Seven on Seven Big For ODU, Local Talent
Coach Bobby Wilder watches the final (Photo: Kellen Owings/recruit757.com)
Despite the exhausting triple-digit temperatures, ODU coach Bobby Wilder still came away impressed with the talent on display at the first ODU 7 on 7 Tournament held at the school’s state-of-the-art facilities. “I was very excited with the teams that were here, I was excited with how they competed,” Wilder said.
“It was a challenge for the kids and the coaches, it was 102 degrees with the heat index. It was a long day. They started at 8 am with warm-ups, and here it is 4 o’clock and they’ve been going non-stop. I’m very impressed with how they competed.”
Wilder was also very impressed with the coaching on display during the tournament.
“I think its very evident now, as you watch and you can see the level of coaching that goes on in the state of Virginia. I’m more impressed every year with what I see. They’re running some very sophisticated schemes out here, both offensively and defensively, and it shows. Kids play at a fast pace, and they execute well.”
Holding the games at ODU’s practice fields and Powhatan Stadium, with the semi-finals and finals played on Foreman field, gave players the chance to see the facilities first hand. It’s a significant recruiting tool, and a great way to give the Monarchs an advantage when it comes to in-state recruiting.
“I’ve said this since the day I was hired, I want to finish third in the state in recruiting when it comes to where kids want to go,” Wilder said. “Virginia and Virginia Tech, however that sorts out, (one of them) is going to be number one, but we want to be number three. That’s a tall order when you’re talking about JMU and Richmond, who have won National Championships and William and Mary who were in the Final Four last year. Then you have Hampton and Norfolk State right here, VMI and Liberty. There are eight Division 1-AA programs in the state, and we are trying to be at the head of the class in recruiting.”
Booker T. & Maury coaches before the final (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757.com)
“In order to do that, you have to hold events like this on your campus; you got to get the kids to your campus so they can see it. Now kids come here and there’s a real “WOW” factor. I heard so many positive comments from players, parents, and coaches about our practice facilities. Then this stadium; we were third in the nation last year in attendance. We have one of the nicest venues in the country at 1-AA. Getting these kids here so they can see this is a huge recruiting tool for us”
Wilder says its important getting all the players out to see the facilities, even the ones who have their sights set on the Division 1-A level. The 757 is rich with skill position talent that draws interest from top colleges all over the country, and a 7 on 7 is a great way to see that talent on display.
“We saw 10 kids that are 1-A players and have already been offered by Virginia, Virginia Tech. But having (the players) here, just in case it doesn’t work there, even though it may look like we’re next in line, that’s OK. We want to be next in line. Just having them on our campus is so important.
With the stadium and facilities being such a big recruiting tool, Coach Wilder and his staff will be holding as many events as they can on campus.
“We plan on having another 15 teams starting Sunday (7/18) at our 4 day team camp, which goes from 6 to 9 p.m. the next four nights. Again, we get these kids over here practicing, and we get to evaluate them. During a quiet period, getting them on our campus is a huge advantage. We already had one one-day (camp), and another next Saturday with 200 kids. So between the one-days, the 7 on 7 tournament, and the team camp, we’re trying to get them here as much as we can,” Wilder said.
Getting players from The 757 helps the program twofold. Not only do the players help the program’s on-field success, but Wilder says having home-grown talent increases the programs presence in the area and helps attendance.
Coach Wilder and Coach Bill Dee of CNU (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757.com)
“Right now, out of the 90 players we have on our roster, 40 of them are from the 757. They grew up within 20 miles from campus. That was another goal I set when I was hired, along with the staff, was that we were going to represent this area.”
“On top of that, over two-thirds of our team is from the state. There are roughly 350 football playing schools in the state. We can find the majority of what we’re looking for right here at home. That’s the goal; we want to be made up primarily with kids from Virginia and even more so kids from this area.”
