What kind of recruiting reputations do the Hokies’ new coaches have?
National Signing Day is only a few days away, so there’s not a better time than now to transition from the coaching changes to the recruiting front.
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I interviewed 247Sports National Recruiting Director J.C. Shurburtt for a different story I’m working on, but I also asked him about the recruiting reputations of the three new coaching hires Virginia Tech made this month — Scot Loeffler, Jeff Grimes and Aaron Moorehead.
Here’s what Shurburtt had to say about each:
– On Moorehead: “He is sort of an unknown, but I think he can end up being an excellent recruiter from what I’m told. He really resonates with kids that way and can certainly go out and sell and get the job done.”
– On Loeffler: “When he was at Auburn — and he wasn’t at Auburn very long — the few guys he recruited absolutely loved him. The guys he was responsible for. He has a good eye for quarterbacks. At Auburn he already spotted Jacob Park, a four-star player out of South Carolina [in 2014]. Offered him, was about to commit him up early and the coaching change happened. … But I think Loeffler has that rep.”
– On Grimes: “Jeff Grimes is a guy that has the reputation for going across the country and landing offensive linemen. Whether it’s Colorado or Arizona, he scopes mostly in the west, he’s got some connections out there. He’ll go anywhere to find linemen. And that’s good, because in the state of Virginia, it’s great for skill guys, it’s great for running backs, even a good-moving defensive lineman, and it’s really good for linebackers. But o-line, you have maybe one or two really elite, elite guys per year.
“So if you’re Virginia Tech, maybe you need to kind of expand your horizons looking for offensive linemen. I know the year Miami won the national title, they had a bunch of offensive linemen from Canada that they went up and got. So it’s one of those things where the unique nature of that position, much like quarterback, because it’s developmental, you really have to hit on the right guys. Regardless of where they’re at, you really need high-quality players. And I think Jeff Grimes is the kind of guy who can get that done for them, of the new coaches.”
That seems to fit with Grimes’ reputation. In four years with Auburn, Grimes recruited 11 linemen who were four stars or better. His recruits were from all over the country, including Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Florida and community colleges in California and Kansas.
He’ll have an active hand recruiting all offensive linemen at Virginia Tech, regardless of a player’s hometown.
“I think it’s even more important at my position,” Grimes said. “If you just talk to kids out there in recruiting and you ask them, ‘What’s really important to you?’ And you listen to the answers, I bet if you took it all by position, you’d have more offensive linemen talk about their position coach than any other position.
“So that is by design. And that’s something that I’ve always done wherever I’ve been. When I worked with Dirk Koetter with Boise State and Arizona State, he was really the first guy that told me to do that. He said, ‘Hey Grimey, you’ve got your recruiting area, but you go sign the four best linemen that you can sign this year. That’s the No. 1 thing that you’ve got to do.’ So I’m going to be really involved with those guys wherever they are.”
Loeffler has bounced from location to location, so his recruiting profile isn’t as lengthy as Grimes’. Loeffler said he’d like to recruit a quarterback and develop him throughout all of his college career, although he doesn’t have a prototype.
“We’re looking for obviously a smart, tough football player,” he said. “And time you find smart and tough, it doesn’t matter if a he’s a great runner, a great passer, you’ve got a chance. We’re going to tailor the offense to a guy who’s smart and tough.
“Obviously if you can find the 6-foot-5, 245-pound guy that runs 4.4 that can throw it all over the yard, we’re going to try to find that guy. Is that hard to find? Absolutely. But at the end of the day, every quarterback that’s out there has some deficiency. They all do. But any time you’re smart and tough, you’re able to overcome some of your physical deficiencies.”
Moorehead has not recruited yet in his career, since this is his first full-time gig as a college coach. But he has some ideas for how he’ll approach it. Step 1: wear the Super Bowl ring he won as a member of the Indianapolis Colts.
“There’s a 100 percent I’m going to be wearing that every time I’m on the road,” he said. “You’ve got to. That’s part of the deal. That’s part of the thing as a new recruiter. I think it breaks the ice when you walk in and they go, ‘OK, this guy has done it. He understands it. If you walk in and you talk to folks and you give them the respect they deserve, I think that on top of that, you can get a lot done.”
February 2, 2013 - 12:48 AM
You’ve gotta love an offensive line coach who goes by the nickname “Grimey.”
These coaches will probably be an improvement from the three coaches that are gone, especially that dud, Newsome.
These coaches are young enough that they might not be at Tech for a long period of time.
The holdovers of the staff might be uncomfortable, but maybe it will work out.
Good luck to the new coaches.
Let’s go Hokies !!!
Pay them enough to keep them and send them wherever the talent is. I’ve argued for years that VT could get kids out of Oklahoma and east Texas. I’ve spent time there and the people who know football like VT. I heard many times that VT and Alabama are the only teams east of the Mississippi River that they watch because those two play football the way it is supposed to be played.
Would love to see V-tech take their rightful place as one of the elites in college football. The pieces are there. The thing that held them back was coaching. Coach Beamer just needs to get out of the way and let these new guys field a team that is representative of the identity of the degree of football that is played in this state. No more playing not to loose and please scrap the Dean Smith 4 corners offense!
Whatever we think or thought on Coach Newsome, he was a factor in the 747 Area! Very well liked by all the High School Coaches!
Agree with Jerry, Grimey just sounds tough.
