Discuss and share any recruiting topics for August 2022 that don't warrant their own threads. Commits and decommits warrant their own threads.
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Comments
The best uncommitted players in the state per 247
Keys: out of the running
Bass: according to Matej Sis on Boundary Corner podcast interview, b/t us and Pitt
Billups: Announcing on Aug 24, I like our chances
Carmelo Taylor (https://247sports.com/Player/Carmelo-Taylor-46134096/) is also uncommitted. He did receive a crystal ball to USCe a week or so ago (hence the team logo on that page), but he moved his commitment date back again after that, so he could still be in play.
Delaying again is good for us.
thats really good to hear about Billups, havent heard that yet.
Billups got a CB to UNC
Witfong, but it's not strong
Makes me physically sick. Also did you know that last class UNC got the #1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 14, and 18 ranked players in Virginia. More scholarship players than they got from NC
I really wonder what their recruiting pitch is. I mean they aren't on the verge of being great. They've been mediocre to decent and still struggle against us. I suppose we didn't have much to offer with Fu either. Hopefully things start to turn around with Pry.
"Come to UNC - Where the Jordans are real and the classes are fake!" - UNC's recruiting pitch (probably)
UNC historically recruits better than us regardless of whether they've ever had serious football success. They were hyped last year, but even then the same people hyping them were saying it was a year earlier than expected. We'll see if they can ever develop anybody, but talent wise, yes they are on the verge of being great.
Do they? I know they do when Mack Brown is there, but what about the rest of the time?
Most years they have recruited better than VT. Mack Brown has their class in the low teens, while previously they were high teens low twenties most years.
I imagine that they bring kids up to watch basketball games. It's the only thing that makes sense
They recruit to stars, not actual fit. They definitely ate VTs lunch for coveted Virginia recruits though thanks to Fuente.
edit: strike that
Another 757 miss
All aboard the sinking ship
Dre Bly and Mack could sell ice to eskimos
So disgraceful to see the top instate kids going to such a shitty program.
dernit. Was hoping Pry would start pulling some if these out and get some momentum rolling into next year.
Saw this coming when UNC lost an in State kid to NC State.
Whoever makes the thread, please feel empowered and encouraged to copy/paste the mumbo jumbo yourself (remember to update the month). No need for that to be a recurring Mod task lol
I'm receiving UVA football ads on this site and it's making me nauseous....
Somebody make it stop!
Is Joe doing this to get people to pay for TKP club membership? Delightfully devious if true!
$84/yr n done.
This is the way. To me it's silly for any power user of this site not to join TKPC.
This completely unbiased opinion brought to you by Joe, the totally normal TKP user...
In all fairness to me, I practice what I preach with other online content I consume. But yes, I'm certainly biased in this case. 😂
But it really doesn't make sense to me for any TKPer that's on the site frequently enough and long enough to complain about ads to not just buy the TKPC membership. If you use the site enough, that much, and you want a better experience, that's the solution.
I've held off on making the whole thing a member's only site (the way the internet and online communities are moving). But as time moves on, that argument gets more and more interesting. At the very least, it's a poor business decision because thousands and thousands of people browse the site every day and don't think twice about joining TKPC.
It's worth it for the ad removal alone
I joined TKPC before ads really ramped up. I can't imagine using the site with ads given what people have said about the experience. Join TKPC everyone, it's nothing but clear mountain air on this side.
I agree with you, Joe. I just thought it was funny.
Like this. This is funny too.
Wait .... if this site becomes members only then does that mean ....
New TKP Merchandise!
So if we became a "Starters Only" site would we bring these back?
As long as we brought back the winning ways, I care little about the color combos, stripe sizes, or the fonts used. II do have preferences but to mis-quote the late, great Al Davis "Just win with integrity and style, baby."
Honestly I'd be happy if I was still seeing UVA football ads even with TKP. It funnels money from UVA to TKP every time we see the ad. Hell, Id even click on the ad whenever I saw it!
Unofficial 2023 Big Board (google sheet link)
Sounds like after this weekend we are in a VERY good position with Hughes as well as Carmelo Taylor.
That is great news. Will Taylor be able to qualify out of high school? I think on TSL they have made reference to him needing to make some progress in his school work. I would love to snag a high quality local player.