“I really believe that there’s a strong following, a strong presence of the local community when they see so many of these kids that they’ve watched play from Pop Warner to middle school to high school and they see them playing at Foreman. I think it’s had an impact on attendance and how people in this area feel about this football program. We’re gonna keep pushing that and keep trying to get these kids on our campus.”
That effort won’t stop anytime soon, Wilder said.
“We’re gonna keep doing this, we keep growing it every year. This year is the first year of our team camp. This is the first year we’ve done the 7 on 7 here on our campus. It was on Larchmont (Elementary School grounds), we didn’t have the facilities all done, and last year we didn’t have the stadium. So it’s a little better every year and we’re just gonna keep building on it.”
- Kellen Owings
College Camps Benefit Kids, Community, Universities
ODU players coach kids at Monarch Football Camp (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757.com)
It’s camp season and everyone wins. Colleges throughout the region provide the backbone for camps that build confidence and teach skills to local kids. Additionally, college camps like the ones taking place at William and Mary, Hampton and Old Dominion allow kids to rub elbows with pros that provide star power and a positive example.
The camps are great for the kids, great for the community, and great for the colleges that put them on.
Football is a great game that teaches teamwork, leadership and the value of hard work. The community benefits when players grow into community leaders. There’s also the side benefit of getting kids out from in front of the television or computer and onto the field excercising. Involvement in team sports is rewarding in many ways.
The colleges benefit as well. They provide community service through the camps, but also get the benefit of showing their campus and facilities to campers, plus they get the scouting benefits, especially with high schoolers that participate in the programs.
Landstown Coach Tommy Reamon administrated Hampton University’s Michael Vick Football Camp a few weeks ago. He sees a huge benefit for everyone involved. “At the Michael Vick camp, I had seven college coaches there just to come and observe. We try to do that so that kids can be exposed (to college coaches),” said Coach Reamon.
Hampton Coaches observe local players (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757.com)
“At the Michael Vick Camp, we had 447 kids. That’s all ages from 8 to 18. There were 172 high school players there. Hampton University had the luxury that they’ve never had by getting that many kids on their campus. Coach Rose and his staff did a great job hosting the event. All of the coaches in the area are trying to expose their kids (to college coaches) and give them an opportunity to improve their skills. It all comes down to exposure,” Coach Reamon stated.
High school players have to work hard to get exposure in any way they can. Many travel for camps at the bigger schools that they’d love to attend as college athletes. The camps at schools like UVA, Virginia Tech and other BCS schools routinely bring in Division IAA coaches that thrive on bringing in players that BCS coaches might pass on. Exposure. That’s what it’s all about and the benefits go both ways.
Monarchs Set Tentative 2011 Schedule
Redshirt Freshman CB Donald Smith of Indian River High School (Photo: Andy Hilton)
2011 will mark the first year of play in the CAA for the ODU Football Monarchs. The 2009 season’s in the rear view mirror. After a 9-2 season, the Monarchs have a lot to look forward to. 2010 should be more of the same since the Monarchs have a similar schedule and seven home games, plus a road game at Hampton. A home game against National Championship contender William and Mary on September 18 should be the toughest test of the 2010 schedule by far. 2011 will be a different story.
First of all, CAA games dot the schedule in 2011. That means weekly battles against teams such as Villanova, James Madison, Richmond and William and Mary. In fact, the schedule makers seemingly threw the Monarchs to the wolves by scheduling all four of those schools consecutively at the end of the Monarchs’ season at the end of 2011. Perhaps Bobby Wilder’s squad can enter that stretch on a hot streak and can be better prepared for that stretch of games nearly 18 months from now.
There are some more winnable games on the schedule early on. The Monarchs open their season at home against Campbell, then hit the road against Georgia State. Hampton visits the Monarchs on September 17, but then the true tests begin. ODU heads to Delaware on September 24 and it only gets more difficult from there. Old Dominion gets a more balanced schedule of six home games and five away games in 2011. They’ll miss 2010′s friendly home/away mix of seven home and four away.
