Today is early signing day for the 2021 Recruiting Class. Looks like they made videos for each of the kids who send in their letter.
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Close your eyes and it sounds like we signed Arnold.
Yeah not cool.
He is also Croatian by the way.
everything ive seen says he's from germany. maybe ethnically croatian but from germany? -- niko kovac comes to mind
also arnold is austrian anyway
Germany has had a lot of refugees and has open doors to many other countries. For instance, where my family is from (actually same state as where Danny is) has a lot of Turkish immigrants from back in the 70's and 80's.
His family is Croatian and immigrated to Germany. So while he may live in Germany, he is still Croatian by heritage.
yes, german nationality and croatian ethnicity.
He's from a province in Austria that is closest to the area that was formerly known as Yugoslavia. It's entirely possible his accent, which many German speakers consider provincial, could have some serbo-croat influence. It's also why he wasn't picked to do the German dub of The Terminator.
Croatian, you say?
That was a pretty sweet video. HokieFireman should approve.
Sweet! We got the 3rd highest rated player in
thea country!TJ might get 15 players out for FB...just saying.
gibble gibble, chumps!
6'4", 225. That's not a TE, that's a QB! Right?
This is the commit I'm most excited about. A big time flip in our biggest position of need
good God look at the neck on that kid...
Saw earlier but can't find it that he is a decent wrestler also.
247 says his record is 7-0 this season and he's looking to win it all.
In my experience the younger brother is always more of the outspoken show-off - this should be fun :-)
Love the individualized videos.
What I really want to know is if he can return punts like his big brother.
Senior year Stroman, please. Love me some Stroman Sr., but he had some growing pains at PR.
Love the Maroon hair!!
Wrong embed?
No.
Just trying to add more Ja(y)len's
not gonna lie, when I first saw his name, my mind went straight to cartoons plural in the key & peele bit
straight up tho, this boy is the real deal, he will have some highlights in Blacksburg,
he had SCar, NC State, and others try to change his mind, but he stuck to the Hokies
This guy went to the same high school as Tray Curry, and according to some scouts, Moss was the better player and prospect this year. Really happy with this signing.
Chance is a serious athlete who brings high character, work ethic and a motor that will not quit. Welcome Chance.
I have watched every HS game he has ever played in. He will do well as a Hokie.
I always tell people that 5A football in South Carolina is legit. That part of the upstate in particular (Byrnes, Dorman, Spartanburg, Boiling Springs, Gaffney, etc) treats high school football as a VERY big deal.
^True.
My husband took me to a Dorman - Spartanburg game for our first date. Neither of us has ties to either school; just wanted to watch some good football.
I'd he projecting at linebacker?
that's my understanding
Yes
lots of ja(y)lens and ja(y)dens in this class
https://www.babycenter.com/top-baby-names-2003.htm
Jayden coming in a #19 for 2003
the player on defense i'm most excited for in this class
I am also the most exited about this guy, and not just because of his last name.
So is he really 6'4" or 6'6"?
He said 6' 6", so I was wondering if maybe he grew since the height listings? A 6' 6" linebacker!?!?
Hey, why not?
I would think a lower center of gravity might be good for stopping people, but long arms to wrap people up and stick into passing lanes has gotta be good too. Just doesn't seem like something you see very often but I'm not going to complain about it, especially if it works.
When I was in grad school, Georgia ALWAYS had tall LBs, and then the Hokies brought in 6'5" Tremaine Edmunds. I've become a fan of tall LBs after both those experiences.
Excited for the next class of Hokies!
Looks like we fended off a late push by TCU for him. Excited we were able to hold onto him after all the DD drama!
I'm excited about this one.
Love this signing too, but why did they give him a youth sized hat?
and the one i'm most excited about on offense
with the QP transfer I think we might see this guy suit up sooner rather than later
does anyone know where the link is for the noon press conference?
My untrained eye says he is a bigger get than his rating
Agreed. Catholic school league in NJ pumps out some legit talent and he was a man among boys there
coach's son, huh? Is he a real gym rat, too?
First guy. Last guy out.
We've quietly recruited TN well, and I look forward to the kids coming from the state. Some hard nosed kids.
The GA kids are solid players, and GA HS football is extremely competitive. We've gotten some great kids from the Peach State.
This is one I'm really excited about.
Yeah me too. I was worried about him being flipped....