We generally don't speculate or discuss grades here -- the upside to being correct is not worth the fallout of being wrong
What is the update on Taylor? I keep seeing it was a good weekend for us, but nothing specific coming out of Blacksburg. Just the fact that he pushed his commitment date again?
Carmelo Taylor to PSU
Ooof. That's now 5 in-state commits to Penn State ranked higher than our top guy. Really looking forward to the day that swings back in our favor.
When he signs, I'll be convinced of where he's going.
Two CBs on 247 for 3* CB from SC, Misun Kelley
Would be the second top 10 player from SC
Nice! Does he have a decision date?
87 rated croots pls
We finally pulled the trigger on the offer recently. Stock rising after solid camps.
The reaction video to the VT offer:
I think that is Mines on the phone, not sure though
this is awesome
I don't think it was Mines. It might have been his HS coach reporting the offer to him?
He is wearing a maroon top. Daniel HS is light blue colors.
I think it's Glenwood Ferebee.
my thought was Coach Cheetah given the SC crootin territory but i think you're right
So Bitter is reporting with one schollie under the 85 limit, there are two outside candidates and two internal. Hey this is TKP, enlighten me on the two outside prospects.
At least one OL outside please
DE depth would be nice but at this point with camp started, I imagine it would have to be internal. Pry is about competition and I bet he gives it to a Walk On who has been busting their ass.
Ishmael Findlayter 3* DE out of Canada
https://247sports.com/player/ishmael-findlayter-46117309/
Let's Go Hokies, eh!!
later? pfft... this is a great find now!
Look at how rudimentary his gym and workout are in his commit video. A year in our dietary and S&C programs will do wonders for his physical size. With that frame, if he is teachable, you will have your diamond in the rough.
I'm pretty sure those are just staged clips for the video. A year in our program will still do wonders because it is a tailored plan for him.
I feel great aboot this
I'll be celebrating this with a two-four and some Timbits!
Lets Gooo! Hopefully under the radar from playing in Canada
Edit: Now that I have a project in Toronto, I'll definitely be checking out some of his games this fall.
Not a huge fan of his tape, but I love his size and that he's from Canada. Hopefully he can prove me wrong that I think he's a little slow
I see a slow first step (he starts too high) but once he gets to 2nd gear, he gets lower and has pretty good acceleration. I think the tools are there IMO - they just need to get him lower in the 1st couple of steps.
This is exactly my read on him as well. I'd rather see someone who has those things initially, but if we have good player development then I'm not gonna say no to someone who is 6-4 with a 6-10 wingspan.
When QBs try to throw their way out of a collapsing pocket:
Think Pry is on the phone?
Let's see how much he likes Pry and staff. This will be a big flip, if Pry can get him.
Might be on the plane
95 rated DL from alabama
https://247sports.com/player/tomarrion-parker-46112804/
UGA, Bama, Tenn, UF more likely for a guy from Alabama who committed to PSU after Pry left
Take your well thought out and reasoned logic somewhere else ben!
Why do you think he decommitted (no sauces just spitballing)?
First guess? $$$
Second guess? He got an attractive SEC offer.
Third guess? both
I think you're right on the first guess. IIRC Jackson State went pretty hard for this guy. He may be chasing those $$$ to go play for coach Dion for a year.
I know there's a lot of time left for 2023 recruiting classes to solidify, but seeing our '23 class currently ranked higher than the past three Fuente classes makes me smile.
Chris Parson - 4 star QB, decommitted from FSU mid July - In his Final 4 - committing on Friday
247 Profile
the cbs favor mississippi st fwiw
Really wish this was different. This kid is going to be a good one. Got a legit cannon for an arm.
Wow this is kinda out of nowhere, didn't even realize we'd offered him
Thats an odd list, two of this schools have losing record at football.
TCU and SMU have prolific offenses that fit.
And oil money.
And yet the crystal balls all say MSU. Know that Starkville has? Ant hills. Humidity. Heat. Did I mention ant hills?
I did have some decent local beer. So, there's that.
An SEC schedule and playing the likes of Alabama, Texas,, Ole Miss, LSU and Auburn every year.
You kiddin me, bro? StarkVegas has The Little Dooey. What else could you need. #MoreCowBells.
It has Mike Leach and the possibility of throwing for 500 yards a game. Never hand the ball off. Just chuck it around. Of course he would want to go there.
😿
$$$$$
So did Florida State...
