Jeff White Set to Debut on VirginiaSports.com
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 07/24/2009

Charlottesville, VA – Former Richmond Times-Dispatch sportswriter Jeff White will make his debut this weekend as the Director of News Content for VirginiaSports.com. White’s first contributions will come when he covers the Atlantic Coast Conference’s annual football media days in Greensboro that begins Sunday.

For the past 21 years White has worked for newspapers in Richmond. He began as a prep writer for the afternoon News-Leader and then moved to the Times-Dispatch when the papers merged in 1992. He has covered the UVa beat since 2000. The National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association has honored White six times since 2001 as the Sportswriter of the Year in Virginia.

“Jeff’s hire will allow VirginiaSports.com to increase its original content to a level that has not been seen before,” said Executive Associate Director of Athletics Jon Oliver. “Over the years Jeff has earned the respect of our coaches, staff and student-athletes for his comprehensive knowledge of Virginia athletics and his objective reporting. His in-depth profiles, commentary and analysis will make VirginiaSports.com a trusted source of information for our fans.”

In addition to writing for VirginiaSports.com, he will contribute to Virginia’s athletics Facebook and Twitter sites throughout the year.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for me, and I’m eager to get started,” White said. “I’ve learned much about the University and its athletics department over the years, and that knowledge will inform my coverage for VirginiaSports.com. I hope to provide behind-the-scenes looks at UVa athletics that can’t be found anywhere else. Fascinating stories abound here, and I look forward to telling them.”

“Jeff will have a great deal of latitude in covering our sports,” Oliver said. “It will be natural to question his objectivity now that he is writing stories for us but we really want him to cover our sports programs the same way he did during his very successful run at the Richmond Times-Dispatch. It is our hope that over time our fans will seek out Jeff’s stories as a credible source of information.”

Virginia becomes the second ACC school to have a newspaper reporter join its Official Athletics Website as a contributing writer. NC State hired Tim Peeler from the Greensboro News & Record for GoPack.com in 2004. He is now the managing editor for the site.

Hiring newspaper reporters to supplement department communications has been a new trend in college athletics in recent years. The Big 12 Conference hired Wendell Barnhouse, formerly of the Forth Worth Star-Telegram, in a similar capacity last summer. Baylor recently hired Jerry Hill from the Waco Tribune-Herald. Last fall Texas brought Natalie England from the San Antonio Express-News onboard for TexasSports.com and earlier this month Colorado hired long-time beat writer B.G. Brooks for CUBuffs.com. Rice, Stanford and New Mexico are other schools that have made similar moves.

“If you follow the newspaper sports industry, these are some people with very impressive credentials that schools have brought to their respective staffs,” said UVa Assistant Athletics Director for Media Relations Jim Daves. “This is a trend that has been prevalent in the NBA, NFL and MLB for several years and those teams have found it to be a tremendous benefit. The traditional news media is shrinking and so is the news hole and amount of coverage. This is a very forward-thinking move that will greatly benefit UVa fans who are hungry for more in-depth information on the Cavaliers from one of the region’s top writers.”

 

First Day on the Job
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 07/24/2009
By Jeff White

CHARLOTTESVILLE – This is my first official day as part of what newspaper types like to call the Dark Side – the world of PR – and I must admit it feels strange.

I’m sitting here in an office at University Hall, wearing a polo shirt that bears the logo of the school I spent most of the past decade covering, as dispassionately as possible, as a sportswriter for the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Yesterday was my final day at the T-D, for which I also covered high schools, Virginia Commonwealth University and Virginia Tech, among other things, before taking over the UVa beat in 2000.

Today I have a new title – Director of News Content for VirginiaSports.com – a new office, a new laptop and a new employer. Not to mention newfound security for myself and my family. This gig will take some getting used to, but I’m excited about the possibilities, and I suspect "Dark Side" will turn out to be a misnomer.

These are tough times for newspapers everywhere, and as staffs and budgets continue to shrink, or disappear, more and more stories are being left untold. After 21 years at one Richmond daily or the other, I’m looking forward to telling the stories that touch on one of Division I's most successful athletic programs. I’ll have the resources to do so – if the Cavaliers make it back to the College World Series next year, I’ll be in Omaha with them -- as well as unprecedented access to coaches, staff and athletes here.

Moreover, I have the support of the men at the head of the athletics department, Craig Littlepage and Jon Oliver. When they approached me about this position, they made clear that they wanted me to continue reporting on UVa in the manner I had for The Times-Dispatch, and they’ve assured me (and told coaches in the department) that I’ll be given great latitude in covering the entire athletics program.

I’m not naďve. I know who’s signing my paychecks now, and I won’t be breaking bad news about UVa athletics before officials here want it released. But if a team is struggling, I’ll write that, and if a player is dismissed from a team for some infraction, I won’t ignore that. For two-plus decades, I’ve prided myself on being a fair and responsible reporter, and I have no intention of changing my approach.

Look for my reports and blog entries on VirginiaSports.com. I’ll be posting on Facebook and Twitter, too. Your feedback is welcome, and you can reach me at jeffwhite@virginia.edu.

