Friday, January 29, 2010
Tech looking at seven-member class in 2011 recruiting
Doughty doesn’t believe it
Doug Doughty
Doug Doughty's College Notebook Plus is exclusive to roanoke.com and is posted by 5 p.m. Fridays.
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The University of Virginia’s appointment of Mike London as head football coach does not necessarily come at a good time for Virginia Tech, or so the Hokies feel.
One of London’s missions is to make the Cavaliers competitive with Tech in in-state recruiting and that might not be difficult next year.
The Hokies almost always are at the Division I-A scholarship level and they stand to lose only seven scholarship players following the 2010 season -- Rashad Carmichael, Steven Friday, John Graves, Davon Morgan, Andre Smith, Tyrod Taylor and Beau Warren.
That means that Tech could have as few as seven scholarships available for 2011, according to director of football operations John Ballein.
“Seven?” Jim Cavanaugh, the Hokies’ recruiting coordinator said. “I thought the number was eight.”
Cavanaugh is willing to yield to Ballein on matters of roster size and scholarship numbers. To borrow a term that deals with salaries more than roster sizes at the NFL level, Ballein is the Hokies’ resident “capologist.”
“You can go with that,” Cavanaugh said. “I totally agree.”
Ballein, who has a PhD and requires some of his friends to address him as Dr., said the Hokies will sign no more than 12 players for 2011. It reminds me of an infamous online chat involving Dr. Ballein, head coach Frank Beamer and cheezy beamerball.com host Greg Roberts in 2008.
“We have 10 rising seniors,” Beamer said. “So, our plans now are to have 10 signees in our next class.”
That was Beamer’s projection for the entering class of 2009. In checking the archives, I see where Tech signed 21 players in 2009.
Cavanaugh told me today that he would put the number for 2011 at 15. I offered him a wager of a dinner. If Tech signs more than 15 in 2011, he owes me. If Tech signs 15 or less, I'll owe him.
“I’ll take you up on that,” said Cavanaugh, “but it’s got to be 15 come August.”
In other words, Tech might sign 20 again. Some might not qualify academically and will require prep school; some might be “greyshirted” and enroll in January, which could count toward 2012.
Tech used to have more attrition than it does right now. Ten wins per year will do that. Players want to be part of a successful operation.
“I’d like to think we’re doing a good job of recruiting the right people and recruiting the right students,” Cavanaugh said.
CAVANAUGH SAID THAT the first sign of the reduced scholarship targets will come when Tech’s staff attempts to set numbers for recruits it will take at different position. It is possible that there might be a position or positions where Tech can’t take a single player.
Even if the Hokies are limited in the number of players they can offer or sign, it’s going to look like the Cavaliers are making inroads if they get as few as 10 in-state players, which would be double what they have this year -- which is up two from what they had at the time of Al Groh’s dismissal.
But here’s the rub: When the Hokies despair over the number of available grants they have last year, they aren’t taking into account that Virginia could have numbers issues of its own.
At the end of the 2009 season, UVa had 15 scholarship players who projected to be fourth- or fifth-year seniors in 2010. Some of those are certain to be back, including rising fourth-year juniors Ras-I Dowling, Danny Aiken and Dontrelle Inman.
But of the 12 rising fifth-year seniors, how many will take their degrees – or just check out – without playing another season of football? That could be their choice or the staff’s choice.
The 12 with remaining eligibility are offensive lineman Isaac Cain, linebacker Darnell Carter, defensive lineman John-Kevin Dolce, wide receiver Raynard Horne, safety Matt Leemhuis, cornerback Mike Parker, running back Keith Payne, center Jack Shields, tight end Joe Torchia, quarterback Marc Verica and defensive back Trey Womack.
The only starters in that group are Shields and Torchia. Verica is a former starter who is expected to contend for the starting job in 2011. Outside of Dolce, I don’t know who else would be a good bet. Moreover, much of the late recruiting that London and Co. are doing now is with the thought that there will be a fair degree of attrition.
UVa had 74 scholarship players with remaining eligibility after the 2009 season, according to my records, and the Cavaliers have 15 commitments to date, so they have to lose a few players to get down to 85 for the 2010 season. That shouldn’t be hard.
To think that Virginia will have 25 scholarships for 2011, or even 20, is pretty unrealistic. The Cavaliers might do better in the state next year because that certainly seems be an emphasis for London in putting together a staff. But I don’t see them having many more scholarships than the Hokies.
