Home stretch before Signing Day 2017. There are a number of important VT targets still on the board.
Today, watch for Nathan Proctor's commitment at the Under Armour All Americans Game
Discuss recruiting information here. Significant commitments, de-commitments, and new offers merit their own threads.
This thread is closed due to getting too long. Continue the discussion on Part 2
Forums:
DISCLAIMER: Forum topics may not have been written or edited by The Key Play staff.
Comments
Bell should be declaring as well during the game, but it doesn't look good on that front.
This is probably the most concise way to sum up Viginia Tech recruiting that I have ever seen.
via GIPHY
Proctor to VT
Got emmmmm
Proctor chooses the good guys yes
Proctor is a Hokie! Hope that remains true on signing day as well! Huge pickup!
It is strange/frustrating they call it a 'commitment', but its not really..
C'mon 247, you have a headline that says Proctor is a Hokie, yet on the "Virginia Tech" commits list, you show Proctor with an Ole Miss logo.
I really wanted Bell.
I really wanted Taco Bell...
Khalan Laborn has looked really smooth running in the UA game... would really like to see him in O&M (minus the ego of course)!
Now I want Garbutt & Hunter !
Lunch pail mentality live on!
We get hunter and garbutt I feel great about this class.
Getting weapons on both sides of the ball
Wouldn't mind a nice qb transfer from ND either
Garbutt and Hunter and I'm pumped.
Get Dax Hollifield next year....woah.
I wish you could just spill the beans.
I wish I could but my sauces know that I post hints and tidbits here. If I were to post more then I do then I would be cut off and have nothing to be excited about. Rather have encouraging words than nothing for you all.
Should we be excited because we are going to land who we have been hoping for/expecting? Or are there some unexpected big surprises coming up as well?
From what I know there will be mid month excitement and then end with a very strong class. There may be some surprises but things can change, it's time to close now. None of the guys mentioned last month are off the table except Bell. Secrets will be revealed in time but all in all VT recruiting is turning a corner.
Thanks Bag! Love it! Is there anything against the rules about sending Fuente and Buzz to assist with closing on a football recruit?
I have no idea but send Zohn and he will make a dent!
You're doing the lord's work, BAG.
You solved the puzzle. He's our BAG man!
Undrstood
So on the thread about his commitment on redditCFB, there is a Maryland fan that seems very, very confident that Proctor will flip to Penn State if they make room for him. I'm not sure if he actually has inside #sauces, but the number of comments and the way he is commenting seems to insinuate that he does. So take that for what it's worth.
That's ok, I was my wife's 2nd choice as well
I don't know about Reddit, and I know I don't like Maryland fans... tell him to be quiet or will flip Daz
screw Maryland fans. Let's just flip Daz anyway.
Not saying I believe them but that entire thread (sans the Tech fans) is basically acting like he committed to Penn State today.
And from everything I've read, Proctor was a silent and committed to VT when PSU had room for him. He's a Hokie.
If he really wanted to be at PSU, he had ample opportunity to commit there. Some people just don't like to accept the fact that they didn't finish first so they have to come up with an excuse like not having room or whatever. Proctor is 4 star Under Armour All-American and would be PSU's second highest rated recruit in this class. Not having room for him is a lie/excuse for finishing second or a really stupid decision on their end. Either way, the kid's a Hokie and thats all that matters.
Well for now yes, the reason I mentioned this is that, if true, PSU can likely move things around to make room for him and he isn't a Hokie for sure until he signs an LOI. Now I've seen some conflicting things that make me more confident he will stick, but I was just making people aware of something I've seen.
It's not true. To believe this would mean you need to sacrifice all logical thinking to believe an incredibly unlikely scenario.
If this were true, Penn State couldn't be bothered to make room for an elite LB who would have been their 2nd best recruit this year. Considering how well known they are for LB play, I find it incredibly unlikely they would tell a kid of his stature there is no room for him on the team. If he truly wanted to go to Penn State he would have declared yesterday. He didn't and now he's coming here.
Plus, kids who declare nationally on ESPN rarely if ever change their minds before signing day.
Sorry the point I was trying to make was that he committed to VT because he wants to be here, not because of the PSU not having room BS. They just don't want it to seem like they got out-recruited for a player that they recruited hard and thought they had in the bag all throughout the summer and fall. Thus, we shouldn't be worrying because the kid is committed to play where he wants to be....at Tech.
PSU fans on that thread have no idea how faulty their logic is. Consider:
There is no way you give a kid as highly rated as Proctor a non-committable offer. Either the PSU fans on r/cfb are full of shit, or Franklin is an idiot at recruiting.
Franklin is not an idiot....
Really hoping Victor Dkemjue (sp?) picks VT. I think he will be a steal.
I don't know how to spell it either, but I know that's not it.
Victor Dimukeje
Mack Brown is gonna have a really good time with that guys name!
Correct as usual French. Victor will be a very disruptive DL. And if he chooses VT, Wiles will bring out the best of him.
And the beast in him as well.
Great news on Proctor. Now let's sign Hunter, Garbutt, Speed, and Johnson and get ready for next season. I also feel like we could use a DT commit, wondering if Janaz Jordan or Victor Dimukeje can be the next unheralded recruit that becomes a Woody Baron for us.
Also, not super excited about the Malik Zaire possibility. I hope Evans returns, but if not I say let's get on with the next Hokie QB of the future (Jackson or Hooker), instead of looking for a 1 year fix.
January is gonna be
You're just pandering for turkey legs now.
Your comments are truly maddening and outstanding at the same time.
We need depth though, not sure how comfortable Fuente feels with having to not redshirt Hooker.
