Few schools in Northern Virginia have a stronger connection to the Hokies than Manassas' Stonewall Jackson High School.
Not only is the school situated in the heart of one of the regions with the most VT alumni in the country, but the Raiders have sent players to the Hokies in both the past and present — running back Ryan Williams hailed from Stonewall Jackson, as does incoming freshman defensive back Greg Stroman.
Now, the Hokies are hoping they can use that connection to form a bond with highly recruited Stonewall Jackson DT Tim Settle.
"We have a lot of VT grads on staff and in our faculty, and they're always talking up Virginia Tech," said Raiders head coach Darryl Robinson. "Tech is closer to home for him. I just think it'd be a great match for Tim with so many alumni coming from there."
But the rising senior doesn't necessarily share the same enthusiasm for the Hokies.
"I like that they're a Virginia school, they're good at recruiting, I want to take another visit there," Settle said. "But I feel like I'm missing something with them. I need something to click."
Settle has already been to Tech three times — most recently stopping by Blacksburg for the school's Junior Day in February — and the staff has been active in visiting Manassas as well.
"Back in the spring, Coach (Torrian) Gray and Coach (Charley) Wiles came through several times," Robinson said. "Coach (Bud) Foster did as well. They've talked often, communicating with him and me."
New Hokie Stroman has also been active in trying to sway his old teammate.
"Greg talks with him quite a bit," Robinson said. "Greg's busy doing his own thing now, but they still communicate a lot. They've traveled together before."
But whether it's Stroman or the staff doing the talking, Settle isn't going to take anything too seriously just yet.
"Lots of people talk to me, and I listen to what they have to say," Settle said. "That's all I can I do."
He's not kidding when he says he's hearing from plenty of people — he has a whopping 37 scholarship offers from schools across the country.
"I'm also looking at Tennessee, Florida State, UCLA, Arizona State, Florida, Marshall," Settle said.
But Robinson insists he's still taking Tech seriously as he fields offers from this multitude of programs.
"He understands what Tech could be for him," he said.
Settle recently announced on Twitter that he'll be committing on December 20, so all fans can do in the meantime is salivate about the athletic ability he can bring to a defense.
"We're going to play him some at nose tackle this year, just because he plays so well inside and out," Robinson said. "He likes to run. He takes pride in the fact he can move. Sometimes he even challenges guys to race."
Robinson thinks he's versatile to play anywhere along the line when he gets to the next level.
"He could do both, play tackle and end," Robinson said. "He would be a good DE. He's mobile enough to contain."
For his part, Settle feels his greatest strength is his mind rather than his body.
"I point out things really well," he said. "I'm good at reading a quarterback's or running back's eyes."
However, he still sees room to improve when it comes to defending the run.
"I really want to work on maintaining my gaps more," he said.
Robinson also wants to see him put in some work as a leader off the field as well.
"He's a free spirit, bubbly, so he's not serious enough sometimes," Robinson said. "In the midst of a game, he's always focused. But I'd like to see him be more serious to lead. I've been working a lot with him on that, leading by example."
Now that the season is rapidly approaches, Robinson wants to hone in on making his last season a successful one.
"He enjoys the notoriety, the opportunity to take these visits," he said. "But I'm more concerned about making sure he's getting his grades in line and leading the team."
Comments
London Broil from West End should do it...
I thought we had someone giving players/prospects Hardees coupons??? Where did our focus go?!
Lets get some of those Hardees commercial girls on campus for their visits, maybe eating some London Broil.... guaranteed committment.
I see what you did!
To mimic Dick Enberg - 'Oh my!'
yeah, she looks like she eats a ton of Hardee's
oh man I look so flattering with that hardees burger. Can someone come get me off this island though, I miss Blacksburg
dayumm girl!! I'm coming as in coming to get you off the island.
you dirty hokie
There is now coffee all over my screen! oh my goodness that was great! I'm now crying with laughter
yeah, coffee is all over your screen... right....
Meh, you have better legs than that woman eating Hardee's on the island. I'm sure it's not you.
Hmm...very interesting. Would love to have the kid, but it sounds like he needs a little pushing off the field. Reading between the lines, it looks like he is pretty relaxed off the field. Then again, he is only 17. From what I can see, he sounds a little similar to Kris Harley. Also interesting to note the list of schools he provided...the outlier being Marshall? Hmm.
