First Day of Practice Numbers ‘26

[Gridiron60]

If you know them post them! Some are starting tomorrow, others on Monday. 

[GC_Quincy]

Gate City with 57 tonight at midnight.

[Real Sasquatch]

5 hours ago, GC_Quincy said:

Gate City with 57 tonight at midnight.

Impressive #'s

[SXSW]

6 hours ago, GC_Quincy said:

Gate City with 57 tonight at midnight.

The freshman class is hugh, and they will be some of those freshman playing a lot come the end of the season. They have a freshman RB that is going to be very good.

[Unchained]

Hearing 65 at Union. Coach Harless on Union Sports Network shared a number documenting the increase in attendance from last year to this year for summer weightroom training. It is very encouraging.

[GC_Quincy]

2 hours ago, SXSW said:

The freshman class is hugh, and they will be some of those freshman playing a lot come the end of the season. They have a freshman RB that is going to be very good.

I saw a couple that could absolutely fly. I think he was one of them.

[Gridiron60]

I saw on social media, Southern Gap had 40+ today. 

[Gridiron60]

2 hours ago, Unchained said:

Hearing 65 at Union. Coach Harless on Union Sports Network shared a number documenting the increase in attendance from last year to this year for summer weightroom training. It is very encouraging.

65 is crazy high number. Good for Coach Harless getting those numbers up.  I doubt Graham has 1/2 that. 

[tornado99]

4 minutes ago, Gridiron60 said:

65 is crazy high number. Good for Coach Harless getting those numbers up.  I doubt Graham has 1/2 that. 

I know in high school it’s not as possible, but it would be interesting to think if it would work to have the same effect that the transfer portal has on the NCAA. (NIL complicates or simplifies it somewhat.) The biggest no longer stockpiles talent on its roster deep, and those not playing transfer and excel at other schools. I’m sure the Bears have subs that could easily start at other schools.
It’s just fun to think about, as well as if Graham ends up having 1/2, but has similar results by season’s end comparing the different routes.

[Fairlawncat]

2 things. I'm going to keep tooting my horn about Harless until Union follows through and wins the region, and then wins in the semi's. I said this the day they hired him and I have no special knowledge or insight about Harless, other than being much closer to Botetourt Cty than most posters on this board, so I was more than familiar with him. The fact that Union has that many already out for football is right off the bat, success number 1 for Harless. You will see more of that as time goes on.

2. The kid from Gate City is the best player in your region right now. I'm not saying the Devils win the region over Union, Graham, or RV, but the younger Jenkins kid is Big-time/Big Boy football. Alarming speed and has alarming height, much taller than his brother, who will start again at William and Mary this year and be an All Conference Player. Expect to see him on the tube on Saturdays. I ask some reading this post to watch the videos of this kid. Best HS WR in your region since Xay Bradshaw (VT-Marshall) and then probably going back to Austin Fuller(VT-SMU). He's that good, and his team will put up a 6-4 at worst to 8 and 2 at best record, but it won't tell the whole tale about how talented the younger Jenkins kid is. 

[1inStripes]

New coaches tend to draw out curious people leading to higher numbers than a previous staff so not shocked Union has out a few more people this year.  Add in a coach with an impressive resume and it tends to help that number even more.  Will it be sustainable?  Maybe/maybe not.  Does that matter?  No.  The ones that you may lose along the way over the years are very unlikely to be those who would have been contributors anyway, as they probably don't have the mentality to put in the work month after month.

[Union_Fan]

1 hour ago, Gridiron60 said:

I saw on social media, Southern Gap had 40+ today. 

Among TV, Grundy and Hurley, they started the season with 66 players in 2025.

So they lost almost a 3rd of their players from last year. I'm not sure what that indicates.

Issues with travel, interest, new school, etc...??

[Fairlawncat]

6 minutes ago, 1inStripes said:

New coaches tend to draw out curious people leading to higher numbers than a previous staff so not shocked Union has out a few more people this year.  Add in a coach with an impressive resume and it tends to help that number even more.  Will it be sustainable?  Maybe/maybe not.  Does that matter?  No.  The ones that you may lose along the way over the years are very unlikely to be those who would have been contributors anyway, as they probably don't have the mentality to put in the work month after month.

