1
00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,080
Speaker 1: Very healthy head of hair and facial hair.

2
00:00:02,120 --> 00:00:05,120
Speaker 2: Really yeah. I think somebody described he has like this

3
00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:08,240
Speaker 2: sort of leather jacket that he was wearing a bunch

4
00:00:08,680 --> 00:00:10,680
Speaker 2: and he was at like a football game. He had

5
00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:12,720
Speaker 2: like the hand up and stuff. I think somebody described

6
00:00:12,760 --> 00:00:15,920
Speaker 2: it as most likely the head coach most likely to

7
00:00:15,960 --> 00:00:18,479
Speaker 2: be a country singer on college game day doing the

8
00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:20,840
Speaker 2: pick'ems that I've never heard of. See, he kind of

9
00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:22,079
Speaker 2: looks like that. I can see that.

10
00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:28,840
Speaker 1: Welcome to the solid verbal hull for me, I'm a man,

11
00:00:29,120 --> 00:00:29,720
Speaker 1: I'm forty.

12
00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:31,680
Speaker 3: I've heard so many players say, well, I want to

13
00:00:31,720 --> 00:00:33,639
Speaker 3: be happy. You want to be happy for a day

14
00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:34,560
Speaker 3: at the state?

15
00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:35,159
Speaker 2: Is that?

16
00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:38,440
Speaker 3: Woo woom and Dan and tie.

17
00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:43,000
Speaker 1: Welcome back to the Salaburbo boys and girls. My name

18
00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:45,199
Speaker 1: is Ty hilden Brand. That fine gentleman over there as

19
00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:49,840
Speaker 1: always you know, it's the illustrious Dan Ruebstein in springy,

20
00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:52,800
Speaker 1: in summery, Chicago, Illinois, the heart of the Midwest. Sir,

21
00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:53,320
Speaker 1: how are you?

22
00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:55,320
Speaker 3: I'm good And if you ever see me on the

23
00:00:55,320 --> 00:00:58,480
Speaker 3: streets of Chicago or the north shore of Chicago, please

24
00:00:59,160 --> 00:01:02,200
Speaker 3: come up to me and say correct me if I'm wrong.

25
00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:06,360
Speaker 3: Are you the illustrious, Dan Rubinstein. Illustrious, especially if I'm

26
00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:09,200
Speaker 3: with my family or if I'm with friends, if they

27
00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:11,160
Speaker 3: can see Actually, I don't know, I don't know. It's

28
00:01:11,319 --> 00:01:14,280
Speaker 3: I've I've been very happy to meet listeners when I'm

29
00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:17,360
Speaker 3: with my family, but they all seem very confused. My

30
00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:18,319
Speaker 3: children look at me.

31
00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:19,000
Speaker 1: Like, who is this now?

32
00:01:19,959 --> 00:01:23,760
Speaker 3: But illustrious goes a long way, ty, So thank you, Illushia.

33
00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:25,759
Speaker 3: I try to make you feel good at the top

34
00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:28,360
Speaker 3: of these shows. Yeah, of course, Harry that energy with you,

35
00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:30,360
Speaker 3: and look, we need all the good.

36
00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:32,560
Speaker 1: Vibes we can get today. I'm not gonna I'm gonna

37
00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:35,960
Speaker 1: sugarcoat this. We are talking Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech went

38
00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:39,600
Speaker 1: three and eight last season. Our guest of honor today

39
00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:43,640
Speaker 1: is Andy Bitter, a true luminary in the world of

40
00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:46,280
Speaker 1: hoky sports. He has been covering Virginia Tech for a

41
00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:50,920
Speaker 1: good long time, the authority as all things Hokies go.

42
00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:54,160
Speaker 1: You can find his fine work over at tech Sideline.

43
00:01:54,200 --> 00:01:57,640
Speaker 1: We will get the grade on year one on Brent

44
00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:01,920
Speaker 1: Pry from Andy here momentarily before we do Verballers dot

45
00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:03,880
Speaker 1: com v E R B A L L e r

46
00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:05,840
Speaker 1: s dot com. That is our Patreon if you want

47
00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:08,519
Speaker 1: to support the show. Otherwise, if you just want to

48
00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:11,280
Speaker 1: play an old subscribe and get all the episodes delivered

49
00:02:11,320 --> 00:02:15,320
Speaker 1: for free. You can get those over at Apple, at Spotify,

50
00:02:15,760 --> 00:02:18,440
Speaker 1: pretty much anywhere you get your podcasts. Just look for

51
00:02:18,480 --> 00:02:20,040
Speaker 1: the solid verbal hit the subscriber.

52
00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:20,440
Speaker 2: Follow.

53
00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:24,800
Speaker 1: We've got two public episodes all off season long and

54
00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:27,799
Speaker 1: last but certainly not least, Quick Slants dot soliverbal dot com.

55
00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:32,040
Speaker 1: That's our weekly college football newsletters free. We will keep

56
00:02:32,040 --> 00:02:33,959
Speaker 1: you up to date on about five five and a

57
00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:36,120
Speaker 1: half things as I like to say that you may

58
00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:39,480
Speaker 1: have missed in the world of college football on an

59
00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:40,600
Speaker 1: ongoing weekly basis.

60
00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:43,840
Speaker 3: No, oh, absolutely, Ty, it's a no brainer, Quickslance. You

61
00:02:43,880 --> 00:02:46,240
Speaker 3: gotta subscribe, and you got to subscribe follow the podcast

62
00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:49,239
Speaker 3: as well. As we're doing these year one debriefs, I

63
00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:51,600
Speaker 3: don't know how many more we're doing. We've hit a

64
00:02:51,639 --> 00:02:54,440
Speaker 3: lot of really quality schools. This is this is number

65
00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:55,440
Speaker 3: eight is number eight?

66
00:02:55,480 --> 00:02:58,080
Speaker 1: Okay, Yeah, we've got I think we've got a couple

67
00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:00,120
Speaker 1: more in US, maybe like two or three more in

68
00:03:00,240 --> 00:03:03,960
Speaker 1: US before we shift gears and start talking about Washington Football,

69
00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:04,800
Speaker 1: Texas Tech.

70
00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:08,400
Speaker 3: A couple of biggies, all right, fair enough. No, they've

71
00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:11,960
Speaker 3: all been illuminating and really interesting, you know, to sort

72
00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:14,200
Speaker 3: of drill down on all of these first year coaches

73
00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:18,600
Speaker 3: and you know school's change over. They've been fascinating listens

74
00:03:18,639 --> 00:03:21,080
Speaker 3: for me and I host the show, So I've been

75
00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:24,240
Speaker 3: a big fan. Any Virginia Tech thoughts before we get

76
00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:25,519
Speaker 3: to Andy or you just want to get to Andy

77
00:03:25,520 --> 00:03:26,919
Speaker 3: and then we'll do our thoughts after.

78
00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:32,359
Speaker 1: This is first the first bad team that I think

79
00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:33,359
Speaker 1: we've done.

80
00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:34,320
Speaker 3: Is that true?

81
00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:34,760
Speaker 1: Yeah?

82
00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:37,360
Speaker 3: I guess so. I mean Miami didn't have a thrilling

83
00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:39,600
Speaker 3: year one Mario Christo.

84
00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:41,760
Speaker 1: But this Virginia Tech was different, and they were also

85
00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:45,320
Speaker 1: any different place to start, true, right, they were not

86
00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:47,600
Speaker 1: starting from the same place as Miami, but three and

87
00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:51,960
Speaker 1: eight last season, they beat Boston College, Wafford, and Liberty.

88
00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:55,000
Speaker 1: Beyond that, they lost seven straight between the end of

89
00:03:55,040 --> 00:03:58,720
Speaker 1: September and mid November. The game against Virginia at the

90
00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:01,080
Speaker 1: end of the season canceled because of the tragic shooting

91
00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:04,840
Speaker 1: in Charlotte's film. But you know, you look back on

92
00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:08,320
Speaker 1: the season, a handful of those losses were one score

93
00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:13,240
Speaker 1: games that were probably winnable in retrospect. The consistent theme, though,

94
00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:16,440
Speaker 1: was that the offense gave them no pop whatsoever, and

95
00:04:16,520 --> 00:04:19,080
Speaker 1: I want to talk to Andy about that specifically. What

96
00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:21,840
Speaker 1: are they doing? What does it look like they had

97
00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:25,799
Speaker 1: all sorts of challenges just with respect to talent. Sure,

98
00:04:25,920 --> 00:04:28,960
Speaker 1: talent was not there. We talked about it all preseason long.

99
00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:31,920
Speaker 1: But it wasn't a difficult schedule. This is a very

100
00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:34,839
Speaker 1: workable schedule last year. The fact that they only won

101
00:04:34,880 --> 00:04:38,120
Speaker 1: three games, I think many many Virginia Tech fans would

102
00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:41,120
Speaker 1: look at that and say, wow, I was somewhat somewhat disappointing.

103
00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:44,920
Speaker 1: I think the fact that they struggled definitely underscore is

104
00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:47,360
Speaker 1: the challenge ahead for Brent Priye. And that's why this

105
00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:50,279
Speaker 1: is an important conversation if you're a Virginia Tech fan,

106
00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:52,880
Speaker 1: if you're just a college football fan in general. This

107
00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:55,320
Speaker 1: has been an historic program for a good long time.

108
00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:57,560
Speaker 1: The fact that they have slipped now to the point

109
00:04:57,560 --> 00:04:59,680
Speaker 1: where we're talking about a three to eight team, where

110
00:04:59,680 --> 00:05:03,080
Speaker 1: we're learn about Bowl eligibility moving forward, that there's a

111
00:05:03,120 --> 00:05:05,200
Speaker 1: lot going on here that I think college football fans

112
00:05:05,240 --> 00:05:06,640
Speaker 1: in general would find very interesting.

113
00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:10,800
Speaker 3: I don't mean this in a pejorative way, but if

114
00:05:10,839 --> 00:05:14,560
Speaker 3: you were to look at who would be the program,

115
00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:17,920
Speaker 3: the team to root for, to align yourself with. That

116
00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:22,520
Speaker 3: would cause you the most agitation over these last few years.

117
00:05:22,880 --> 00:05:25,280
Speaker 3: And it's not just because they'll have a terrible year

118
00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:28,320
Speaker 3: or they'll have a great year, and that they're inconsistent

119
00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:32,640
Speaker 3: year to year from a win total perspective, but from

120
00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:36,279
Speaker 3: a maddening we have talented guys, we lose close games.

121
00:05:36,279 --> 00:05:37,760
Speaker 4: As soon as we have a defense, we don't have

122
00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:39,320
Speaker 4: an offense. As soon as we have an offense, we

123
00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:42,679
Speaker 4: don't have a defense, and the upheaval with head coaches

124
00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:46,560
Speaker 4: and coordinators like I just I can't imagine what it

125
00:05:46,640 --> 00:05:48,800
Speaker 4: must be like to be a Virginia Tech fan to

126
00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:53,640
Speaker 4: have seen so much success and then now going through

127
00:05:53,680 --> 00:05:56,520
Speaker 4: a time where ACC is not super strong, like this

128
00:05:56,560 --> 00:06:01,600
Speaker 4: should traditionally be a time where Virginia Tech fills that vacuum.

129
00:06:01,839 --> 00:06:05,000
Speaker 4: Right that you have this Clemson power, but after that,

130
00:06:05,040 --> 00:06:07,520
Speaker 4: we've had it down Miami, We've had a down Florida State,

131
00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:11,800
Speaker 4: and during the Beamer years, this would be when Virginia

132
00:06:11,839 --> 00:06:14,800
Speaker 4: Tech is just scooping up wins, right, they're just scooping

133
00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:18,160
Speaker 4: up You know that BC is down, that Pitt is inconsistent,

134
00:06:18,200 --> 00:06:20,960
Speaker 4: that NC State has a crazy down year, but they've

135
00:06:20,960 --> 00:06:24,760
Speaker 4: been pretty good. Like this has been the traditional hokey

136
00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:28,120
Speaker 4: vacuum and now they haven't. They've been part of the

137
00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:30,599
Speaker 4: vacuum instead of being able to take advantage. And it's

138
00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:34,160
Speaker 4: I can't imagine there are many Virginia Tech fans who

139
00:06:34,720 --> 00:06:39,560
Speaker 4: have as much illustrious hair, lustrous hair that Brent Prye does,

140
00:06:39,839 --> 00:06:42,320
Speaker 4: because you got to be tearing it out week in

141
00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:44,800
Speaker 4: and week out. You show a flash of improvement and

142
00:06:44,839 --> 00:06:48,000
Speaker 4: then the next three weeks are just garbage. And so

143
00:06:48,839 --> 00:06:51,520
Speaker 4: they're one of those programs that I'm sure is completely

144
00:06:51,560 --> 00:06:52,640
Speaker 4: torturing its fan base.

145
00:06:53,720 --> 00:06:56,000
Speaker 3: Why don't we jump in and talk to Andy Bitter

146
00:06:56,360 --> 00:06:58,920
Speaker 3: and with that tie and I don't use this word,

147
00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:07,040
Speaker 3: you know lightly Virginia tech media legend. I can Andy,

148
00:07:08,320 --> 00:07:12,000
Speaker 3: you see that. You see that, Andy Bitter? This is

149
00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:14,520
Speaker 3: as I don't know what we have in terms of copyright,

150
00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:17,600
Speaker 3: but that's at least like an eight bit alt version. Andy,

151
00:07:17,600 --> 00:07:18,480
Speaker 3: how's it going today?

152
00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:21,200
Speaker 2: That's great. I feel like I'm on the old Nintendo system.

153
00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:28,840
Speaker 3: That's great. Eight bit Metallica allegedly is you know, it's

154
00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:33,480
Speaker 3: a feel good moment heading into what is hopefully ty

155
00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:37,160
Speaker 3: pro transition here, a feel good or a feel better

156
00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:39,800
Speaker 3: year for the Hokies. How's it going today?

157
00:07:39,960 --> 00:07:43,200
Speaker 2: I'm doing well. You know, Spring practice almost done here.

158
00:07:44,360 --> 00:07:47,120
Speaker 2: You know, I think all Virginia Tech fans are just

159
00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:50,880
Speaker 2: kind of eager to put the last season away, to

160
00:07:50,960 --> 00:07:53,360
Speaker 2: get that taste out of their mouth. And you know,

161
00:07:53,360 --> 00:07:55,280
Speaker 2: they got a bunch of new transfers this year, a

162
00:07:55,320 --> 00:07:56,880
Speaker 2: lot of new players, and I think I think they're

163
00:07:56,960 --> 00:07:59,840
Speaker 2: very excited about what they have. We'll see if excitement

164
00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:03,360
Speaker 2: translates into many more than three wins they had last year,

165
00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:05,720
Speaker 2: but certainly a better feeling, I think than a couple

166
00:08:05,760 --> 00:08:06,200
Speaker 2: months ago.

167
00:08:06,600 --> 00:08:10,480
Speaker 3: So let's talk about that feeling. Let's go to the negative.

168
00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:13,440
Speaker 3: Let's go to the down, at least before we got

169
00:08:13,480 --> 00:08:17,680
Speaker 3: to the hopefully optimistic. Let's ask a simple question, what

170
00:08:17,840 --> 00:08:22,000
Speaker 3: exactly happened? What is the proper context of a three

171
00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:25,840
Speaker 3: to win twenty twenty two that would help us to

172
00:08:26,040 --> 00:08:31,120
Speaker 3: understand why things went so? I suppose terribly would be

173
00:08:31,160 --> 00:08:35,520
Speaker 3: an appropriate term. In Brent price first year in Blacksburg.

