When Virginia recruiters first came knocking on Coach Billy Mills’
office door at Rockbridge County High School over Lexington way, Mills thought
they were wasting their time.
The Cavalier coaches were attempting to get a foot in the door with big
defensive tackle Jon Kirchner.
Problem was both of Kirchner’s parents went to Virginia Tech. In fact, his
father was a member of Tech’s Corps of Cadets and had been pushing young Jon
in the southwesterly direction of Blacksburg since he first picked up a
football.
“I told them ... and I think it was two years ago, that I didn’t think they
even had a chance at Jon,” Mills said Tuesday afternoon, hours after Jon
Kirchner decided to commit to UVa.
In an announcement that certainly must have sent tremors all the way down to
Hokie Land, Mills chose Virginia over Virginia Tech and Stanford. He also had
offers from Maryland, West Virginia and Duke.
“For me personally, the decision to go to Virginia over Tech wasn’t hard at
all,” Kirchner told The Daily Progress. “I didn’t put [his family’s ties to
Tech] into the equation. For my dad, it was a big factor. My decision was
tough on him because he wanted me to go to Virginia Tech. My mom was
supportive either way.
“I just didn’t see the Tech thing as a big problem because I’m the one going
to college, not my parents,” Kirchner said.
A rising senior at Rockbridge, Kirchner stands 6-foot-5, 260 pounds and runs
the 40 in 4.9. Rivals’ East Coast recruiting analyst Mike Farrell ranks the
tackle among the Top 14 prospects in the state of Virginia heading into the
season. He will play defensive end in Al Groh’s 3-4 scheme at UVa.
“Jon has great size and great feet,” said Mills. “His leverage is some of the
best I’ve coached. He can power clean 315 pounds and squats 525. He uses his
hands so well that it’s difficult to block him one-on-one.”
Opponents have double-team blocked him in the past and run away from him, so
Mills will move him inside this fall in order to make better use of Kirchner’s
skills.
Kirchner said his recruitment became intense during the spring when his home
was flooded with mail and college coaches started popping up on a regular
basis.
“In April it picked up pretty heavily. I didn’t know what to expect because no
one else from my high school had ever had this experience,” said Kirchner, who
is the first Division I-A athlete ever to sign a scholarship out of Rockbridge
High.
“So, I didn’t have anyone to talk to about it.” Jon, his father and brother,
took an official visit to Stanford two weeks ago but the West Coast didn’t
sway him.
“Stanford has really good academics but I didn’t feel at home out there ...
didn’t really feel like one of them,” Kirchner said. “Duke has academics but
doesn’t have a good football program. Virginia had the best of everything, so
that’s the place for me.”
So, how did the Wahoos sway a sure-fire Hokie into its ever-growing stable of
blue-chip recruits? “I got a lot of attention from their coaches, especially
Danny Rocco,” Kirchner said. “I got a lot of letters and I got to visit them
three times. Each time was better than the previous visit. I got to know the
coaches, having sat down and talked with them and I thought they wanted to get
to know me, too.
“All of Virginia’s coaches were very enthusiastic and upbeat about
everything,” Kirchner said. “They did a good job of letting me know how I
would fit in there.”
The big tackle, who has room to grow on his large frame, said that he liked
the fact that Virginia’s team is young and yet very good.
The Cavaliers went 9-4 last season, winning nine of their last 12 games and defeated three ranked teams down the stretch.
“They’re on the rise and I want to be part of that rise,” Kirchner said. “I
also liked the pro experience on the Virginia staff. That had an influence on
me. They have the knowledge.”
Kirchner has already qualified academically and will spend his senior season
at Rockbridge improving his skills. One of his personal goals is to be more
effective in getting to the quarterback.
“I want to improve on my sacks,” he said. “I had four last year. I did well on
my quarterback hurries but I still want to improve on that, too.”
Oh, he will also attempt to see his first game ever at Scott Stadium.
“I’ve never been to a game at Virginia before, just seen ‘em on TV,” Kirchner
said. “I’m definitely going to try to get to some this year.”