#1. Sort of the like the nickname for Mark Schlereth “stink”
Way to commit to statement there Frank. LoL
From what I read on TSL I think Grimes could be in for the long haul depending on the next head coach. He has four youngsters and seems to really like the idea of bringing them up in a small college town.
Andy, rumor is that VT has extended an offer to Jacob Park and Loeffler is recruiting him. Have you heard any word on this?
((Grimes is a guy that has the reputation for going across the country and landing offensive linemen. Whether it’s Colorado or Arizona,))
I HOPE those of you that called S-spring a great recruiter feel stupid !!
#11 pf, interesting point you made. Based on the comments by Schurbett above, Grimes averaged recruiting three 4-star OL players every year. I wonder how many our recruiters averaged combined? Stinespring, Newsome, & Shane were/are supposed to be our best recruiters. It would be interesting to know how many 4-star OL recruits we’ve signed in the last six years or so. I don’t know the total, but I would estimate that Grimes has pulled in more himself on average than our whole staff combined.
Like I said previously, the new blood from ‘outside the family’ is quite welcome, and very much needed.
Crooked Road your comment or question interested me enough to take a peak at recruiting at Auburn while Grimes was there. The day he signed on at AU they signed a lineman. The first three years he was there he signed some good players including 16 offensive linemen. VT on the other hand has signed 14 linemen in the last Five years. People have criticized VT for signing TEs and making linemen out of them. That has been true but something I find as interesting is that they have signed guys to play in the defensive line and found they weren’t players and moved them to the Oline. (Nick Acree and Vinston Painter)The first order of business for Grimes is to sign more linemen and not to look for cast off from defense to add depth.
Peppers fairy, the only thing “stupid” is reading your comments . Did you miss your ride with Barry ?
Andy have you met any of the newbies? I know you dont like to give opinions since you stay unbiased as possible but….. Should I be excited? You like what your hearing from these men? Think there is any merit to what they say or is it just lip service? BTW got to take the Dean Dome off the bucket list today! Cant wait till Jones gets some players!
The Short Coach is a bit contrary with his comments. We all know that Pepper’s Ferry is an elite, knowledgeable, football fan. You Hokie fans need to spread your wings a bit and look at life thru reality and not wishful thinking. In looking at the photo above, what strikes you as being out of balance? Not the fact that these guys look unhappy but the fact that there are 3 young guys who appear to think they may have been duped already. Beamer looks out of place, don’t you think so? We might be looking at an unhappy marriage, you will see more clearly as the months go by. BTW, the 49ers will win easily against the Ravens. Ravens are too old and the 49ers are too young with too many weapons and too much overall balance. Aren’t you glad I am back?
No.
Barry – not really. Liked the idea of you being gone. Oh well, life is full of disappointments.
Congratulations to Bruce Arians (former VA Tech QB) for being named NFL Head Coach of the Year!!
Is Loeffler a sideline coach or a press box coach??Keep Stiny away from him either way, please.
Hooke 95,spot on.
Danged auto correct. Hokie.
coxster, I’ve only gotten to talk to them in Blacksburg at the press conference last week. But I know Grimes from Auburn. I thought he was a pretty good hire.
It all comes down to the right fit, though. These guys can say all they want, but if they don’t fit with what VT wants to do (and can do, based on players), then it won’t work. Loeffler wasn’t a great fit at Auburn. Honestly, nobody would have been with all that was going on. But he was at Temple.
That’s why it’s so tough to predict how these guys will do. They look good on paper so far. We shall see once they get out on the field.
Dan, not sure if Loeffler and VT have offered Park. It wouldn’t surprise me, though. Obviously he and Park had a connection. A lot of times the coaches are more important than the school.
Sorry to the other bloggers for dredging up b from I. I knew he couldn’t stay away for long. I did kind of miss him, with every shot so far. I get a kick out of his vast knowledge of sports! Now get out of here, you knuckle head!
Yeah, thanks for that, Short coach. I figured he was just waiting in his dirty jammies for someone to conjur him back up. Things were, well, better without him, weren’t they?
It will serve VT well to get away from the recruiting of DL players and making the ones that don’t work out into OL guys. We have done it for years and while it has not been a complete failure, I do think it is part of our offensive problems of late. Grimey seems to have captured out imagination, now let’s see him in action!
Dan/Andy
According to 247 we have offered Park and Loffler is recruiting him. It appears we are currently in his top 3.
http://247sports.com/Player/Jacob-Park-20348
Looks like Loffler is hot after David Cornwell out of OK as well. It appears he may have scheduled a campus visit.
http://247sports.com/Player/David-Cornwell-23813
#David B–I know I am coming in late but it was Super Sunday but I just wanted to say, great job for digging up the QB info at 247. Thanks.
I think Beamer should give the new coaches a great deal of freedom especially Loeffler who I hope will update the play-calling and schemes to something more suitable for the 21st century. Will Frank do it? I have doubts because I imagine that Coach Beamer was actually forced to make the changes that he did and he will try to re-invent Loeffler to be a clone of Stinespring. I know that might seem far fetched but Frank is old and set in his ways and he loves Stiney for some odd reason. Hopefully Beamer can change and we will be pleasantly surprised but I am in the group who will believe it when we see it.
Va.Tech should make a stronger presences in South Florida, we are very well thought of down here. Several universities are using South Florida as a 2nd recruiting base.
Hokie Jim
Fort Lauderdale