My first assignment comes this weekend at the ACC’s summer football gathering in Greensboro, N.C. Other schools have hired former newspaper reporters for positions similar to mine, but this is untraveled ground for UVa, and we’ll have to figure out what works and what doesn’t. We’ll get it right, though. Hope you’ll come along for the ride.

 

U.Va. enters journalism biz
We media mongrels welcome a new competitor Sunday when the ACC's two-day football kickoff commences near conference HQ in Greensboro.

Actually, Jeff White is hardly new. He worked at Richmond newspapers for 21 years and began covering the University of Virginia, his alma mater, in 2000.

Moreover, in the interest of full disclosure, White and I are good friends. There's not a reporter whose standards of accuracy, integrity and hard work I admire more.

But White no longer covers the Cavaliers for a newspaper. He covers them for the university's athletics Web site, Virginiasports.com.

In announcing White's appointment Friday, Virginia's executive associate athletic director, Jon Oliver, said White will provide "in-depth profiles, commentary and analysis."

Few are as qualified to do so. Question is, how much editorial license will he have?

The question becomes all the more compelling given the criticism fans and media have leveled at athletic director Craig Littlepage and football coach Al Groh recently.

"Jeff will have a great deal of latitude," Oliver added in the news release. "It will be natural to question his objectivity now that he is writing stories for us, but we really want him to cover our sports programs the same way he did during his very successful run at the Times-Dispatch."

With universities, media outlets, indeed myriad businesses, looking to goose Internet traffic and sell Web advertising, Virginia's move could pay dividends (as much as White's exorbitant salary?) and hamstring others -- the Daily Press included.

Toward that end, it certainly would behoove Cavaliers officials, coaches and athletes to leak information first to White.

Other schools to take the plunge include North Carolina State, Colorado, Texas and Baylor. Pro teams and leagues have been at this for years.

Meanwhile, we newspaper stegosauruses soldier on.

White, by the way, will be posting on Facebook and Twitter, too. Of all the people I expected to tweet, he was among the last.

Welcome to the Brave New World.

Posted by David Teel
 

ACC football storylines entering media days
By Norm Wood Daily Press
July 26, 2009

When the Atlantic Coast Conference media put pen to paper at the conference's football media days, don't expect any Tim Tebow-sized controversies going on in the preseason voting like they just had in the Southeastern Conference.

Frankly, no players of that magnitude exist in the ACC this season, but that's not to say there isn't improving talent. Both Virginia and Virginia Tech could be well-represented on the All-ACC preseason first team.

While U.Va. likely will be predicted fifth out of six teams in the ACC's Coastal Division, the Cavaliers have a good shot at getting cornerback Ras-I Dowling and offensive tackle Will Barker on the preseason first team.

Tech, the ACC favorite, could wind up with tight end Greg Boone, offensive guard Sergio Render, running back Darren Evans, defensive end Jason Worilds, free safety Kam Chancellor and punter Brent Bowden on the preseason first team.

Of course, preseason teams only serve as fodder for idle chitchat while we wait for the kickoff of the season. They don't mean an awful lot. Here's a look at some of the bigger storylines that will be discussed at ACC media days today and Monday in Greensboro, N.C.:

Boston College
Three seasons, three coaches (Frank Spaziani is now the man), quarterback Dominique Davis has transferred, ACC defensive player of the year Mark Herzlich is battling cancer, linebacker Mike McLaughlin is recovering from a torn ACL. That's a lot to handle.

Clemson
Though Phoebus High graduate Tajh Boyd, left, has indicated he has every intention of working his way into the race for starting quarterback in August, he'll have a lot of ground to make up against Willy Korn and Kyle Parker, both of whom played well in the spring.

Duke
After seeing his team finish 102nd in the nation in total offense during his first season as the Blue Devils' coach, David Cutcliffe will have his vaunted offensive acumen tested with just six returning offensive starters, but at least one of them is All-ACC candidate quarterback Thaddeus Lewis.

Florida State
Expect there to be plenty of "when will Bobby Bowden finally hang up the whistle?" discussion in Greensboro. Here's the thing ... if Bowden and FSU don't win an appeal with the NCAA to keep 14 wins on his record, it could make his decision on when to retire a lot easier.

Georgia Tech
OK, the ACC has seen coach Paul Johnson's triple option, and he proved it still works just fine, thank you (fourth in the nation in rushing offense). Anybody want to bet it gets any easier to defend this season with quarterback Josh Nesbitt and running back Jonathan Dwyer, the defending ACC offensive player of the year, back?

Maryland
With a weird 2008 season in the rearview (wins against ranked teams including California, Clemson, North Carolina and Wake Forest; lost to Middle Tennessee State and Virginia), the Terrapins have just four starters returning on defense. That's tied with Wake Forest's defense for fewest returnees on either side of the ball in the ACC.

Miami
Perhaps no team in the ACC has a more promising backfield than the Hurricanes, who have Graig Cooper, Javarris James and spring sensation Damien Berry (114 yards in the spring game) back this season. Even with Cooper and James on the field last season, the Hurricanes still were just 78th in the nation in rushing offense.

