fans show up or donors cut checks when theyāve been checked out for a decade now.
6 Likes
Why did recruiting get worse under him initially than it was under Bronco then? He was working with the same hand and was not known as a recruiter by any means. Elliottās recruiting should not have been that bad out of the gate.
2 Likes
First time HC learning his footing. A short recruiting cycle first yr out. A program on the decline with uncertainty after an abrupt coach exit. Yr 1 ending abruptly with 3 players murdered.
Not making excuses just laying out facts that anyone who wasnāt an established brand would struggle in that situation
14 Likes
In that other poll, I voted that Iād prefer a bowl win over 5 wins and a VPI win. I think a bowl win would turn the page and create momentum more than 5, even including VPI.
Iād be the last pot to call a kettle black for debating UVA sports marginalia, so I donāt mind a āhow bad was Elliotās recruiting, prior to game 1ā convo, but I ultimately think a lot is in the balance this coming year, and probably two, for Tony. If we go to a bowl(and keep momentum going thereafter), the answer will be āit was mostly Broncos fault and a new coach learning the ropes in a bad situationā.
But if we stink, the answer will be āthat was a harbinger that Elliott stinks and we knew all alongā.
And if we have 4-5 wins, then we are still more in an āall takes valid for nowā kind of situation.
The future determines the past.
4 Likes
5 Likes
Thatās all fair!
The #1 thing I want to see out of Elliott this year is improvement on offense. Weāre ~100 on most offensive metrics which just isnāt good enough from an offensive coach. I have not been impressed with our offense from a scheme and playcalling perspective, and thatās with it being buoyed by a couple of outstanding performers like Washington so far in the Elliott era.
Recruiting wonāt save us this year, but some advances on offense could! Hoping for 40 bomb against Richmond.
1 Like
4 Likes
This is the first recruiting cycle (25) that Tony E has not started out behind the curve.
4 Likes
You could make the argument that programs should never hire a HC that doesnāt have a proven track record recruiting talent. Thereās always a fair amount of attrition from a team when a new HC comes on, couple that with a few bad/average recruiting classes and youāve set your program back 5 years. Transfers add a wrinkle to that, but HS recruiting is still the way to build a strong base for your program.
2 Likes
Dragonās point and yours are not the same. Elliott has recruited top talent. He was recruiter for 5 5-stars and 18 4-stars as an assistant at Clemson. Just not the same as recruiting to UVA while learning to be a HC in a very different situation.
His best bet is to find developable talent and coach em up.
3 Likes
Agree. My comment wasnāt necessarily specific to Elliott, who, as you pointed out, does have recruiting experience and success.
1 Like
Easy to be a salesman when Dabo is the closer. Maybe TE has the goods but not clear yet.
3 Likes
At the end of the day, the question re: Elliott and recruiting is ādo we actually think a different coach would have done / be doing markedly better given (a) the deficient facilities, (b) the stink of being a historically losing program the last 10-20 years, (c) the academics/character hurdles, (d) the added stink of the VT dominance poisoning us in every HS locker room around the state, and (e) the pathetic fan/donor/NIL support, all of which Elliott (or his hypothetical alternative) effectively inherited from Broncoās tenure, as well as (f) the unprecedented program disruption from the shooting?ā Are any of those things something that wouldāve been magically overcome with a different personality at the helm?
8 Likes
Well, if you put it that way, ā¦
1 Like
11 Likes
Hopped on with Zach who knows a fair bit more than me- synopsis I have:
QB: 7
RB: 3
TE: 5
WR: 8
OL: 5
DL: 4
LB: 7
CB: 7
S: 7
6 Likes
Yāall sounding more pessimistic than we were. I like it.
4 Likes
I think the starters are solid pretty much across the board and were slightly deeper across the board but still so thin in a lot of rooms and think a few of our backups are gonna get toasted. I expect the defense to make major improvements this year, love this secondary
2 Likes
The depth will be an issue especially if the injury bug bites like it did last year. I really like the secondary a lot. Thatās a position that is legit 2 deep. I think the DL is fairly stout as well and will be able to hold up and get home when theyāre supposed to. The defensive jump from last year to this year will be noticeable. Iām also a fan of the RBās not sure I agree with the 3 ranking. Similar with the TEās 5 probably the right grade given how unproven that unit is. But going off @IAmBallHawk reveal about them running a lot of 2TE in practice that makes me think they have more than than we might think.
2 Likes