He is a much better prospect than Kris Harley was.
Speaking of Harley, where did he end up transferring to?
Western Illinois.
If the kid wants to come then bring him in, it he wants to be wooed and bribed he is better off at an $ec school
Bribed? No.
Wooed? Absolutely.
"I like that they're a Virginia school, they're good at recruiting, I want to take another visit there," Settle said. "But I feel like I'm missing something with them. I need something to click."
The new practice facility, Battle of Bristol, stable coaching staff, loyal fan base and Greg Stroman are good reasons for Tim to Settle at Virginia Tech.
That pic...jeez! The guy across from Settle looks like he is trying to hold off a locomotive. That had to be depressing.
I hope I am wrong, but that interview really seems to have a lot of innuendo. It sounds like we have a lot of guys in key places in our corner, but the part about VT "missing something" and "needing to click" were unsettling to me. (Yeah, I did that).
.......Marshall.......
Marshall and ASU are probably an indication of his academic standing, or lack thereof...may also be the "thing that doesn't click" at VT. Good luck
Or Marshall is a nearby school and ASU is one of the best known party schools in the country?
Lets not assume the kid is struggling academically.
You make a good point but some aren't assuming, many people have said he has room for improvement academically. He's a good kid and I think he will be just fine though grade wise though. Remember Raymon Minor's second school was Marshall but he buckled down and got the grades and I expect for Tim to do the same.
Got it, I hadn't seen that.
Yep, his academic standing is exactly why he's considering ASU...
/sarcastica
That really doesn't provide much motivation to get those grades up.
Reminds me of a Robin Williams quote:
Classic, probably one of the best/funniest quotes I have read.
Yeah...thats exactly...uh...whatever you were talking about...
petebuddywilson.
Paging petebuddywilson.
I get the feeling that this may require the mother of all coupon books.
(Sidenote: I went to type exactly what you posted, then decided to go check something in the lab, came back and saw that you beat me to it. Stupid work, getting in the way of my KeyPlayin'.)
I find the best way to balance TKP and work is to have a bourbon for breakfast. After that, everything just sorta falls into place.
" KeyPlayin' "...It'll get after ya!
Not gonna lie guys, this is going to be a tough one. We've worked out an agreement where he'll be able to redeem all the points from my Subway card, but he made it clear that he was still keeping his options open. I'm not supposed to share this, but I'm pretty sure one of the competing bagmen gave him F-18 Thunder Strike and NHL Blades of Steel for Game Boy Color.
I can donate a Cold Stone Creamery card with 3 holes punched, and a variety of spare parts for one of those wooden lofts that was popular in dorm rooms back in the 90's.
(I assume kids these days sleep on tricked out aerobeds with built-in entertainment systems.)
I don't need anything to click, I just feel like I need to settle down in Blacksburg.
At least he's honest. I bet you anything if we beat OSU, he'll start to change his tune.
Or attending a night game at Lane Stadium may also change his tune...
My wife went to Stonewall Jackson HS. Agreed, great pipeline. Very fertile recruiting grounds.
This is an example of why such a high % of elite Va. recruits have chosen to go to high profile programs instead of become Hokies. Here's a guy that says he's looking for something more. Some of the posts above emotionally respond by questioning his desire, his academics, and even implying he's looking to get paid. Nobody has bothered to consider that he is happy with Bud & his defense, but he wants to play where he can be in BCS games/playoff games. Lately, we can't ASSURE a recruit that will happen here. Heck, if recruits tell us that we're missing something and we just dismiss it out of hand, then no wonder they're going elsewhere. To me it seems that VT coaches need to be selling him harder on why we will QUICKLY be elite while also being close enough for his family/friends to come watch games. It's that simple.
You know, because Tennessee, UCLA, Arizona State, Florida, and Marshall have all been staples of BCS/Playoff games in recent years.
You're looking WAY too much into this. Sometimes a kid just doesn't want to go to his home state school. I practically grew up in NC State's backyard, but the last place I wanted to go to school was NC State. I wanted to get away from the area for a while. Maybe that's what he's looking for as well.
If the kid himself doesn't know what it is that's missing, how am I supposed to guess?
Unless the "something missing" is a bag man, in which case, good luck in your future endeavors.
