I attended the high school coaches clinic last week and got the opportunity to listen and talk to the new staff. I also attended practice on Thursday and Saturday. Without going into a lot of specifics(Coach Fuente obviously wants to control the information that is getting out), I will give some of my general observations about what I saw.
1. I was extremely impressed with all of the coaches I met and listened to speak. I talked to a friend of mine that has worked with the football program for many years and he said the energy level and enthusiasm of the new staff is off the charts. He thinks the world of Coach Beamer so this is high praise coming from him.
2. The pace and intensity with which practice is being conducted is amazing to watch. It is pretty obvious the players have all bought in to the new approach.
3. The attention to detail is noticeable in everything that is happening. The demand for things to be done a certain way is also evident. If things aren't gong the way Coach Fuente wants, they will reset and start completely over. My friend said that they will continue to start something over until it meets his satisfaction.
4. There is more depth at RB than I thought. Very impressed with some of the plays made by a couple of the lesser talked about players.
5. WR is another position that I saw some big plays made by the younger or new players. Still some inconsistency - make a great play then run the wrong route or drop an easy ball. Based on what I saw that will improve.
6. There was a lot of back and forth between the offense and defense unlike other times I have been in the past where the defense dominated. I think the offense is going to be much better than in the last few years.
7. Some rotation going on at one of the key positions on defense - still have some work to do but did see improvement from last year.
8. Didn't see any arm strength issues with one of the quarterbacks as I read about on here at some point. I played QB at the college level and was very impressed with the zip with which the ball was being thrown in the wind on Thursday. All of the quarterbacks are athletic with one really being electric when he pulls it down and takes off. I feel good about the present and future of that position.
9. I am as die-hard a Hokie fan as you will find and loved Coach Beamer. I walked away Saturday being very impressed with what is going on in Blacksburg. Our football program is in good hands. Exciting times are ahead I believe.