I'd be fine if we get Zaire to be a back-up, but I posted in another thread somewhere, I think we are better served trying to set ourselves up for a run in 2018. Our defense should be stacked by then (Hill, Settle, Walker, Mihota, Mook, Tremaine, Adonis, Terrell), and we'll have a lot more skill players recruited by Fuente to fit his system and hopefully some of the younger O-linemen we have brought in will develop into solid starters. If all that happens, I would much rather have a QB with a year of experience under his belt rather than a new starter for the 3rd year in a row. Of course, all of this doesn't matter if Evans comes back next year.
Read somewhere that there is a possibility Zaire could be granted an extra year of eligibility due to missing 2015 because of injury. FWIW.
I just hope that Evans returns, which would allow Jackson to be a backup next year. Then he is good to go for his 3rd year in the program with someone like Hooker as a redshirt freshman backing him up. Plus Evans would give us the best chance to be competitive next year.
Having Evans (or Zaire if that's how it works out) starting next year sets the position up long term.
We would be rebuilding our secondary though. Lose Facyson and Stroman next year. If Edmunds bros continue their current trajectory, it may be tempting for them to want to jump to the next level.
If Evans doesn't come back we will 100% guaranteed need a transfer just to have an actual 3-deep. And once that transfer's brought in it's may the best man win. It does us no good for the coaches to start someone who didn't outplay the guy behind him.
Brad Johnson? Looks like South Carolina is the team to beat.
Maybe true before his VT visit, but not anymore.
Cool
If we can land Garbutt and Dimukeje then Proctor, potentially, wouldn't be forced to play with his hand on the ground at DE and therefore provide more depth and strength at the LB position. Things on the front 7 could be enhanced greatly in this recruiting cycle!
For those who know, how many lbs can Proctor add to that frame and maintain his explosiveness? I ask because a few years ago we had a 4* OLB (Melvin Keihn?) who didn't have the lateral speed to play LB but also didn't have the frame to add bulk to play DE. I believe he was a similar size to Proctor.
Proctor is much bigger and can carry more weight on his frame. I expect him to play around 240-ish.
Bell commits to Maryland
Over Ohio State?
Why?
Apparently OSU didn't have room for him in their class. He apparently really liked VT but he wanted to stay closer to his grandmother back home, so he ended up going with Maryland. My question though if he wanted to stay close to home, why not just choose Rutgers? Both UMd and Rutgers are equally lower-tier B1G programs, and one is literally right at home. Weird choice, but oh well.
lol maryland and rutgers are not even in the same class. rutgers is SO BAD and just got hit with like 8 NCAA infractions i wouldnt touch that program with a 10' pole
... sounds like exactly the class Maryland deserves to be in.
I guess in the varying levels of awfulness, MD would be above Rutgers. You're still equally never going to win your division either way.
ill give you that haha but holy cow is rutgers a mess right now
Might not be a welcome opinion, but I feel Hunter is trying not to commit to the good guys, he didn't show the high interest on us recently on Twitter, and Arburn is still a major contender despite of the coach changing, and now he adds another trip to Alabama. I still hope we can get him, but if not, it is not the end of the world.
Didn't a big time Safety recruit just commit to Alabama? I think he might just be enjoying the ride and we still have a good shot at him
They got Xavier McKinney today, he was committed to Bama, decommitted, and everyone thought he was a Clemson lock and he ended up back in Crimson. I enjoyed this thoroughly.
I really hope not. The delays in the announcements make me nervous that he'll pick another school.
Any remaining hope on Rivers?
Or did he just take a free trip to see his Hokie girlfruend onnthat OV?
From what I've heard yes there still is a good hope he flips. His twitter is pretty pro PSU but heard OV went really well and could get him to commit.
When in doubt, follow the girl.
^^ never good life advice ^^ but in this case, I agree!
That's how UVA landed Eugene Monroe
I'm sure we have no chance at that #31. He's gotta be a highly sought after 5* recruit.
Hmmm...Do you think he was using Kam but meant Devon?????
Anyone who thinks that the ACC can't stand against the other P5 conferences should look at the bowl game records.
ACC: 8-3 (1 game left)
B10: 2-5 (3 games left)
Big 12: 3-2 (1 game left)
Pac 12: 2-3 (1 game left)
SEC: 5-5 (3 games left)
I would think that CJF and crew should be hammering the other conferences about this.
Notice that P12 and B12 only had 1/2 of their teams qualify for bowls, in a season where three 5-7 teams went bowling.
Also any head-to-head recruits that we have vs LOLuva should be reminded that their players haven't received ANY bowl-game swag/gifts since 2011!!!!! There's an entire r-Sr class that's never gotten to experience playing in a bowl!
"No, we don't pay our players. We let the bowls do that"
Our bagman
ACC is the premier league for 2016. SEC can suck it.
either:
we close strong with some welcome surprise with a class that effectively turns the corner.
or we don't
One way or another we will owe BAG a steak/stake
via GIPHY
via GIPHY
Any twitter responses to Proctor's announcement from our other recruits or targets?
Kalil Pimpelton (sp) posted a video of himself watching at a Texas Rouadhouss and yelling how excited he was.
https://twitter.com/kalilkalil03p/status/815631651019558912
All I can say is Pimpelton is my dude. Love that he's gonna rep the state of Michigan down at VT.
i love that kid already; he's a true-blue Hokie who wears it on his sleeve unapologetically
Wow! Love how he's Pimping the program. Gonna become a fan favorite.
Pimpletons video made me OOZE with joy
Ew...
I'll just leave these here.
http://virginiatech.247sports.com/Bolt/Development-with-Hooker--50224566
Looks like Hooker will enroll early now . More smoke to the fire that Evans is leaving.
Stuff like this and getting in on Zaire certainly suggests that the staff is making any and all possible moves in case he does.