I don't think I'm looking WAY too much in than those who claim he's not interested because of academics, lack of desire, or interest in getting paid. I didn't notice those being told the same. My take was no more involved than those. It was also FAR less insulting to a recruit that might monitor this board than those others. I guess proposing that our coaches might need to more diligently pursue yet another recruit that seems to be ready to head out of state is being unreasonable. Lesson learned.
Or maybe our coaches have learned from chemistry and fit problems in the past and have an understanding of what kind of kid they will go the extra mile for, versus the ones that they will deliberately not enable.
Or maybe something else altogether. We're all just speculating here.
True. Good points.
When I left tidewater Virginia (or northern virginia in his case) to come to Blacksburg, I definitely felt like I was leaving my backyard. SW Virginia is a whole 'nother world. But, if some people feel the need to be further than driving distance, I can understand that.
i mean..i grew up in charlottesville..'nuff said
1. "he wants to play where he can be in BCS games/playoff games. Lately, we can't ASSURE a recruit that will happen here." No program can ASSURE this. OK, some have better chances based on recent past, but they cannot ASSURE anything.
2. "if recruits tell us that we're missing something and we just dismiss it out of hand" Why do you think our coaching staff is doing this? You can't tell anything from that interview and information set. VT recruiting staff know what they are doing and will work on this as they can.
3. " it seems that VT coaches need to be selling him harder on why we will QUICKLY be elite" Again, why do you think our coaching staff isn't doing this? I'm sure they are doing this, but, results will tell the tail, right? So, like someone else said in this thread, we need to have a great season with a thrown in aOSU win and....BOOM!
Thanks for missing the point. The people dismissing a recruit's words out of hand aren't the coaches, at least I never alleged they were. I commented on the above comments, and made it abundantly clear that I was doing so, despite your attempt to twist my words into what I did NOT say. I guess you didn't pick up on that, again based on the emotional response you provided. As for why I think our coaches should be selling him harder? You really need that reiterated AGAIN? The guy said he still needed something else to sell him on VT. The recruit did us a favor and said - 'Work me a little harder'. Sure that's egotistical, but - HELLO, it's a HS recruit. We should be thankful he didn't give a cliched answer & ignore us to go elsewhere. He opened the door, and told us what he thought. For that, we got posts about his lack of desire, his alleged academic deficiencies, & his alleged desire to be paid to attend. Then you provide a complete denial that our coaching staff - that has watched several elite recruits over the last few years go out of state to elite programs - you say that I'M at fault for thinking we need to do more to get these guys to stay at home. Gotcha. De Nile/Denial. Gif's don't make the point any more legitimate. The stats show we lose far too many elite recruits to out of state programs. Yet you don't want to hear that we need to improve. Gotcha. De Nile/Denial.
You missed my point also. I'll say it with less words...
Ahh, I see. So, your point is - ... nothingness. Gotcha.
I'm with you in general...Here's my thing:
For as long as I can remember the Beamer/VT Recruiting Strategy has been one based on relationships. Make great relationships with coaches, establish pipelines with schools, make major in-roads - especially in-state. The notion is that in establishing these relationships, sure you maybe take a few lower-rated kids. But when the real big talents roll through, they'll roll right on down that established pipeline.
Stonewall Jackson is the epitome of this in theory, but here we are in the same place where we have all these great relationships, and here we are again: a 5-Star DL is going to go somewhere else. I mean the planets couldn't be better aligned in theory, and it's not gonna happen.
It is what it is, and I don't think there's anything that can be done about it. I don't even think it's about winning or the BCS or anything, I think it's about putting kids in the league. Talents like Tim Settle have designs on playing professional football, and we just don't have a sterling track record of putting DL in the league, despite having an awesome defense practically year-in and year-out and one of the best defensive minds in the college game. Wasn't there even an article about this on this site some time around signing day when all of last year's top DL talent went elsewhere?
I'm not trying to "be negative" or anything, but I do think it's a bummer. As good as our D regularly is, can you imagine how game-breaking it would be if we had some of this top DL talent that keeps slipping through our fingers? Oh Well...
