(12-07-2018 11:41 AM)Hokie Mark Wrote: (12-07-2018 11:03 AM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote: This is a Mike London kind of hire. Psychotic recruiter. History at GT. He was the guy responsible for signing the best recruiting class in GT history. He did good things under O'Leary. He recruited so well Tuscaloosa immediately stole him. If he can bring in the X's and O's people, particularly on offense, this could be interesting.
And for those about to say "but Mike London failed at UVA" ..... yes. But ask yourself what caused VT to fall. I would suggest it was Mike London severing the pipeline between Norfolk and Blacksburg. The Hokies haven't been the same since. And Mike London didn't exactly have a stellar staff beyond himself.
YES. If VT had a "Hall of Villains", Mike London would be in it.
I disagree actually. Many of VT's shortcomings in football in recent years have less to do with a guy like Mike London, but a confluence of other factors:
- Beamer's age was getting used against far more after 2010. I don't know if London did it, but I know other coaches in the ACC did. London's biggest recruiting wins in the 757 were based on getting in with one of the 7-on-7 teams that operated in a shady manner, to say the least. After a few of those kids ended up at UVA, that pipeline dried up pretty quickly.
- In addition, the 757 landscape got even more competitive once ODU resurrected their program in 2009. A lot of the 2 & 3 star guys VT might have developed from the 757 in the past have yet another option and it's right in their backyard.
- During the aughts, VT feasted on a weak Coastal division. Programs either suffered from lack of resources (i.e. Duke) or poor hires (i.e. Miami). As investment increased post-2010 when ACC folks finally realized football was going to be the gravy train, the Coastal got a lot more competitive.
- At the same time, former AD Jim Weaver was reluctant to join the facilities arms race and I don't think he understood how much it was going to mean in the modern era of college football. Weaver always left the athletic department in the black, but the amount of catching up to do we've had to undertake under Whit Babcock is probably a lot more than many realize.
- Under Fuente, success was pretty immediate with the upperclassmen Beamer left. After Year 1, we've dealt with a lot of attrition for various reasons. We fielded a very young team this year, which I think contributes a lot to this year's struggles. We only had 6 seniors on the entire roster! As the numbers start to balance back out, I think VT is well positioned for the future.
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I suspect the "worst case" hire for GT is going to be Geoff Collins
