Let's close the month out strong!
Discuss and share any Virginia Tech related recruiting topics from July 2017 [0] that don't warrant their own thread [1]. Please do some digging to share original content (e.g. embed the original tweet, not a link to another post/website with said tweet), add context / relevant information and respect the Community Guidelines.
[0] If someone would like to make this thread from month-to-month, let Joe know, he is apt to forget and pressed for time. Or simply copy the boilerplate and start a new thread.
[1] New offers, commitments, decommitments, etc... deserve their own thread. Please read the brief best-practice tips at the top of the recruiting forum.
[Mod Edit: Add boilerplate.]
Forums:
DISCLAIMER: Forum topics may not have been written or edited by The Key Play staff.
Comments
GOOD NEWS
Annnd that tweet comes with a new CB to the good guys. I think it's fair to say that this kid will be all but impossible to guess on until pen hits paper.
*gif of Harry telling Lloyd he totally redeemed himself*
Keep your arms and legs inside the car for the entire ride... this is gonna be a rollercoaster I feel
IM SO CONFUSED RN!
Starting a new thread brought good luck!
Do we have an update on attendees for the BBQ?
Kalon Gervin will be there.
Pitts to Florida.
Its cool, we already have QP2, so he would have been a backup, at best
I don't know if you are confused, don't think QP2 will win the QB battle, or are making an "all our QBs are TEs" joke.
Just when I'd closed all of the gif posts from the other thread...
At least this one will load reasonably for a day or two.
via GIPHY
Guilty pleasure time.... This is one show that I seriously just can't get enough of. Its like a weekly trainwreck that you just can't look away from. I know its garbage TV, and I know I should be embarrassed for it, but I don't care, its just entertaining.
And yes, I felt the same way about Jersey Shore. Don't @ me!
via GIPHY
you mean an hour or two.
Ashton White and Marcus Lewis, both former commits/de-commits, are looking to transfer. Maybe the grass isn't greener.
I think Marcus Lewis played a good bit for FSU, I was a bit surprised by that one.
He played a lot early in the season but I don't think he played at all the last half of the season
Any chance these guys come to us?
no. 2 years to sit out for in conference transfers. aint nobody got time for that.
James Mitchell announcing a top 5 today.
VT, Dook, Vawls, Sackerlina, Jawja
https://twitter.com/j_mitch82/status/888173062251794432
On phone, can't embed.
Top 5 are VT, UT, USCe, UGA, Duke.
Really surprised to see USCe instead of heavy hitters like anOSU and Clemson.
His sister attends UGA, fyi.
Here it is:
Why don't croots just put them alphabetically instead of always saying no order?
well in this case, it's actually a bell curve of the likelihood of commitment with the lowest probable ones first and last and the highest in the middle. (no sauces)
Then let's hope the error is within one standard deviation.
The top is always right!
Right choice, top choice.
Just sayin.
4* Safety Khalid Martin is on campus for this weekend
Better than being "on Grounds" at the Jefferson College for Football Douchery.
I'm bored and want to start a debate. I have seen multiple people thinking Larry Fedora is perfect for the Ole Miss role. If that happens who do we try and poach from UNCheat?
I would be willing to bet there's 0% chance he leaves for Ole Miss. But if he did I think the obvious answers are Dyami Brown and Payton Wilson though. Don't think we were in on any of the others. If he left I think we would lock up Dax though and have a better chance with Alim McNeil
To add to that, why would he leave a school that will seemingly never get slammed by the NCAA, for a school that seems to be on the cusp of getting slammed by the NCAA. Obviously, this isn't truth or fact, just murky water kinda stuff. But I don't see them landing someone of too much stature right now, or at least not until more information comes out.
Because Ole Miss has $EC money, and who better to handle NCAA issues than a coach that has been constantly under scrutiny at UNC for years?
$4.5 Million dollars, and I think he knows something will eventually happen at UNC. Easier to just get through what is going to happen at Ole Miss than wait indefinitely for UNC's punishment.
I think people underrate the ability to win when evaluating these jobs and just look at prestige. Ole Miss is going to be playing with sanctions, at least two really poor recruiting classes relative to the SEC, in either the 1st or 2nd toughest division in college football. What about that screams career success? And the SEC isn't exactly known for its patience.
We can hate on UNC and him all we want here, but he's built a fairly steady program there. They're going to take a step back this year but they're going to be good for the next couple after. And UNC starting to invest in football, building a indoor facility and I think they just gave him a raise to $3 million. They play in a wide open division that he's won 2 times in the last 5 years. Not to say they're going to be a power but its a really good setup there. He's fairly young, he's got plenty of time to wait for a pay day in a better situation JMO.
Two Coastal Division Championships in Five years? Nope. UNC has only won one Coastal Division Championship since the inception of divisional play:
2005 - VT
2006 - GT
2007 - VT
2008 - VT
2009 - GT (later vacated)
2010 - VT
2011 - VT
2012 - GT
2013 - Duke
2014 - GT
2015 - UNC
2016 - VT
Yes, Fedora is a good coach and has done a good job at UNC... but never, ever, give UNC credit for anything more than you have to.