Mills said that college recruiters liked his size and agility and the fact
that he can get bigger and keep his agility.
“Coach Groh liked watching him offensively, being able to pull in our counter
plays and get a lot of his body on some very skilled athletes,” Mills said.
“That showed he had some athletic ability. There was one play in particular
where the opposing team ran a sweep away from Jon and he caught the running
back from behind.”
Even with the double-teams he faced, Kirchner made 58 tackles last season, 20
of them for losses.
“This one is a steal for Virginia,” Mills said. “From the time that kid came
to our school, he was going to be a Tech player. But Virginia did a tremendous
job on recruiting him. He felt like he was home over there.”
Kirchner becomes the Cavaliers’ fourth commitment for the 2004 class, along
with defensive lineman Chris Long, running back Andrew Pearman and running
back/defensive back Cedric Peerman.
Also, two signees from the 2003 class, cornerback Philip Brown and
linebacker/running back James Terry, failed to meet academic entrance
requirements.
Player's parents must root for rivals
Rockbridge standout chooses UVa
Rockbridge County defensive lineman Jon Kirchner commits early to avoid
senior-year hassle.
By ROBERT ANDERSON
THE ROANOKE TIMES
There was only one stumbling block for Rockbridge County's Jon Kirchner in
choosing Virginia as his college football destination.
Kirchner's parents are graduates of Virginia Tech.
"My mom's been pretty supportive the whole time," Kirchner said. "My dad is
starting to come around with it."
Better get used to UVa now, Pop. Kirchner, a 6-foot-5, 260-pound defensive
lineman at Rockbridge, ended his recruiting process Tuesday by making an oral
commitment to Virginia.
Kirchner, who scored 1,140 on his SAT, picked UVa over co-second favorites Tech
and Stanford. He also had offers from Maryland, West Virginia and Duke.
"I visited [UVa] three times, and every time I got the feeling that it was the
place for me," said Kirchner, a first-team All-Timesland pick and a second-team
All-Group AA selection. Kirchner is rated the state's No.13 player in the 2004
class by The Roanoke Times.
"They have a young team that's on the uprise. All their coaches were very
positive and about all of them have been in the NFL at some time."
That includes UVa head coach Al Groh, a former head man with the New York Jets.
Kirchner said all his visits to UVa included a session with Groh.
"Every time we'd sit down for about half an hour," Kirchner said.
The Rockbridge star said he committed early to avoid dealing with phone calls
and visits during his senior season.
"I just wanted to get that off my shoulders, just having the security of knowing
where I was going to go," Kirchner said.
Kirchner helped lead Rockbridge to the VHSL playoffs for the second time in
school history. The defensive tackle position he plays for the Wildcats is
similar to the end spot where the UVa coaches initially have him pegged.
Kirchner said the UVa staff wants him to weigh 282 pounds and he figures to
redshirt in his first year on campus.
"I told them I want to take five years so I can spread out my classes," he said.
| Subject: Hokie staff responds to Kirchner commit |
| Posted by: maverickcav on Tue Jul 15 2003 10:02:19 PM |
| Message: Official Virginia Tech Release: (Insert Player Name Here) was not extended an official offer to play collegiate athletics at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University because: Insert appropriate reason here a) We knew he’d never qualify under the rigorous academic standards applied to incoming student athletes at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University b) We already had 275 Super-Prep All-Americans on the depth chart at that position. c) This player was a Plan B player and we had previously filled the need at his position d) He found out we cussed at his momma. e) He didn’t select Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University so he’s an idiot f) WE BACKED OFF g) Of the three players we were recruiting for that position, he was not the best h) All the above In keeping with Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University’s publicly stated policy of not recruiting verbally committed players unless the player gives us a verbal authorization to continue to have contact with him, we will no longer have further contact with (insert Player Name Here)*. *It should be noted that following this release, the staff contacted (insert Player Name Here) to wish him a good weekend and asked if we could call him later in the year to wish his dog happy birthday. He said that would be fine so in accordance with our stated policy, we will continue to recruit (insert Player Name Here) based on his verbal agreement that we could continue to have conversations with him |
ACC views a '10' as perfect in plan
Cut in title-game requirement sought
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Jul 16, 2003
The NCAA requires a conference to have 12 members in order to hold a
championship game in football. The Atlantic Coast Conference wants that rule
changed.