I agree and disagree some. Mostly agree. No question, new coaches from previous successful schools do bring curiosity and new players. There is no question about that. Where I disagree some.......this situation is slightly different. What the kids from Union and the people from Appy-BSG went through isn't normal. They were under the influence of a narcissist. Narcissists are incredible at control and lack of empathy. Odds are, Turner wasn't the guy going through the hallways seeking out kids that looked athletic to get on the field. Why? His focus is SELF, not other humans. In the case of Harless, I know personally about his ability to get to the lowest "qualifying college class" that might even be Votech to talk to that kid that nobody seems to want to "F" with and when they do, they lose the fight. So, Harless historically got those kids on the football field. 

So 1InStripes, I agree with you 99.9 percent as I think your spot on in my opinion, But on the tiny bit we disagree, it's only that I would add the fact that Harless is different. He's a different breed. A different coach. That will not be fully proven until the wait and see. That wait and see will come week after week as Union TOYS with opponents with their screen game on Offense and maintains the same defensive prowess of always. 

You heard it here first and I will stick with it. Union will go 14 and 1 at worst and win the state championship. And no, for some of you other fans, this is Not the expectation and this is Not what the overwhelming majority of Union fans think (in my opinion). The is one guys outside opinion from Radford, VA, who knows Harless well. So, for any non Union fans, please don't cough up BS and say "Union fans expect or say they will go 14 and 1 at worst and win the state title." Not 1 of them have echoed anything close to this. Also, not 1 of them knows Harless like I do. Will repeat.......Union and the opposing fans in Region D have not clue, or at least, don't fully understand the coach they hired and how they struck gold.

You will soon. 

[tornado99]

30 minutes ago, Fairlawncat said:

I agree and disagree some. Mostly agree. No question, new coaches from previous successful schools do bring curiosity and new players. There is no question about that. Where I disagree some.......this situation is slightly different. What the kids from Union and the people from Appy-BSG went through isn't normal. They were under the influence of a narcissist. Narcissists are incredible at control and lack of empathy. Odds are, Turner wasn't the guy going through the hallways seeking out kids that looked athletic to get on the field. Why? His focus is SELF, not other humans. In the case of Harless, I know personally about his ability to get to the lowest "qualifying college class" that might even be Votech to talk to that kid that nobody seems to want to "F" with and when they do, they lose the fight. So, Harless historically got those kids on the football field. 

So 1InStripes, I agree with you 99.9 percent as I think your spot on in my opinion, But on the tiny bit we disagree, it's only that I would add the fact that Harless is different. He's a different breed. A different coach. That will not be fully proven until the wait and see. That wait and see will come week after week as Union TOYS with opponents with their screen game on Offense and maintains the same defensive prowess of always. 

You heard it here first and I will stick with it. Union will go 14 and 1 at worst and win the state championship. And no, for some of you other fans, this is Not the expectation and this is Not what the overwhelming majority of Union fans think (in my opinion). The is one guys outside opinion from Radford, VA, who knows Harless well. So, for any non Union fans, please don't cough up BS and say "Union fans expect or say they will go 14 and 1 at worst and win the state title." Not 1 of them have echoed anything close to this. Also, not 1 of them knows Harless like I do. Will repeat.......Union and the opposing fans in Region D have not clue, or at least, don't fully understand the coach they hired and how they struck gold.

You will soon. 

It doesn’t really matter either, but to your point he obviously knows how to attract the kids. That said, how much of that success at LB came from being able to attract kids from other school districts? I’m sure it was rampant in the Roanoke area, but of course during that time I would hear from friends in the area that LB was the beneficiary more often than not (except for Salem, of course). 
I think Union is Union, and personally feel like this is an upgrade. I really hope they succeed, but of course I hope for more parity. I hope GC is good enough to give them fits, along with Ridgeview to provide a true measuring stick and rivalry. I’ll also reserve judgment on that confidence until seeing what really shakes out of the Bluefield offseason. I’m pretty confident greater talent resources are in that local area. It just depends upon how much of it lands on which side of the state line. With the Beavers on a high, I’m at a loss with the G-men. 
Either way, I’m curious to see whether the genius of Harless comes from on the field, often the criticism of Bears fans when they have fallen short, or simply being able to get the best athletes on the field which I feel the Bears consistently have already most years.