My bad I was talking strictly on field product, they won in 2012 as well (or at least I'm almost positive they held the tiebreakers). They just weren't eligible for the championship game through no fault of Fedora.
How could you forget that amazing 8-4 season? They got rings!
UNCheat winning the Coastal in 2012 is the equivalent of sh!t in a paper bag
I get your point that Fedora is a good coach (and I agree with that), but I'm going to be a stickler about not giving them credit for a division championship that they weren't eligible to win because of cheating.
And the 2012 rings are such a ridiculous joke. I could get a 2017 NBA Championship ring made and wear it around and it won't change the fact that I'm a slow middle-aged guy with hands of stone.
This staff is on top of things. Every player that is arriving in Blacksburg tonight is "checking in" on twitter. Getting these guys to advertise that they are coming to Blacksburg has to be good on the recruting trail.
Confirmed in Blacksburg today:
DJ Crossen
John Harris
Cam Goode
Jordan McFadden
Kalon Gervin
Alan Tisdale
Dax Hollifield
Added:
Chamarri Conner
Armani Chatman
Nadir Thompson
Jermaine Waller
Thank you!
There are other supposedly there but I either can't find their Twitter account to verify or they haven't posted anything.
Kalyn Gervinho
Kalon Gervin maybe?
Damn iPhone autocorrect. Thanks
Could be his futbol alter ego, just saying.
Just like Cartoons Plural
Oh man, I can't wait till Capehart and Harris get here!!!!!!
So is "Capehart" a thing now.
No
Disappointed to not see Alim McNeil there.
It's going to be hard to keep him away from NC State.
Guerry tweeted that of 18 committed 2018 Hokies 14 are in Blacksburg for the BBQ.
Im kind of surprised to see so many already committeds here. Guess this is more of a "retention" bash than an add on bash? Or perhaps the thinking is that it adds additional sway to the non committeds to be surrounded by those who have?
Bingo let the already committed tell the uncommitted how great it is.
Wouldn't you want to build relationships with people that you may grind and sweat with for 3-5 years? Seems that building camaraderie between current and potential commits would only increase the chance of a uncommitted recruits to pull the trigger.
That and since when is a commitment a guarantee that the recruit will sign? Always Be Cruitin'...even the ones you think you've already landed.
For some reason that hand looks CG
(....It is)
Correct. Last two classes had 9-10 commits when this event started. This year we had 18 and added one. Our remaining targets are mostly big fish just now trimming down their lists. Excellent work by this staff led to a summer full of commitments that brought us along much faster.
and here are all the committed kids that were there.
Please tell me Armani is the one wearing the Armani T-Shirt.
If only. That would be savage.
Nah, he's front left in the orange shirt/backpack/white sneaks
This brings up an important discussion point: If Chatman laterals, do we call it the Armini Exchange?
No, I think we'd call it the Armani Exchange. /s
I regraet nothing.
Not even one letter?
I just see people keep mentioning this BBQ and this is all I can think of
I wouldn't expect any commits. Kind of a wash. Just look forward to the season starting and OVs.
Offensive line recruiting is worrisome, but not for the reasons many may think. The staff has identified players which fit the scheme, which places maximum emphasis on identifying blockers that are mobile and can stay engaged with blocks. They don't have to be dominant at the point of attack, as long as they can stay engaged on the block.
The recruits so far fit that profile. Harris, McFadden, and Darrisaw are mobile guys with good feet. TJ Jackson fits that profile as the next left tackle. Silas Dzansi, Aiden Brown, and Lecitus Smith (especially) from last year's class also fit the profile.
However, they are, for a lack of a better term, "clay." They have the feet, but they need a great deal of development in technique, strength, and aggression in some cases to be productive players. Because we have not seen yet how this staff develops offensive linemen (because nobody has seen the field up front that represents this staff's development strategy and I would struggle to point to an offensive lineman that got better last year from the previous staff-although McLaughlin and Nijman were very solid), we are all worried. In that situation, in lieu of "locks" (which are a rarity up front), you hope to see volume. With these numbers, players like TJ Jackson, Austin Cannon, Zach Hoyt, etc almost have to develop into quality ACC starters. With offensive linemen, the odds of all the eggs in the basket making it to the finish unscathed are tough.
Tease: I have column on this in the editing phase. Hopefully, a Rasheed Walker type sees the light and this staff can develop some offensive line like they have developed unheralded skill guys at other stops.
Dax has already visited over 10 times, Bud even drove him around in the golf cart all day.
Not sure what this dude is waiting for the love for VT is real
He's taking his time.
I feel like FSU will be the team to beat for him.
He's enjoying the process, teams to beat are VT, UNC and USC jr
Edit: This means his top 3 are listed above... not FSU
VT?
Sometimes your toughest opponent is yourself.
Something something... motivational quote from facebook
So the only top 2018 targets I have heard that were there this weekend were Gervin and Hollifield. Any word on if guys like Walker, Gwyn, Mitchell, Artis, McNeill made it. I had read in various places that all but Gwyn (he was a maybe) were supposed to be there. Kind of disappointing if all those guys skipped.
Mitchell visited the week before. McNeill didn't attend.
Actually, Mitchell was there according to the article at TSL. