VMI Football hires....>Danny Rocco

[kdinva]

https://vmikeydets.com/news/2022/12/3/vmi-hires-danny-rocco-as-its-next-head-football-coach.aspx

[FUBeAR]

CHen & Mr. Chicken May squawk a bit about this hire.

[Libertine]

I'll admit I'm shocked but I guess I shouldn't be. Rocco really values having an AD that he trusts and his relationship with VMI AD Jim Miller goes back a while.

One interesting thing is that Scott Wachenheim and Danny Rocco have been also friends for a really long time.

[caribbeanhen]

CHen & Mr. Chicken May squawk a bit about this hire.

VMI is the perfect place for Rocco

expectations are not that high and that fits Roccos coaching style to the letter

[Pards Rule]

Danny was at Liberty and then Delaware and then?

[Libertine]

Danny was at Liberty and then Delaware and then?

Liberty HC -> Richmond HC -> Delaware HC -> Penn State assistant

[kdinva]

VMI is the perfect place for Rocco.......expectations are not that high

so, you are saying in the SPring of 2021, the other 8 SoCon teams didn't try?

[Mocs123]

Nice hire by VMI. VMI is a tough place to win, but Rocco is a proven coach and I think he'll win some games there.

[Henny]

If VMI people are happy with the hire, that's great. I wish I could say he did great things at UD, but he didn't. He had everything a coach could ever need here and blew it. The highest salary in the FCS, the highest paid assistants in the division, they gave him everything to go along with new facilities and a winning tradition and he struggled mightily. His boring offense and ultra conservative, read and react defense drove people away and the alums and fans had enough.

[gofurman]

Its SO HARD at VMI.. Big respect for the school but it is so hard on football. kids have to want to go through military stuff and not much in the way of ladies/parties. you get my point. Their star QB and WR were over at Richmond as stars this year. And a ton of transfers out again.

Just hard. Big respect for the school.

[Mocs123]

We hired VMI's basketball coach this past year, and though I knew Dan Earl could coach X's and O's, I questioned his recruiting ability.....and then I started digging into VMI's facilities. No AC in the dorms (barracks) and the cots look like Stonewall Jackson himself slept on them in 1861. It's a tough place to recruit and win for sure, but I still think Rocco is a good hire for them.

[garland823]

Its SO HARD at VMI.. Big respect for the school but it is so hard on football. kids have to want to go through military stuff and not much in the way of ladies/parties. you get my point. Their star QB and WR were over at Richmond as stars this year. And a ton of transfers out again.

Just hard. Big respect for the school.

Udinski and Herres both graduated, so could not stay at VMI - same with most (all?) of our players currently in the portal.

[caribbeanhen]

so, you are saying in the SPring of 2021, the other 8 SoCon teams didn't try?

No of course not. Rocco will keep you guys on the straight and narrow but I would have to guess a place like VMI is already steady as she goes

[KPSUL]

Congratulations to Danny Rocco, I hope he has a successful and long-term tenure at VMI. He has been a winning Head Coach at 3 different FCS programs so I believe it is a good hire for the Keydets.

[gofurman]

Udinski and Herres both graduated, so could not stay at VMI - same with most (all?) of our players currently in the portal.

ah, thanks for correcting me. I mean that - my mistake.

Yep, that's another tough thing on some (this is NOT pro-Socon) schools - I know Wofford and now have learned of VMI but am sure there are others out there...

Wow, so they have to leave at end of fourth year but mainly you have to get a kid who wants to go through military style college (not to say missing the "nice view" at most schools etc)

Big respect for VMI overall. In a way, it is amazing that ya'll ever win any games when you have all these limitations. And I can't say anything - you have, on occasion, beaten' my Furman guys. 😂

It seemed particularly rough this past year as Udinski was a superior QB - off to Maryland and then Richmond - and Herres was a great WR. I assume he started at UR?

Anyway, my point is, I have great respect for VMI - and appreciate the high percentage (I googled and it said that 50% take a full military commission) of men and women from there who SERVE OUR COUNTRY. That should garner the utmost respect.

Thank you VMI graduates for your service to our country !!!