In 2000, Al Groh became the head coach at UVA with an expressed goal of
dominating the state in recruiting. The Cavaliers achieved some initial success
with an aggressive recruiting strategy, and Frank Beamer was forced to respond
by making changes in the Hokies’ recruiting approach. After eight full
recruiting seasons, Virginia Tech clearly has taken the lead in the heated
in-state battle with the Wahoos, and Al Groh is now on the proverbial “hot
seat” as the coach at UVA.

Much has been written about the aggressive recruiting approach that Al Groh
instituted at Virginia, from the photo shoots to the “business plans” to the
use of the internet as a recruiting tool. However, Groh’s strategy also
included the recruiting of some academically questionable players to immediately
raise the talent level of the program, and the academic issues of the overall
football program has raised concerns within the administration at the University
of Virginia. As a result, Groh is now taking a more conservative approach in
recruiting, and questions have been raised as to the future of the football
program.

Frank Beamer responded to the new recruiting strategy at Virginia by using
some of the same recruiting tools, as well as recruiting some marginal
student-athletes to keep the talent of the program at a competitive level.
However, in retrospect, the success of Virginia Tech in recruiting the
Commonwealth has stayed fairly constant over the last eight years, despite some
of the changes in approach. The following table shows the number of in-state
signees and offers for Virginia Tech since 2001:

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