MSU as the CBs predicted
https://247sports.com/player/dj-moore-46128696/
am i the only one who hadn't seen that Cincinnati logo before?
I guess I never really thought of what a bearcat would look like, but I'd say that's about right.
Literally thought it was the Tasmanian devil at first
As a Richmonder all I can see is Nutzy's crazy cousin.
Haven't lived there since they became the FS and still immediately thought of this.
Living in Cincy I can say that it is probably in their bottom two choices of logos. also losing sight of the important part here: analysis of logo placement. is We are front and center, gotta like our odds.
Pretty sure that's the face of one of the onstage mascots from Chuck E. Cheese
https://247sports.com/player/ken-talley-46078937/
I wonder what the time frame would be for this transfer in terms of when he would be able to play. Can he transfer somewhere and play this fall or is it already too late?
I imagine if he transferred ASAP he could be on a roster/hold a scholarship this fall but wouldn't play but would redshirt. Not sure what the circumstances are here, it appears he was expected to enroll in time for fall camp but never did at PSU.
https://247sports.com/Article/Penn-State-football-freshman-Ken-Talley-en...
I would happily take him, redshirt and be ready for next year. He would have a tough time coming in and trying to learn the whole defense in 2 weeks as a true freshman.
I honestly dont think there are any rules any more are there?
Only if your ill mother lives roughly 100 miles from campus/s.
The first time a player transfers he is no longer required to sit out a year. If he transfers a second time though, he will likely need to sit out a year, unless he is a graduate student or has a waiver.
I guess my question was more along the lines of would he even have time to get enrolled for classes at this point.
There are only two rules now, and we learned them both the hard way:
1) Say "Hi" to Mom
2) Don't have affairs on recruiting trips
What about blowing up the bathroom at an in home?
At the very least, take off your cleats before you do
https://www.maizenbrew.com/football/2020/8/4/21354356/isaiah-wilson-says...
In the comments on the 247 page one guy mentions that he has since traded follows with a couple teams coaches to include us.
If Pry is not putting on a full press for a PSU recruit he knows, I'm ok with not getting them.
Are you assuming VT isn't putting on a full-court press?
So the only limiting factor is if he can get enrolled in time. And I am sure the new staff have people that can walk him through that process rather quickly.
If both parties want it to happen, it will happen. Those are details we have people for. I would expect a redshirt if he does come here though since it is less than 3 weeks until the first game and less than 2 weeks left of Phase 4 and installation.
Virginia Tech Among Those Currently Standing Out For Four-Star QB Demond Williams Jr
https://247sports.com/player/demond-williams-jr-46110534/
Canada and Arizona... These coaches must have a hell of a ride if they are working a 6 hour radius.
This means that VT already has a bigger and better brand under Pry than Fuente did a year ago.
I think this points more to the investment in additional staff members allowing time to look at players over the 6hr radius.
Did anybody say that it had to be by car?
If I recall correctly from an early Pry interview, the 6 hour radius thing wasn't just about coaches' travel time. The other important factor is kids transferring back to a school closer to home, and families being able to come see the player as that player's support system. So driving IS probably the rule since players and families aren't hopping flights every time they want to visit or if there's a health emergency in the family or something.
I don't think the 6-hour radius applies to quarterbacks. It's such an important position that you can invest in finding the right one regardless of location. And QBs are more willing to go across the country for the right situation.
Oh I know, I should have put the /s in. I am glad we are in the discussion across the country again.
Clicked on the wrong link.. sorry
Edit: Nothing to see here
Tech Punch Pail
Sorry, I didn't see any quotes. I saw his 3 page offer list
Looks like we're an early favorite for 2024 87 rated 3 star TE out of Benedictine in Richmond
https://247sports.com/Player/Luca-Puccinelli-46129475/
Dude is 6'7". His highlights make it look like he's playing against 5th graders.
Some good press for the staff
in other crootin news, UVA got big dogged by "anywhere" else for 3* CB Jarvis Lee out of IMG
https://247sports.com/Article/Jarvis-Lee-decommits-from-the-Virginia-Cav...
via GIPHY
It's a good school .... and it has football and academics but those aren't good is what I believe he is saying
4⭐ WR Demitrius Bell out of Tennessee decommitted from Michigan State, and has now picked up an offer from the good guys.
247 profile
Virginia four-star CB Antonio Cotman working on a Hokies 2023 ATH commit
Article is behind a paywall but this is sort of a kick in the teeth. Trying to lure one of our commits away from Tech. Did we piss this dude off or something?