If Evans does go, then VT only has one scholarship QB on the roster for spring ball. Unless we're expecting Jack Click to ball out this spring, getting another warm body (either Hooker to enroll early or someone else) is going to be crucial.
Not surprising. Usually when you run out of options you turn to a Hooker.
dad joke level, FATALITY
Shane Morris is transferring from Michigan:
Link Here
Speight wasn't all that good and O'Korn was awful. So Morris was........
Did Tech recruit Speight?
Not very hard. No mobility.
Speight committed to Michigan literally an hour after they offered.
Well, could argue he was a victim of gross mismanagement by Brady Hoke.
I wonder what Fuente could have done with Andrew Ford at qb. Any chance Farley stays at qb now maybe?
Definitely a possibility just to have more of a competition throughout the Spring.
So 247 put out this article this morning recapping the first day of the army bowl. In it I found this slightly disturbing tidbit...
If it's any consolation though I did see we got 2 more CB's for him today.
Wow glad about the CB's but sucks to hear he was close to committing to auburn.
Yeah. I'd take that with a grain of salt. Everything Devon Hunter has said and everything that has been reported about him over what is essentially his entire recruitment has been that VT has been his leader even as recently as last week. This is the only time anything even remotely differing from those facts has been released and it's coming from an Auburn writer for 247. Not saying it can't be true, but it certainly doesn't seem logical or reasonable to me. When he personally gives a different leader, then I'll worry.
edit: not to mention, when a guy is about to commit, you'll see an absolute landslide of Crystal Balls to one team. Never happened. Just seems fishy at best to me.
Yea, I think that is a good point. I think this Auburn fan, I mean writer, was trying to make a story hoping it would get some traction and maybe improve their odds.
I will say that Hunter's recruitment is making me nervous. He has a couple of big visits in SEC country prior to signing day, so who knows what will happen.
I really hope we get him. He is exactly the type of player that we have missed out on in the past and would be HUGE for future recruiting.
Hate to be negative and I like a lot of our recruits this year. However, if we have been Hunters leader all this time yet he still hasn't committed, is taking visits right up to signing day, extends his committment date....either he REALLY enjoys the process a lot or he truly hasn't decided. Not good with his last visits to Auburn and Alabama, seen this too many times.
Yeah...
All signs point elsewhere. I hope he does come, but for me at this point, it feels like were looking at a 24-0 deficit at half time.
#IstillBelieveButImBeingPessimisticSoIwontGetHurtAgain
#LifeMantra
So when does he plan to commit? IIRC, it should be this weekend.
Jan 19
DT Dante Stills visiting in Jan.
6-4 265; 2018 DT
http://247sports.com/Player/Dante-Stills-86222
http://virginiatech.247sports.com/Bolt/Stills-to-visit-Virginia-Tech-in-...
Twitter is the new FlightAware
AJ Bush, 6'3 210lb dual threat QB at Iowa Wesleyan who transferred from Nebraska before the season, just picked up a Twitter follow from Fuente and Bitter
I fully expect something to be announced within the next few days but its looking likely that VT will have a new lefty incoming..
That would be good. If anything, it'll quell the worries about our QB depth before too much time elapses in the recruiting cycle. Don't want any of our targets getting cold feet because we don't have that locked down tight.
uh oh...
Nah....that's the old lefty
1985Hokie posted links on this kid yest.. IMO, he's mediocre at best. His film didn't wow me at all. Give me JJ or HH any day of the week over this kid. Good for depth in an emergency situation, but that's about it. Just my 2c...
Nothing lept off the screen at me either, but will be good for competition.
Totally agree. just looked up his NJCAA stats.. YIKES....
http://www.njcaa.org/sports/fball/2016-17/players/ajbushk7eq
Lawson had very similar stats where he was this year, and he's got a shot at starting at Illinois next year. I don't put a terrible emphasis on stats.
Having said that, I don't see Bush beating out JJ or Hooker. But he can provide valuable depth, and that is what we need right now.
True, and I agree with the depth and competition aspects. But, some of his stats are really difficult to ignore.. Granted, he was his teams 2nd leading rusher with 285 and 5 TDs, but he also coughed it up 8x and lost 7 of them. That's 15 TOs (8 ints) in 10 games during what appears to be back up minutes since he wasn't the starter. As much as Fuente values ball protection, those stats are pretty tough to ignore. There's obviously something that CJF see in him, but IMO hopefully it's just depth and emergency injury insurance.
Yeah, he would probably have to improve astonishingly between now and August to have a shot at starting.
Lost me at Illinois (3-9)....
That's probably why he chose to go there, a place where he could realistically start. Probably wasn't gonna get a chance at many other P5 schools other than being a backup.
At this point depth is my primary concern. Whoever is the best option will start, but we need to have two options behind him.
Agree. Like I said, good for depth and emergency situations. I trust Fuente in his decisions, this appears to be a better option than bringing in another preferred walk-on. At least he has some big time experience, even if it was just practice. (never saw a game snap at NU)
Haha at flight aware, aj Bush didn't really have good stats, I'm wondering if fuente gets him as a project. I don't see too many qb prospects at juco, prep or high school left. Time to send durkin back to qb
Fuck that. No, you don't move a kid around like that. We already moved him to TE, we should keep him at TE and allow his skills to develop there. You move him back to QB and you're essentially torpedoing his career for the possibility of a short term gain. Maybe keep the option available for him to be used as an emergency QB like we did with Greg Boone, but keep him at TE for practice and game purposes.
So it's okay to move a QB who's never been a TE to TE, but it's not okay to move a TE who's barely been a TE to QB?
Makes sense...
It's not okay to move a QB who's never been a TE to TE and then, after an entire season spent practicing and preparing to play TE, change your mind and switch him back to QB because you've run out of better options.
Is this kid a graduate transfer? Can he play right away?
It's extremely important that we bring in someone else so we can redshirt Hooker. It does not benefit anyone to have JJ and Hooker be in the same class...let's space 'em out by at least a year.
He can play right away, similar to how Evans could play right away last year.
FTFY
So how are we feeling about Garbutt and Hunter? I know we are in good position for both of them but what are our chances of actually closing on both?
As far as I can follow, we are still in good position for both and could be considered the leader. I have no inside sauces outside of this site.
The last two CB's on Hunter were both for the good guys.
I have no other sauces to rely on.
Expect pain and sadness.
Ever since Josh Sweat... that has been my expectation
Yep....damnit.
About to get HANDED again...
Put on the Nnadi list again
Get ready
I think it is time for a Beamer's Auto Garage update
I appreciate what BAG, Hokie20, and others do around here with #sauces, but keep in mind, they can only say so much. BAG has openly said that his sources know he posts here about recruiting so keep it on the DL. If they can say something, they will.
I know a ton, but can't share any of it. Because, um, yeah, my sources would be angry and cut me off. Suffice to say, things are happening and all of them are good, bad, or somewhere in between. And you can take that to the bank.
#sauces
My #sauces can corroborate this
credit to one of you that TKPs way harder than me for creating this a while back
I'm very aware of that. It is just a much more interesting read on this thread than anything else.
I get that. I do, but a lot of the awesomeness of recruiting news is the anticipation and the story behind it. Some of the best recruiting stuff out there is from twitter. If you just want someone to tell you we will get a recruit, that's probably not gonna happen.
They end up saying no more than can be gathered from reading non paywall 247 or following the crystal balls. Just vague "stuff will happen" and gifs.
Does it bother you?
Love you guys. Patience is a virtue.
I just want to know if I should buy champagne or anti-depressants for NSD
both
as I always say,
better to have and not need, than to need and not have
yes
Same answer as every year.
Both.
BMS = automatic legs
Bristol Motor Speedway is pretty awesome. That game, though....
FYI just ran across this on a Rivals article from the Army Bowl discussing Hunter:
damn you for getting my hopes back up. Is it signing day yet?
I know that he had a great visit here last month, but these late visits to the other schools is what scares me. They'll be fresh in his memory when he makes his decision.
I am sure that the entire staff will be making a visit before he announces.
I live in Chesapeake....anything that I need to do? Hire a plane to pull a banner over his HS?
Convince him to take a visit to UVA. My college tour included a trip there immediately after visiting VT, which convinced me that if you can't get any worse than UVA, and VT represents the exact opposite of UVA, then it couldn't possibly get any better than VT, right?
...Right???
Bag man Eddie. The roster keeps growing.
Make sure placed around his school and home are subtle VT images and signs. Like magicians use to get people to pick a certain card.
Chesapeake represent! We out here.
Recruiters just need to point out that Tech has a better draft history for DB's than Florida does. Every year we have had a junior or senior go to the NFL since 98? Except for the one year the juniors decided to come back for their senior year and we had no seniors.
Go look at the #s from recent years and see who has the better draft history. Different secondary coaches for both though since all of those players were drafted anyways.
I mean they have more first round DBs the last 10 years than we have first rounders of any position. Plus they have another one this year. Plus they have more DBs in the NFL than we do.
Yea just don't point out who our DB's coach was during many of those years.
If Clemson lands Hunter....
So I take it Hunter is not announcing this weekend at the game ?
19th
Dalton Keene made it official today!
Sorry can't embed tweet at this time.
This is great news. Very unusual for VT to get a kid from Colorado, let alone a 6-5 220 TE.
Wait, we had a 6'5" 220lb TE in this class? So why we're people so worried about QB depth before Fuente snagged AJ?
That joke is so four years ago.
I agree, Lawson jokes are much more chic this year
Yea but arnie jokes are starting to become all the rage.
His dad was college roommates with Wiles.
Going by the Dec 9 official visitor group photo, Keane is more like 6'2".
I think the last one was Cullen Hawkins, if memory serves.
He was from Pennsylvania.
Thanks...knew he was a champion mogul skier and just assumed, thanks for clarifying.
FWIW after the commitments of Bush and Glaze today, 247 Composite has us as the 24th ranked class, 4th in the ACC. Bush, as of yet, is unrated; Glaze is a 3 star grading out at .8214.
A certain Safety from the 757 would bump us back to 19, one spot ahead of...Florida.
Given his offer list, I have a feeling that he is vastly under graded. MSU has a history of being outstanding at finding low rated "diamonds". Tennessee has had some outstanding draft classes. They wouldn't waste a scholly on a low 3*. Both gave Glaze offers.
Remember Big Lu was a low 3* and Dadi was a 2*.
Latavious Brini, 4* DB out of Hialeah was offered yesterday. He's a '17 recruit who looks like he's going to UM. Just wondering why so late in the game and do we have any chance? Seems a little odd.
This time of year, spots start to close up. Maybe Miami is down to one CB spot. Or UGA may have a similar problem. We may be able to provide him an east coast alternative to Oregon.
Glaze situation may be similar. With DeBose announcing yesterday he would wait until after NSD, it may have opened up a spot for Glaze.
For most of these non 5 * kids at this time of year, it's all about numbers at their position at each school.
Are you saying we could recruit like the SEC? Have an SEC defense? Have ESPN drool on us like SEC?
And the plot thickens with Devon Hunter. Just got a CB for Alabama. Our guess is probably as good as theirs at this point.
Not really, the head 247 recruiting analyst, Ryan Bartow put in a CB for VT last night (he's been with Hunter all week at the AA game.) The guy that put it in this morning runs an tOSU blog site and probably making a bold prediction at this point.
Anything can happen if takes an OV there I guess, but he might not even be a take there as they already have 2 highly rated safeties committed.