174
00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:38,280
Speaker 2: Well, they didn't have a lot of talent, they didn't

175
00:08:38,280 --> 00:08:40,120
Speaker 2: really make the most of the talent they had, and

176
00:08:40,160 --> 00:08:44,000
Speaker 2: they had a historically bad offense. If that sums it up,

177
00:08:44,760 --> 00:08:48,720
Speaker 2: it was pretty ugly. I thought there was going to be.

178
00:08:50,200 --> 00:08:53,160
Speaker 2: It was sort of a turning point in the roster

179
00:08:53,320 --> 00:08:56,360
Speaker 2: construction as it was. You know, even if they had

180
00:08:56,520 --> 00:09:01,400
Speaker 2: made retained justin Fuente, is gonna be rough because there

181
00:09:01,400 --> 00:09:03,679
Speaker 2: were a lot of seniors that left that team, a

182
00:09:03,720 --> 00:09:05,679
Speaker 2: lot of guys at the transfer portal as well, and

183
00:09:05,960 --> 00:09:08,320
Speaker 2: not like you know, run of the mill guys, like

184
00:09:08,360 --> 00:09:11,240
Speaker 2: guys that they had been depending on, you know, guys

185
00:09:11,280 --> 00:09:15,040
Speaker 2: like Trey Turner, brock Hoffman, these sort of guys that

186
00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:16,360
Speaker 2: have been around for a couple of years. So I

187
00:09:16,360 --> 00:09:18,679
Speaker 2: think it was going to be sort of a talent

188
00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:22,280
Speaker 2: deficiency to begin with. Add on top of that a

189
00:09:22,320 --> 00:09:24,880
Speaker 2: coaching transition to a first time head coach who I

190
00:09:24,880 --> 00:09:28,160
Speaker 2: think admittedly made a bunch of mistakes in his first

191
00:09:28,240 --> 00:09:31,079
Speaker 2: year in terms of how he structured stuff and now

192
00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:33,959
Speaker 2: he would have done stuff. I think that's just sort

193
00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:36,680
Speaker 2: of the learning curve for somebody like that, who's wren

194
00:09:36,760 --> 00:09:39,640
Speaker 2: the big whistle for the first time. And then the

195
00:09:39,679 --> 00:09:42,360
Speaker 2: offense was just playing bad and there was no two

196
00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:44,920
Speaker 2: ways about that. They did not have a lot of talent,

197
00:09:45,040 --> 00:09:49,360
Speaker 2: especially on offense. They had maybe one receiver who consistently

198
00:09:49,400 --> 00:09:53,480
Speaker 2: could get open. Their best running back, Malachi Thomas, got

199
00:09:53,559 --> 00:09:56,920
Speaker 2: hurt in the preseason, hurt in mid season, played about

200
00:09:57,000 --> 00:10:00,199
Speaker 2: three games. Their offensive line couldn't push anybody around, and

201
00:10:00,640 --> 00:10:03,920
Speaker 2: you know, the quarterback was just mediocre Grant Wells again,

202
00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:06,679
Speaker 2: nine touchdowns, nine interceptions, and you're not going to win

203
00:10:06,720 --> 00:10:09,160
Speaker 2: a lot of games like that. So there are just

204
00:10:09,200 --> 00:10:12,120
Speaker 2: a lot of questions on that side. Whatever they did defensively,

205
00:10:12,600 --> 00:10:15,640
Speaker 2: it wasn't enough to make up for the offensive shortcomings,

206
00:10:15,679 --> 00:10:19,480
Speaker 2: which has been, you know, a tried and tested story

207
00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:22,240
Speaker 2: at Virginia Tech for a long long time here. So

208
00:10:23,240 --> 00:10:25,559
Speaker 2: just a rough first season all around, and you know,

209
00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:27,200
Speaker 2: we'll see if it gets any better this year.

210
00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:33,680
Speaker 3: You mentioned the mistakes from Brent Prye that he can control.

211
00:10:33,720 --> 00:10:36,480
Speaker 3: He can control a certain amount. Obviously, talent is something

212
00:10:36,480 --> 00:10:38,679
Speaker 3: that takes time to rebuild a roster and sort of

213
00:10:38,679 --> 00:10:42,440
Speaker 3: build that roster in exactly your image. So what was

214
00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:46,400
Speaker 3: it that went wrong that Brent Priye could have controlled better?

215
00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:49,080
Speaker 3: You mentioned the term learning curve and where are we

216
00:10:49,200 --> 00:10:50,839
Speaker 3: now with his learning curve?

217
00:10:51,840 --> 00:10:53,320
Speaker 2: Well, I think you see this with a lot of

218
00:10:53,559 --> 00:10:56,319
Speaker 2: head coaches that are coordinators and they're reluctant to give

219
00:10:56,400 --> 00:10:59,559
Speaker 2: up the play calling duties that they have, and you know,

220
00:10:59,640 --> 00:11:01,600
Speaker 2: he was to do that cum hell or high water

221
00:11:01,679 --> 00:11:03,880
Speaker 2: his first year. He was going to call defensive plays,

222
00:11:04,760 --> 00:11:07,000
Speaker 2: shape the defense the way he wanted to. And you know,

223
00:11:07,040 --> 00:11:09,920
Speaker 2: I don't necessarily think he regrets it necessarily because he

224
00:11:10,000 --> 00:11:12,319
Speaker 2: wanted to teach that defense in a certain way and

225
00:11:12,679 --> 00:11:16,680
Speaker 2: set the foundation for it, but probably should have given

226
00:11:16,720 --> 00:11:18,560
Speaker 2: it up a little bit earlier than he did. He

227
00:11:18,600 --> 00:11:21,760
Speaker 2: finally turned it over to Chris Marv defensive coordinator in

228
00:11:21,800 --> 00:11:24,360
Speaker 2: the Liberty game. They played very well in the Liberty game.

229
00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:28,280
Speaker 2: He allowed Pride to sort of free up and focus

230
00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:30,720
Speaker 2: his attention more on the team stuff and the offense,

231
00:11:30,840 --> 00:11:35,640
Speaker 2: and I think that showed in that game. Offensively, I

232
00:11:35,679 --> 00:11:38,680
Speaker 2: think they were a little stubborn with what they tried

233
00:11:38,679 --> 00:11:40,640
Speaker 2: to do. They tried to be a smash mouth team,

234
00:11:40,640 --> 00:11:42,439
Speaker 2: and they didn't have the personnel to do it. They

235
00:11:42,480 --> 00:11:45,240
Speaker 2: just didn't have the talent or the bodies to do

236
00:11:45,280 --> 00:11:48,160
Speaker 2: that up front and in the running backs. And they

237
00:11:48,200 --> 00:11:51,160
Speaker 2: really made that change too late in the season, or

238
00:11:51,200 --> 00:11:53,480
Speaker 2: tried to adjust stuff too late in the season, or

239
00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:57,400
Speaker 2: didn't see that coming in the preseason. Then I think

240
00:11:57,800 --> 00:12:00,440
Speaker 2: you know, defensively, Pride has his scheme and the way

241
00:12:00,440 --> 00:12:02,319
Speaker 2: he wants to do things. I don't think there was

242
00:12:02,360 --> 00:12:06,560
Speaker 2: a total understanding of his personnel at times. And you know,

243
00:12:06,600 --> 00:12:08,760
Speaker 2: they're you know, they're they're building the plane in the

244
00:12:08,800 --> 00:12:11,960
Speaker 2: air as they're going. They're trying to figure things out

245
00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:15,080
Speaker 2: and see capabilities of guys. But you see late in

246
00:12:15,080 --> 00:12:18,080
Speaker 2: the season it's like you've got a linebacker covering a

247
00:12:18,120 --> 00:12:21,040
Speaker 2: slot receiver across the field and giving up big plays

248
00:12:21,080 --> 00:12:23,160
Speaker 2: like that. They're just not fast enough to run with

249
00:12:23,200 --> 00:12:25,840
Speaker 2: these guys. They might have been at Penn State, and

250
00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:28,560
Speaker 2: they might be once you get this thing hum in

251
00:12:28,640 --> 00:12:31,560
Speaker 2: here with some recruits that are recruited to your system,

252
00:12:31,559 --> 00:12:33,800
Speaker 2: but that's not the personnel that they had last year,

253
00:12:33,800 --> 00:12:35,880
Speaker 2: and I think at times he was slow to recognize

254
00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:37,840
Speaker 2: that and that cost him in some big spots.

255
00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:42,040
Speaker 3: Almost every head coach new head coach, without exception, when

256
00:12:42,080 --> 00:12:44,520
Speaker 3: you are behind the scenes, when you're sitting in their office,

257
00:12:44,559 --> 00:12:46,960
Speaker 3: will tell you something like, look the roster when I

258
00:12:47,120 --> 00:12:49,920
Speaker 3: that I inherited when I got here is this is

259
00:12:49,960 --> 00:12:52,280
Speaker 3: something that's going to take a lot of time. Almost

260
00:12:52,280 --> 00:12:55,480
Speaker 3: without exception, that's what you'll hear. Where was that roster.

261
00:12:55,559 --> 00:12:57,920
Speaker 3: You mentioned the transfers, and Justin Flenttey got a lot

262
00:12:57,920 --> 00:13:01,439
Speaker 3: of flak for his recruiting or lack thereof near the

263
00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:05,200
Speaker 3: end of his time in Blacksburg. How realistic was it

264
00:13:05,280 --> 00:13:08,400
Speaker 3: to win more than three games with this roster? Where

265
00:13:08,440 --> 00:13:12,200
Speaker 3: exactly was you know, a to z this roster when

266
00:13:12,760 --> 00:13:13,640
Speaker 3: Brent Pryor arrived.

267
00:13:14,480 --> 00:13:18,640
Speaker 2: It was not good in terms of overall talent. That

268
00:13:18,679 --> 00:13:23,160
Speaker 2: they had struggle spots, especially in the offensive side, and

269
00:13:23,200 --> 00:13:26,600
Speaker 2: they didn't have as many defensive playmakers as they normally have.

270
00:13:26,679 --> 00:13:29,040
Speaker 2: And I think you see that here in this draft

271
00:13:29,120 --> 00:13:31,920
Speaker 2: season coming up. I mean, Tamari Connord is probably the

272
00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:34,360
Speaker 2: only guy that's going to get drafted and he's got

273
00:13:34,400 --> 00:13:37,160
Speaker 2: about a fifth ground grade on him. I mean, that's

274
00:13:37,200 --> 00:13:40,560
Speaker 2: just not typically what you've seen in Virginia Tech, even

275
00:13:40,559 --> 00:13:45,240
Speaker 2: in lean times. So it was just a struggle overall.

276
00:13:45,800 --> 00:13:49,439
Speaker 2: You know, the problems from the Justin Plenterez is they

277
00:13:49,520 --> 00:13:53,000
Speaker 2: got some players occasionally, but they didn't retain them very well,

278
00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:55,520
Speaker 2: and there just weren't a ton of them. So you

279
00:13:55,559 --> 00:13:57,520
Speaker 2: get to even past that first team and it just

280
00:13:57,600 --> 00:14:01,360
Speaker 2: dropped off a cliff. It was very noticeable. Maybe you

281
00:14:01,400 --> 00:14:04,080
Speaker 2: can be passable in that first group, but there were

282
00:14:04,120 --> 00:14:05,840
Speaker 2: a lot of spots where they were playing people out

283
00:14:05,880 --> 00:14:08,640
Speaker 2: of the sestin last year, and if they didn't have

284
00:14:08,679 --> 00:14:10,320
Speaker 2: anybody else that they could put in the game, there

285
00:14:10,320 --> 00:14:13,480
Speaker 2: were no other options. So I think it was it

286
00:14:13,520 --> 00:14:15,760
Speaker 2: was really a struggle. It should have won more than

287
00:14:15,800 --> 00:14:18,400
Speaker 2: three games. I think that was. I mean, they gave

288
00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:20,840
Speaker 2: away the ODU game at the end, gave away Georgia

289
00:14:20,880 --> 00:14:23,520
Speaker 2: Tech NC State. They were right there. I mean, I

290
00:14:23,520 --> 00:14:25,600
Speaker 2: think this could have been a Bowl team last year

291
00:14:26,480 --> 00:14:28,920
Speaker 2: with just you know, things go a certain way in

292
00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:30,800
Speaker 2: a few games, or they coach or play a little

293
00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:33,840
Speaker 2: bit better down the stretch. But I predicted them as

294
00:14:34,040 --> 00:14:35,640
Speaker 2: I think six and six, and I said if they

295
00:14:35,680 --> 00:14:38,160
Speaker 2: get to a Bowl game, that was an accomplishment. They underachieved

296
00:14:38,160 --> 00:14:41,480
Speaker 2: on that by quite a lot. So I think tailent

297
00:14:41,560 --> 00:14:44,200
Speaker 2: deficiency for sure, but they also struggled quite a bit.

298
00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:46,960
Speaker 1: Yeah. I remember, Andy, when we did our previews for

299
00:14:47,120 --> 00:14:49,880
Speaker 1: Virginia Tech last summer. One of the things that jumped

300
00:14:49,880 --> 00:14:53,240
Speaker 1: out to me they were moving guys around the field

301
00:14:53,240 --> 00:14:56,440
Speaker 1: a lot a lot of guys quote unquote switching positions,

302
00:14:56,440 --> 00:14:59,200
Speaker 1: and of course the coaching staff, as all of them

303
00:14:59,280 --> 00:15:01,520
Speaker 1: do was quick to point out now and no, we

304
00:15:01,600 --> 00:15:04,760
Speaker 1: think he might be better suited for this position. But a

305
00:15:04,760 --> 00:15:06,760
Speaker 1: lot of what I read on the Virginia Tech side

306
00:15:06,760 --> 00:15:09,240
Speaker 1: from you and others was, well, it could be true.

307
00:15:09,240 --> 00:15:10,880
Speaker 1: It also could be true that they just don't have

308
00:15:10,920 --> 00:15:13,160
Speaker 1: the bodies that they need to move guys around. They

309
00:15:13,160 --> 00:15:15,440
Speaker 1: don't have the depth that you would need to try

310
00:15:15,440 --> 00:15:17,720
Speaker 1: and put this thing together in year one for Brent Prye,

311
00:15:17,760 --> 00:15:19,600
Speaker 1: and I think he did the best he could with it.

312
00:15:19,720 --> 00:15:23,240
Speaker 1: Certainly the eighty seventh toughest schedule. You would hope that

313
00:15:23,240 --> 00:15:25,280
Speaker 1: they could do more with that if they have that

314
00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:29,320
Speaker 1: situation again in twenty twenty three. But there's no doubt

315
00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:31,320
Speaker 1: that it was a steep learning curve in YR one

316
00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:33,880
Speaker 1: and that he was up against it. As we look

317
00:15:34,160 --> 00:15:37,680
Speaker 1: ahead now, I guess to year two, the offense brings

318
00:15:37,720 --> 00:15:41,280
Speaker 1: back seventy three percent of its production. This was, as

319
00:15:41,280 --> 00:15:44,280
Speaker 1: you said, a really bad offense. Is that returning production

320
00:15:44,760 --> 00:15:47,720
Speaker 1: stat good? Is it good to have that much back?

321
00:15:47,880 --> 00:15:50,600
Speaker 1: Or what does it look like now? Is they try to,

322
00:15:51,040 --> 00:15:53,520
Speaker 1: I don't know, ratchet this thing up and use what

323
00:15:53,560 --> 00:15:55,440
Speaker 1: they've got to move things ahead.