VT should be doing this too and I hope we are. That's what the top recruiting schools do- be relentless
I removed the link to the paywalled article as per community guidelines
This happening shouldn't be a surprise, do we know who the vt commit is?
I imagine this stuff happens everywhere. I do know everybody thumps their chest on VT message boards when a VT recruit does it.
I also imagine it's mostly unsuccessful everywhere - including VT.
I mean there is a large difference from "hey come to UGA/Bama/A&M with me and let's when a championship" vs "come to BC and let's go to a 4th tier bowl"
Actually there's not that big of a difference as near as I can tell.
Guys who get real offers to go to blue bloods don't go to blue bloods because some other player "recruited" them. Blue blood players go to blue blood schools because they can.
I'm not saying it never happens, but the list of guys who actually get pulled from one school to another in the recruiting process because some player worked hard on them is pretty short.
It's not that different from choosing a school in general. Very few make their decision based on a friend (or even acquaintance) trying to get them to go to that school.
I'm going to push back on this a little bit... Having spent some time coaching HS football, networking with a number of Va players and families who ended up playing D-1 football I can say with absolute certainty that players are influenced by other recruits and friends. Is it the most important piece of the puzzle? No, but for some it's a very big part of the decision making process.
And I'm going to push back on this.
When you say influence, does it end up really making a difference or do they just talk about it? Let's talk metrics...how many guys have come to VT over the years because of some other VT recruit put the full court press on him? Even if it was only part of the decision process? How many times has a player said "If not for so and so, I wouldn't have come to VT" or "it was a close call, but having so and so in my ear really made the difference"?
Compared to the number of tweets and message board posts, I'd say it's a really small number. And I suspect it's similar elsewhere - mostly because these guys know lots of guys these days and if you're worth chasing, others are chasing you too. They're gonna pick somebody.
I wish I had a dime for every timeI've seen someone post that "we have an IN because so and so 4* plays on the same HS team as so and so 3* VT recruit" or "camped with so and so" or "followed so and so". And they almost never pan out. Sorry, but I think this is mostly just recruitnik message board wishful thinking.
Brothers and VT on the other hand...
Having a former teammate who you trust at a program and saying how they enjoy (or don't like) what is happening, etc., should be a factor in a decision - that his how pipelines get started. Having your buddy say - wouldn't it be cool if we all went to ABC and won - sounds good, but falls apart when one doesn't get an offer or the other gets a better offer, or one doesn't like the coach, or its LOLUVA, etc.
Yes. It makes a difference.
I don't really care about message board and Twitter stuff, and I really don't mind people pushing back on what I posted. I don't have anything to prove. I'm simply operating from 1st hand experience. That's all.
https://247sports.com/player/kaveion-keys-46129782/
Can't wait for the new staff's efforts in the Commonwealth to pay off at the top
Mack does not look good in that photo. I mean, we've been making comments about his age for years. But... dang.
I had the same exact thought
likely the only thing he did all month. Paid retirement is the tits, even more than passing classes without having to go to them.
That unc staff needs to go into politics, they can sell a pile of crap to anyone.
They are in something even more profitable, CFB coaching where results don't matter but Jump Man does.
Lol. College football is nowhere near as profitable as politics. America has the best politicians money can buy. And money absolutely buys them. That's probably pushing the boundaries of the CGs so I'll stop there.
U turn! Those guys are selling a vision that is not going to be a reality
Stadiums not even full in the graphic so atleast thats accurate and they didnt try to photo shop the stands as full.
I'm feeling pretty good about the groundwork that's being laid for 2024 and beyond. But a lot of these top 10 recruits I feel are always going to be looking for something other than VT. We have owned UNC since we joined the ACC (even Fu was 5-1 against them), so I'm not sure that winning really matters to recruits so much. That Carolina brand for some reason just seems so enticing to recruits. I don't understand it, maybe it's the Jordan thing, maybe they don't make them work too hard given how poorly they develop their players. Not sure but as Pry has mentioned, VT isn't for everyone. I'm sure we'll get our share but UNC will always find a way to pull some top recruits.
I do feel like if we ever made it into the SEC, that would be a massive recruiting advantage for in state recruits.
For a lot of these kids UNC is closer to home than Blacksburg, and it is much easier to get tickets to see UNC lose than to get tickets in Lane (at least it has been).