You make solid points. Thank you for being open to discussion on on of the 800 lb gorillas/elephants/mammals in the china shop - to mix a few metaphors. Some of my thoughts - We've got a pipeline to this school, obviously. Yet this kid isn't sold on us. He's a defensive player, which SHOULD be an easier get for us. But he took the time to tell us he wants more from us in recruiting. That tells me he is (kind of) begging us to woo him. Whatever that means in his world, we (our coaches) should be able to discern. I mean, do I need to remind people that it's the D guys that we get, mostly, and the O guys we lose, for obvious reasons. yet, here is a recruit that tells us his truth. And our fans (on here) react as though he is somehow insidious and defective and unworthy to be graced by our Orange & Maroon. Folks, if we're selling the program, we need to understand that not everyone has the same mindset as those of us who already attended Tech, or who couldn't but still fondly wish that we had. or those who just love our style of football. These recruits have varied life experiences and perspectives. based on recruiting data over the last decade, our % of success with elite recruits could be improved. Questioning how we do that is a legitimate discussion. At least one would rationally think so. Who knows what else Settle thinks about his future career, but it is worthy of discussion as to how we might better address that.
That statement isn't true. Aside from our more recent recruiting difficulties, the top recruits from most of our classes tended to be offensive players. Joel Caleb, Logan Thomas, David Wilson, Ryan Williams, Tyrod Taylor, Marcus Vick. Even Macho Harris was an ATH who could have played on the offensive side of the ball. On the other hand, the list of top defensive targets we've missed out on just off the top of my head includes Hand, Brown, Nnadi, Holmes, Allen, Kirven, Anthony, Hughes, and Grant.
Why the down vote? He only expressed an opinion, not hatefully either.
I think it's a reaction to him getting nasty later. I think a lot of times when someone gets snippy, people go through and downvote a bunch of their stuff. Not saying it's what ought to be done, just that I suspect it is.
When a recruit doesn't pick us, the issue is usually one of the following:
As Chris Fowler once put it:
I know we all find it hard to believe that someone could possibly not want to spend the best 4-5 years of their life in Blacksburg, but it's not for everyone. I hope Settle picks the good guys, but if not, I won't hold it against him.
Every recruit considering Tech should read Fowler's quote.
That quote is pure gold. We all feel that. Go Hokies!
I think this hits the nail on the head. Settle said something still has to click. Dude may just not be vibing with VT. He has been there three times. To me it's not happening. Three times and it hasn't clicked, to me, I doubt it will.
Not sure why so many people here are hating on Marshall. They aren't big 5 but doc Holliday is a hell of a recruiter and has the herd looking at an undefeated season and projected peach bowl birth. The fact that many Hokies think so little of Marshall is exactly why it took 3 OTs to beat them last year. They even beat the same Maryland team that knocked off Tech. They are an outlier on the list for sure, but certainly no slouch of a team
Edit: sorry about the rant but if the team has this same elitist mentality and overlooks teams than it would explain why we lose to jmu, bc, etc every year. Also, I'm a big supporter of The Herd and Hokies
Marshall will always have talent because they are one of the "safety" schools who get recruits that don't have the grades to get in the big time schools and Holliday is a good enough recruiter to sway them there. And that's not a bad thing. Honestly I think they have a chance to do some serious damage this year.
See, this is the way I would like to think this is going.
TS "Coach, I want to get to campus and start right away. What are the chances of that?"
VT Coach "Well son, it depends on your work ethics and academics, but you certainly have the physical attributes to be game changer right away if you want it bad enough and put in the work."
Other school coach "Oh, 100% we have you slotted to start right away".
Now, that is all made up in my head but I can't help thinking that if I was one of the highest rated recruits in the nation, I want someone to stroke my ego and tell me that I will be the game changer as soon as I walk on campus.
I like the VT way.
I can imagine that there are definitely coaches who might not do the "Oh, 100% we have you slotted to start right away" thing, but coupled with what the cousin's coach (Dana H.) said this past week, you can easily understand how similar assurances could be made. You know Holgorsen's quote is going to work against them at some point. If he's telling everyone that he lies to recruits, how well is that going to play with the parents and the kids?
If Timecop is convincing parents that lolUVA is da new U then I am willing to believe anything, including Dana Holgorsen still landing recruits despite knowing he's lying to their face.
You mean...
"da new YOU!"
seriously well played +1
Why did London call him Je77?
Ok. I guess we have 5 more months of speculation.
Only 4 Months, 6 Days. But who's counting?
Que the graphic that depicts the matrix of a fan's reasoning for a recruit not picking their school.....couldn't find it.
As good as this kid could potentially be, I would not want him at VT if he wasn't 100% into the program. I'd rather have a great team player that gives 110% effort. Just my OP....Half of the time these kind of players divide locker rooms.