324
00:15:56,520 --> 00:15:58,800
Speaker 2: I do always love that when we talk about returning

325
00:15:58,840 --> 00:16:01,160
Speaker 2: production and like, oh, they have ten starters back or

326
00:16:01,200 --> 00:16:03,360
Speaker 2: whatever it is. It's like, well, how many that many

327
00:16:03,360 --> 00:16:06,080
Speaker 2: starters on one hundred and eighteenth ranked offense. How good

328
00:16:06,160 --> 00:16:11,040
Speaker 2: can that be. It's good to have some experience coming back.

329
00:16:12,040 --> 00:16:15,040
Speaker 2: You don't want to just start with a completely you know,

330
00:16:15,160 --> 00:16:17,800
Speaker 2: blank slate there. But those guys need to be better.

331
00:16:17,800 --> 00:16:19,920
Speaker 2: And I think, you know, they brought in some key

332
00:16:20,120 --> 00:16:24,040
Speaker 2: additions transfer wise, that's going to help, especially at the

333
00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:26,360
Speaker 2: receiver spot. They lose Caleb Smith, but they bring in

334
00:16:26,400 --> 00:16:29,960
Speaker 2: Ali Jennings Jalen Lane to Kwan Felton. I mean that's

335
00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:32,560
Speaker 2: that's three options there that could be starters. I mean

336
00:16:32,880 --> 00:16:34,600
Speaker 2: they're going to mix and match, but I think those

337
00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:37,640
Speaker 2: three will get a lot of playing time. Bay Shall

338
00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:40,840
Speaker 2: Tutin coming from North Carolina A and T. He adds

339
00:16:40,880 --> 00:16:43,040
Speaker 2: to that running back room that you're not just relying

340
00:16:43,080 --> 00:16:45,880
Speaker 2: on Malachi Thomas and hoping he can stay healthy all

341
00:16:45,920 --> 00:16:47,800
Speaker 2: the time. I think that's a pretty good one two

342
00:16:47,840 --> 00:16:50,400
Speaker 2: punch if they can stay healthy and in the game.

343
00:16:51,360 --> 00:16:54,400
Speaker 2: And then Kyron drones at quarterback. And you know, last year,

344
00:16:54,400 --> 00:16:56,520
Speaker 2: I think the big issue at quarterback was they didn't

345
00:16:56,520 --> 00:16:58,480
Speaker 2: trust anybody else to go into the game and make

346
00:16:58,520 --> 00:17:02,760
Speaker 2: a difference. Grant Wells and behind him was Jason Brown,

347
00:17:02,760 --> 00:17:04,800
Speaker 2: and they never went to Jason Brown. They thought that

348
00:17:04,840 --> 00:17:09,320
Speaker 2: Wells was heading shoulders above him in pretty much all regards,

349
00:17:09,359 --> 00:17:12,680
Speaker 2: and if Wells is struggling, they don't think too highly

350
00:17:12,680 --> 00:17:14,919
Speaker 2: of Jason Brown coming to the game. That can't be

351
00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:17,640
Speaker 2: great for your quarterback situation. Now you have Drones, who

352
00:17:18,320 --> 00:17:20,399
Speaker 2: is very green still. I mean he hasn't played a

353
00:17:20,400 --> 00:17:23,520
Speaker 2: whole lot, but he's got that four star pedigree, the

354
00:17:23,600 --> 00:17:26,280
Speaker 2: dual threat guy. I think he runs it really well.

355
00:17:26,320 --> 00:17:29,879
Speaker 2: You look at him and he's a tremendous athlete. I

356
00:17:29,880 --> 00:17:32,000
Speaker 2: think that could help in the quarterback run game, which

357
00:17:32,040 --> 00:17:34,080
Speaker 2: they want to put a lot more of in the

358
00:17:34,119 --> 00:17:35,919
Speaker 2: offense this year, and they did a little bit of

359
00:17:35,920 --> 00:17:38,800
Speaker 2: that late in the season with some success. So you

360
00:17:38,840 --> 00:17:41,359
Speaker 2: add all those pieces to some of the returning guys.

361
00:17:41,400 --> 00:17:43,520
Speaker 2: Have a couple guys on the offensive line, even though

362
00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:46,720
Speaker 2: that's a pretty young group, you can see improvement there.

363
00:17:46,760 --> 00:17:48,680
Speaker 2: I mean, this isn't gonna be a top twenty offense,

364
00:17:49,119 --> 00:17:52,280
Speaker 2: and he stretched the imagination, but can you be a

365
00:17:52,280 --> 00:17:55,720
Speaker 2: top eighty offense and they get defensive improvement. I think

366
00:17:55,760 --> 00:17:59,080
Speaker 2: that would be a tremendous step forward for a group

367
00:17:59,080 --> 00:18:02,119
Speaker 2: that last year really look lost for most of the season.

368
00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:04,360
Speaker 1: I mean, we've seen that for me, will work elsewhere.

369
00:18:04,440 --> 00:18:07,600
Speaker 1: That would not be a new concept. You mentioned the line.

370
00:18:07,600 --> 00:18:09,960
Speaker 1: You mentioned it was young. One thing that strikes me

371
00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:12,080
Speaker 1: in looking over the line stats. They were pretty much

372
00:18:12,119 --> 00:18:15,880
Speaker 1: set from center all the way over on the right

373
00:18:15,920 --> 00:18:18,679
Speaker 1: side of the line. It was basically the same three guys,

374
00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:21,200
Speaker 1: and they were mostly set on the left side as well,

375
00:18:21,240 --> 00:18:22,960
Speaker 1: with the exception of left guard, where they had I

376
00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:26,160
Speaker 1: guess a little bit of rotation. But what was the deal?

377
00:18:26,280 --> 00:18:29,480
Speaker 1: Was it youth? Was its scheme? Why was that line

378
00:18:29,640 --> 00:18:30,200
Speaker 1: so bad?

379
00:18:31,760 --> 00:18:33,600
Speaker 2: You know, I just don't think they were all that

380
00:18:33,720 --> 00:18:36,880
Speaker 2: talented in the group. And you say they're sat at

381
00:18:36,880 --> 00:18:39,680
Speaker 2: center and they had Johnny Jordan back and he was

382
00:18:40,160 --> 00:18:42,800
Speaker 2: like a sixth guy the previous year hadn't started a

383
00:18:42,800 --> 00:18:46,120
Speaker 2: whole lot. Silas jan Z was the left tackle they

384
00:18:46,119 --> 00:18:49,520
Speaker 2: slotted in. He was sort of like they slid him

385
00:18:49,520 --> 00:18:52,760
Speaker 2: in the guard and tried to left tackle. Right tackle

386
00:18:52,840 --> 00:18:55,320
Speaker 2: never really had a spot and he was their left tackle,

387
00:18:55,600 --> 00:18:57,639
Speaker 2: and they didn't have really anybody else to put in

388
00:18:57,640 --> 00:19:01,440
Speaker 2: the game. So it's just I didn't think the ceiling

389
00:19:01,640 --> 00:19:03,760
Speaker 2: of that group was very high, and now they lose

390
00:19:03,760 --> 00:19:05,639
Speaker 2: those guys and they get really young. This year, they

391
00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:09,680
Speaker 2: could have Redchard freshman at left tackle and left guard,

392
00:19:09,720 --> 00:19:13,160
Speaker 2: and Savior Chaplain Braylan Moore. They move Cade Moore over

393
00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:16,560
Speaker 2: to center. They get Parker Clements back at right tackle.

394
00:19:16,600 --> 00:19:20,240
Speaker 2: He was injured in the offseason last year, had a

395
00:19:20,320 --> 00:19:22,199
Speaker 2: meniscus that he was coming back from. Didn't do a

396
00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:24,399
Speaker 2: lot of lifting, so he didn't look quite himself for

397
00:19:24,480 --> 00:19:26,479
Speaker 2: most of the year. Got a little bit better at

398
00:19:26,480 --> 00:19:29,000
Speaker 2: the end of the year. I think there's promise there,

399
00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:31,080
Speaker 2: but it's just it's such a young group but still

400
00:19:31,119 --> 00:19:33,639
Speaker 2: not very deep. You get to that second team and

401
00:19:33,680 --> 00:19:36,280
Speaker 2: there's a lot of freshmen in that second team. I shoot,

402
00:19:36,280 --> 00:19:38,760
Speaker 2: there a lot of freshmen in the starting group right now,

403
00:19:38,800 --> 00:19:41,480
Speaker 2: and you're talking about they're on their third offensive line

404
00:19:41,520 --> 00:19:44,360
Speaker 2: coach in three years, and you kind of have that turnover.

405
00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:47,160
Speaker 2: You know, how much teaching are they retaining, how much

406
00:19:47,280 --> 00:19:49,240
Speaker 2: are they confused by what they're hearing from a bunch

407
00:19:49,280 --> 00:19:52,280
Speaker 2: of different guys. So you're just gonna have to see

408
00:19:52,280 --> 00:19:54,239
Speaker 2: a lot of improvement from that group, because if that

409
00:19:54,280 --> 00:19:57,120
Speaker 2: doesn't improve, I don't know how much adding all those

410
00:19:57,160 --> 00:19:59,760
Speaker 2: other skill players and stuff matters, because the holes aren't

411
00:19:59,760 --> 00:20:01,320
Speaker 2: going to be there to run through and they're not

412
00:20:01,359 --> 00:20:02,800
Speaker 2: gonna have a lot of time to throw the ball.

413
00:20:03,760 --> 00:20:07,240
Speaker 1: Do people like Brent pry Yes, Oh.

414
00:20:07,200 --> 00:20:10,000
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean that was an easy win for Prye

415
00:20:10,520 --> 00:20:13,480
Speaker 2: coming off of the Justin Flinte era. Uh say it

416
00:20:13,520 --> 00:20:15,480
Speaker 2: to you all about Flinte. He was not the most

417
00:20:15,480 --> 00:20:18,960
Speaker 2: personable character. That just wasn't his thing was. It was

418
00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:21,520
Speaker 2: a bit of an introvert, didn't like crowds, didn't like

419
00:20:21,560 --> 00:20:23,600
Speaker 2: doing a lot of the head coaching things that you

420
00:20:23,760 --> 00:20:26,560
Speaker 2: have to do, shaking hands and kissing babies where you know,

421
00:20:26,640 --> 00:20:30,119
Speaker 2: the guy before him, Frank Beemer, was the mayor of Blacksburg.

422
00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:32,960
Speaker 2: That's all he did, and could go in and command

423
00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:35,960
Speaker 2: a room and everybody loves fancy gap Frank, and then

424
00:20:36,200 --> 00:20:38,680
Speaker 2: you know Frank. Fointe is sort of this dour character,

425
00:20:38,760 --> 00:20:42,560
Speaker 2: and I think pry hearkens back to Frank a little bit.

426
00:20:42,640 --> 00:20:47,080
Speaker 2: He's a personable guy, he's got this weird folksy manner

427
00:20:47,160 --> 00:20:50,120
Speaker 2: to him. Certainly. I mean he's from Pennsylvania. I guess

428
00:20:50,119 --> 00:20:51,840
Speaker 2: he grew up most of his life in West Virginia

429
00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:54,640
Speaker 2: and Virginia. So he's got this southern twang that's tough

430
00:20:54,640 --> 00:20:57,560
Speaker 2: to describe, but I don't know. He's just got like

431
00:20:57,600 --> 00:21:00,119
Speaker 2: this energy about him and he's eager to talk of

432
00:21:00,200 --> 00:21:04,119
Speaker 2: people and do all the politicking stuff that you have

433
00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:07,240
Speaker 2: to do as a head coach. And I did this

434
00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:10,240
Speaker 2: thing where I followed. I got to watch them do

435
00:21:10,320 --> 00:21:12,840
Speaker 2: their live recruiting show last year, and it sort of

436
00:21:12,840 --> 00:21:15,800
Speaker 2: this production they did and they'd bring all that each

437
00:21:15,800 --> 00:21:17,800
Speaker 2: recruit would come on with their family and stuff. And

438
00:21:17,800 --> 00:21:20,520
Speaker 2: the way that Pry was chopping it up with the

439
00:21:20,560 --> 00:21:23,639
Speaker 2: families and the moms and like joking with them is

440
00:21:23,680 --> 00:21:26,960
Speaker 2: like you could just see that personality coming out there.

441
00:21:27,440 --> 00:21:30,280
Speaker 2: And I think the Virginia Tech fan base sees that

442
00:21:30,440 --> 00:21:33,720
Speaker 2: and they want him to succeed. They just need to

443
00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:35,720
Speaker 2: see him win more than three games in the season,

444
00:21:35,760 --> 00:21:38,320
Speaker 2: otherwise I could imagine they turn on him pretty quickly.

445
00:21:38,920 --> 00:21:40,880
Speaker 1: Very healthy head of hair and facial hair.

446
00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:44,720
Speaker 2: Really, I know, I'm jealous of that quoff and he's

447
00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:46,520
Speaker 2: in and out with the beard all the time. I

448
00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:48,800
Speaker 2: think he looks more authoritative with the beard. He probably

449
00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:49,720
Speaker 2: should keep it.

450
00:21:49,720 --> 00:21:52,400
Speaker 1: It's a definite mountain man look that probably plays well

451
00:21:52,440 --> 00:21:53,040
Speaker 1: in Blacksburg.

452
00:21:54,240 --> 00:21:57,240
Speaker 2: Yeah. I think somebody described he has like this sort

453
00:21:57,240 --> 00:22:00,600
Speaker 2: of leather jacket, but he was wearing a bunch and

454
00:22:00,880 --> 00:22:02,639
Speaker 2: he was at like a football game. He had like

455
00:22:02,640 --> 00:22:04,600
Speaker 2: the hand up and stuff. And I think somebody described

456
00:22:04,600 --> 00:22:07,760
Speaker 2: it as most like the head coach most likely to

457
00:22:07,800 --> 00:22:10,320
Speaker 2: be a country singer on college game day doing the

458
00:22:10,320 --> 00:22:12,359
Speaker 2: pickams that I've never heard of. I can see he

459
00:22:12,440 --> 00:22:13,960
Speaker 2: kind of looks like that. I can see that.

460
00:22:14,720 --> 00:22:17,639
Speaker 3: What when you look at the sort of current right

461
00:22:17,680 --> 00:22:21,520
Speaker 3: you mentioned spring practices almost over? When you look at

462
00:22:21,720 --> 00:22:25,120
Speaker 3: where this team is right now? Did Brent Pride? Did

463
00:22:25,119 --> 00:22:27,280
Speaker 3: this coaching staff do a good job? You mentioned some

464
00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:29,879
Speaker 3: of the transfers coming in. Do they look the part

465
00:22:29,960 --> 00:22:32,520
Speaker 3: more than they may have a year ago after Brent

466
00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:34,760
Speaker 3: Pride took over. Does it seem like there are just

467
00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:37,880
Speaker 3: more guys. Do they seem more battle ready? Do they

468
00:22:37,880 --> 00:22:41,760
Speaker 3: seem closer to, at least eye test wise, looking like,

469
00:22:42,200 --> 00:22:44,240
Speaker 3: you know, the twenty sixteen team. You know, if you're

470
00:22:44,240 --> 00:22:45,960
Speaker 3: going to go back to some of the better squads

471
00:22:46,200 --> 00:22:48,840
Speaker 3: of recent memory, do they pass that eye test more

472
00:22:50,200 --> 00:22:51,200
Speaker 3: they passed the eye.