North Carolina
Two of UNC's last three recruiting classes have been rated by most recruiting analysts among the nation's top 20 classes, which means the pressure to produce is about to intensify in Chapel Hill. It's year three for coach Butch Davis, and anything less than last season's eight wins will be disappointing.

North Carolina State
Last season, the Wolfpack had to win its last four games just to get bowl-eligible. Now, it could be considered a darkhorse to win the Atlantic Division. What does the ACC rookie of the year, quarterback Russell Wilson, do for an encore? Might redshirt freshman quarterback Mike Glennon, right, be slightly regretful about his college choice?

Virginia
Much has been made (and rightfully so) of U.Va.'s transition to a spread offense under new offensive coordinator Gregg Brandon, but the Cavaliers are going to need new playmakers to emerge at more than the quarterback position. U.Va.'s top five reception leaders from last season are gone, including top rusher Cedric Peerman.

Virginia Tech
Tech will try to reverse the historical trend Sept. 5 against Alabama. Tech has opened against ranked foes just six times, and has lost every game (last time was 2004 against No. 1 Southern California). How much of a role will promising first-year players Ryan Williams, David Wilson, Logan Thomas and D.J. Coles play early on?

Wake Forest
The Demon Deacons have just one returning starter in the back seven of their defense. Last season, the running game produced just 121 yards per game (lowest in coach Jim Grobe's tenure at Wake Forest). An entire offensive line of returning starters and healthy running back Josh Adams should help those numbers.
 

ACC Football: No voting problems to see here
Keeping up with SEC’s big TV deal is one of the hot topics for coaches to discuss
By PAUL STRELOW - pstrelow@thestate.com E-Mail

 CLEMSON — On the one hand, it’s too bad the ACC does not have a coaches preseason all-conference team, losing the chance for a witch hunt comparable to when USC coach Steve Spurrier mistakenly omitted Florida quarterback Tim Tebow from his ballot.

On the other hand, North Carolina State quarterback Russell Wilson by a lack of consensus vote is not as absorbing.

The hot topic at the league’s media days — held today and Monday in Greensboro, N.C. — instead figures to center on how the league plans to keep up with the SEC financially.

Commissioner John Swofford and two players from each school will address media today, followed by coaches Monday afternoon. Here are five story lines to follow:

1. Green with envy

The SEC’s lavish new TV deal will mean at least $16 million annually for each of its schools. By contrast, ACC schools receive about $6.5 million annually on a deal that expires after 2011.

The ACC went 6-4 against the SEC last year. But in a slumping economy and with a less marketable football product, ACC programs stand to suffer the most from the financial advantage its regional rivals will gain.

2. Bye-bye, Bowdens?

It used to be sport to bounce between the tables of Clemson coach Tommy Bowden and his father, Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, for jabs about one another.

This will be the first preseason gathering without Tommy in a decade, and signs point to Bobby — who will turn 80 in November — not being far from the exit door.

FSU must pay offensive coordinator and coach-in-waiting Jimbo Fisher $5 million if he is not promoted to Bowden’s spot within the next two seasons.

Also, Bowden will be peppered for his opinion on the NCAA sanction that could take away 14 wins and all but ruin his chance to eclipse Penn State’s Joe Paterno for the all-time victories record.

Bowden said two weeks ago he has a sense for when he will retire, and there is reason to wonder whether his farewell tour is quietly underway.

3. QB crop offers hope

Middling quarterback play has dragged down the quality of ACC offenses in recent years. But this season’s QB crop offers hope the league could be poised to turn the corner.

Six quarterbacks will be on hand this weekend, and only half (Wake Forest’s Riley Skinner, Duke’s Thaddeus Lewis and Maryland’s Chris Turner) are seniors. And the group does not include Wilson — the likely preseason All-ACC pick — Miami’s Jacory Harris or Clemson’s eventual starter, all either sophomores or freshmen.

4. Will quantity enhance quality, version 2.0?

While the ACC probably goes without a national title contender again, as many as eight teams possess the talent for a top-25 finish. Parity might not rake in the cash, but it should make for a dramatic season.

In the Atlantic Division, N.C. State is a trendy pick to build on its strong finish a year ago, and FSU looms as the annual de facto favorite. Clemson or Wake Forest can also make cases to be ranked as the favorite.

Virginia Tech remains the team to beat in the Coastal Division until proven otherwise, but the splash Paul Johnson made in his first season at Georgia Tech puts the Hokies’ reign on notice. North Carolina’s loaded defense and Miami’s wealth of young talent also threaten to muddle the picture.

5. Lightning flashes

Folks who cover the ACC are aware of Clemson running back C.J. Spiller’s skills and potential.

But even if Spiller does not emerge as a Heisman Trophy contender this season, you can bet Clemson’s Heisman campaign for Spiller will yield public relations benefits this weekend.

The lifesize poster promotion figures to attract media to Spiller’s table — making the school’s $1,000 tab for mailing costs (sponsors picked up the $10,000 printing fee) a fruitful investment.