2016 DE Quayshon Alexander Connects with Cornell Brown, Decides to Delay Commitment and Visit Tech

2016 defensive end Quayshon Alexander of Wayne, N.J.'s DePaul Catholic HS was ready to end his recruitment before the calendar even flipped to June, but now he's pumping the brakes.

Instead of making a hasty verbal commitment, Alexander &emdash; who's rated a 3-star prospect by the 247Sports Composite ranking &emdash; is now setting up a full slate of summer visits to be sure he's making the right college choice.

"I really want to know the process, I don't want to cut it short, even though I thought about it earlier," Alexander said.

That caution was encouraged by his family in recent weeks, specifically by his mother.

"My mom was most worried about it, she wanted to make sure I was taking visits and seeing these schools that have offered me," Alexander said.

The decision is good news for the Hokies' staff, who've been hoping to get Alexander on campus since offering him back in mid March.

Now it seems they'll get their chance to show Alexander around Blacksburg, as he's now set on starting his summer swing through schools with Virginia Tech this weekend.

"I'll be going to VT on June 5, then UNC the next day," Alexander said. "Then June 12 it'll be Nebraska and June 18 and 19 it'll be Notre Dame and Michigan."

June 5th I'll be going to visit sack nation over at Virginia Tech! #Hokies #Sandman16— Quayshon Alexander (@KinG_QuaY_23) May 25, 2015

While location definitely has something to do with Tech's primacy on the crowded list, it's clear that Alexander is giving the Hokies his full attention.

"Virginia Tech is definitely in my top five, there's not much that can change that," Alexander said.

But even just a few weeks ago, he barely knew anything about the program.

While the Hokies surely had their eyes on Alexander for awhile, he says the two sides hadn't done much talking until Tech OLB coach Cornell Brown followed him on Twitter one day.

"We talked a little and he just told me to talk to my head coach," Alexander said.

Once he got to school to do so, he learned that the Hokies had extended him an offer.

"I was pretty ecstatic, but we hadn't really talked before, so it was definitely unexpected," Alexander said.

After getting the good news, Alexander made a point to get on the phone with Brown and pepper him with questions about Tech.

"I gave him a call to figure it all out," Alexander said. "Things like their scheme, academics, what my life would be like after school."

These days, Alexander says they talk on the phone each week and keep in touch regularly through Twitter. The relationship has developed largely around the pair's commonalities; not only was Brown born in Englewood, N.J., just over 20 miles from Alexander's hometown, but he also likely sees something of himself in the rising senior.

"I think that's why he's so fond of me," Alexander said. "He sees the traits I have and feels like I would be a great fit. He knows firsthand what a great opportunity it would be for me there."

Brown is also likely drawn to Alexander abilities as a pass rusher, which are surely evocative of his own back in the 1990s.

"The pass rush is my favorite," Alexander said. "I'm athletic, I get off the ball fast. I keep tackles on their heels, I try to use power and speed."

At 6'3" and 230 pounds, Alexander certainly has the size to play DE for the Hokies. But Alexander adds that most coaches are impressed by how "versatile I can be," as evidenced by the fact that he also gets to "play a little tight end," at DePaul.

Yet despite his athleticism, Alexander admits that he's still trying to refine his pass rush technique, and is hoping to learn some new tricks from experienced staff members like Brown.

"I'm trying to learn more moves to shed blocks," Alexander said. "You can never be too good."

But Alexander isn't just focused on his physical performance.

"I'm working on my mental toughness, which is something you need at the next level and at a top notch program like Virginia Tech," Alexander said. "It's just a non-stop grind until my career is over, which hopefully won't be for a while."

There are certainly plenty of programs willing to give Alexander the chance to launch his college career. In addition to the schools he'll be visiting this June, Alexander also has offers from powerhouses like Miami, Ole Miss and Wisconsin.

The Badgers only just offered Alexander on May 28, after he'd made the bulk of his visit plans. While he'd still like to see Madison at some point, he doubts the new offer will change his immediate plans.

"It's cool, but it doesn't change much," Alexander said. "It's definitely intriguing and I'll consider them because it's a great school. I'll try to get up there."

He should have plenty of time to engineer another trip to the Midwest, as he says that he's now planning to "wait until after the season" to announce his decision, an about-face from his old thoughts of a May commitment.

That long wait will give him time to take official visits, even if he has yet to narrow down which schools will earn the privilege.

"I'll take a few officials, I'm not sure if Virginia Tech will get one, but we'll see," Alexander said.

Alexander's uncertainty makes it doubly important that the Hokies staff impress him on his upcoming trip to Blacksburg, and he says he's anxiously awaiting his chance to see Brown and the rest of the staff in person.

Tech's staff is surely hoping the trip makes Alexander feel like his patience paid off.

"I just want to see how the team interacts with the coaches and staff, and the fans, since they really tell the whole story," Alexander said. "I want to see how they approach practice and workouts, their work ethic every day."