473
00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:53,639
Speaker 2: Test relative to last year? Okay, I don't know if

474
00:22:53,680 --> 00:22:55,480
Speaker 2: I want to put them in the twenty sixteen team

475
00:22:55,560 --> 00:22:58,440
Speaker 2: class at all. That was a pretty veteran team. Yeah,

476
00:22:58,720 --> 00:23:02,520
Speaker 2: that had some dudes on it. I mean, Frank didn't

477
00:23:02,560 --> 00:23:05,800
Speaker 2: leave the covered completely bear. They had struggled there at

478
00:23:05,840 --> 00:23:07,600
Speaker 2: the end of his time. And what they brought in

479
00:23:07,760 --> 00:23:10,280
Speaker 2: gerond Evans, a quarterback, which made such a huge difference.

480
00:23:10,320 --> 00:23:13,479
Speaker 2: But that was a senior leaden group that was pretty

481
00:23:13,560 --> 00:23:15,840
Speaker 2: physically mature in a lot of ways. I don't know

482
00:23:15,840 --> 00:23:19,360
Speaker 2: if that this group is quite in that class, but

483
00:23:19,640 --> 00:23:22,199
Speaker 2: you look out there and you see more athletes. I

484
00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:25,320
Speaker 2: think you see more guys that go I could see

485
00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:29,159
Speaker 2: him contributing. I could see him, you're playing in these games.

486
00:23:29,240 --> 00:23:31,240
Speaker 2: They just didn't have a ton of that. Last year.

487
00:23:31,240 --> 00:23:33,879
Speaker 2: They had a first team that was passable, and then

488
00:23:33,880 --> 00:23:36,400
Speaker 2: when he got to that second team, you're going, oh man,

489
00:23:36,520 --> 00:23:39,120
Speaker 2: this could be problematic if this guy has to play

490
00:23:39,160 --> 00:23:40,920
Speaker 2: a whole lot. I think there's a little bit less

491
00:23:40,960 --> 00:23:42,880
Speaker 2: of that this year. You're gonna get injuries, you're gonna

492
00:23:42,920 --> 00:23:46,240
Speaker 2: have guys that don't live up to the billing that

493
00:23:46,320 --> 00:23:48,280
Speaker 2: you think in the preseasons. You're going to need that

494
00:23:48,359 --> 00:23:50,760
Speaker 2: kind of depth to get by, and I think they

495
00:23:50,760 --> 00:23:52,800
Speaker 2: have more of that this year, so I think there's

496
00:23:52,960 --> 00:23:54,440
Speaker 2: reasons for encouragement. There.

497
00:23:54,960 --> 00:23:56,760
Speaker 3: Something that's always interesting to me, and I guess this

498
00:23:56,880 --> 00:23:59,439
Speaker 3: goes back a few years, but it exists in the

499
00:23:59,480 --> 00:24:03,200
Speaker 3: modern day. Virginia Tech has been very blippy at quarterback

500
00:24:03,240 --> 00:24:05,119
Speaker 3: for lack of a better term, right, They have a

501
00:24:05,200 --> 00:24:07,399
Speaker 3: blip of Hendon Hooker looking like he is going to

502
00:24:07,440 --> 00:24:10,520
Speaker 3: be the guy for a long time, that fizzles out

503
00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:13,159
Speaker 3: his time in Blacksburg. They have the blip of the

504
00:24:13,160 --> 00:24:15,639
Speaker 3: best of Michael Brewer. They have a blip of you know,

505
00:24:15,720 --> 00:24:18,639
Speaker 3: Gerard Evans probably declaring too early. They only get a

506
00:24:18,720 --> 00:24:22,440
Speaker 3: year of him. Logan Thomas is a blip of high

507
00:24:22,480 --> 00:24:25,840
Speaker 3: flashing potential but never really looks the part as like

508
00:24:25,920 --> 00:24:29,600
Speaker 3: a big national power at quarterback. Why hasn't Virginia Tech

509
00:24:29,680 --> 00:24:32,200
Speaker 3: be it in the portal, be it with guys they've recruited.

510
00:24:32,760 --> 00:24:35,080
Speaker 3: What is it about? I don't know if it's Blacksburg,

511
00:24:35,160 --> 00:24:38,679
Speaker 3: this program, whatever that they just haven't had a consistent

512
00:24:38,760 --> 00:24:41,080
Speaker 3: star QB and what feels like forever.

513
00:24:42,119 --> 00:24:45,679
Speaker 2: I'm not sure what it is. If I knew, I

514
00:24:45,840 --> 00:24:48,040
Speaker 2: think I'd be making more money than I'm making right now.

515
00:24:48,119 --> 00:24:51,359
Speaker 2: But that has been a consistent problem here because you

516
00:24:51,400 --> 00:24:54,399
Speaker 2: look it back at the history of Virginia Tech and

517
00:24:54,440 --> 00:24:57,480
Speaker 2: when it was great, it had great quarterback play. When

518
00:24:57,480 --> 00:25:01,920
Speaker 2: you're talking about Jim Druckman, Teller, you know, Michael Vick,

519
00:25:02,520 --> 00:25:06,399
Speaker 2: Brian Randall, Tyrod Taylor, Logan Thomas. That year that he

520
00:25:06,520 --> 00:25:08,160
Speaker 2: was everybody's talking, Oh, he's going to be the top

521
00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:10,760
Speaker 2: pick in the draft after twenty eleven with how great

522
00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:13,400
Speaker 2: he was with that group, and they just haven't had

523
00:25:13,440 --> 00:25:17,240
Speaker 2: that in the last decade plus. Uh. You know, Gerard

524
00:25:17,240 --> 00:25:19,880
Speaker 2: Evans had that really great year, even he got overshadowed

525
00:25:19,880 --> 00:25:22,360
Speaker 2: in the ACC, and the ACC that year was absurd

526
00:25:22,440 --> 00:25:27,040
Speaker 2: with Lamar Jackson, Deshaun Watson, and Trubisky get the first team,

527
00:25:27,200 --> 00:25:30,920
Speaker 2: the first top three spots all ACC. But yeah, it's

528
00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:32,880
Speaker 2: been a problem and that was sort of the downfall

529
00:25:32,920 --> 00:25:36,800
Speaker 2: of the Fronte era was that he never kept and

530
00:25:36,840 --> 00:25:39,880
Speaker 2: maintained and developed that quarterback. It was a new quarterback

531
00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:44,760
Speaker 2: every single year. And on top of that, you led

532
00:25:44,800 --> 00:25:48,480
Speaker 2: a Heisman Trophy candidate get away and flourish at Tennessee

533
00:25:48,560 --> 00:25:51,280
Speaker 2: while you're you're struggling behind them with you know, Brax

534
00:25:51,320 --> 00:25:54,760
Speaker 2: and Burmeister and Connor Blumerick and Knox Katom. It's just

535
00:25:54,800 --> 00:25:57,760
Speaker 2: not a you know, Power five group of quarterbacks there.

536
00:25:57,920 --> 00:26:00,720
Speaker 2: I think if he had handled that quarterbacks better, he

537
00:26:00,800 --> 00:26:03,480
Speaker 2: might still be here, but he just didn't. And you know,

538
00:26:03,560 --> 00:26:05,960
Speaker 2: I don't know if that's specific to Virginia Tech, or

539
00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:09,920
Speaker 2: it's specific to the coaching or what exactly. I will

540
00:26:09,920 --> 00:26:12,439
Speaker 2: say it doesn't seem like Virginia produces a ton of

541
00:26:12,520 --> 00:26:15,600
Speaker 2: just top flight quarterbacks anymore, right, I mean, I talk

542
00:26:15,640 --> 00:26:18,600
Speaker 2: about vic and Randall and Tyrod Taylor. These are all

543
00:26:18,600 --> 00:26:20,000
Speaker 2: guys that came from the seven five.

544
00:26:19,840 --> 00:26:22,080
Speaker 3: To seven I was gonna ask about that.

545
00:26:22,600 --> 00:26:25,320
Speaker 2: It's just it's just been a drought down there. They

546
00:26:25,359 --> 00:26:28,960
Speaker 2: don't produce quarterbacks like that anymore for some reason. And

547
00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:31,119
Speaker 2: if they did, I would like Virginia Tech chances of

548
00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:33,760
Speaker 2: getting them, but they haven't, so you know, you have

549
00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:36,080
Speaker 2: to go elsewhere to get your quarterbacks. And maybe that

550
00:26:36,200 --> 00:26:38,359
Speaker 2: has something to do with it, but you know, you're right.

551
00:26:38,480 --> 00:26:41,920
Speaker 2: Until they figure that out, until they get some consistent

552
00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:45,560
Speaker 2: play there or have like a difference maker at that spot,

553
00:26:46,160 --> 00:26:47,720
Speaker 2: I don't know how good Virginia Tech can be.

554
00:26:48,560 --> 00:26:50,520
Speaker 3: What is what is the state of I guess, for

555
00:26:50,600 --> 00:26:53,080
Speaker 3: lack of a better term, the Tidewater region and recruiting.

556
00:26:53,080 --> 00:26:54,960
Speaker 3: You know, we spoke to TA Manny Navarro and he

557
00:26:55,080 --> 00:26:57,960
Speaker 3: talks about how there's a ton of athletes in South Florida,

558
00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:02,360
Speaker 3: but the coaching isn't great. And you look at LA

559
00:27:02,640 --> 00:27:05,520
Speaker 3: and how that's changed where everybody just assumes that there's,

560
00:27:05,840 --> 00:27:08,360
Speaker 3: you know, this crazy amount of talent in southern Californian

561
00:27:08,400 --> 00:27:11,080
Speaker 3: while there is, it's changed in the last twenty years.

562
00:27:11,400 --> 00:27:15,040
Speaker 3: What is the state of top flight football players in

563
00:27:15,080 --> 00:27:18,320
Speaker 3: that Tidewater region that you know, everybody you know on

564
00:27:18,359 --> 00:27:21,640
Speaker 3: the East coast in the southeast recruits and covets.

565
00:27:22,720 --> 00:27:24,159
Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't think it's as good as it used

566
00:27:24,200 --> 00:27:26,560
Speaker 2: to be. I think that peaked, you know, turn of

567
00:27:26,560 --> 00:27:29,440
Speaker 2: the century a little bit afterwards there. I don't know

568
00:27:29,480 --> 00:27:31,560
Speaker 2: if that's a demographics thing. I don't know if that's

569
00:27:31,560 --> 00:27:33,840
Speaker 2: a coaching thing. I know there's been a lot of

570
00:27:33,880 --> 00:27:37,320
Speaker 2: cycling of coaches from the high school ranks out of there.

571
00:27:37,600 --> 00:27:40,440
Speaker 2: Seven on seven stuff is really taken on a greater

572
00:27:40,520 --> 00:27:44,040
Speaker 2: importance with a lot of these guys. I do northern

573
00:27:44,200 --> 00:27:46,720
Speaker 2: know that Northern Virginia has been a great place for

574
00:27:47,200 --> 00:27:51,040
Speaker 2: players lately. Richmond area has been pretty strong and maybe

575
00:27:51,640 --> 00:27:54,560
Speaker 2: you know, rivaling or taking over the tidewater in terms

576
00:27:54,560 --> 00:27:57,320
Speaker 2: of top talent in the state. I'm sure that's that's

577
00:27:57,359 --> 00:28:01,040
Speaker 2: a whole other podcast right there. I'm certain people will

578
00:28:01,040 --> 00:28:03,240
Speaker 2: get very fiery about who has the best talent in

579
00:28:03,280 --> 00:28:06,440
Speaker 2: the state. But I think the big thing with Virginia

580
00:28:06,520 --> 00:28:09,280
Speaker 2: Tech is they just haven't been able to seal off

581
00:28:09,320 --> 00:28:13,320
Speaker 2: the borders and get those top guys. I think last

582
00:28:13,359 --> 00:28:15,920
Speaker 2: year the top recruit in state that Virginia Tech had

583
00:28:15,960 --> 00:28:20,240
Speaker 2: was number sixteen, and that's not unusual. That's the weird

584
00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:23,200
Speaker 2: part is they're just not or have not been recently

585
00:28:23,240 --> 00:28:26,520
Speaker 2: in contention for those top flight guys in the state.

586
00:28:26,560 --> 00:28:28,159
Speaker 2: And it used to be they get a lot of

587
00:28:28,200 --> 00:28:29,680
Speaker 2: them and all of a sudden that's the only way

588
00:28:29,680 --> 00:28:31,800
Speaker 2: to build a roster. But that is a pretty easy

589
00:28:31,840 --> 00:28:33,679
Speaker 2: way to build a rosters if you keep those in

590
00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:39,040
Speaker 2: state guys at home. And I think Brent Pry recognizes that. Strangely,

591
00:28:39,120 --> 00:28:42,800
Speaker 2: his biggest competition is Penn State where he used to work,

592
00:28:43,160 --> 00:28:46,440
Speaker 2: and James Franklin coming down and poaching all the best guys.

593
00:28:46,480 --> 00:28:49,600
Speaker 2: So that's a pretty heavy lift there to try to

594
00:28:49,680 --> 00:28:52,840
Speaker 2: reverse that whole thing. But that is the task at hand.

595
00:28:52,880 --> 00:28:54,520
Speaker 2: And you have to creep up and do a little

596
00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:57,040
Speaker 2: bit better and maybe snag one of the top ten

597
00:28:57,160 --> 00:28:59,480
Speaker 2: or two of the top ten, and then eventually you're

598
00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:01,160
Speaker 2: in the running for a lot more guys up there.

599
00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:02,720
Speaker 2: And I think that's why they're really hitting the state

600
00:29:02,760 --> 00:29:07,200
Speaker 2: hard and trying to re establish relationships here, but certainly

601
00:29:07,480 --> 00:29:09,200
Speaker 2: talent wise in the tide water. Get back to the

602
00:29:09,280 --> 00:29:13,040
Speaker 2: original question, not quite what it was, you know, fifteen

603
00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:13,800
Speaker 2: to twenty years ago.

604
00:29:14,320 --> 00:29:18,000
Speaker 3: What is the state of internal investment in Virginia Tech

605
00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:23,200
Speaker 3: football facilities wise, assistant pool wise? You know, how much

606
00:29:23,720 --> 00:29:26,880
Speaker 3: is Brent pry getting that I'm sure he already asked

607
00:29:26,880 --> 00:29:29,880
Speaker 3: for when he was hired. You know, is Virginia Virginia

608
00:29:29,920 --> 00:29:34,040
Speaker 3: Tech lagging behind? Are they making that investment to you know,

609
00:29:34,120 --> 00:29:37,120
Speaker 3: spend more on recruiting? You know, what is the nil situation?

610
00:29:37,280 --> 00:29:37,400
Speaker 1: Like?

611
00:29:37,680 --> 00:29:40,800
Speaker 3: Where is this program infrastructure wise?

612
00:29:41,720 --> 00:29:44,640
Speaker 2: I think it's okay. I don't think it's a deficit.

613
00:29:44,720 --> 00:29:47,880
Speaker 2: They were really struggling there for a while. In assistant pay,

614
00:29:48,320 --> 00:29:51,000
Speaker 2: it was pretty low relative to peers. They bumped up

615
00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:53,120
Speaker 2: that pool when Priye got hired, I think was five

616
00:29:53,200 --> 00:29:56,400
Speaker 2: five and a half million something like that, which sounded good.

617
00:29:56,400 --> 00:29:57,800
Speaker 2: At the time. But now you see some of these

618
00:29:57,840 --> 00:29:59,600
Speaker 2: salaries out there, You're like, man, they got to bump

619
00:29:59,600 --> 00:30:02,560
Speaker 2: it up again to be competitive. That's just how prices goes.

