Why have I not seen this comparison, re: Gailey?

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Fuzzy Bee

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I've seen him compared to a host of coaches, but not to the one most similar to him, Al Groh.

Al Groh is a former pro coach who took over the head coaching job at a school that usually competes within the top third of the ACC and usually has good, but not overwhelming, talent. He does have some college experience, but his stint at Wake Forest would not be considered successful by most. In his first year at the helm, it looked like he didn't fully appreciate the difficulty of the job and posted a 3-5 record in the ACC. Now in his second season, he appears to have righted the ship, going 4-1 in the ACC with the only loss to FSU so far.

Does that description (up until the second year part) not sound very similar to Chan?
 
I don't know enough about the UVA program's personnel to really answer your question. But you may have a good point.

Let's see how things play out this year and then see how recruiting goes. Groh is apparently a great recruiter. Everyone seems to think that Chan is not. We'll know after this recruiting class.
 
1. From the very beginning, Groh recruited extremely well. This is an understatement but I cannot find a word strong enough to replace extremely.
2. Groh quit a HEAD coach job to take the UVA job.
3. Groh took over a team widely regarded as having sub-par talent due to graduation losses and average recruiting, and performed near expectations.
4. Groh convinced the Virginia administration to lower the standards for incoming sAs. His team is made up of Freshmen, Sophmores, and JC transfers that are barely comprehendable during interviews.

I like Gailey a lot, and am not a fan of Groh, but at this point there is no comparison.
 
Groh is also taking this young talent and molding
it into a very good team. In fact, I think Va. is the number two team in the ACC right now.
 
The fire may just be hot enough to BBQ Chan. You're sure you're TECH fans?
 
1. From the very beginning, Groh recruited extremely well. This is an understatement but I cannot find a word strong enough to replace extremely.

You're counting your chickens before they've hatched if you're saying that Gailey is a bad recruiter. We won't know for a couple of months yet.

2. Groh quit a HEAD coach job to take the UVA job.

He was 9-7 in his one year as a pro head coach. Gailey's resume definitely looks better on this score.

3. Groh took over a team widely regarded as having sub-par talent due to graduation losses and average recruiting, and performed near expectations.

That's not even close to being correct. There was much gnashing of teeth among the UVA folks last year.

4. Groh convinced the Virginia administration to lower the standards for incoming sAs. His team is made up of Freshmen, Sophmores, and JC transfers that are barely comprehendable during interviews.

Are you saying you'd like this at Tech?
 
I agree with what you are saying Fuzzybee except #3. However...

On #1, Chan has had little to no recruiting success so far while Groh started building a team on it immediately. No comparison at this time. Ten months into Chan's tenure and we still have little positives on the recruiting front.

On #2, Groh took what most would consider a step down to be UVA's HC while Chan took a better job (or at worst a lateral move). No comparison at this time. Anyone would take a promotion, how many coaches have ever taken a voluntary demotion?

On #3, Groh clearly did not overachieve, but reasonable UVA fans were at least grudgingly satisfied with the direction of the program due to Groh continuously upgrading the talent of the team. No comparison. Reasonable GT fans have zero to be pleased with at this point of Chan's tenure.

On #4, UVA has sold their soul. I do not want GT to become a laughingstock like UT where illiterates are used like livestock.

That is why there is no comparison. I cannot find any way the two compare except that they both coached pros. A comparison with O'Leary or Bunting would be more appropriate at this time IMHO.

I am still a Gailey Fan. He will be at least reasonably successful here. He will not be another Bill Lewis. He will tweak the coaching staff (just like O'Leary). He will recruit his own players and work on team chemistry. He will build recruiting momentum.
 
Don't agree on Groh's reception at UVA last year. He was blasted on a regular basis on the Sabre, much like Chan is on the Tech boards.

As far as recruiting, Chan hasn't really had a recruiting class yet. Why don't we wait and see what happens before we make pronouncements on his success or failure?
 
A friend of mine went to UVa undergrad and was one of those girls that hosts the players and stuff. She said that Al Groh from day one has emphasized recruiting as priority #1. He has worked tirelessly to set up a system where talent can be assessed, targeted and recruited successfully. I just don't see that same kind of emphasis from CG.
 
GT CRew, The key is the CG tweak of the staff.IF GOL didn't have Ralph he would probably died an inglorious death here at Tech.
CG needs to get a Ralph.
 
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