Here’s the schedule:
9/3: Campbell
9/10: at Georgia State
9/17: Hampton
9/24: at Delaware
10/1: UMass
10/8: at Rhode Island
10/15: Towson
10/22: at Villanova
10/29: James Madison
11/5: Richmond
11/12: at William and Mary
ODU Spring Game Shows Team Progress
#11 Dominque Blackman at quarterback for the Monarchs (Photo: Andy Hilton/Recruit757)
Maybe some of that “new car smell” has worn off. What was lacking in the stands was made up for on the field.
Last year, ODU had it’s first ever Spring Game at Powhatan Field at the west end of campus. That stadium is a high school stadium that’s used by Maury and Granby High Schools. The event was enthusiatically attended by Monarch fans that were hungry for anything related to ODU Football. That day the play was a little sloppy but fans didn’t care. They were happy to have a Monarch football team to root for.
Fast forward one year and the Monarchs have their newly renovated playpen to play in. S.B. Ballard Stadium is easily six times as big as Powhatan Field. The crowd might have been the same, but the product on the field was vastly improved. Today’s Spring Game had little of the feel of an Autumn game day. There was little pomp and circumstance, no tailgating, few concessions and no feeling of rivalry in the stands. Yes, there were cheerleaders, Big Blue and a Pep Band sized Marching Band in the stands, but overall the feeling at Foreman Field was subdued. But that’s all about the atmosphere in the stadium. What’s more important for the program is the product on the field. In that regard, there was a lot to rave about. These Monarchs are bigger, stronger, faster and benefitting from another year of solid coaching. Monarchs fans will appreciate the growth in the fall.
D-Lineman Ronnie Cameron (center) inspires the defense in a sideline huddle. (Photo: Andy Hilton/Recruit757)
You could see the development compared to a year ago. The Monarchs took fourteen practices to build up with this. Lots of guys had something to prove. Some wanted to take other’s heads off. That kind of attitude is going to serve the Monarchs well when this fall rolls around. Coach Wilder has bred a hunger into this squad. In setting up defensive stands, players such as sophomore Hofstra transfer Ronnie Cameron worked hard to get his teammates fired up. In running the offense, both incumbent starter Thomas DeMarco and heralded newcomer Dominque Blackman inspired the offense to produce. There were hard hits and well executed plays on both sides.
Coach Wilder has first and second team offensive and defensive line-ups built. Of course those will change over the next five months. The big difference between this April and last April is that the Monarchs have an even brighter future and a foundation to build on.
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#62 Dominik Davenport looks on as the Blue team ballcarrier is brought down.
TE Matt Carrillo is wrapped up by #28 Markell Wilkins of Phoebus and another Monarch defender.
Coaching Standout Visits Wilder, ODU
Thanks to Rich Radford for the coverage of this meeting of the minds.
Ex-Miami Hurricane Head Coach Larry Coker has been in town this week in order to pick Bobby Wilder’s brain. There’s something about becoming the best DI-AA start up in recent history that makes Wilder a hot commodity. Coach Coker and a delegation from the University of Texas-San Antonio came to learn all they could about Old Dominion’s successful launch of football here in Norfolk.
The name Larry Coker should sound familiar. He’s been missing from the game for a few years, but his run at “The U” borders on legendary. Coker was a career assistant coach, including a six year stint as a coach at Miami before rising to the head coaching slot in 2001 after Butch Davis left for the the Cleveland Browns. Coker reeled off 24 straight victories to start his head coaching career and lost his first game with a National Title on the line early in 2003. That double overtime loss in the Fiesta Bowl prevented the Hurricanes from having back-to-back National Titles.
Coker’s peak came early. The Hurricanes had several more good seasons after Coker’s first two. Coker finished his first four seasons as a head coach with a 52-6 record. That was enough to earn him a five-year contract extension. After that, losses piled up and disciplinary issues surfaced. Miami finished the 2006 regular season with a 6-6 record, which was enough to get him fired. Now Coker truly gets a fresh start with the UT-SA Roadrunners.