620
00:30:02,640 --> 00:30:05,440
Speaker 2: They go up. Facility wise, they just finish a lot

621
00:30:05,480 --> 00:30:08,440
Speaker 2: of building of stuff. They redid the weight room, they have,

622
00:30:08,520 --> 00:30:11,920
Speaker 2: the student athletes performance centers, the dining hall that they

623
00:30:11,920 --> 00:30:14,840
Speaker 2: have overlooking the practice field, and the indoor facility. They

624
00:30:14,960 --> 00:30:18,320
Speaker 2: just built dorms. Uh. They upgrade the meeting rooms. I mean,

625
00:30:18,480 --> 00:30:21,840
Speaker 2: this was stuff that was long overdue that they had,

626
00:30:21,960 --> 00:30:24,760
Speaker 2: you know, sort of let lag during the Beamer era

627
00:30:24,840 --> 00:30:26,840
Speaker 2: because you know, when Beamer's winning so much, they like, well,

628
00:30:26,840 --> 00:30:28,640
Speaker 2: why do we need to spend more money if we're

629
00:30:28,640 --> 00:30:31,360
Speaker 2: winning the way we're doing it. That's sort of right,

630
00:30:31,400 --> 00:30:33,880
Speaker 2: That's sort of what happens with those longtime head coaches.

631
00:30:33,960 --> 00:30:37,400
Speaker 2: I think a little bit of you know, complacency sets

632
00:30:37,400 --> 00:30:40,000
Speaker 2: in in terms of facilities and assistant pay like that.

633
00:30:40,080 --> 00:30:43,560
Speaker 2: And they've addressed all that stuff, and now nil is

634
00:30:43,600 --> 00:30:45,320
Speaker 2: a whole new thing to throw into the mix. And

635
00:30:46,360 --> 00:30:49,640
Speaker 2: who knows with nil if these figures are real, I

636
00:30:49,720 --> 00:30:52,120
Speaker 2: can't imagine Virginia tax near the top. I don't think

637
00:30:52,200 --> 00:30:54,760
Speaker 2: Virginia tax near the bottom. I think they do okay though,

638
00:30:55,440 --> 00:30:59,280
Speaker 2: uh you know, Blacksburg not exactly bright lights, big city

639
00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:03,760
Speaker 2: terms of attracting recruits or the nil dollars like that,

640
00:31:03,800 --> 00:31:06,800
Speaker 2: But I think they do okay in this area. So

641
00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:09,760
Speaker 2: it's going to be like Virginia Tech has always been.

642
00:31:09,760 --> 00:31:11,920
Speaker 2: They're going to have to find ways to compete against

643
00:31:11,920 --> 00:31:15,640
Speaker 2: deeper restoce schools, and that was that's been the case forever.

644
00:31:15,680 --> 00:31:17,680
Speaker 2: I mean, they were never the highest paid or the

645
00:31:18,800 --> 00:31:21,640
Speaker 2: deepest pocketed school. When they were successful, they found a

646
00:31:21,640 --> 00:31:25,440
Speaker 2: formula for you know, finding the getting a few stars

647
00:31:25,480 --> 00:31:28,880
Speaker 2: and supplementing them with developmental guys. And I think that

648
00:31:28,920 --> 00:31:31,640
Speaker 2: formula can still exist. They just need to hit a bit,

649
00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:34,600
Speaker 2: hit on a bit more stars and develop guys at

650
00:31:34,640 --> 00:31:36,160
Speaker 2: a little bit better rate than they have been.

651
00:31:37,080 --> 00:31:39,880
Speaker 3: What is the aggression like with with Priy and this

652
00:31:39,960 --> 00:31:43,280
Speaker 3: staff in terms of not just recruiting today, but twenty

653
00:31:43,320 --> 00:31:46,120
Speaker 3: twenty four, twenty twenty five, twenty twenty six, is this

654
00:31:46,200 --> 00:31:49,800
Speaker 3: a a staff and recruiting department that is canvassing the state,

655
00:31:49,880 --> 00:31:52,480
Speaker 3: that is sort of building relationships? You know, are you

656
00:31:52,520 --> 00:31:56,000
Speaker 3: seeing those sophomores on campus perhaps more than you saw

657
00:31:56,080 --> 00:31:58,520
Speaker 3: during the Flint air even Beamer era. Is this Is

658
00:31:58,520 --> 00:32:02,360
Speaker 3: this a recruiting staff that is fully modernized.

659
00:32:03,040 --> 00:32:05,360
Speaker 2: Well, I think the effort is certainly there, and they're

660
00:32:05,760 --> 00:32:10,120
Speaker 2: going after the in state relationships harder than the previous staff.

661
00:32:10,160 --> 00:32:13,440
Speaker 2: That was something that sort of atrophied under justin Flente

662
00:32:13,720 --> 00:32:16,400
Speaker 2: was like I mentioned before, it is not the most

663
00:32:16,440 --> 00:32:20,440
Speaker 2: personable guy. And you know he sort of dipped out

664
00:32:20,480 --> 00:32:22,520
Speaker 2: of state and went to North Carolina. Was at North

665
00:32:22,520 --> 00:32:24,760
Speaker 2: Carolina to Virginia Tech was a big thing early on,

666
00:32:24,880 --> 00:32:28,000
Speaker 2: and then Texas to Virginia Tech became a thing, even

667
00:32:28,040 --> 00:32:31,840
Speaker 2: though they never really got enough recruits that panned out

668
00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:34,200
Speaker 2: from Texas to justify that. I think a lot of

669
00:32:34,280 --> 00:32:36,520
Speaker 2: in state high school code is I talked to a

670
00:32:36,520 --> 00:32:40,320
Speaker 2: bunch of them took offense at that and go, you're

671
00:32:40,320 --> 00:32:42,200
Speaker 2: going to Texas to be a three star Like, what

672
00:32:42,240 --> 00:32:44,440
Speaker 2: the hell? We got guys in our backyard here, why

673
00:32:44,440 --> 00:32:46,760
Speaker 2: are you going that far to do that? So I

674
00:32:46,760 --> 00:32:49,520
Speaker 2: think it burned a lot of bridges in that sense.

675
00:32:49,560 --> 00:32:52,160
Speaker 2: And then you know, with Bud Foster retiring, you lose

676
00:32:52,200 --> 00:32:55,320
Speaker 2: that thing that you can point to, that guy who's

677
00:32:55,360 --> 00:32:57,360
Speaker 2: recruited the state for a long time and a name

678
00:32:57,400 --> 00:32:59,960
Speaker 2: that everybody knows, So it's just a lot of hurdle

679
00:33:00,160 --> 00:33:03,200
Speaker 2: to overcome for this new staff. And I think, you know,

680
00:33:03,320 --> 00:33:05,440
Speaker 2: you look at the recruiting classes they've taken so far

681
00:33:05,520 --> 00:33:08,960
Speaker 2: and it's been double digit guys from Virginia in the

682
00:33:09,000 --> 00:33:11,080
Speaker 2: teams from Virginia. I think they're going to continue to

683
00:33:11,120 --> 00:33:13,280
Speaker 2: do that, and they might not be the highest rank guys.

684
00:33:13,320 --> 00:33:14,959
Speaker 2: I think they liked a lot of the guys they have,

685
00:33:15,160 --> 00:33:18,760
Speaker 2: but a lot of that is just re establishing those relationships.

686
00:33:19,480 --> 00:33:21,360
Speaker 2: You know, they got a couple guys from Highland Springs

687
00:33:21,360 --> 00:33:24,400
Speaker 2: has been a really strong program in Richmond here. Head

688
00:33:24,400 --> 00:33:27,239
Speaker 2: coach is Lauren Johnson, who used to play here and

689
00:33:27,360 --> 00:33:29,360
Speaker 2: you know, front I didn't do a lot of work

690
00:33:29,520 --> 00:33:31,680
Speaker 2: with guys coming from Highland Springs there. That seems like

691
00:33:31,680 --> 00:33:34,480
Speaker 2: a natural connection that you need to make. So that's

692
00:33:34,480 --> 00:33:36,520
Speaker 2: the kind of thing that they're doing. And I think

693
00:33:36,520 --> 00:33:38,560
Speaker 2: they're making a point to be in every Virginia high

694
00:33:38,560 --> 00:33:41,680
Speaker 2: school every single year, even if there aren't, you know,

695
00:33:41,840 --> 00:33:44,280
Speaker 2: top flight prospects every year, because there will be one

696
00:33:44,320 --> 00:33:46,440
Speaker 2: in three years or something like that. I think coaches

697
00:33:46,520 --> 00:33:48,720
Speaker 2: noticed that. I think that's that gets back to the

698
00:33:48,760 --> 00:33:51,560
Speaker 2: relationships thing, and that's why I think this is going

699
00:33:51,600 --> 00:33:54,720
Speaker 2: to be a slow burned type thing, in a slow improvement,

700
00:33:54,720 --> 00:33:56,960
Speaker 2: because I don't think that happens overnight. I don't think

701
00:33:56,960 --> 00:33:59,040
Speaker 2: you just show up and are like, all right, give

702
00:33:59,040 --> 00:34:02,080
Speaker 2: me all your best recruit Yeah, because we're here, So

703
00:34:02,440 --> 00:34:05,200
Speaker 2: I think they're doing the right things on that front. Andy.

704
00:34:05,200 --> 00:34:09,879
Speaker 1: We're recording this on Monday, April tenth. The Virginia Tech

705
00:34:09,920 --> 00:34:13,560
Speaker 1: Spring game is the fifteenth if memory serves, so it's

706
00:34:13,600 --> 00:34:17,759
Speaker 1: coming up. Obviously a lot to work on. Where are

707
00:34:17,760 --> 00:34:21,520
Speaker 1: you going to focus your attention when you see, you know,

708
00:34:21,520 --> 00:34:25,600
Speaker 1: whatever version of a game is out there, Like, what

709
00:34:25,719 --> 00:34:28,239
Speaker 1: is the first thing that your eye will be trained on?

710
00:34:28,680 --> 00:34:32,280
Speaker 1: As we project forward now into twenty three.

711
00:34:32,640 --> 00:34:35,000
Speaker 2: Quarterbacks, I'm like all the fans, I'm going to watch

712
00:34:35,080 --> 00:34:39,799
Speaker 2: all the quarterbacks chart every single throw and probably read

713
00:34:39,880 --> 00:34:42,399
Speaker 2: into too much into every single thing that they do.

714
00:34:42,760 --> 00:34:45,320
Speaker 2: I mean, that is such an important part of this offense,

715
00:34:45,360 --> 00:34:48,560
Speaker 2: and the people are curious to see what Kyra Dernes

716
00:34:48,600 --> 00:34:51,080
Speaker 2: brings to the table. And Grant Wells did not play

717
00:34:51,120 --> 00:34:53,000
Speaker 2: great last year, and I think there's a segment in

718
00:34:53,040 --> 00:34:56,200
Speaker 2: the fan base it's like anybody but him, right, Well,

719
00:34:56,239 --> 00:34:58,200
Speaker 2: you got to have somebody that's capable. They can go

720
00:34:58,239 --> 00:35:00,120
Speaker 2: out there if you're going to replace the guy who's

721
00:35:00,560 --> 00:35:02,799
Speaker 2: you know, the spiked struggles last year. It started three

722
00:35:02,880 --> 00:35:06,399
Speaker 2: years in college and still knows the system from last year,

723
00:35:06,640 --> 00:35:09,560
Speaker 2: and you know could do better if you give him

724
00:35:09,560 --> 00:35:12,799
Speaker 2: a bit more pieces around him to throw to. You know,

725
00:35:12,920 --> 00:35:15,720
Speaker 2: these spring games, they never really run the ball a ton.

726
00:35:16,160 --> 00:35:17,960
Speaker 2: I don't think any coach goes out there, let's go

727
00:35:18,080 --> 00:35:19,839
Speaker 2: run it down their throats. They don't want they made

728
00:35:19,840 --> 00:35:22,120
Speaker 2: to get hurt. So you see a lot of passing.

729
00:35:22,360 --> 00:35:24,680
Speaker 2: And that's where I'm curious to see how these quarterbacks do,

730
00:35:25,280 --> 00:35:27,239
Speaker 2: see how they run the offense, how comfortably they look

731
00:35:27,280 --> 00:35:29,480
Speaker 2: throw into these receivers, and to see how these receivers

732
00:35:29,520 --> 00:35:32,560
Speaker 2: match up against these defensive backs. Because I look at

733
00:35:32,600 --> 00:35:35,040
Speaker 2: the cornerbacks on this team with Dorian Strong and Monsur

734
00:35:35,080 --> 00:35:39,279
Speaker 2: Delayed and Derek Canteen who they brought in as a

735
00:35:39,280 --> 00:35:42,959
Speaker 2: transfer it I think that's a really good trio of cornerbacks.

736
00:35:43,560 --> 00:35:46,680
Speaker 2: And if these receivers can get separation or make plays

737
00:35:46,680 --> 00:35:49,160
Speaker 2: on these cornerbacks, I think they can do it against

738
00:35:49,200 --> 00:35:51,399
Speaker 2: anybody that they play up against, because I think it's

739
00:35:51,760 --> 00:35:54,520
Speaker 2: such a solid group on defense. So you know, I

740
00:35:54,560 --> 00:35:57,440
Speaker 2: didn't see a lot of separation last year from receivers

741
00:35:57,440 --> 00:35:59,120
Speaker 2: in general. I would like to see that in the

742
00:35:59,120 --> 00:36:02,520
Speaker 2: spring game if I'm a Hokies fan to feel encouraged

743
00:36:02,560 --> 00:36:03,680
Speaker 2: about this offense at all.

744
00:36:04,520 --> 00:36:08,239
Speaker 1: What are reasonable expectations for twenty twenty three? You know,

745
00:36:08,400 --> 00:36:10,080
Speaker 1: other than saying, well, they got to win more than

746
00:36:10,120 --> 00:36:13,680
Speaker 1: three games, what would indicate real progress to you? Because

747
00:36:14,400 --> 00:36:17,279
Speaker 1: if I mentioned the schedule from last year, I think

748
00:36:17,320 --> 00:36:19,239
Speaker 1: the schedule this year looks a little bit tougher, but

749
00:36:19,360 --> 00:36:23,399
Speaker 1: it's not astronomically harder. You would seem to think that

750
00:36:23,840 --> 00:36:28,080
Speaker 1: any kind of better organized front from Virginia Tech in

751
00:36:28,160 --> 00:36:32,520
Speaker 1: twenty three would yield better results. What does progress look

752
00:36:32,560 --> 00:36:33,000
Speaker 1: like for you?

753
00:36:33,560 --> 00:36:36,080
Speaker 2: Well, I say, get to a Bowl game, and then

754
00:36:36,120 --> 00:36:38,120
Speaker 2: you know that's a three win improvement from last year.

755
00:36:38,120 --> 00:36:40,359
Speaker 2: And last year looks a little strange. That Uva game

756
00:36:40,400 --> 00:36:42,239
Speaker 2: got canceled at the end of the year. I think

757
00:36:42,239 --> 00:36:43,680
Speaker 2: they could have won that one. That would have been

758
00:36:43,719 --> 00:36:46,959
Speaker 2: a fourth win. But you know, I mentioned the games

759
00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:49,600
Speaker 2: they gave away last year at the end or very

760
00:36:49,600 --> 00:36:51,839
Speaker 2: easily could have winn by just making a player too,

761
00:36:52,200 --> 00:36:55,120
Speaker 2: or a better decision or to. They've got to make

762
00:36:55,160 --> 00:36:57,439
Speaker 2: some of those this year, they've got to be better

763
00:36:57,480 --> 00:37:00,880
Speaker 2: on offense, and I think you do that and six wins,

764
00:37:00,880 --> 00:37:02,759
Speaker 2: for sure, it's within reach. And it's amazing that we're

765
00:37:02,760 --> 00:37:05,600
Speaker 2: talking about Virginia Tech, you know, a school that had

766
00:37:05,600 --> 00:37:08,480
Speaker 2: a thirty whatever year bowl streak or whatever it was,

767
00:37:08,520 --> 00:37:10,160
Speaker 2: and we're like, if they get to a bowl game,

768
00:37:10,239 --> 00:37:12,839
Speaker 2: that's an accomplishment. But that's where the program is right now.

