2016 DT Jarrod Hewitt Opens Up Recruitment, Decides to Make First VT Visit for N.C. State Game

Things are getting pretty ugly for Rutgers' football program, and the Hokies could soon be the beneficiaries of the fallout from that dysfunction.

2016 DT Jarrod Hewitt of Venice (Fla.) HS committed to joining the Scarlet Knights back in June. But on Sept. 29, he announced on Twitter that he'd be changing course, thanks to the series of scandals currently embroiling head coach Kyle Flood and several players in the program.

"I know they have issues there, and I know (defensive line coach Jim) Panagos and Coach Flood and all those guys, they're gonna get it right, but it's just concerning to me," Hewitt said. "I want to be absolutely sure where I spend the next four to five years of my life."

Now that Hewitt's opened up his recruitment once more, he's giving serious consideration to the Hokies. The senior is heading down to Blacksburg today to get a look at campus for the first time ahead of the team's Friday night matchup with N.C. State.

"I know Virginia Tech is a huge school and they've got a lot of tradition there," Hewitt said. "It seemed like an atmosphere I want to see and see what it's like. It's exciting."

Hewitt's dalliance with the Hokies started this spring when defensive coordinator Bud Foster and wide receivers coach Zohn Burden visited him in March, and he says he was impressed with what they told him about Frank Beamer's long history at the school.

"They're solid guys," Hewitt said of the coaches. "I know there's a lot of stability there, so I wouldn't have to worry about possibly a head coach leaving and taking all of his guys somewhere else. They've got a lot of stability, and I like that."

From there, he says DL coach Charley Wiles reached out to him on Twitter, and Hewitt was "messaging back and forth with him for a few months."

Despite hearing those overtures from Tech, Hewitt still decided to commit to Rutgers three months later. Yett just a few weeks after he committed, Hewitt says Wiles gave him the news that they'd "pulled the trigger" and offered him nonetheless.

Though he has yet to meet Wiles in person beyond those conversations, Hewitt still seems excited about the potential for the long-tenured Hokie to become his position coach someday.

"I still haven't met him in person, but he seems like a solid guy, he's been there a long time too," Hewitt said. "Him and Coach Foster have put a lot of guys in the NFL and produced a lot of talent, I've been watching them every Saturday and they've played with a lot of enthusiasm, I love watching them."

Hewitt will get the chance to finally put a face to a name when he steps on campus today. But beyond simply meeting Wiles, he also hopes to coordinate with him about taking an official visit to Virginia Tech this winter.

"Coach Wiles and I have talked a few times about trying to set up an official visit in late January," Hewitt said. "But with the decommitment and all the things going on, I'm not sure when exactly I am going to take an official visit, but I am planning to and hopefully I'll be able to discuss it at the game and really pencil it in for a date."

Hewitt says his visits to Tech are the only ones on his mind right now, largely because of the Hokies' continued interest through his commitment. Even still, some other suitors have entered the picture recently.

"Since I committed to Rutgers, really just Virginia Tech and UCF were the ones who messaged," Hewitt said. "Since I've opened it up, I've got people like Pitt, Indiana, Boise State, reaching out. N.C. State has been on my Twitter. But I can just see a lot coming right now, so I'm really opening things up and seeing what I have."

Boise State even just took its interest in Hewitt to the next level, offering him on Oct. 1.

Hewitt may only be a 3-star recruit, according to the 247Sports Composite rating, but his 6'2", 290-pound frame makes it no surprise that the Hokies and so many other programs are stepping up their interest in the DT since his decommitment.

"I've got a motor and I can go all game," Hewitt said. "(Schools) just like how I can get after the ball and how I can move and really actually chase down running backs and not just be a gap holder, I can actually slant and do a lot of things that bigger defensive tackles can't."