IDK about top 10, but the handful of elite 5 star or high 4 star guys are always going to be looking at UGA, Bama, OSU, etc. It's just the reality of college football now, but if VT can get a hat on the table and take one every once in a while that would be a huge success IMO. I don't see a reason why Tech can't be a real option for the majority of the top 15 in-state prospects though.
Even if Fu was 5-1 against them, VT was pretty much a .500 program over those years and the high point was probably a Belk Bowl comeback win. I don't think winning matters to recruits on a micro level, but if Tech was winning 8-10 games a year and going to NY6 bowls regularly, then I think that matters and would elevate the recruiting profile.
I'll have to go back and relook but I think Tech has only had one or two times where they have taken majority of top 15 of in state recruits.
That sounds about right. I should clarify - I wasn't saying Tech should get all of them. I was just trying to respond to the OP's thought that the top 10 guys usually just won't look to Tech as an option. Basically, I view the top VA prospects in two buckets.
Elite 5 star guys - give it a go, but realistically if a big dog wants them, they're going to get them.
The Majority of Top 15 prospects - if Tech has their stuff together and coaches are putting in work on the recruiting trail, we should be a legit option. It's not realistic to think we'd get them all or even a majority, but it shouldn't be the case that Tech isn't even considered.
Yeah, I agree the goal should be for VT to be a realistic and top option for the majority of the top 15. We are going to need to get back to winning consistently, showcasing that we can develop recruits for the NFL, and pull off a few big showcase wins in order to get back into these conversations. The top schools will always be able to sell on NFL prospects, playing for a winning team etc. and will have more NIL resources to drop. But I do feel eventually that NIL is regulated and we go to a more pay for play model based on tv revenues (we really need a seat in the P2 eventually if that happens).
From a previous post I made about top 10 recruits in VA:
Here's another possibly relevant post.
if we recruited like 2003/2005 most years we would have been way better throughout the years. 2009 everyone left early, 2010 was busts, 2011 was 1/2, 2012 was 2/5 (with 3 miss all being misused), 2013 was 1/2
When you get 6 and 3 are misses then you still got 3 really good players. We struggled to get 1 good player moat years.
Totally agree - VT could be very dangerous if we could land >50% of the VA top 10 each year.
Going back to Nickm2's comment:
Historically - even in good years - we typically sign 20-30% of the top 10 in VA, and I assume 30-40% of the top 15. I just don't know (based on 15+ years of data) if it's reasonable to expect VT to land >40% of the top 10 VA recruits each year.
Anyways, to the second half of Nickm2's comments:
I don't have an easy way to determine what % of top 10-15 VA prospects are 'considering' VT, but I think this is a pretty cold take - VT is the premier football institution the mid-atlantic/North Carolina. We should be a leader for any high 3-star/low 4-star, a contender for any mid 4-star, and at least considered by any top 300 player in the Mid-Atlantic.
Mind boggling that Sean Glennon was 3 in the state and ranked higher than his classmate, Eddie Royal
If not for the O Line issues I think he might have done a lot better at Tech than he did.
Him and Tyrod were the last ACC Champion QBs at VT.
That was a decade ago. Wow.
What recruits care about:
1a. Getting to the NFL
1b. NIL money/Bag
2. Relationships with Assistants
3. Education/School fit
4. Winning a national title
Most kids don't dream of playing college ball; they dream of playing NFL, and college is a big step to get there.
I feel like coeds have to be on that list
I kinda capture that in 'school fit' - do you like the campus, the culture, the people, etc.
This is a good list, but it comes down to connecting with recruits and as Pry says, early - 9th/10th grade. You have to get some talent to take a chance and build from there. Unless you are Bama, LSU, OSU, ND, etc. If you can't connect with top players, you are effed.
Totally agree. I think there's only so many programs that can guarantee you a spot in the NFL (the ones you listed). There's a reason why Bama and OSU were rumored to pay kids way less than other programs (and still do post NIL) - it's because they offer a better value-proposition - they can almost promise you a spot on an NFL roster, so they don't need to pay you.
But right after that is relationships. After relationships, there's big drop off before other things come into play.
Hey we've still got 700% to work with
Mack's got that pointing finger pose down pretty good. Wonder if Sally took the picture? Also, LOL at the stadium picture with empty seats.