769
00:37:13,560 --> 00:37:15,520
Speaker 2: And I just don't think you go from three to

770
00:37:15,640 --> 00:37:18,319
Speaker 2: eight to nine and three or something like that. That's

771
00:37:18,360 --> 00:37:21,040
Speaker 2: too much of a leap in my mind for them

772
00:37:21,040 --> 00:37:23,400
Speaker 2: to make. So I split the difference. I go, if

773
00:37:23,400 --> 00:37:25,640
Speaker 2: you can get the six wins, seven wins, I think

774
00:37:25,680 --> 00:37:29,040
Speaker 2: that'd be a very encouraging step in the right direction

775
00:37:29,160 --> 00:37:32,040
Speaker 2: and sign that this program is at least getting back

776
00:37:32,080 --> 00:37:33,440
Speaker 2: in the direction of what it used to be.

777
00:37:33,600 --> 00:37:35,799
Speaker 3: The schedule's pretty good, by the way, Yeah, it's not bad.

778
00:37:35,960 --> 00:37:36,640
Speaker 1: It's not bad.

779
00:37:36,960 --> 00:37:39,960
Speaker 3: The home road splits aren't bad. There's no like crazy

780
00:37:40,080 --> 00:37:42,839
Speaker 3: run of super tough opponents. I believe they miss both

781
00:37:42,880 --> 00:37:46,280
Speaker 3: Clemson and North Carolina. They have a bunch of new quarterbacks,

782
00:37:46,400 --> 00:37:49,799
Speaker 3: new coaches, So it's not unreasonable. Am I wrong here

783
00:37:49,920 --> 00:37:52,520
Speaker 3: to say that? Like I mean you said reasonable expectation

784
00:37:52,600 --> 00:37:54,000
Speaker 3: is a bowl game, but like you look at this

785
00:37:54,160 --> 00:37:57,160
Speaker 3: like this should be if the roster has been upgraded

786
00:37:57,400 --> 00:37:58,960
Speaker 3: a six to seven win team.

787
00:38:00,160 --> 00:38:03,400
Speaker 2: Weird schedule for Jinia Tech fans because they dropped the

788
00:38:03,400 --> 00:38:06,120
Speaker 2: divisions this year and they played almost nobody from the

789
00:38:06,160 --> 00:38:10,400
Speaker 2: old Coastal. They still have Virginia on there. But you know,

790
00:38:10,560 --> 00:38:14,520
Speaker 2: they open up acc player. I think it's Pitt, Florida State,

791
00:38:14,520 --> 00:38:17,040
Speaker 2: and wake Forest. I can't remember the exact order of

792
00:38:17,040 --> 00:38:20,400
Speaker 2: those teams, and that's a pretty tough opening. Uh. You know,

793
00:38:20,440 --> 00:38:22,600
Speaker 2: Pitt always gives them trouble, Florida State coming up the

794
00:38:22,680 --> 00:38:24,839
Speaker 2: year they had last year, and wake Forest has been

795
00:38:24,880 --> 00:38:27,359
Speaker 2: a really solid program that I think they get them

796
00:38:27,360 --> 00:38:29,080
Speaker 2: in the Lane Stadium this year, so maybe a little

797
00:38:29,080 --> 00:38:30,640
Speaker 2: bit of help there. But when they've gone down to

798
00:38:31,080 --> 00:38:34,680
Speaker 2: Winston Salem, they struggled in that game. Uh, non conference,

799
00:38:34,719 --> 00:38:36,600
Speaker 2: they don't have an FCS game, so that's not you

800
00:38:36,640 --> 00:38:39,799
Speaker 2: don't have that automatic win there. They should beat oh

801
00:38:39,800 --> 00:38:41,080
Speaker 2: to you, but they should have beat no to you

802
00:38:41,160 --> 00:38:43,399
Speaker 2: last year. I thought they ended up losing to them,

803
00:38:44,480 --> 00:38:48,120
Speaker 2: Purdue and Rutgers. You know Purdue change there. I mean,

804
00:38:48,160 --> 00:38:50,360
Speaker 2: obviously they won the Big ten West last year, But

805
00:38:50,440 --> 00:38:53,319
Speaker 2: I don't think that's the same team losing their coach

806
00:38:53,360 --> 00:38:55,920
Speaker 2: and the quarterback and whatever whatever else they did. Marshall

807
00:38:55,920 --> 00:38:59,359
Speaker 2: could be a sneaky, tough game on the road at

808
00:38:59,360 --> 00:39:02,360
Speaker 2: Marshall there too. I think it boils down to is

809
00:39:02,360 --> 00:39:05,239
Speaker 2: there's not too many teams that you go, Virginia Tech

810
00:39:05,280 --> 00:39:07,360
Speaker 2: should beat that team, right, That's just not where this

811
00:39:07,440 --> 00:39:09,479
Speaker 2: team is right now. And when you throw enough coin

812
00:39:09,520 --> 00:39:11,960
Speaker 2: flips in there, it's going to come down to those

813
00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:14,400
Speaker 2: little things that you do in the game whether they

814
00:39:14,400 --> 00:39:17,680
Speaker 2: can come out on top. So, yeah, they don't play Clemson,

815
00:39:17,719 --> 00:39:21,759
Speaker 2: they don't play North Carolina, that is helpful, but there's

816
00:39:21,800 --> 00:39:24,560
Speaker 2: a lot of games in there that they're about the

817
00:39:24,600 --> 00:39:29,399
Speaker 2: same as Hope. Ideally, if you're thinking of positively from

818
00:39:29,400 --> 00:39:32,640
Speaker 2: a Virginia Tech fans perspective, that could be a fifty

819
00:39:32,680 --> 00:39:33,719
Speaker 2: to fifty type toss up.

820
00:39:33,840 --> 00:39:37,080
Speaker 1: Well, and you know you mentioned the thirty year streak.

821
00:39:37,560 --> 00:39:41,240
Speaker 1: There was an acknowledgment though, coming into this era of

822
00:39:41,800 --> 00:39:43,960
Speaker 1: Hokey's football with Brent Pry that they were going to

823
00:39:43,960 --> 00:39:46,239
Speaker 1: have to hit the reboot button, that this is going

824
00:39:46,280 --> 00:39:48,120
Speaker 1: to be starting over and that it might take a

825
00:39:48,120 --> 00:39:51,160
Speaker 1: little bit if only because the roster wasn't there and

826
00:39:51,239 --> 00:39:54,440
Speaker 1: they had some real issues with depth. So hopefully they

827
00:39:54,440 --> 00:39:57,640
Speaker 1: can get back there. It is as we look though

828
00:39:57,680 --> 00:40:00,359
Speaker 1: back at twenty twenty two, maybe one final time here

829
00:40:00,400 --> 00:40:03,120
Speaker 1: before we start to wrap, what is the grade for

830
00:40:03,160 --> 00:40:05,960
Speaker 1: Brent pry Like, given all of the challenges that were

831
00:40:05,960 --> 00:40:09,480
Speaker 1: in place in Blacksburg? How did he do? A through F?

832
00:40:11,800 --> 00:40:15,399
Speaker 2: I'd say maybe a C minus somewhere there. It's always tough.

833
00:40:17,320 --> 00:40:19,279
Speaker 2: A lot of these coaches are only as good as

834
00:40:19,320 --> 00:40:22,239
Speaker 2: the talent around them, and there's only so much you

835
00:40:22,280 --> 00:40:25,920
Speaker 2: can do in that first year with the roster, you know,

836
00:40:26,040 --> 00:40:28,320
Speaker 2: short of just going to the transfer portal and adding

837
00:40:28,360 --> 00:40:30,600
Speaker 2: fifteen guys or whatever. But you know, this is coming

838
00:40:30,600 --> 00:40:33,000
Speaker 2: off the extra COVID year. Initially they had to trim

839
00:40:33,400 --> 00:40:35,080
Speaker 2: a bunch of guys just to get to the eighty

840
00:40:35,080 --> 00:40:37,919
Speaker 2: five number because he no longer had that relief from

841
00:40:37,920 --> 00:40:40,000
Speaker 2: the NCAA. So I don't really think they were in

842
00:40:40,080 --> 00:40:43,399
Speaker 2: like really addition mode last year when they went into

843
00:40:43,400 --> 00:40:46,120
Speaker 2: the season. And you know, I don't know if it

844
00:40:46,160 --> 00:40:50,160
Speaker 2: was just that restriction or naivete about what they had

845
00:40:50,440 --> 00:40:53,120
Speaker 2: on the roster coming back, but it was just going

846
00:40:53,200 --> 00:40:55,600
Speaker 2: to be a struggle. I think anybody would have struggled,

847
00:40:55,719 --> 00:40:57,360
Speaker 2: you know. I think even if flak Day was here

848
00:40:57,600 --> 00:40:59,959
Speaker 2: and he knew that roster and he constructed that roster,

849
00:41:00,320 --> 00:41:01,840
Speaker 2: for the most part, I don't think he was going

850
00:41:01,880 --> 00:41:05,000
Speaker 2: to have very much success with last year's team either.

851
00:41:05,160 --> 00:41:08,440
Speaker 2: So I give it a C minus because I think

852
00:41:08,480 --> 00:41:10,680
Speaker 2: they could have coached better and done little things to

853
00:41:10,760 --> 00:41:14,440
Speaker 2: do better than three wins. And maybe I'm being a

854
00:41:14,480 --> 00:41:17,399
Speaker 2: bit forgiving of a greater year, but I just went

855
00:41:17,440 --> 00:41:19,840
Speaker 2: into the season with expectations and I had them in

856
00:41:19,840 --> 00:41:22,600
Speaker 2: that five to six win rage and they didn't quite

857
00:41:22,640 --> 00:41:25,560
Speaker 2: get there. So I come in a little bit lower

858
00:41:25,560 --> 00:41:27,360
Speaker 2: than that, a little bit lower than average, but not

859
00:41:27,719 --> 00:41:29,640
Speaker 2: quite the outright failure. I think a lot of people

860
00:41:29,680 --> 00:41:31,200
Speaker 2: would give them from the outside.

861
00:41:31,600 --> 00:41:34,960
Speaker 3: I like that you use the word forgiving, because I'm curious,

862
00:41:35,000 --> 00:41:37,480
Speaker 3: how forgiving is this fan base? How patient is this

863
00:41:37,600 --> 00:41:40,840
Speaker 3: fan base? How much wiggle room does Brent Pry and

864
00:41:40,920 --> 00:41:45,560
Speaker 3: this staff have with fans, with administrators, with the donor class.

865
00:41:46,160 --> 00:41:48,560
Speaker 3: This is obviously a smart, savvy fan base that has

866
00:41:48,800 --> 00:41:52,480
Speaker 3: gotten used to it. At least a bar of success.

867
00:41:53,960 --> 00:41:56,919
Speaker 3: Is there a if Virginia Tech is down again this year,

868
00:41:57,160 --> 00:42:00,279
Speaker 3: if they're not really threatening a bowl once again looking

869
00:42:00,320 --> 00:42:02,920
Speaker 3: at a half empty lane stadium, or is this a

870
00:42:03,280 --> 00:42:06,080
Speaker 3: fan base locked in and you know, knows that they're

871
00:42:06,080 --> 00:42:08,360
Speaker 3: going to see through some cold, dark times and that

872
00:42:08,360 --> 00:42:09,919
Speaker 3: there's light at the end of the tunnel.

873
00:42:11,040 --> 00:42:14,080
Speaker 2: It's tough to say. I mean, any fan base can

874
00:42:14,120 --> 00:42:16,480
Speaker 2: say they're going to be patient with a rebuild and

875
00:42:16,520 --> 00:42:19,399
Speaker 2: then you lose seven straight games and it's like, what

876
00:42:19,760 --> 00:42:21,840
Speaker 2: you're doing something that hasn't been done here since like

877
00:42:21,920 --> 00:42:26,239
Speaker 2: nineteen fifty, right, Like what are we watching here? Is so,

878
00:42:26,840 --> 00:42:29,879
Speaker 2: I think the honeymoon period is over at this point

879
00:42:29,880 --> 00:42:32,640
Speaker 2: and people will still talk themselves positively about this team

880
00:42:32,680 --> 00:42:35,879
Speaker 2: until the season comes around. But when when September gets here,

881
00:42:36,320 --> 00:42:40,040
Speaker 2: you better win some games, because yeah, you can say

882
00:42:40,080 --> 00:42:42,359
Speaker 2: this was a rebuilding project, they have to redo it.

883
00:42:42,400 --> 00:42:45,799
Speaker 2: But missing bowl games is not something that Virginia Tech

884
00:42:45,840 --> 00:42:49,120
Speaker 2: fans are used to. They did something they don't accept.

885
00:42:49,120 --> 00:42:50,560
Speaker 2: I mean when the team a couple of years ago

886
00:42:50,600 --> 00:42:53,640
Speaker 2: decided not to go to a game during the COVID

887
00:42:53,680 --> 00:42:57,120
Speaker 2: season because it was just that the weight of that

888
00:42:57,320 --> 00:42:59,200
Speaker 2: entire season, everything they had to go to, they didn't

889
00:42:59,200 --> 00:43:01,560
Speaker 2: want to really extend I did it all. There was

890
00:43:01,600 --> 00:43:04,360
Speaker 2: a big group of the fan base and alumni. They're like,

891
00:43:04,360 --> 00:43:06,040
Speaker 2: what the heck, man, you had a chance to play

892
00:43:06,040 --> 00:43:08,000
Speaker 2: in a Bowl game, you chose not to, and then

893
00:43:08,080 --> 00:43:09,640
Speaker 2: last year they didn't even get the choice. They just

894
00:43:09,640 --> 00:43:12,000
Speaker 2: weren't even close to accepting it. So if you're not

895
00:43:12,520 --> 00:43:15,680
Speaker 2: making a Bowl game at least that is seen as

896
00:43:15,960 --> 00:43:19,200
Speaker 2: an outright failure by this fan base. And I suppose

897
00:43:19,200 --> 00:43:22,839
Speaker 2: they'll give him the mulligan for year one. But there's

898
00:43:22,920 --> 00:43:25,000
Speaker 2: only so long you can go on losing that many

899
00:43:25,000 --> 00:43:28,200
Speaker 2: games for even the most optimistic or for giving fan

900
00:43:28,239 --> 00:43:30,640
Speaker 2: bases will turn on you, even if they like Prie.

901
00:43:30,760 --> 00:43:33,239
Speaker 2: And I think they like Prie, but you got to

902
00:43:33,280 --> 00:43:35,319
Speaker 2: win some games or it's going to get ugly pretty quick.

903
00:43:35,960 --> 00:43:38,560
Speaker 1: Andy, let's close out with this. It's a Dan question.