Like the way you think but won't be convinced until he actually signs. Last visit to Bama on 20th
Still not gonna get my hopes up
Can't be let down if I always expect the worst
I'm more worried about Florida with T Gray than anyone else.
That said even if we don't get Hunter this has been a pretty damn good class for Fuente's first year especially if we get Garbutt and Johnson. Add Hunter to that and it becomes arguably a great class for VT standards.
VT recruiting is definitely improving, and we are gonna sign some big time prospects in the near future (and Proctor probably qualifies as one), so I'm not going to get down if Hunter were to go elsewhere.
Hunter's mama isn't gonna like it if he goes to Florida. I mean what with T Gray not even saying hello and all.
I think that guy changed it to VT
It's showing 100% Virginia Tech
I still don't have my hopes high. I've lived through this kind of stuff before.
He switched it to VT
Why won't Devon Hunter just commit already?????
The other four star kid ...247 has him at 100 VT......Wish we could wrap this up so u can move in with life.....Hahaha....Signing day can't get here too soon.
Either he really enjoys just playing the game, or he ain't coming. If he is truly onboard with VT, it would have been awesome if he committed a while back and really helped recruit others to this class. But I guess we're just going to have to endure the drama.
Been recruiting Hunter for 3 years. Either he really enjoys the process and the drama and playing it as long as he can, or he is going elsewhere. Find it hard to believe he doesn't already know where he is going.
Been recruiting him since 8th grade
After I read about the effort that Stiney put in to get Josh Sweat here, I dont pay attention to "how long" someone has been recruiting the kid. It is what it is today, but for FSU to kinda come in at the last minute and make a better pitch...gotta close. Like someone said above, i wont believe it until Hunter signs.
Where could I find info on that? Don't remember seeing many details!
It was on 24/7 sports..Stiney basically had been recruiting Josh Sweat since like 8th or 9th grade.
Why is Garbutt so quiet? No visits scheduled, supposedly we are still the favorite. Since he decommitted once already is he just waiting to sign without an actual commitment?
He's taking an OV to VT and Pitt this month. VT is first I believe, and some think he ends it there.
And the guy just switched his prediction back to VT haha.
and three more went for VT this a.m.
Could this be the "insiders have caught wind of an imminent commitment crystal ball flood?" Or, nah?
Has anyone heard of a timetable for Hunter's commitment? Doubtful he will commit today with other visits scheduled, but is this going to stretch all the way to NSD?
Supposedly on the 19th
Thanks. Seems strange to me since he has a visit to Auburn scheduled on that day. I'm hoping he surprises us all and commits today and cancels the rest of the visits. But who knows.
Guerry just said congrats to all future Hokies playing today in army all American game
Things that make you go hmmmm
3* CB Harrison Hand picks Baylor, but apparently Trible's got #sauces that say we're in line for a steal...
Wow. In light of Guerry's tweet today, I wonder if this could be a certain DB playing on the same roster as Hunter today...
Who are you thinking?
Wade
5 star Shaun wade? Seriously?
Just putting together the breadcrumbs we keep getting. Guerry tweets good luck to the future Hokie(S) at the Army All-American game, and we keep hearing a lot of smoke that we are going to get a DB flip from someone currently committed elsewhere. Could be Donovan Johnson, but he just committed to PSU a few weeks ago, so doesn't make much sense. Wade has been committed to OSU for a long time now, but took an official to VT in November and is from the same high school as Ford. He's on the same team as Hunter today in the All-Star game. No inside information at all, just trying to piece together the puzzle. Could also be Newsome, but he seems pretty pro-Maryland and I'm not sure he's definitely being recruited as a DB.
Being in intel, I applaud your analytic leap. I hope you're right!
Either would be a fantastic get, but Wade would be a downright coup. #23 overall recruit in the class and #4 DB in the country? That would be one hell of a damn #Statement17 to make that VT is coming with a vengeance. Should either of those come along with Hunter and Dax....
Yeah, lets hope there's something to this
Ohio State just got a commitment from the top ranked DB. Their DB class is insane.
http://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football-recruiting/2016/12/775...
"With Okudah in the class officially – he's named Ohio State the leader for more than a year – the Buckeyes add to an already spectacular group of committed defensive backs. He joins cornerbacks Shaun Wade (No. 4), Amir Riep (No. 14) and Marcus Williamson (No. 16) and safety Isaiah Pryor (No. 5). Ohio State is still hoping for good news from the country's second-ranked cornerback Darnay Holmes and potentially the top-ranked JUCO cornerback in the nation, Kendall Sheffield, each of whom are considering the Buckeyes."
Yeah I wish Wade could see the great potential for early playing time and grabbing a starting spot on an up and coming team that just happens to be DBU. He's super talented and would be pressed for playing time along with their other five 4/5* CB's committed at OSU. Not saying he wouldnt beat them out but would be a game changer for the Hokies.
DJ Matthews is there too, and while I don't think that could happen, he would put up absurd numbers in Fuente's offense. Man coverage = O shot if he gets a free release.
Donovan Johnson?
Would be really cool if it was Shaun Wade, but I doubt it.
maybe Brini
Awwww, yeeeeaaaah.
Texas Tech Bell Ringer!
Gives "Guns Up" an interesting connotation.
Took me awhile to realize he might actually just be ringing the bell
We are only 7 days in January and I feel like we need a part 2 thread !
We are trying to flip another Maryland commit a 3* WR
Sean Nelson
Brini's going on an OV to Tech the weekend of the 20th.
We have a huge need at corner and he has called us "DBU"
We have a huge opportunity for a steal here
Miami has said they have a couple of silent commits that it sounds like could be 4 and 5 stars, I wonder if Brini is one and he could be the one we are stealing...though we wouldn't know because if he is committed to another team he is silent on it but it'd be Miami if he is.
