[Sly Fox]

Recruiting rivalry shaping up between schools
September 16, 2010|By Melinda Waldrop, mwaldrop@dailypress.com | 247-4634

The schools are a day away from becoming rivals on the football field. But are William and Mary and Old Dominion also beginning a heated recruiting battle for Hampton Roads talent?

No more so, say officials at both universities, than any other in-state programs.

"From a recruiting standpoint, I really feel like it's us, William and Mary, Richmond and JMU, the four of us, all waving that CAA flag to the kids," ODU coach Bobby Wilder said. "I say that with all due respect to the two MEAC teams (Hampton and Norfolk State) that are in-state and the two Big South teams (Liberty and VMI) that are in-state. We're trying to wave that CAA flag, so we are competing for the same kids.

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[bigsmooth]

i think it would help to have a coach with recruiting ties to the 757. ODU is a sleeping giant IMO, but i feel LU has a national recruiting base. FCS recruiting in the commonwealth is tough already and will continue to be.

[JMUDukes]

oh noez, ODU is going to steal all good players from the FCS establishment!

[01LUGrad]

Someone from the team give me a call. I can get tons of tallented guys to suit up for LU...of course, they will all be 135 lbs and run 4:20 for the mile. Not sure they'd look great in a football helmet.

[TDDance234]

i think it would help to have a coach with recruiting ties to the 757. ODU is a sleeping giant IMO, but i feel LU has a national recruiting base. FCS recruiting in the commonwealth is tough already and will continue to be.

ODU has everything in place to be a really good team within 2-5 years. VA Tech used to raid the 757 but has really cooled, meanwhile London is really working it hard...and I think you'll see why the two programs are headed in opposite directions.

There are several top recruits in Virginia Beach alone. ODU really doesn't have to sell too hard to those kids.