Heath Miller is coming out

[Guest old_school]

Miller is going to the NFL. http://www.roanoke.com/sports/uvafootball/16691.html

[chump 11]

IF HE STAYED ONE MORE YEAR AT UVA HE WOULD LOSE MONEY. IF HE WENT PRO THIS YEAR HE WOULD GAIN THE MONEY. SO I DONT REALLY BLAME HIM. DO U?

[rhsfan88 22]

Then nickname "Big Money" is really going to mean something here before too long.

[chump 11]

YEAH THE NICKNAME " BIG MONEY" ALREADY MEANS SOMETHING. HE IS BIG MONEY... HE KNOWS WHAT HE WANTS AND HE WANTS TO BE A PRO PLAYER...... HE'LL GO FARTHER THEN WHAT WE ALL THINK!

[rhsfan88 22]

We all know he is money. He will be a huge pick up for any team that drafts him. The tight end position has become a big part of all offenses. If he is drafted by a team that likes to throw and with a good QB then he might be all-pro in is 3rd or 4th season.

[chump 11]

WELL I KNOW THAT THE BRONCOS AND THE RAIDERS ARE LOOKING AT HIM BUT THATS ALL

[zach 10]

I think the Broncos will get him if the Raiders don't trade down, because there is good talent in the CB and DE, both which would benefit the Raiders.

[jmarcum 10]

He is the main point to my argument with the "thugs" from Virginia Tech. This is not a rumor but his coach told me that Virginia Tech told him he might be able to play for them if he went to a military school like Hargrave or somewhere and then walk on for them.

 

So your telling me that the best TE in all of college football wasnt looked down upon because he wasn't from "the bay region"? Yeah right.

 

What did the do to them year before last? Yeahps thats right he made them pay. I dont like UVA but i like them move than Virginia Tech because they do take chances every once in awhile on local players. Gave him a shot, bradshaw, and im sure many more before my time.

[BigD4VT 11]

With all due respect to you jmarcum, Virginia Tech doesn't have any more "thugs" than any other school. These football players are 18-22 year old kids just like any other college students. Athletes are not the only ones who get caught drinking, smoking pot, speeding, fighting ect. And believe it or not athletes are not the only students who are lied to by 15 year old girls claiming to be 18. They just happen to be the ones who get their picture on ESPN when it happens.

 

As for Heath Miller. If VT asked him to go to Hargrave or Fork Union it was to A)help him become academically eligible, or B) put a year of separation between him and another TE on the roster, or C) They had used up all their scholarships and wanted him for next year (but I know that wasn't the case). Both Tech and UVA send recruits to each place every year. BUT the fact of the matter is Heath Miller wanted to play QB in college just like he did at Honaker. VT was honest with him in saying his future was at TE. Al Groh was not honest when he told him he would be a QB at Virginia. And I promise you VT went after Miller hard. They just didn't lie to him like the guy who tucks his sweatshirt into his pants. I'm sorry if you don't believe that. All I can say is go back and find some old recruiting articles.

[chump 11]

I HOPE THAT HE GOES TO THE BRONCOS. HE WOULD DO A LOT OF GOOD FOR THAT TEAM.... RAIDERS I WOULDNT MIND BUT I LIKE THE BRONCOS A LOT BETTERS

[RichlandsAlum 678]

Don't mean to split hairs here but Miller was recruited by George Welsh, not Al Groh. And Welsh was supposedly able to seal the deal by promising to give him a shot at QB. Others in the running for his services were Tech and Iowa. Tech was forthright from the beginning about projecting him at TE. Not sure what the story was with Iowa.

 

The business about him prepping at Hargrave (or anywhere else, for that matter) is news to me. And completely contrary to what reliable sources in both B-burg and Honaker have told me.

 

BigD4VT is correct regarding Tech's interest in Miller. The Hokies wanted him badly. It's just that they knew for certain that he'd never take a snap at QB and said as much.

[hhstigerfan 12]

I think what blew it for Tech was that Tech just offered for Miller to walk on, and UVA offered a full scholarship.

[RichlandsAlum 678]

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I think what blew it for Tech was that Tech just offered for Miller to walk on, and UVA offered a full scholarship.

 

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That sounds right. I think the timing of Tech's involvement worked against them as well. Hokies were either at their limit for schollies that year or close to it.