The ACC will grow to 11 by adding Virginia Tech and Miami next year, and
yesterday, as expected, it submitted to the NCAA a proposal for a legislative
amendment.
The conference proposed that the requirement be lowered to 10 schools, which
would enable not only the ACC but the Pac-10 and Big Ten, if they so chose, to
stage a lucrative title game.
"This proposal is pretty straightforward," said Shane Lyons, an assistant
commissioner with the ACC. "The legislation is currently in the books. All
you're really doing in making the amendment is asking that 12 be changed to 10."
Will the ACC get its way? Check back next spring. The NCAA's legislative process
involves many steps, and the ACC won't know the outcome of its request until the
NCAA's Board of Directors meets April 29 in Indianapolis.
If a majority of the 18-member board were to approve the proposal, the change
would go into effect Aug. 1, 2004, and the ACC could split its 11 members into
two divisions for football and play a title game in December 2004. If the
proposal were rejected, the ACC probably would begin searching in earnest for a
12th member.
In its proposal, Lyons said, the ACC noted that "football is the only sport that
has a membership requirement for conferences to conduct a championship contest."
The conference argued that the NCAA, by reducing the requirement to 10 schools,
would increase the stability of existing conferences. If a league wanted to
stage a football title game but had only 10 or 11 schools, it would not have to
raid another conference to boost its membership.
Also, Lyons said, the rule change would create another way for conferences to
generate revenue. The ACC expects to make at least $7 million from a football
title game.
DeLoss Dodds, Texas' athletic director, chairs the NCAA's Football Issues
Committee. Dodds said recently that reducing the requirement "might in the long
term stops conferences from feeling they need to get to 12. It might have a
settling effect if something like that would pass."
On Aug. 15, the NCAA will distribute to its members the legislative proposals
received by yesterday's deadline - probably 100 to 150 in all, Lyons said. After
Division I schools comment on the proposals, Lyons said, the NCAA's 49-member
Management Council will meet in January to "review the legislation and kind of
give their initial position on it."
The proposals then will be returned to the NCAA's member schools, which could
recommend changes to them. In April, the Management Council will review the
proposed legislation a second time, Lyons said, and then make a recommendation
before forwarding it to the board of directors. The board, however, is not to
bound to follow the council's recommendation.
Between now and April, ACC officials will try to persuade their counterparts in
Division I to support the proposed rule change.
"Obviously, with any legislation you're going to have people for it and people
against it," Lyons said.
The ACC hopes to release its 2004 football schedule by mid-December. Given that
the NCAA's ruling won't come until late April, the ACC must devise a schedule
that will work if the proposal is rejected - which would leave all 11 schools
grouped together - and also if it's approved. In that case, the 11 schools would
be split into two divisions, with the winner of each advancing to the title
game.
"It's possible to have a schedule that satisfies both models," said Mike Finn,
an ACC assistant commissioner.
Kirchner commits to U.Va. football
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Jul 16, 2003
Jon Kirchner's parents are Hokies, but he's going to be a'Hoo.
Kirchner, a 6-5, 260-pound rising senior at Rockbridge County High in Lexington,
committed yesterday to play football at the University of Virginia.
"It was my gut feeling," Kirchner said. "I visited there three times, and every
time I went I felt better and better about the possibility of going there. I
know the program's on the rise, and I want to be a part of that."
Kirchner, who doesn't turn 18 until March, also had scholarship offers from
Stanford, Maryland, Duke, West Virginia and Tech, his parents' alma mater.
"My dad took it a little hard," Kirchner said, "but my mom was totally behind
me. She's glad I made the decision I did."