UT-San Antonio already has big plans. They’ll play their first season next year in 2011. Their home games will be played at the 65,000 seat Alamodome. UT-SA has big money backing from alumni who want to see football at their alma mater in football crazy Texas. The means to make the program big time seem to be there. Coker came to Norfolk to learn the little things.
Wilder’s keys are simple. Recruiting for the future, training for the routine of the season before the program ever launches and scheduling to build momentum were elements of ODU’s success. It seems that Coker’s Roadrunners are already taking a bit of a different path, but it’s definitely not too late for UT-SA to benefit from Wilder’s knowledge and experience.
UT-SA might be hamstrung by too much ambition. Selling out a 65,000 seat stadium is going to be nearly impossible for a start up program. Too much inventory and not enough demand leads to lack of ticket sales. Why buy season tickets when you can walk up on game day?
UT-SA also plans to move up to DI FBS in 2013. That’s a huge leap. Old Dominion is ambitious enough by moving into the CAA by year three. The Roadrunners have hopes of joining a Bowl level conference in year three. Conference USA is a solid possibility. The conference already has four Texas schools in SMU, Houston, Rice and UTEP. That conference has had a Texas lean ever since Britton Banowsky headed expansion efforts several years ago. CUSA might need a few teams if an upcoming conference realignment steals a few teams from the conference. Memphis, ECU and UCF all have high hopes of becoming BCS teams. Losing those schools would leave an opportunity for a school like UT-SA.
The Roadrunners have already signed a deal to play Arizona beginning in 2013. Unlike Wilder’s Monarchs, the Roadrunners seem to be willing to play “buy” games where the team hits the road for a big payday and a potential drubbing on the field. There’s a fine line between the program taking a financial profit and the program taking an emotional whipping.
Bobby Wilder was once the student. Now he’s the teacher. It’s easy to think that ODU has the perfect blueprint for developing a football program. It’s worked well so far.
Rich Radford’s article on the subject can be read at HamptonRoads.com.
ODU Shows Progress at Spring Practice
There was lots to learn about the Monarchs at Saturday’s Foreman Field practice session.
Lesson #1, Coach Wilder might have a quarterback conundrum come opening day. Transfer QB Dominique Blackman did well. If he continues to progress, he might challenge incumbent QB Thomas DeMarco for the starter’s role this fall. DeMarco ran the white offense and was 9 for 17 for 119 yards, including a touchdown pass to Marquel Thomas and three dropped passes. Blackman, a 6-5 transfer from Harbor College in Los Angeles, completed 8 for 10 for 71 yards and a touchdown. Tommy Reamon, a redshirt freshman from Gloucester High School, also had his shot and led the blue squad for several series but Blackman was the star QB of the day.
Lesson #2, the kicking game is still solid. Last year’s clutch placekicker Drew Hareza is still on board and freshman Jarod Brown of Grafton High School showed skill in practice as well.
Transfer D-Lineman Dominik “Baby D” Davenport got the opportunity to show his stuff for coaches and fans as well. Davenport redshirted at West Virginia last year and comes to the Monarchs with four years of eligibility. He played well on defense and was constantly praised by his teammates on the sidelines.
Overall, the practice showed that the Monarchs seem to be ready to pick up where they left off from last year’s 9-2 season. ODU will hold another intra-squad scrimmage next Saturday at 2 p.m. at Foreman Field. The Blue/White Spring Game will be held at Foreman Field on Saturday, April 24 at 1 p.m.
London’s 757 Splash More Intimate than Extravagant
Photo: Thomas Bacon, recruit757
UVA Football’s big day in the 757 was well received. Unfortunately for the Cavs, the crowd was mostly friends, family and diehards.