Can you steal silence?
I'm sure the coaches would consider him stolen...but if he just got offered I doubt he is committing already. I bet he stays with Miami.
Steal the Silence would be a great name for a band.
Didn't they used to open for Quiet Riot?
#Sandman16
#Statement17
#StealTheSilence18
#'NotherNatty19
#GiantMeteor20
#FuckPatNarduzzi21
Could be. I'm just stuck on Guerry using Hokies plural in his tweet. We know about Hunter, but the only other guys in play with VT offers at the game today were Johnson, Swift, Williams, Matthews, and Wade. If two guys from this game are coming to VT, it's gotta be Hunter and one of those guys. Johnson just committed to PSU recently, and I'm pretty sure we're out of it with Swift, Williams, and Matthews.
I think the plural in his tweets says good luck to guys who are actually committed, and also is an attempt at a little positive persuasion for guys who are in the mix. This is not news.
Porcher visits on 1/20, DeBose on 1/28.
It's hard to keep these DL guys straight. Glaze and Dimukeje (if we get him) will be DTs it looks like. At DE, we gave Proctor (could stay at Backer?), working Johnson, DeBose, Porcher and Garbutt (could play TE?).
Any others?
So if we land both Garbutt and Johnson, is Proctor still a DE or do we try him at LB? Complete speculation but I feel like DE/Dadi Nicolas role was probably a big factor in him choosing Tech since he probably would have played LB at Penn State.
I have zero insight on this, but Garbutt would be one heck of a tight end receiver hybrid.
The possibilities at defensive end are delightful if they can get 4 of the 6. (I really think Dikmjue is the most ready to play DE, and they want him inside.)
And Porcher- gimmie!
Picture from after the All-American game today
This is a good look
Bring it Mr. Hunter!!!
I would love to be super excited about that, but there's that little nagging voice that keeps saying "what if this is the troll to end all trolls".
Then Mr. Hunter had better change his name to Mr. Hunted because Kam Chancellor is gonna want a word.
I'm with French... I'll try to remain optimistic but I won't crack the cork on the champagne til he enrolls! I just hope I don't have....
I don't think Trevon and Deshawn would be thrilled if this was a huge troll job.
Gotta like the looks of that!
Sums up my feelings on most all these recruits with offers all over who flirt with our emotions haha
A ton of VT love from Hunter on twitter so far
Sweet lord....PLEASE
I haven't been as high on Hunter as some have, but he looked awful good today in run support. With the way the cameras were slow to transition, it was hard to get a feel for his coverage ability.
As for Guerry's tweet, Wade, Matthews, Jordan Williams, and Hunter were the players with Hokies offers that I was aware of playing in the Army game.
I hear ya loud and clear French... I do have full faith that he'd help us big time on the field but my bigger hope is that he will set the correct precedent of keeping our best Virginia players instate and specifically VT..
For what Foster has his rovers do, Hunter would be a monster.
Wade would be sick. I wonder if Hunter has been talking to him.
Matthews flirted with the idea (I believe Fords mom tried to talk him into it), but I think he is very committed to FSU
Jordan Williams? VT used to be his favorite school but he picked Clemson. I can't see him flipping but maybe Hunter is trying to keep a 757 guy in state
No idea. VT is so vested with so many other DEs that it is hard to envision Williams without them pulling the offer from another potential DE. But, he can ball.
A friend of mine who is plugged in with the Vols recruiting told me today they think Johnson will be a Hokie. He plays angry.
D'Andre Swift and Donovan Johnson also have VT offers. D'Andre ain't coming, and Donovan just picked PSU over us a couple of weeks ago. Barring some unforseen miracle, the ship seems to have sailed with Jordan Williams to Clemson, and although DJ Matthews flirted heavily with us, he reaffirmed his commitment to FSU recently. That leaves Hunter and Wade in my estimation...
Hunter and Williams, VT still recruiting Williams, all the other ships seem to have sailed.
He had a great break and tackle on the #1 TE in the country for a 2-3 yard gain. That was really the only time I saw him tested in coverage.
The way things are rumbling we may. Need weekly threads.
We have about 2 more weeks before things really pop off. May hear a few things but we have some major recruits thinking real hard right now.
No promises but if it all falls right then....
Every time you post in a recruiting article...
BAG, if you're right on all this, I will go ahead and say that I will bring you beer at the (hopefully) upcoming 2017 TKP Spring Game Tailgate. If you are wrong, this will be you, without friends at a shitty, rainy Spring Game:
Yo, THIS!!! A couple of years ago, THEKEYPLAY used to have pre-game/watch parties at some Arlington Hokie bars. I'd love to get some happy hours/game day bar crawls going if anyone in the NOVA area would be interested. Shit, if NSD goes well we could have an impromtu drink session that night. Ever since Hard Times closed (place sucked) Spider Kellys (new official Hokie bar) has been amazing. I went for the TENN and Clemson games this year and can easily say we had over 500 Alumni there.
still do... they're at First Down Bar & Grill
Haha I'll be ready!!
He's backpeddaling...they're all gone, all of them.
Haha no promises that we Get them all. This isn't Pokmon
Well we've known about our big recruits we are just wondering if any will commit
Yep and at this point it just a wait and see timeline. It's gonna be fun though. See you guys in a few weeks
I swear to God, if you are wrong on this...
Was hoping Cam would have a chance to give a "DBU" on national TV but NBC never did a Seahawks defensive players intro.
*Kam
He might track me down now.
Thanks, I was wondering if I missed it. I saw the lions O, hawks O, and lions D. Bizarre that they didn't introduce the LoB and company.
Didn't have room on the screen for the 12th man.
Any of you will be at the Nova hokieclub recruiting night?