Kirchner has a 3.3 grade-point average and recently scored 1,140 on the SAT. On
the field, he played offensive tackle and defensive end in 2002 for a Rockbridge
team that finished 8-3. He was named second-team all-Group AA on defense after
recording 58 tackles, including 20 for losses. Kirchner had four sacks.
"He has a tremendous work ethic, and he's always around the ball," Rockbridge
coach Billy Mills said.
Kirchner, who's expected to play defensive end in U.Va.'s 3-4 scheme, will shift
to defensive tackle for his final season at Rockbridge. "A lot of people were
running away from him," Mills said, "so we wanted to shore up the middle."
VERNON, Conn. - How soon the ACC expands again -- if at all -- will be shaped by a nine-month process that begins today, when the league seeks NCAA approval to stage a lucrative football championship game.
The ACC wants conference title games for leagues with at least 10 teams, which would allow the 11-member ACC to stage its first championship in 2004 -- perhaps in Charlotte. Currently, leagues must have 12 teams to stage a title game.
"It may be premature, but Charlotte would be very interested in hosting that game," said Ken Haines, president and CEO of Raycom Sports, which runs the Continental Tire Bowl. The 2002 bowl is estimated to have generated between $20 million and $40 million for the Charlotte area.
"The 2002 Continental Tire Bowl shows a major college football game can be very successful in Charlotte," Haines said. "And the location is ideal."
The first step comes today, when ACC assistant commissioner Shane Lyons said the league will submit its proposal. The NCAA will forward that to its Division I membership by late September.
The NCAA's 49-member management council will decide whether to send the proposal in April to the NCAA's Division I Board of Directors, including Georgia Tech President Wayne Clough. A majority of that board must approve.
"Clearly I would be supportive of it," Clough said July 1 at the Greensboro news conference announcing the ACC's 10th and 11th members. Miami and Virginia Tech will begin league play in 2004.
The obviousness of Clough's position drew giggles from ACC officials at the news conference, but this is no laughing matter. Since 1992, the SEC and Big 12 have staged 18 conference championship games generating more than $100 million.
Should the ACC proposal work, the league could net as much as $10 million from a title game in 2004. That would allow the ACC to stay at 11 for the foreseeable future, until -- or unless -- prized football independent Notre Dame decides to join a conference.
Should the proposal fail, the ACC likely would pursue a 12th member sooner than later -- diluting the pool of potential targets.
"By lowering that number to 10, we believe it will create some stability (nationally) in conference realignment," Lyons said. "If the (NCAA) membership does not approve it, obviously conferences wanting to pursue a championship game in football will look at" adding new members.
Credit former Fayetteville State athletics director J.D. Marshall for influencing the rule.
"I was just doing what I thought was best for Division II football," Marshall said.
It was 1987, and another Division II athletics director, Dick Yoder of West Chester (Pa.), was seeking NCAA approval for a title game for his 14-team Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Yoder authored legislation to the NCAA setting the minimum at 14.
"Of course, we were the only league in the country at the time with 14 teams," said Yoder, now the mayor of West Chester. "J.D. Marshall began encouraging me: `Don't limit yourself. Why say 14 teams? How about 12?' So I made the change."
NCAA membership approved.
SEC Commissioner Roy Kramer used the 12-team loophole for a title game in 1992. The Big 12 followed in 1996.
Now the ACC must sway the Division I Board of Directors, whose 18 members include six from Bowl Championship Series leagues.
"There are 18 votes that have to be swung," Clough said. "I would think that given our discussions (with other conferences) ... a lot of people will be interested in revising this rule."
The key could be a BCS consensus -- no easy feat. Would the Big East back a proposal benefiting the league that lured its top two football programs? Would the SEC and Big 12, knowing the proposal would only benefit their BCS competitors? New SEC Commissioner Mike Slive would be in a delicate situation; he lobbied for a similar proposal as commissioner of Conference USA.
"If the 60-something schools in those (BCS) leagues want it to happen, it will happen," said Western Athletic Conference commissioner Karl Benson.
If not, brace for Round 2 of ACC expansion.