 

Pretty big miss for Tech any way you look at it. Here's hoping that things work out very well for Heath at the next level.

[Bluefield_Rules 46]

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Pretty big miss for Tech any way you look at it.

 

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Yeah, but I believe VT has done alright without Miller and they have a nice core of TEs with NFL talent themselves. You can't give'em all scholarships...

[BigBlue02 11]

Miller will Graduate this spring anyway won't he? So why not Go for the Pro's. I say good luck.

[BigD4VT 11]

Actually Groh took over for Welsh in December of 2000...two months before Miller signed his letter of intent. I don't remember if he gave his verbal before or after Welsh left but I'm sure Groh reassured him he would play QB.

 

I can't find anything on the internet but I seem to remember Miller having an offer on the table from VT. He was one of the top prospects in the state that year. I just don't see them asking him to walk on. Like you said, maybe they were close to the limit that year and wanted him to prep...but that would just mean he'd come in with the 2002 class rather than the 2001. He still would have gotten a scholarship.

 

Anyway, the point of my first reply was the misconception that VT ignores SWVA kids in favor of Tidewater players. That's just not true. Tech has more local kids on it's roster than any D-1 school in the nation. A comment earlier in this thread claims UVA takes more chances on SWVA kids...but the fact is they only have two local guys besides Miller. One from George Wythe and one from J.J. Kelly. 49% of the players on UVA's roster aren't even from Virginia as Groh has been getting more players from out of state.

[RichlandsAlum 678]

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Actually Groh took over for Welsh in December of 2000...two months before Miller signed his letter of intent. I don't remember if he gave his verbal before or after Welsh left but I'm sure Groh reassured him he would play QB.

 

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Pretty much on the money. Although I don't think Groh was any more committal about giving him a shot at QB than Welsh was. I believe Groh stated that he would honor Welsh's "commitment," which was never more than a chance to be considered for the QB position to begin with.

 

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I can't find anything on the internet but I seem to remember Miller having an offer on the table from VT. He was one of the top prospects in the state that year. I just don't see them asking him to walk on. Like you said, maybe they were close to the limit that year and wanted him to prep...but that would just mean he'd come in with the 2002 class rather than the 2001. He still would have gotten a scholarship.

 

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My recollection is that Tech would've strongly preferred for him to prep, but they were willing to find a place for him if he wanted to come on. Turned out to be academic, and this particular recruiting situation worked out well for everyone, IMO. Bluefield Rules had a good point above.

 

[ QUOTE ]

Anyway, the point of my first reply was the misconception that VT ignores SWVA kids in favor of Tidewater players. That's just not true. Tech has more local kids on it's roster than any D-1 school in the nation. A comment earlier in this thread claims UVA takes more chances on SWVA kids...but the fact is they only have two local guys besides Miller. One from George Wythe and one from J.J. Kelly. 49% of the players on UVA's roster aren't even from Virginia as Groh has been getting more players from out of state.

 

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Technically, what you're saying is correct. I don't think Tech ignores SWVA kids in favor of Tidewater players. However, I know for a fact that this staff (and the one that preceded it) is willing to "take chances" with players from Tidewater (and NoVa, to a lesser extent) while they do not have the same kind of policy when it comes to SWVA. And while they don't flat out ignore the region, Tech's staff has missed out on enough fantastic players over the past 20 years or so that one may have pause to wonder about the Hokie staff's view of this area.

 

Things have improved since the Dooley days (when Tech burned a lot of bridges in SWVA), but I think it's fair to say that UVa is more willing to take chances on kids from the region than Tech. Pains me to admit something like that as a Tech alumnus, but based on the info I've heard out of B-burg and from numerous coaches around the region, it is nonetheless true.

[BigD4VT 11]

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Things have improved since the Dooley days (when Tech burned a lot of bridges in SWVA), but I think it's fair to say that UVa is more willing to take chances on kids from the region than Tech. Pains me to admit something like that as a Tech alumnus, but based on the info I've heard out of B-burg and from numerous coaches around the region, it is nonetheless true.

 

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm sure your info is reliable but the teams respective rosters just don't support it. VT has 2-3 times as many SWVA players as UVA.

