I’ve been in and around Blacksburg since the 60s. It’s nostalgic but hasn’t changed much in all those years. The town of Blacksburg leadership has fought growth tooth and nail for the last 40 years to the point that there is virtually no new housing being built in Blacksburg. Lots has been written about this in local news. I have often wondered if Blacksburg is a town composed mostly of the intellectually elite and students, and either no efforts have been made or even resisted to have a community that is diverse racially, socially, and financially.

It is clear to me that ONE of the major problems our football program has is lack of talent. So, I pose this question, if you were a talented black football player from Newport News being recruited by say UNC, NCSt, GT and VT and on your recruiting trips you were driven around each of the cities or towns, which of those four locations would get a check mark as a place I would feel comfortable living in and has some similarities to my home town. I suggest only the first three would get check marks. This is a problem any football coach at VT must face and find a way to overcome.