Always a good time
When and where?
I'm up in DC and joined the Hokie club not too long ago
Best use of a first paycheck ever
Haven't announced yet.
But it's always week of signing day and at Arlington Cinema and Draft house
It appears that it will be Clarendon Ballroom this year on Feb 2nd.
I should be there, I go every year. It's usually a few days after NSD, IIRC.
so real question why is everyone (French included) following Latavious Brini? what are the odds we get him? Is he the flip we've heard about in one of these threads?! I NEED QUESTIONS ANSWERED
ahem, I can help with this one.
He's going to be taking an official to Tech at some point and also expecting an offer from Tennessee as well sometime soon (sigh).
VT offering him did influence his recruiting process in a major way. I can tell you that much.
3*? Thats a 5 star offer list... holy cow.
So Auburn just hired Missouri's CB coach and Auburn fans don't seem too thrilled about that. That has to be a point in Tech's favor with Hunter.
I don't think we've ever been in the running with this many highly touted recruits at this point in the recruiting game. Although I could be wrong but I always remember us really only looking at one big name and typically losing him.
I dunno, We've had eight 4 Star commits in both 14/15 year recruiting classes. it reminds me of Ken Ekanam's recruitment. We had 3 big 4 Star kids in VA all wait for National signing day and I remember being pumped we got Ken Ekanem but missed out on Kirven (alabama) and someone else. Im really hoping we get these last 3-4 kids.
Korren Kirvin smh. I think I remember many (French included maybe?) saying at the time that Kirven probably wouldn't be an impact at Bama.
YUP, I haven't heard his name at all since going to BAMA. Just think what VT could be if we had Kirven, Ekanem, Hand, Sweat, Nnadi and Allen. Fuente & Co. Need to make it "Cool" to stay home and rep the state of VA.
I know its UVA, but remember when London got 3 5* recruits in 2011? He sold these kids on the thought of "turning a program around" and staying home. Virginia produces more than enough talent for both VT and UVA, we just need to figure out how to sell our program better.
London did a lot more than sell staying home and rebuilding the program.
BUT how could you forget that HUGE win he had against Miami and Jacory Harris!? /s
Yeah! Don't forget he used to be a cop!
We joke about his background and such but he clearly connects with kids and their parents. It's not because they are winning he was getting recruits at UVA or MD.
We also overstate how well he recruited. Besides the three Thoroughbred recruits, his classes were quite average for UVA. They have enough inherent academic, geographic and brand impact advantages to make them an avg ACC recruiting program with little effort.
Look at how their in-state recruiting fell off a cliff or compare how many kids are on their current roster who had real VT offers (it's probably less than 10 right now).
London is a good individual recruiter, but as a program, they never recruited as well as their reputation portrayed.
I agree which is why I think he will never be a head coach at high FCS or any FBS Level, but someone will hire him as coach and recruiter especially when NCAA allows hiring of new coaching position.
We all reach our professional ceiling at some point. I think you are right, recruiter at UMD or HC at Howard is about right for London.
London won a 1-AA title at Richmond. Going to Howard is quite a fall for him. His star really dimmed after his time at UVA.
Not with his own players and schemes.
Kirven plays guard at Bama and sees the field. That said, I'd say missing on him was lway less impactful than others.
Has Hand done much?
Hand plays a lot. He's the first DE in rotation. Some of that is due to depth, but he has certainly not been day 1 starter type you'd expect out of such a highly rated player.
He has made a good number of plays, but doesn't get much media attention since the D-line is stacked. We might hear more about him next season.
Alabama's Beast in Waiting Da'Shawn Hand
Really good article written by Adam Kramer 3 days ago.
Hand hasn't gotten a chance to do a ton but doesn't seem to mind. It all really just depends on what you want. Hand seems content with being a piece of the Alabama dynasty and knows that ultimately it will not hurt his draft stock. Kind of insane to play that little and still have the potential to leave early for the draft and be a high level prospect. May not be a bad way to go if you want to stay healthy and be seen on the biggest stage. If you're a kid that wants to be 'the guy' and play every down though this article has to give you pause.
It's also safe to say that so far DaShawn Hand hasn't had the impact his credentials would suggest at Bama. It could be due to the competition, however. Sweat and Nnadi have been more instrumental at FSU, they were killing Michigan in the bowl game.
Kirven is playing OG for them and starting I believe.
He didn't at DL. As a R-SR he is starting at right guard. The Huskies DL had a good time with him.
I couldn't figure out if washington's DL was just better than advertised or if Bama's OL was worse than expected, but Kirven looked like a revolving door.
Just when you see 14+ new comments you think a new recruit committed and find out it is just a long chat about Mike London and previous VT targets... oh well...
Pro tip: a new commitment will always get its own thread. The catch-all monthly thread is for discussing rumors and whatever else. Don't ever expect to see much breaking news in these threads.
Yes- this is the catch all rumor and inuendo thread!
Not sure what sparko'd that discussion.
Alan Trisdale a high 3* safety is set to visit on the 15th
Class of2018, right? Or did he reclassify?
Class of 18
FWIW DJ Matthews is no longer enrolling early at FSU. Teammates with Shaun wade
I should probably wait until there is a report as to why he isn't an EE. If it was because he is looking elsewhere then...
Leg for Blood Hound Gang
Obviously, Wade and Matthews are coming to the good guys
All aboard the optimism train!!
http://virginiatech.247sports.com/Bolt/FSU-commit-DJ-Matthews-will-not-e...
Well shucks.
Seconded.
Don't know how significant this is, but my Clemson fan friends seem to think we are in good position with 2018 Fort Dorchester quarterback Dakereon Joyner. His numbers are pretty ridiculous, and low country football isn't as deep as upstate football, but they have good football down there.
edit: Checked out the top SC recruits for 2018 while viewing his profile. Two of the top 7 prospects in 2018 and the top recruit in 2019 in state go to my old high school. I knew about two of the guys but not the other.