 

I agree with you and Bluefield Rules that everything turned out well for all involved. I just get a little bothered when someone claims Miller was somehow blackballed by Tech because of where he's from.

[RichlandsAlum 678]

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I'm sure your info is reliable but the teams respective rosters just don't support it. VT has 2-3 times as many SWVA players as UVA.

 

I agree with you and Bluefield Rules that everything turned out well for all involved. I just get a little bothered when someone claims Miller was somehow blackballed by Tech because of where he's from.

 

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Admittedly, I haven't read every thread in every forum here. If someone is making the kind of claim you mentioned, then that person is 100% clueless.

 

Objectively speaking, I'm of the opinion that there are several guys in SWVA on an annual basis who could perform very well at the Division I level. In fact, I'd say that in terms of raw talent, SWVA compares favorably to non-urban Western PA (excluding Pittsburgh). Unfortunately, these players are not getting the type of attention from ANY Division I program that they deserve. I don't know if it's a simple function of media coverage, population density, or what. However, the rule of thumb appears to be that you have to be a real superstar or physical specimen to get Division I attention if you're from SWVA. But you only have to demonstrate "potential" (be it through 40 yd dash time, playing for a powerhouse program, etc.) to get that type of attention if you're from the Tidewater area. Walking on is always an option, but when it comes to the initial scramble for the scholarship, the SWVA "superstar" can still lose out to the Tidewater "contributor."

 

The politics of football recruiting is a lot like peeling an onion. The more you pick at it, the more layers you find. And more often than not, it can be a somewhat stinky proposition.

 

I'm sure that Tech has 2-3 times as many SWVA boys on the roster as UVa. But I'm not sure that this is a particularly meaningful statistic. It might be a simple matter of geography since Tech is the closest Division I program and walk-ons seem to matriculate to schools that are closer to their hometowns.

 

I would be very interested to know how the two programs compare in offering scholarships to SWVA boys. My guess is that neither program is outdoing the other in that regard.

[DMan 10]

[ QUOTE ]

 

Admittedly, I haven't read every thread in every forum here. If someone is making the kind of claim you mentioned, then that person is 100% clueless.

 

Objectively speaking, I'm of the opinion that there are several guys in SWVA on an annual basis who could perform very well at the Division I level. In fact, I'd say that in terms of raw talent, SWVA compares favorably to non-urban Western PA (excluding Pittsburgh). Unfortunately, these players are not getting the type of attention from ANY Division I program that they deserve. I don't know if it's a simple function of media coverage, population density, or what. However, the rule of thumb appears to be that you have to be a real superstar or physical specimen to get Division I attention if you're from SWVA. But you only have to demonstrate "potential" (be it through 40 yd dash time, playing for a powerhouse program, etc.) to get that type of attention if you're from the Tidewater area. Walking on is always an option, but when it comes to the initial scramble for the scholarship, the SWVA "superstar" can still lose out to the Tidewater "contributor."

 

The politics of football recruiting is a lot like peeling an onion. The more you pick at it, the more layers you find. And more often than not, it can be a somewhat stinky proposition.

 

I'm sure that Tech has 2-3 times as many SWVA boys on the roster as UVa. But I'm not sure that this is a particularly meaningful statistic. It might be a simple matter of geography since Tech is the closest Division I program and walk-ons seem to matriculate to schools that are closer to their hometowns.

 

I would be very interested to know how the two programs compare in offering scholarships to SWVA boys. My guess is that neither program is outdoing the other in that regard.

 

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We had a huge discussion about this subject over in the General Discussion forum in the VT/Auburn thread. I, for one, agree with your sentiments 100% and I'm glad to see someone on here who thinks the way I think, lol.

 

It just got to me when I saw the starting lineups for Tech on the night of the Sugar Bowl and most of them were from Chesapeake, Richmond, etc. There are D-1 caliber athletes in the area that do not get a shot, plain and simple. The other areas of Virginia, Tidewater in particular, may have the quantitative edge, but they don't necessarily have the qualitative edge.

[Bluefield_Rules 46]

Again D-Man, I've asked you now three times to provide us with a list of what you believe is D-1 talent from SWVA over the past few years that should have gotten offers from Tech.

[BigD4VT 11]

[ QUOTE ]

Objectively speaking, I'm of the opinion that there are several guys in SWVA on an annual basis who could perform very well at the Division I level. In fact, I'd say that in terms of raw talent, SWVA compares favorably to non-urban Western PA (excluding Pittsburgh). Unfortunately, these players are not getting the type of attention from ANY Division I program that they deserve. I don't know if it's a simple function of media coverage, population density, or what. However, the rule of thumb appears to be that you have to be a real superstar or physical specimen to get Division I attention if you're from SWVA. But you only have to demonstrate "potential" (be it through 40 yd dash time, playing for a powerhouse program, etc.) to get that type of attention if you're from the Tidewater area. Walking on is always an option, but when it comes to the initial scramble for the scholarship, the SWVA "superstar" can still lose out to the Tidewater "contributor."

 

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There may be some truth to that but it's probably more of a faith building thing. Tech's bread and butter is the Tidewater area. It's one of the most talent rich regions in the nation. Anyone who say's otherwise doesn't know the facts. VT has built relationships with the coaches there and I'm sure there are times when they "take a chance" on a kid who just has potential as a way to further build the trust they have with those coaches. There were many who felt WR Brendan Hill was only signed to help convince Marcus Vick to come to Tech. So yes, they may be more willing to bring in a contributor type from Tidewater, but the fact remains that a stud D-1 prospect from SW Virginia will be recruited by VT if he fits their system. There just arent as many of those prospects here as some on this board beleive.

[RichlandsAlum 678]

[ QUOTE ]

 

There may be some truth to that but it's probably more of a faith building thing. Tech's bread and butter is the Tidewater area. It's one of the most talent rich regions in the nation. Anyone who say's otherwise doesn't know the facts. VT has built relationships with the coaches there and I'm sure there are times when they "take a chance" on a kid who just has potential as a way to further build the trust they have with those coaches. There were many who felt WR Brendan Hill was only signed to help convince Marcus Vick to come to Tech. So yes, they may be more willing to bring in a contributor type from Tidewater, but the fact remains that a stud D-1 prospect from SW Virginia will be recruited by VT if he fits their system. There just arent as many of those prospects here as some on this board beleive.

 

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Agree with pretty much everything you've said, although there is tremendous historical precedent over many years which indicates that SWVA players simply aren't getting any attention from Division I programs. It's worth noting that it is inappropriate to single out any particular program, IMO. Fact is that nobody has this area squarely within its radar in terms of recruiting at the top level.

 

Maybe whether or not this is a problem is a topic for debate in its own right. Programs like Wise and Emory would probably opine that it's no problem at all, since they're able to gobble up most of the talent on an annual basis.

 

It's an interesting discussion nonetheless.

[DMan 10]

[ QUOTE ]

Again D-Man, I've asked you now three times to provide us with a list of what you believe is D-1 talent from SWVA over the past few years that should have gotten offers from Tech.

 

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Your arrogance must have caused you to miss some of the people I listed over in the VT/Auburn thread. To recap: Albert Childress from Grundy, Timmy Brown from Richlands, Aaron and Garon Marcum from Grundy. I'll even add a couple more: Brad Robbins from Powell Valley, and to even go back a little way in Grundy football history, Cary Perkins could have been D-1 material. I'm not going to sit down and go to all the trouble of making a list from the past 50 years just to prove my point to you.

 

There is no point to be proven, the fact of the matter is that while small in numbers, there have been athletes in SWVA that could have or should be playing at the D-1 level.

 

Like I said before, when this discussion started, I did single out Tech, but they aren't the only school who rarely focus their recruiting efforts in our area. Doesn't any of the players on your state champs Bluefield Beavers have D-1 potential to you? Don't you think there is anyone at all in this area at the present time that is capable of playing at the D-1 level?

[Bluefield_Rules 46]

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Doesn't any of the players on your state champs Bluefield Beavers have D-1 potential to you?

 

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I'm not a major D-1 coach and neither is anyone else, so what we think doesn't matter. The only member of the Bluefield team with a D-1 offer that I'm aware of is Lucas Stone.

 

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Don't you think there is anyone at all in this area at the present time that is capable of playing at the D-1 level?

 

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Major D-1? Honestly, no. There are a couple boarderline kids in the region that could possibly walk-on and contribute at a VT, UVa, or WVU. However, none have the complete package necessary to gain a scholarship from major D-1 college football program.