The spring practice event at Foreman Field on Saturday was well planned. There were T-Shirt giveaways and contests. Dozens of potential recruits were invited to attend. Earlier in the day Old Dominion and UVA co-hosted a coaches clinic for local high school coaches. Overall, the event benefitted both Old Dominion Football and Virginia Football greatly. In the end though, it was a glorified spring practice.
There were offensive drills and defensive drills. Everyone from quarterbacks to kickers, linemen to receivers went through their paces. The most exciting on-field event may have been the seven on seven drills. For a 20,000 seat stadium, you can’t expect a capacity crowd for a spring practice. The weather was brisk and sunny. The crowd was a bit on the slim side considering all of the promotion and positioning involved in the event. Roughly 2,000 people showed up, according to estimates. To me, it looked like at least 3,000, but I’d still call that a bit of a disappointment.
London and the Cavs still took advantage of the opportunity. Virginia Football has languished in the Al Groh era. London is driven to take UVA Football back to the status it has enjoyed in the past, which will be an uphill battle considering the current state of Virginia Tech Football.
London addressed the crowd at Foreman Field, calling on the fans from The 757 to embrace the program and embrace the team. The crowd welcomed UVA Football to Norfolk with open arms. “We want to make this our backyard,” London told the crowd. While the fans in attendance supported London’s efforts, thousands of Hokie fans in the area would emphatically disagree. A new era in UVA Football is starting, and you can expect that Hokie fans will begin to get uncomfortable when London shows a measurable amount of success.
UVA Football wasn’t the only winner on the day. Old Dominion got the benefit of hosting the event and showing S.B. Ballard Stadium off to potential recruits and their families. Due to NCAA rules, Virginia staffers couldn’t interact with the recruits that they invited to the event, but Old Dominion’s football staff could. Virginian Pilot writer Bob Molinaro reported that ODU Coach Bobby Wilder said he would be thrilled to finish third in recruiting the state behind Virginia Tech and Virginia. That wouldn’t be a stretch for Wilder considering the strides he’s already made and the recruiting turf he has in his backyard. After all, Tech and UVA will soon be fighting pitched battles in The 757. Wilder lives here.
Recruits from The 757 are going to become an even hotter commodity. That’s good for all of the players here. That doesn’t mean that more scholarships to Tech and UVA will necessarily go to athletes from the region. It might however get other schools to check again and see what they’re missing by not getting the entire story when recruiting the area.
The level of play here in Hampton Roads is high. Blue chip athletes are easy to find. There are plenty of hidden gems as well. College Coaches, do you know where to find all of the “hidden” talent in The 757?
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ODU Spring Practices Launch In Rain, Cold
If you schedule spring practices later on the calendar, you should get warmer weather, right? Welcome to coastal Virginia Bobby Wilder.
It’s not as though Coach Wilder is a newcomer to the area. You have to take what you get when it comes to the weather, and every local knows there’s no telling what you’ll get in Tidewater in March. The Monarchs opened spring practice on Friday with cold and wind, with a little bit of rain. 50 degrees and rainy isn’t ideal football weather, but certainly they’ve had worse. It’s too bad for the players that they have to wear shorts for the opening of spring practice, regardless of the weather.
Ahmed Fareed of WAVY TV covered the Monarchs’ first day of practice and interviewed Coach Wilder. The two reflected back on last year’s inaugural spring practice and made comparisons to this year. While last year was a year of firsts, this year will be a year of comparisons; and the Monarchs have a lot to live up to. Fortunately, the Monarchs also have a lot of advantages this year that they didn’t have last year. Like three new and proven defensive linemen. Dominik Davenport joins the Monarchs after two years at West Virginia. Davenport (DT 6-1 265) was a star at Phoebus and is sure to be a fan favorite in Norfolk. Also joining the Monarchs’ defensive line is former Kecoughtan standout Deron Mayo (DE 5-11 215) who comes to the program from Hofstra after the football program at Hofstra folded in the offseason. Ronnie Cameron (DT 6-2 280) also joins the Monarchs after a two year stint at Hofstra.