Huge that we kept him! If Herbert is gone I would bet he may even get some carries next year. This dude can play
Really like this class, guys. Maybe not as highly ranked as some would like but in my opinion, underrated.
Kids seem to be good character guys too.
I like where many are from - areas that play serious football.
I'm curious as to how big the actual gap is in rankings...looking at the ACC class rankings, obviously Clemson, Miami and UNC are tops with the numbers of 4 and 5 star guys they are bringing in...but once you get past them its Pitt (avg- 86.52), UVA (avg 86.11), then we're sitting at 11 with an avgerage rating of 85.06.
How big is the difference between the 4th and 5th ranked and the 11th ranked here?
The gap from 1 to 2 is 28.69
3 to 4 is 46.81
4 to 11 is 17.83
Average star rating isn't as good as indicator, as Florida State has a higher average star rating than Pitt, who is 4 places higher than the noles.
Right...so what are those points based off? What is the talent gap between 204.73 and 188.87?
although "talent gap" is probably better looked at by ranking/clustering the avg star ratings than by overall class rank, since the class rank is influenced by number of signees (which contributed to last years class being so awful -- low ratings, small class)
I'll do an ACC deep dive post sometime next week, comparing where their ratings pan out. Based on what I'm seeing from us, I'd expect our bell curve to be the most compact of ACC schools. I could be wrong.
Looking forward to it!
For instance, the variance of our entire class that has signed so far could fit between Miami's top 2 signees.
If nothing this guy needs to be recruited for the all names team!
https://247sports.com/player/general-booty-46058082/
If you're getting that much Booty, you don't need a Hooker anymore.
Unless a Hooker is why you are getting that much booty...
Canon Boone flipped to Mississippi State
Big loss as he was our only OT in the class and we needed tackles.
Power 5 team came into the competition so therefore we couldn't swing it
We did get that PWO out of IMG Academy in Florida, Will Jones. Lots of Ivy League offers and a couple P5 offers too.
He's 6'6" and 280 pounds. I wouldn't be surprised if he's on scholarship sooner rather than later.
sigh
Really hope his name is pronounced "Icy Youtoot". First name good footballer name...last name good for locker room gold.
previously uncommitted btw, FUMA guy
Greyshirt I'm guessing? Looks like he was committed to UMass until today.
I like...I like...DBU
recent flip from Tennessee
(also, I deleted fireman's double post of this signing video)
Fits similar to the Blackshear mold without quite as much size but does have a little more speed, we will have to see how his hands look
We already have the all-purpose RB/WR with Chance Black. I'm hoping this guy plays DB.
Nah he's a RB. No other way to meet our 4 RB per class quota.
His recruiters were Lechtenburg and Ryan Smith. Sounds like he wanted a chance to play DB when Tennessee saw him exclusively as a RB. Hence a flip that was at least partially mutual.
Kenji also as a RB, position could get even more crowded than it has been. Strange considering Fuente only plays 2 backs per game.
If he goes DB, we're looking at like 9 DB's in this class. Stroman, Harvey, Keller, N. Johnson, Hoyle, Elder, McDonald, McDonald. Not *that* crazy since 5 DB's are generally on the field at any given time, but kind of crazy compared to recruiting 2 OL (5 positions)
Any idea which DB position he projects to?
Not gunna lie, really like defensive players also being wrestlers
I know that we all desire a huge uptick in recruiting, which isn't likely to happen with this staff, however I'm always going to be excited about and supportive of the young men who choose to come play football at VT.
Welcome home young fellas!
Absolutely agreed. I'm happy for everyone who accepted a scholarship today and it going to be able to live out their dreams.
I like the optimism and agree!
One thing I also like is all these guys seem genuinely excited to be Hokies.
Although we don't have any 4/5*s in this class. I'm very intrigued by a slew of these guys. Kenji, Keller and Hoyle look like the 3 skill guys that could come in immediately and compete based on their bodies and physicality as skill players. Etute, McDonalds and Moss are my picks for diamonds in the rough. Etute will need a year or two of weightroom, McDonalds will have to adjust to level of comp but they are huge and Moss may very well be able to compete early with our WR room shrinking. I hope we can hold onto Cole Nelson, he's my favorite DL prospect of the group. Mamadui looks like a handful as well. Glad to have you young men. GO HOKIES!
at this point, i believe we're just waiting on DJ Harvey and the McDonalds Jayden and Jorden
Is anybody expected to not sign today
Is anybody expected to not sign today
Cannon Boone Flipped to MS State
Everyone else is progressing
Updates from 247
Waiting on DJ Harvey (its only 7:45 AM in California) and the McDonald Twins.