904
00:43:39,239 --> 00:43:42,040
Speaker 1: I'm going to steal it from him. He'll often ask

905
00:43:42,239 --> 00:43:45,920
Speaker 1: our team guests, give me the name of a player

906
00:43:46,040 --> 00:43:50,080
Speaker 1: that is given fans the tingles right now, given fans

907
00:43:50,120 --> 00:43:53,439
Speaker 1: the vapors. Maybe a transfer that's come in that could

908
00:43:53,480 --> 00:43:56,719
Speaker 1: potentially impact things, Maybe a recruit, maybe a guy who's

909
00:43:56,719 --> 00:43:58,879
Speaker 1: been on the roster the whole time. But who who

910
00:43:59,000 --> 00:44:02,279
Speaker 1: is that one guy? The high upside guy that has

911
00:44:02,360 --> 00:44:04,120
Speaker 1: Hokies fans all excited.

912
00:44:05,200 --> 00:44:07,719
Speaker 2: High upside guy, so I can't be tell me that

913
00:44:07,800 --> 00:44:10,080
Speaker 2: the like broke out last year a little bit. Otherwise,

914
00:44:10,120 --> 00:44:13,359
Speaker 2: I say Monster Delaying because everybody loves Monster Delay, even

915
00:44:13,400 --> 00:44:15,840
Speaker 2: though he only started like four games or whatever it

916
00:44:15,880 --> 00:44:20,160
Speaker 2: is at the last end of last year. I think offensively,

917
00:44:20,280 --> 00:44:23,239
Speaker 2: i'd probably say Kyroen Drones, even though there's so much

918
00:44:23,320 --> 00:44:26,600
Speaker 2: unknown with him a quarterback, and I think just the

919
00:44:27,880 --> 00:44:30,640
Speaker 2: possibility of him taking over in a brand new quarterback

920
00:44:30,719 --> 00:44:34,440
Speaker 2: and dual threat guy, is that that's been when Virginia

921
00:44:34,480 --> 00:44:36,520
Speaker 2: Tach's had its best, just had that dual threat guy

922
00:44:37,560 --> 00:44:41,800
Speaker 2: under center. I think the possibilities there get people pretty

923
00:44:41,800 --> 00:44:45,279
Speaker 2: excited about a change a quarterback. And I think defensively,

924
00:44:46,239 --> 00:44:49,440
Speaker 2: I'll throw Kelly Lawson's name out there. I don't know

925
00:44:49,480 --> 00:44:52,800
Speaker 2: if it's as much as is the offensive side, just

926
00:44:52,840 --> 00:44:54,600
Speaker 2: because naturally you're not going to get as much buzz

927
00:44:54,640 --> 00:44:57,120
Speaker 2: on that side. But he played a little bit last

928
00:44:57,200 --> 00:44:59,279
Speaker 2: year and he used to be a receiver. He's like

929
00:44:59,360 --> 00:45:02,000
Speaker 2: six six. I think they list him at six four,

930
00:45:02,080 --> 00:45:04,640
Speaker 2: but he's really like six six six to six. He's

931
00:45:04,680 --> 00:45:06,400
Speaker 2: a bean pole, but he's added a little bit of

932
00:45:07,080 --> 00:45:11,880
Speaker 2: bulk to him, he's just length in athleticism and just

933
00:45:12,080 --> 00:45:15,120
Speaker 2: limbs all over the place. And you know he tipped

934
00:45:15,120 --> 00:45:17,120
Speaker 2: the ball into the air against Georgia Tech and picked

935
00:45:17,120 --> 00:45:19,960
Speaker 2: it off or turn it for touchdown. I just think

936
00:45:20,000 --> 00:45:23,120
Speaker 2: if he keeps developing, he could be something special on

937
00:45:23,160 --> 00:45:25,239
Speaker 2: that defensive side. I don't know if he gets all

938
00:45:25,239 --> 00:45:27,440
Speaker 2: the fans tinkling about that, but as a writer and

939
00:45:27,480 --> 00:45:29,759
Speaker 2: a reporter watching this team, I'm going, man, that guy

940
00:45:29,800 --> 00:45:32,640
Speaker 2: could be a dude if he keeps progressing the way

941
00:45:32,640 --> 00:45:33,120
Speaker 2: that he has.

942
00:45:33,800 --> 00:45:36,640
Speaker 1: All Right, his name is Andy Bitter, Senior staff writer,

943
00:45:36,880 --> 00:45:41,160
Speaker 1: lead football beat writer for Tech Sideline. Andy, thank you

944
00:45:41,200 --> 00:45:44,160
Speaker 1: so much for your time. Is there anything else that

945
00:45:44,200 --> 00:45:45,839
Speaker 1: we need to promote while you're here? You do such

946
00:45:45,920 --> 00:45:46,400
Speaker 1: good work.

947
00:45:47,600 --> 00:45:50,600
Speaker 2: Ah, just go subscribe to TSL. That's where all my

948
00:45:50,640 --> 00:45:55,920
Speaker 2: stuff is. We do podcasts, analysis, reporting. It's one stop

949
00:45:55,960 --> 00:45:57,799
Speaker 2: shop for Virginia Tech. It's the only place you're going

950
00:45:57,880 --> 00:45:58,200
Speaker 2: to get.

951
00:45:58,120 --> 00:46:00,720
Speaker 1: That love it awesome, Andy, Thank you, thanks so much.

952
00:46:01,360 --> 00:46:02,120
Speaker 2: Thanks for having me.

953
00:46:02,640 --> 00:46:06,319
Speaker 1: All Right, there you go, Dan, Andy Bitter, Tech Sideline.

954
00:46:06,400 --> 00:46:08,759
Speaker 1: Make sure you check him out. He does great work.

955
00:46:08,760 --> 00:46:11,239
Speaker 1: We were thrilled he was able to join us here

956
00:46:11,880 --> 00:46:15,040
Speaker 1: and have this conversation. I posted a longer thread at

957
00:46:15,080 --> 00:46:16,719
Speaker 1: the end of last week on our Twitter account. I

958
00:46:16,719 --> 00:46:20,799
Speaker 1: saw a solid verbal about all the things that I

959
00:46:21,040 --> 00:46:26,239
Speaker 1: that we collectively have learned from these seven previous discussions

960
00:46:26,239 --> 00:46:28,880
Speaker 1: that we had as we did these year one debriefs.

961
00:46:29,080 --> 00:46:32,120
Speaker 1: What did you learn about Virginia Tech that you didn't

962
00:46:32,120 --> 00:46:33,480
Speaker 1: know before from Andy?

963
00:46:34,560 --> 00:46:37,440
Speaker 3: Probably the extent to which the roster was in pretty

964
00:46:37,520 --> 00:46:41,799
Speaker 3: terrible shape after justin Flente. Not a surprise that the

965
00:46:41,840 --> 00:46:44,640
Speaker 3: relationships between the school and the coaching staff and the

966
00:46:44,640 --> 00:46:47,160
Speaker 3: football program kind of lapsed in State we talked. I

967
00:46:47,160 --> 00:46:50,960
Speaker 3: remember around signing day how Penn State completely owned the

968
00:46:51,000 --> 00:46:56,359
Speaker 3: commonwealth that is Virginia And not a surprise given Penn

969
00:46:56,400 --> 00:46:59,360
Speaker 3: State's reasonably close and is that sort of power in

970
00:46:59,600 --> 00:47:01,360
Speaker 3: a bigger conference in the Big Ten right now, a

971
00:47:01,360 --> 00:47:08,040
Speaker 3: bigger football conference. But so, I guess pleased to hear

972
00:47:08,400 --> 00:47:12,000
Speaker 3: that Brent Prye has done a good job of rebuilding

973
00:47:12,239 --> 00:47:15,320
Speaker 3: things in terms of relationships wise. But it's kind of

974
00:47:15,320 --> 00:47:18,000
Speaker 3: crazy to think about because Virginia Tech traditionally has had

975
00:47:18,040 --> 00:47:21,120
Speaker 3: more football success than Virginia and that they haven't been

976
00:47:21,160 --> 00:47:26,360
Speaker 3: able to succeed more often recently in state. It's wild Yeah,

977
00:47:25,960 --> 00:47:29,840
Speaker 3: the comparison that he drew, and it was a rough comparison,

978
00:47:29,840 --> 00:47:33,920
Speaker 3: I get it between Brent Prye and Frank Biember was

979
00:47:33,960 --> 00:47:37,120
Speaker 3: interesting to me, and I was afraid to say it

980
00:47:37,239 --> 00:47:40,480
Speaker 3: because clearly Andy is more steeped in Virginia tech history

981
00:47:40,480 --> 00:47:43,359
Speaker 3: and lower than I am. But as I was going

982
00:47:43,400 --> 00:47:46,200
Speaker 3: back through and looking at what happened under Fuente and

983
00:47:46,239 --> 00:47:48,600
Speaker 3: now where I think Brent Prie is going to try

984
00:47:48,600 --> 00:47:51,320
Speaker 3: to take the program, there is a little bit of

985
00:47:51,320 --> 00:47:53,120
Speaker 3: a Beamer feel to it. I helped.

986
00:47:53,239 --> 00:47:56,799
Speaker 1: So he's a defensive guy, he's a scrappy guy. You

987
00:47:56,800 --> 00:47:58,600
Speaker 1: can say you wont about Tech last year. They didn't

988
00:47:58,640 --> 00:48:00,280
Speaker 1: win a lot of games, but there were more moments

989
00:48:00,280 --> 00:48:03,800
Speaker 1: where they had that pluck, that scrappiness that I often

990
00:48:04,800 --> 00:48:08,000
Speaker 1: focus in on. And so you know, if he's able

991
00:48:08,000 --> 00:48:10,160
Speaker 1: to achieve half the success of Beamer, it would be

992
00:48:10,840 --> 00:48:14,880
Speaker 1: an overwhelming A grade in twenty twenty three and beyond.

993
00:48:16,239 --> 00:48:18,319
Speaker 1: Let's not count our chickens before they hatch, mind you,

994
00:48:18,400 --> 00:48:22,040
Speaker 1: but I'm curious to see where things go and if

995
00:48:22,040 --> 00:48:24,319
Speaker 1: he has that kind of charm, if he's able to

996
00:48:24,360 --> 00:48:28,600
Speaker 1: do those coach things, as Andy said, better than Fuente,

997
00:48:29,600 --> 00:48:31,680
Speaker 1: It's interesting because there is talent. It might not be

998
00:48:31,760 --> 00:48:34,000
Speaker 1: as good as it was before, but there is certainly

999
00:48:34,040 --> 00:48:35,880
Speaker 1: plenty of talent in the state of Virginia and in

1000
00:48:35,920 --> 00:48:40,239
Speaker 1: the mid Atlantic region that is out there. And the

1001
00:48:40,280 --> 00:48:43,080
Speaker 1: Tech defense was solid last season. That's a good place

1002
00:48:43,120 --> 00:48:46,399
Speaker 1: to start, right, keep things where it's at, hopefully try

1003
00:48:46,440 --> 00:48:50,000
Speaker 1: and move the offense marginally forward, and I think given

1004
00:48:50,040 --> 00:48:51,560
Speaker 1: the schedule they'd be in a pretty good spot.

1005
00:48:51,680 --> 00:48:53,520
Speaker 3: Can I can I get on a soapbox for a moment?

1006
00:48:53,880 --> 00:48:56,080
Speaker 3: I mean, I generally do, but I like to ask

1007
00:48:56,160 --> 00:48:57,200
Speaker 3: permission from you.

1008
00:48:57,239 --> 00:48:58,840
Speaker 1: So sure it is your show, you can do it

1009
00:48:58,880 --> 00:49:00,000
Speaker 1: whenever you want. I continue.

1010
00:49:00,440 --> 00:49:05,680
Speaker 3: Virginia Tech is a clear example of what we would

1011
00:49:05,760 --> 00:49:08,839
Speaker 3: be and what we probably are losing as we head

1012
00:49:08,880 --> 00:49:11,320
Speaker 3: to like the Super Two, the Big Ten and SEC.

1013
00:49:11,560 --> 00:49:12,080
Speaker 1: Oh yeah.

1014
00:49:12,120 --> 00:49:16,000
Speaker 3: They are that program that has been really good over

1015
00:49:16,040 --> 00:49:17,840
Speaker 3: the past few decades that you know, they played for

1016
00:49:17,840 --> 00:49:20,640
Speaker 3: a National championship game. They have one of the most

1017
00:49:21,000 --> 00:49:23,360
Speaker 3: one of the most electric players in the history of

1018
00:49:23,400 --> 00:49:26,560
Speaker 3: the sport in Michael Vick. They have a ton of

1019
00:49:26,920 --> 00:49:30,799
Speaker 3: NFL talent, like they are a program that if you're

1020
00:49:30,840 --> 00:49:32,960
Speaker 3: from the West Coast, if you're from Texas, if you're

1021
00:49:32,960 --> 00:49:35,240
Speaker 3: from the Northwest. If you're from the Midwest, you've probably

1022
00:49:35,280 --> 00:49:38,240
Speaker 3: never been to Blacksburg, Virginia. You probably have no idea

1023
00:49:38,280 --> 00:49:41,200
Speaker 3: what a Hoky is because it's a made up Turkey mascot.

1024
00:49:42,280 --> 00:49:45,800
Speaker 3: The atmosphere is pretty much unparallel that Lane Stadium. I

1025
00:49:45,840 --> 00:49:47,719
Speaker 3: don't know if you've ever been. I went to a

1026
00:49:47,800 --> 00:49:51,560
Speaker 3: game there, and it's it has the tradition, it has,

1027
00:49:51,640 --> 00:49:56,400
Speaker 3: you know, the frenzied fan base, and as we you know,

1028
00:49:57,160 --> 00:49:59,800
Speaker 3: as Fox and ESPN further control of the sport, people

1029
00:49:59,880 --> 00:50:01,759
Speaker 3: just say like, well, you know, we don't see as

1030
00:50:01,840 --> 00:50:06,520
Speaker 3: much Virginia Tech whatever, And I just think it's it's

1031
00:50:06,760 --> 00:50:09,239
Speaker 3: a clear example of the sort of tragedy of the

1032
00:50:09,280 --> 00:50:11,360
Speaker 3: future of the sport, what's shaping up to be the

1033
00:50:11,360 --> 00:50:13,400
Speaker 3: future of the sport. And I know the ACC has

1034
00:50:13,400 --> 00:50:15,800
Speaker 3: done itself no favors locking in, it's granted rights and

1035
00:50:15,840 --> 00:50:19,000
Speaker 3: everything like that, but they're one of those programs to

1036
00:50:19,040 --> 00:50:21,840
Speaker 3: me that it is a threat to be lost in

1037
00:50:21,880 --> 00:50:26,800
Speaker 3: the shuffle because it Virginia Tech is college football and.

1038
00:50:28,360 --> 00:50:28,759
Speaker 2: They're not.

1039
00:50:28,800 --> 00:50:30,840
Speaker 3: Like I don't believe in the like, oh if college

1040
00:50:30,840 --> 00:50:32,799
Speaker 3: football's better when Virginia Tech, I don't believe in that

1041
00:50:32,840 --> 00:50:36,759
Speaker 3: line of thinking, But I just love Virginia Tech. I've

1042
00:50:36,760 --> 00:50:39,359
Speaker 3: been there, I've eaten the giant Turkey leg. I've you know,

1043
00:50:39,520 --> 00:50:41,319
Speaker 3: I was on the field for end Or Sandman, And

1044
00:50:41,400 --> 00:50:44,799
Speaker 3: so I hope for the sake of Virginia Tech that

1045
00:50:44,840 --> 00:50:46,879
Speaker 3: they get better under Brent Pry and they have better

1046
00:50:46,920 --> 00:50:49,120
Speaker 3: players and they're developing NFL type talent and they take

1047
00:50:49,160 --> 00:50:51,520
Speaker 3: down powers and they're in big Bowl games once again.