Here’s the report from Ahmed Fareed:
ODU Football Starts Spring Practice on Friday
Every program plans it differently. Old Dominion is on the later side of things.
ODU Football kicks off spring practices on Friday, March 26 at the Powhatan Sports Complex. Every college football program gets 15 practice dates; it’s up to the head coach to spread them out however he sees fit. Old Dominion starts tomorrow and will finish their schedule with the annual Blue-White scrimmage at Foreman Field on Saturday, April 24 at 1PM. Mark your calendar now!
The first couple of practices are done in shorts. Fortunately for the football team, shorts weather is almost here. Duke University was the first team to start Spring practices almost a month ago. It was definitely a cold February day for the Duke team to run around in shorts in Durham.
All practices are closed to the public at this point. That might change, but for now the only chance to see the Monarch team in action will be at the annual spring game. The Monarchs have increased the challenge for themselves in 2010 by scheduling William and Mary and FCS stalwart Cal Poly. In spite of the stepped up scheduling, the Monarchs still have a decided advantage with seven home games and only four road games, with one of the road games at Hampton University.
Expect Bobby Wilder to continue the magic and the six game winning streak from last season. The season opener is a 6pm game at Foreman Field against Jacksonville on September 4. That’s Saturday of Labor Day weekend. That date is sure to kick off another great season of ODU Monarch Football.
Monarchs Mark the End of Independence with Friendly Schedule
Coach Wilder (Photo: Stephen M. Katz)
The ODU Football schedule for 2010 has been confirmed for weeks now, but now’s a good time to discuss it. The fledgling program had a stellar opening season and the scheduling for the second season puts them in position for a fantastic follow up. The Monarchs are smart to take advantage of their status as an independent now. The CAA schedule might hit them like a ton of bricks in 2011.
For 2010, the Monarchs have scheduled seven home games and four road contests. Only three of those games will require road trips. They’ll go to New Jersey to play Monmouth, North Carolina to play Campbell, and South Carolina to play Presbyterian. Old Dominion’s fourth road game will require a commute over to Hampton as the Monarchs take on the Pirates.
The easy road schedule is combined with a seven game home schedule where the Monarchs are never away from home two weeks in a row. Old Dominion kicks off the season at home with a game against Jacksonville. The Monarchs beat JAX last year at their place, so one would expect this game will mark a good start to the season. ODU then travels to Campbell before coming home to face William and Mary in week three. That game will be the biggest test ever for the Monarchs. They have to taste CAA competition at some point.
On September 25, the Monarchs hit the road again when they play Monmouth. Then the Monarchs are home for over a month as they play three home games against Gardner-Webb, Cal Poly and Georgia State, plus they get a bye in that span. From there, ODU travels to Hampton, comes back home to play Savannah State and VMI, then hits the road to close out their season against Presbyterian.
Another 9-2 season wouldn’t be out of the question, though a sophomore season let down wouldn’t be surprising either. Considering how well the Monarchs played last year, another winning season is almost a sure thing. Their recruiting in 2009-10 was excellent. The scheduling for 2010 was savvy. If their 2010-11 recruiting is good as well, then the Monarchs will be in the best shape possible for their 2011 CAA campaign. William and Mary, Richmond, JMU, Delaware and other CAA teams are licking their chops, waiting to get the chance to play ODU. Only William and Mary will know ahead of time what they’re getting into. The September 18 game will almost certainly be the measuring stick for CAA teams to see who they’re up against in 2011. Coach Wilder may come up with a few tricks between September 2010 and September 2011.
The 2010 Schedule:
9/4 vs. Jacksonville
9/11 @ Campbell
9/18 vs. William and Mary
9/25 @ Monmouth
10/2 vs. Gardner-Webb (Parent’s Weekend)
10/9 vs. Cal-Poly
10/16 OFF
10/23 vs. Georgia State (Homecoming)
10/30 @ Hampton
11/6 vs. Savannah State
11/13 vs. VMI
11/20 @ Presbyterian