We lost Cannon Boone to SEC
Honestly, I was like damn did we lose Harvey and then I realized it's only 10:45 here still
Per Jayden McDonald's twitter, he's signed (cant embed due to work restrictions)
Thought Fu said there were going to be some surprises, with guys that weren't already committed. Have we seen all of them yet? I know we got a couple that were new, but nothing crazy...
Mamudi, Howard, and Elder all fit Fu's description. I wouldn't expect us to be flipping a blue chip OL from Ohio State or anything this year, no.
Ah Ok, didn't know if Leigh was going to come out of nowhere or something.
dont get your hopes up -- he's also not planning to sign until February
Which member of the #TX2VT movement in this class is the best?
Lofton and it's not close
Considering he's the only recruit from TX2VT lol
(that was the joke)
damn i'm the idiot
My goodness. It's like the Terrell and Tremaine Edmunds showed up at their combine size fresh outta high school. No one will be able to throw on us ever again. Two first rounders, book it.
Would be exciting to see Whit get a sponsorship deal with McDonald's...free burger or something for every INT by a McDonald.
Perhaps a free meal if we score over 100 as in the old days in basketball?
I'm lovin' it
With JHam as DC/DB coach and 2 McDonalds in the secondary, I can't help but call them the Hamburglars.
They stick at corner they'll be the biggest corner's we've had since Jimmy Williams (6-3, 215)
I love King Fu Hustle
Easily in my Top 10 fave movies
They sound like MEN
future "Face of DBU"
Soooo close to that 4th star might as well have rounded up
That's all signed or accounted for.
I have got to get me one of those TV sweatshirts!
Sorry for adding a bit of noise to the thread, but I just wanted to thank the dynamic duo of fireman and GGC for their consistent two phased posting of each signee. Fireman with the Twitter and GGC with the 247. Nice work gentlemen.
Just picked up Jabari Parker out of Highland Springs, not sure if he's signing today or not but posted on Twitter
Awesome, we've needed a shooting guard in this class
Preferred walk on I believe
PWO?
Preferred Walk On.
No Scholie, but on the team without the normal walk on tryout.
what happened to Shawn Ashbury?
Nevermind, Answered my own question:
https://247sports.com/Player/Shawn-Asbury-II-46100215/TimelineEvents/
TLDR - any surprises today? Did we get what we need?
Lost an OL flip, gained a DL flip.
Good take on recruiting
It is a great take on recruiting and college football. Play the best teams, and the best recruits want to be challenged by the best. Crappy schedule equals crappy football team.
Not to bring down the mood here, but Bud Elliott just called us today's biggest loser on CBS Sports HQ. Barton Simmons also was critical of our recruiting and development under this staff (no surprise) but was high on our overall program recruiting potential.
Two days in a row as the biggest loser. Oh well, Scarlett, tomorrow is another day.........
And if those two died tomorrow I wouldn't even hear about it. So why should I care about their opinion?
Umm because Barton is the director of scouting for 247 and Bud Elliott is one of 247s higher up guys. They have tendrils all over the recruiting and college football landscape. What they say reflects insider perception of the program from recruits, HS coaches, rival schools, everything. Maybe you should care.
Yeah I listen to their podcast together, and Bud from back in the PAPN days as well. They aren't some evil VT haters looking to pile on.
Look, it's ok for us to mercilessly trash talk on CJF all day long, but if anyone from outside the fam dares to throw dirt on VT, we will rise up to defend our Hokie program and pride to the death.
Honestly, everything I've heard from both those guys about VT as a program is pretty positive. Barton ranked it best coaching job in the Coastal just last week. It is also nice to know that we're not overreacting to how much we suck right now.
Fail
Flipadelphia rolls on
Formerly a Wake Forest commit
Hope he can catch punts!
Auburn does not have a coach. They still signed a better class than VT. Vandy, also without a coach, signed a class that is ranked 5 spots behind VT's. Not sure this could have been fuented up much worse.
Vandy hired Clark Lea on Monday. He had a day and a half to turn out a class. A lot of those guys were probably recruited by Derek Mason who was in the midst of his 7th straight losing season. Vandy also has higher academic requirements than most. Your point stands.
A higher rated class yes...A better class? That's yet to be seen.