We are in good shape with him according to 247
We are in good shape with him according to Jollyman21.
Well if Jolyyman says so....
Saw we got a 5* CB for 2018. Any confirmation?
You may have seen something about Tayvion Land 2019 probable 5* corner from Bishop Sullivan. He committed awhile back. If we got a 2018 5* corner, it's news to me, but news I will gleefully accept.
edited for horrendous typos.
I think it was him, someone had him listed as 2018, so I was confused and hoping to confirm.
Yea right now Tayvion "Tank" Land is listed as a 4* (91 grade) on 247 in the 2019 class. For a guy to even be ranked, much less that high at that age typically means the kid is elite status. Among currently ranked players he is the #3 corner in that class.
TSL actually put out a free article this morning interviewing Chris Scott, the current head coach at Bishop Sullivan and former Tech player asking him about a lot of his players. He had this to say about Tank...
The first VT commit in my graduating class, Rock on Tank!
plus he's only a sophomore this year, he will definitely get bigger by the time 2018 rolls around.
This is interesting- WR Jaelon Darden from Houston, #220 in Texas
Light offer list but dude is electric
http://247sports.com/Player/Jaelon-Darden-86078
Not a take anymore. Boat filled up for most WR's unless they're elite.
If the coaches see a need for him, they'll make room.
I'm not going to lie, I'm a little giddy about all the receiving talent we have both coming in and already on the roster. It wasn't that long ago (read: Logan's senior year) where our WR corp was made up of one or two decent WRs signees and a bunch of kids who were moved from DB out of necessity. Now, we're at a situation where we may have to turn talented WR recruits away because we just won't have room for them. The work that the coaches have done the past 4 years to completely revamp the receiving culture at VT is mind boggling, and that goes for (recent National Champion... congrats, coach) Stiney, Loeffler, Moorehead, Burden, and now Fuente and Cornelson. I really hope people realize just how much of a complete overhaul has been done over the past few years.
Stiney, Loeffler, Moorehead, Burden, and now Fuente and Cornelson.
No love for my guy Holmon Wiggins?
I'm not just making this up. Info came straight from the source. Only positions we're really pushing for outside of a handful of high-priority guys (Rivers, Laborn, Mekhi Becton) are DL and DB.
Then why did Sean Nelson just get a Hokie offer?
http://247sports.com/player/sean-nelson-85592
Looking at him as a DB.
Im surprised that kids QB doesnt have more offers, hes raw for sure, but he has a really smooth initial move in his release, it gets awkward towards the end, but hes got some really nice throws in that tape.
Probably the reason I dont get paid the big bucks...
Let's leave that alone, another Hokie site went off on an offer made to a kid recently. He wasn't elite enough, what were coaches thinking etc. then that was screen trapped and tweeted to the kid, not a great look. If Coach Fu and Co offer a kid then we want that kid on the team.
No I mean we offered a long time ago, several WR's have committed since then, and his offer is no longer commitable. Only receivers we would take now are guys like DJ Matthews.
First of all, every team has fans that say shit online. The teams that recruit the best often have the worst online presence (hi FSU). Its a nonfactor in recruiting.
Second, we offered this kid back in May. Since then we had Cape, Grimsley and Savoy commit. It isn't mean to say there isn't room, even though at one point Fuente wanted him.
That's the risk you take by not locking up a spot asap. Don't like it? Commit earlier.
Attrition is coming.....
hold on your your tail feathers boys cause it's gonna be bumpy. Trimming the fat.
Recruiting or transfers or both? Pretty telling what Fuente said today regarding bringing in better players with their own evals.
Did I miss a Fuente Interview? Anybody have a link?
http://www.espn.com/espn/now?nowId=21-0610220516518662493-4
Thanks
I'm guessing Shai is leaving. Maybe Fox or Reid too?
I have zero sources...just a guess
I would put the O/U around 8.5.
A lot of guys now know where they stand in regards to the new coaching staff.
not a bad guess, imo
Who are we rooting for tonight (in regards to recruiting)?
what helps us most in recruiting tonight? a sink hole
ACC, ACC, ACC---"you come to VT and have a chance to play against the best teams in the Country and represent VA Tech and continue the Legend of DBU and Mobile QB's."....you get the point
Guitarman, can we get a January thread part 2 please?
I'm going to re-evaluate how we do recruiting after signing day but at this point, I see no reason to. I keep getting suggestions of arbitrary numbers of comments to cut off commenting and start new threads and it's always just that - arbitrary.
These are catch-all threads. There is not generally breaking news. Your phone will not handle this thread. Until we decide on how best to handle large threads and such, please expect this to be the norm.
Seems silly to let a thread grow so large that a major viewing device (phone) won't work and be okay with it??? I say start a new thread. Part of the reason I support tkp is to access the "news" "not so much news" threads.
Not to get all meta, but we've been through a lot of back-and-forth on this. A lot of people agree with you, and a lot disagree. I want to do an offseason survey of how people feel and discuss with Joe. You're welcome to start a new thread if you like, but the whole purpose of the catch-all was because the prevailing opinion last year (when these started) was that people generally disliked the inevitable multiple threads with different news and it's a pain in the ass to curate. If we want to set a hard cap on comments, e.g. 500, I'm game. But if we just haphazardly start making new threads when one person decides it's enough, it becomes a bit wild.
Not trying to be an ass but in the time you took to type and post this, you could have created a new one. Or I could create it. Dont really care. I don't think there is a specific number of posts to get to to warrant a new thread, but this one has gotten extremely long and cluttered with just a little over one week into the month. That's probably a good rough guideline to go by.