1048
00:50:51,960 --> 00:50:54,040
Speaker 3: But like, that's the thing that bums me out that

1049
00:50:54,200 --> 00:50:55,680
Speaker 3: all of a sudden we're gonna be like, well, how

1050
00:50:55,719 --> 00:50:57,960
Speaker 3: cool is it that? Like Texas is playing Florida, and

1051
00:50:58,360 --> 00:51:00,600
Speaker 3: you know, Oregon's playing Ohio State if they join the

1052
00:51:00,600 --> 00:51:05,000
Speaker 3: Big Ten, or USC's playing MISSI like, Virginia Tech's cool, everybody.

1053
00:51:05,000 --> 00:51:07,640
Speaker 3: I don't know how to like phrase it better than that,

1054
00:51:07,719 --> 00:51:11,160
Speaker 3: like Virginia Tech football rules, And I hope we're able

1055
00:51:11,200 --> 00:51:14,360
Speaker 3: to have a conversation which they're at the at the

1056
00:51:14,440 --> 00:51:18,000
Speaker 3: table nationally, regionally whatever, and not just like well they're

1057
00:51:18,000 --> 00:51:20,440
Speaker 3: not in one of those conferences, so who cares?

1058
00:51:21,320 --> 00:51:24,919
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think the look the ACC grant of rights

1059
00:51:24,960 --> 00:51:28,120
Speaker 1: thing is very complicated. Yeah, And if we end up

1060
00:51:28,160 --> 00:51:32,360
Speaker 1: pushing forward on the conference expansion, the Super two front

1061
00:51:32,400 --> 00:51:35,200
Speaker 1: as you phrased it, Virginia Tech would be in a

1062
00:51:35,200 --> 00:51:38,479
Speaker 1: really weird spot totally. If you've got if you've got

1063
00:51:38,480 --> 00:51:40,440
Speaker 1: two conferences at the side, they want to go all

1064
00:51:40,440 --> 00:51:43,279
Speaker 1: the way up to twenty twenty two, I don't know

1065
00:51:43,320 --> 00:51:47,080
Speaker 1: where this thing stops. Twenty four who knows? Then I

1066
00:51:47,120 --> 00:51:49,279
Speaker 1: think it's a little bit more obvious that there's a

1067
00:51:49,280 --> 00:51:54,880
Speaker 1: place for Virginia Tech. Sure, but if they go to eighteen,

1068
00:51:56,000 --> 00:51:58,399
Speaker 1: if they just stop at twenty, if you're the Big ten,

1069
00:51:58,520 --> 00:52:01,480
Speaker 1: is there any real just to bring Virginia Tech in.

1070
00:52:01,960 --> 00:52:04,239
Speaker 1: It's not necessarily a huge market team with a big

1071
00:52:04,280 --> 00:52:07,520
Speaker 1: TV footprint. And if TV money is what's driving this

1072
00:52:07,560 --> 00:52:09,719
Speaker 1: whole thing to begin with, that puts Tech in a

1073
00:52:09,719 --> 00:52:12,120
Speaker 1: really weird spot, right, That puts Tech in a very

1074
00:52:12,200 --> 00:52:15,600
Speaker 1: very awkward spot. I don't know where they fit in. Frankly,

1075
00:52:15,640 --> 00:52:17,680
Speaker 1: I could see a better case for them in the

1076
00:52:17,719 --> 00:52:22,080
Speaker 1: SEC than in the Big Ten. That is not based

1077
00:52:22,120 --> 00:52:23,239
Speaker 1: on anything, but.

1078
00:52:23,719 --> 00:52:26,400
Speaker 3: Well you have like the ten academics with North Carolina

1079
00:52:26,400 --> 00:52:29,680
Speaker 3: and Virginia. Yeah, there's you know, the weird like culture

1080
00:52:29,719 --> 00:52:32,000
Speaker 3: fit that seems to make more sense for schools like that.

1081
00:52:32,160 --> 00:52:35,399
Speaker 1: But yeah, there's the weird culture fit thing. The Big

1082
00:52:35,440 --> 00:52:37,400
Speaker 1: ten is obviously a little bit more rooted in the

1083
00:52:37,480 --> 00:52:40,040
Speaker 1: academics of it. They've been really big on the AAU

1084
00:52:40,160 --> 00:52:44,080
Speaker 1: qualifier as it relates to academics. That being said, I

1085
00:52:44,080 --> 00:52:47,680
Speaker 1: don't believe Nebraska has that at this point. So maybe

1086
00:52:47,680 --> 00:52:49,719
Speaker 1: that's that's the kind of thing that they would be

1087
00:52:51,480 --> 00:52:56,960
Speaker 1: a little bit more willing to disregard in terms of

1088
00:52:57,080 --> 00:53:00,400
Speaker 1: football expansion. But there's just so much that goes into it.

1089
00:53:00,480 --> 00:53:02,279
Speaker 1: I'm not sure where Tech would come down, and I

1090
00:53:02,320 --> 00:53:05,600
Speaker 1: agree it makes me sad. I wanted to ask Andy

1091
00:53:05,640 --> 00:53:07,840
Speaker 1: the question, but I didn't want to bring down the

1092
00:53:07,840 --> 00:53:08,680
Speaker 1: mood of the conversation.

1093
00:53:08,920 --> 00:53:10,600
Speaker 3: I felt like we were building too so it's such

1094
00:53:10,600 --> 00:53:15,200
Speaker 3: an optimistic place talking about the cast twenty twenty two offense. Yeah,

1095
00:53:15,280 --> 00:53:17,279
Speaker 3: I felt like we were building towards twenty three and

1096
00:53:17,360 --> 00:53:19,839
Speaker 3: behind that. I didn't want to bring the conversation down

1097
00:53:19,880 --> 00:53:23,080
Speaker 3: more than we had to. It does feel like they

1098
00:53:23,080 --> 00:53:23,480
Speaker 3: would be.

1099
00:53:23,440 --> 00:53:26,000
Speaker 1: One of those fringe teams that I think Andy wrote

1100
00:53:26,040 --> 00:53:29,120
Speaker 1: an article. Andy Staples wrote an article way back when

1101
00:53:29,160 --> 00:53:32,239
Speaker 1: about how maybe Virginia would be more of an attractive

1102
00:53:32,960 --> 00:53:37,200
Speaker 1: offering for an SEC or Big ten expansion scenario. I

1103
00:53:37,280 --> 00:53:39,799
Speaker 1: just don't know where they come down. It's just sad

1104
00:53:39,840 --> 00:53:41,279
Speaker 1: to me that we have to have the discussion at

1105
00:53:41,280 --> 00:53:45,080
Speaker 1: all because Tech has been so prominent as part of

1106
00:53:45,880 --> 00:53:48,960
Speaker 1: college football over the last thirty years that if we

1107
00:53:49,080 --> 00:53:51,120
Speaker 1: lose that, if they're not part of that conversation, that'd

1108
00:53:51,160 --> 00:53:51,640
Speaker 1: be a bummer.

1109
00:53:51,719 --> 00:53:53,719
Speaker 3: Yeah, And to be clear, I have no idea where

1110
00:53:53,800 --> 00:53:57,279
Speaker 3: Virginia Tech's academics are or have been or will be.

1111
00:53:57,480 --> 00:53:59,480
Speaker 3: There's the word tech in the title, which makes me

1112
00:53:59,520 --> 00:54:02,080
Speaker 3: think they would not have accepted me as a student.

1113
00:54:02,440 --> 00:54:05,759
Speaker 3: So let's be clear. I rarely know what I'm talking about.

1114
00:54:05,840 --> 00:54:09,480
Speaker 3: But in the conversations where we hear, you know, rumors

1115
00:54:09,520 --> 00:54:13,360
Speaker 3: being floated about the future, you know, not seeing Virginia

1116
00:54:13,400 --> 00:54:15,720
Speaker 3: Tech in that conversation and thinking about a college football

1117
00:54:15,800 --> 00:54:20,520
Speaker 3: universe in which Virginia Tech isn't playing big national games. No,

1118
00:54:20,600 --> 00:54:21,800
Speaker 3: it just makes me sad.

1119
00:54:22,320 --> 00:54:25,600
Speaker 1: And you know the academic thing, you know, to kind

1120
00:54:25,600 --> 00:54:28,080
Speaker 1: of put a bow on that dent, like, I think

1121
00:54:28,160 --> 00:54:31,240
Speaker 1: that is something that the Big Ten is very proud

1122
00:54:31,280 --> 00:54:33,839
Speaker 1: to say that they had. But again, Nebraska lost theirs.

1123
00:54:33,840 --> 00:54:37,200
Speaker 1: I don't believe Notre Dame has aau status current and

1124
00:54:37,239 --> 00:54:39,279
Speaker 1: they were the Big Ten. Anybody would take No Dame

1125
00:54:39,320 --> 00:54:39,440
Speaker 1: in a.

1126
00:54:39,440 --> 00:54:41,600
Speaker 3: Heart very good academic school.

1127
00:54:41,680 --> 00:54:44,439
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a very good academic school, as is Virginia Tech.

1128
00:54:44,560 --> 00:54:47,239
Speaker 1: So to what extent that factors in if and when

1129
00:54:47,239 --> 00:54:49,919
Speaker 1: we have another round of expansion, I think that could

1130
00:54:49,960 --> 00:54:52,200
Speaker 1: just be one of the excuses that, yeah, that the

1131
00:54:52,200 --> 00:54:56,440
Speaker 1: Big Ten uses to omit some teams but maybe accept others. Nonetheless,

1132
00:54:56,520 --> 00:54:59,680
Speaker 1: Andy Bitter, our very bright guests from Tech's sideline, knows

1133
00:54:59,719 --> 00:55:02,200
Speaker 1: a lot more about Virginia Tech and the program and

1134
00:55:02,239 --> 00:55:04,359
Speaker 1: the state of play than Dan and I. We would

1135
00:55:04,440 --> 00:55:07,040
Speaker 1: encourage you to follow him on Twitter, Andy Bitter VT.

1136
00:55:07,560 --> 00:55:09,719
Speaker 1: You can again check out his very fine work at

1137
00:55:09,880 --> 00:55:14,480
Speaker 1: tech Sideline. Yes, as we said at the top, we're

1138
00:55:14,520 --> 00:55:16,320
Speaker 1: going to do a couple more of these. Should we

1139
00:55:16,360 --> 00:55:17,320
Speaker 1: do Tech next?

1140
00:55:17,520 --> 00:55:20,279
Speaker 3: Texas Tech? I think that'd be fun. Another one of

1141
00:55:20,320 --> 00:55:23,799
Speaker 3: those schools kind of geographically removed, not going to be

1142
00:55:24,160 --> 00:55:26,320
Speaker 3: left behind in the short term as the Big twelve

1143
00:55:26,320 --> 00:55:29,800
Speaker 3: expands and tries to become that new crazy wildcard conference,

1144
00:55:29,800 --> 00:55:34,360
Speaker 3: which would be very fun to watch. But yeah, Texas

1145
00:55:34,400 --> 00:55:36,319
Speaker 3: Tech is college football in the way that Virginia Tech

1146
00:55:36,400 --> 00:55:38,920
Speaker 3: is college football. Texas Tech, you throw tortillas, You got

1147
00:55:39,000 --> 00:55:42,359
Speaker 3: a lunch Paal at Virginia Tech a mate of Turkey Metallica,

1148
00:55:42,400 --> 00:55:43,160
Speaker 3: like it's the best.

1149
00:55:43,640 --> 00:55:45,880
Speaker 1: I was all in on Texas Tech last year, so

1150
00:55:45,880 --> 00:55:48,319
Speaker 1: we got to Texas Tech and we have to make

1151
00:55:48,360 --> 00:55:49,560
Speaker 1: sure we do Washington as well.

1152
00:55:49,600 --> 00:55:49,960
Speaker 3: I agree.

1153
00:55:50,040 --> 00:55:53,080
Speaker 1: Send in your suggestions Selverble at gmail dot com. Hit

1154
00:55:53,120 --> 00:55:57,359
Speaker 1: us up on social media. Tag your favorite writers, podcasters, YouTubers,

1155
00:55:57,400 --> 00:56:00,640
Speaker 1: content creators that can help us decipher what went down.

1156
00:56:00,680 --> 00:56:03,920
Speaker 1: And you're one of those respective schools. In the interim though,

1157
00:56:03,920 --> 00:56:06,239
Speaker 1: our website is soliverbo dot com. Make sure you check

1158
00:56:06,320 --> 00:56:08,719
Speaker 1: that out for any episodes that you missed. Make sure

1159
00:56:08,760 --> 00:56:11,560
Speaker 1: you hit follow or subscribe so that you get all

1160
00:56:11,600 --> 00:56:15,080
Speaker 1: of our episodes delivered right to your podcasting app of choice. Last,

1161
00:56:15,080 --> 00:56:17,000
Speaker 1: but certainly not at least for Bowlers dot com v

1162
00:56:17,080 --> 00:56:19,000
Speaker 1: E R B A L l e rs dot com.

1163
00:56:19,160 --> 00:56:21,239
Speaker 1: That's where you get early access to episodes. That's where

1164
00:56:21,280 --> 00:56:23,719
Speaker 1: you get access to our discord server. That's where you

1165
00:56:23,760 --> 00:56:25,919
Speaker 1: get access to all the little bonus perks that help

1166
00:56:25,960 --> 00:56:26,640
Speaker 1: support the show.

1167
00:56:26,760 --> 00:56:27,000
Speaker 2: Dance.

1168
00:56:27,000 --> 00:56:29,440
Speaker 1: So I got that is all I got? Can you connect?

1169
00:56:29,600 --> 00:56:31,480
Speaker 3: I always like to do the Bowl game ty where

1170
00:56:31,480 --> 00:56:33,399
Speaker 3: it's not an actual bawlgame, it's the Bowl game where

1171
00:56:33,440 --> 00:56:36,240
Speaker 3: it's just like, oh, if you're connecting like this school

1172
00:56:36,239 --> 00:56:39,520
Speaker 3: and that school. Oh it's the you know Seth Latrell Bowl,

1173
00:56:39,560 --> 00:56:43,000
Speaker 3: if Arizona is playing, you know North Texas or something.

1174
00:56:43,239 --> 00:56:46,560
Speaker 3: So can you connect Texas Tech and Virginia Tech? Because

1175
00:56:46,560 --> 00:56:46,920
Speaker 3: I have it.

1176
00:56:47,040 --> 00:56:50,160
Speaker 1: I have the ball Texas Tech and Virginia Tech.

1177
00:56:50,520 --> 00:56:56,319
Speaker 3: What is the connective tissue? I put you on the spot,

1178
00:56:56,320 --> 00:56:59,600
Speaker 3: and that's not fair. It's not Michael brew Michael Brewer.

1179
00:57:00,160 --> 00:57:01,920
Speaker 3: Is Michael Brooke there? It is the Michael browball. So

1180
00:57:02,040 --> 00:57:05,160
Speaker 3: that's our connective tissue between our Virginia Tech and hopefully

1181
00:57:05,200 --> 00:57:06,919
Speaker 3: text attack episode.

1182
00:57:07,120 --> 00:57:09,920
Speaker 1: For that guy out there, my good friend Dan Rubinstein,

1183
00:57:10,000 --> 00:57:13,080
Speaker 1: the illustrious Dan Rubistin for myself, Ty Hildebrand, thank you

1184
00:57:13,080 --> 00:57:15,200
Speaker 1: so much for downloading, for listening, for supporting the show.

1185
00:57:15,480 --> 00:57:17,200
Speaker 1: We will talk to you all on Thursday.

1186
00:57:17,200 --> 00:57:18,560
Speaker 3: In the meantimes, they saw peace