Good luck to all! I’m glad it’s football season.

[Unchained]

1 hour ago, 1inStripes said:

New coaches tend to draw out curious people leading to higher numbers than a previous staff so not shocked Union has out a few more people this year.  Add in a coach with an impressive resume and it tends to help that number even more.  Will it be sustainable?  Maybe/maybe not.  Does that matter?  No.  The ones that you may lose along the way over the years are very unlikely to be those who would have been contributors anyway, as they probably don't have the mentality to put in the work month after month.

He's getting athletes like Eli Pleasant out. Eli is an excellent baseball player and has bulked up considerately and will be a LB. 

[Real Sasquatch]

4 hours ago, Gridiron60 said:

I saw on social media, Southern Gap had 40+ today. 

I think 40 to 45 is a good # for an AA school.  

[onewarrior2]

45ish for Central

[Union_Fan]

1 hour ago, onewarrior2 said:

45ish for Central

Not bad at all!

[Union_Fan]

5 hours ago, Fairlawncat said:

Odds are, Turner wasn't the guy going through the hallways seeking out kids that looked athletic to get on the field. Why? His focus is SELF, not other humans. 

Bingo! Very accurate statement. Narcissists are transactional. If you can't do something for them, they won't give you the time of day.

[IRISH-FAN18]

5 hours ago, Union_Fan said:

Among TV, Grundy and Hurley, they started the season with 66 players in 2025.

So they lost almost a 3rd of their players from last year. I'm not sure what that indicates.

Issues with travel, interest, new school, etc...??

It's really just Grundy & Hurley kids from I understand. There may be a couple TW kids on the team that I don't know about but not many.

[KevinG]

6 hours ago, Fairlawncat said:

2 things. I'm going to keep tooting my horn about Harless until Union follows through and wins the region, and then wins in the semi's. I said this the day they hired him and I have no special knowledge or insight about Harless, other than being much closer to Botetourt Cty than most posters on this board, so I was more than familiar with him. The fact that Union has that many already out for football is right off the bat, success number 1 for Harless. You will see more of that as time goes on.

2. The kid from Gate City is the best player in your region right now. I'm not saying the Devils win the region over Union, Graham, or RV, but the younger Jenkins kid is Big-time/Big Boy football. Alarming speed and has alarming height, much taller than his brother, who will start again at William and Mary this year and be an All Conference Player. Expect to see him on the tube on Saturdays. I ask some reading this post to watch the videos of this kid. Best HS WR in your region since Xay Bradshaw (VT-Marshall) and then probably going back to Austin Fuller(VT-SMU). He's that good, and his team will put up a 6-4 at worst to 8 and 2 at best record, but it won't tell the whole tale about how talented the younger Jenkins kid is. 

GC has some talent. Their QB has the ability to throw the ball that’s for sure.  I agree with you about Jenkins.  He is a special player.   From what I read he has multiple D1 offers entering his junior season.  They need to get the ball in his hands as much as possible.   Defensively Parsons and McDonald are tough too.

[Unchained]

45 minutes ago, Union_Fan said:

Not bad at all!

I work with some Central folks, and they seem to think 5-5 this season is realistic. They are already seeing big changes with Saunders.

[Unchained]

4 minutes ago, KevinG said:

GC has some talent. Their QB has the ability to throw the ball that’s for sure.  I agree with you about Jenkins.  He is a special player.   From what I read he has multiple D1 offers entering his junior season.  They need to get the ball in his hands as much as possible.  

Jenkins IMO is the best all-around athlete in the region.

[KevinG]

10 hours ago, Unchained said:

Hearing 65 at Union. Coach Harless on Union Sports Network shared a number documenting the increase in attendance from last year to this year for summer weightroom training. It is very encouraging.

Union will be hard to handle as usual.  I expect a big year for them.

[Unchained]

2 minutes ago, KevinG said:

Union will be hard to handle as usual.  I expect a big year for them.

I think 8-2 in a first year with a new coach would be realistic. I don't see anyone beating Graham this season, and RV on the road will be a toss-up. Having said that, I am not making the mistake of underestimating Harless or our kids. They have the dudes for sure.