Just curious, what recruits have we landed in the past who had committed, decommitted, and then recommit/sign their LOI with us? How often does this happen here or at other schools?
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I wouldn't say it happens often, and I doubt there is a list of these somewhere on the internet, but it does happen.
A 2015 4* Basketball player,Mickey Mitchell, committed to Ohio State, then his brother who was a member of the football team there decided he was transferring to Texas Tech, which made Mickey decommit from aOSU. Mickey then recommitted after almost a month.
Robert Lockhart, a dynamic WR we saw potential in did this to us a few years ago. He committed, went to a military academy, got a "4th" star and then got offered from Miami(he was from FL). Didn't do well enough at Miami to play, then transferred to Nebraska.
What kind of pisses me off is, VT will see potential in a kid, give them an offer and two things happen. One, other schools will wonder what we saw in them and try to flip him and the other is, that a kid will start to have a good season and "then" other schools will notice, offer them a scholarship and then the recruit spurns us.
That happens to every school. Kyshon (Pitt), Malleck (UMD), McGloughlin (ECU), IFord (Louisville), Redman (UVA) are all decommits from a school that thinks they found those kids and we (as a "higher profile" school) stole away.
Yea, two of those guys reopened their recruitment because of something to do with the school they originally committed to. Like when Ford had the whole Louisville debacle.
Sucks we lost another highly recruited O lineman from VA. Matt Burrell visited VT twice and committed to Ohio State after we beat them, while he was there. Makes me think if we had a better season if he would be a VT "lock"....
Until every alumni and every person who grows up in VA donates money like they do in Ohio, kids grow up there, the whole damn state as OSU fans, VT will struggle against these blue chip style programs in recruiting.
Wouldn't of mattered if we 10-0 right now. He was never coming here.
Burrell was pretty much an OSU lock. I bet he would've committed there even if we went undefeated.
Burrell was talking about going out of state his sophomore year of HS. He was never coming here.
OSU got him because they (Meyer and Larry Johnson Sr.) were all over him to a ridiculous degree and Burrell ate it up. He was never going anywhere else once that happened. Big reason why FSU faded for him.
I know everyone talks about locking down the state, but other than in states with a single (still) dominant program, that isn't going to happen. Even then a lot of guys go out of state. Now I understand that VA doesn't produce the raw numbers of recruits as many other talent rich states, which logically makes it more important to lock down the talent that is here. However, I think it's more important and likely to grab talent from the region to offset the players who want to go elsewhere... Makes missing on Dalton hurt that much more.
Fred Johnson is an interesting case, as the place where he would likely go (Florida) still doesn't have a coach. Different situation than most.
VA is a tough state to lock down. So many people in Dc suburbs and the 757 moved to the area for the fed govt and military bringing their college allegiances with them. I live in PA now (people don't move here) and most people I know have been PSU fans for generations. To see a semi-related example of this go to a nationals game and look at all of the random team hats that people wear
Valid point, I suppose NoVa is mostly transplants. I doubt the same can be said for the 757. That's the part of VA we really need to lock down (again).
There is a large military presence in the 757 with people coming from different areas of the country. I guess my point was that large parts of VA don't have long term ties to the state that places like PA and OH have.
I agree that we need to do better job in the 757. I live in South Central PA and made a day trip to the BC game. It occurred to me on the drive home that I am not much further from Blacksburg than Norfolk. (5 hours and 15 minutes)
We really are 4-5 hours from everywhere.
Besides, Cohen Bros. rock!
DO...NOT....SEEK....THE TREASURE......
FWIW Marshawn Williams "opened up his recruitment" awhile before he signed.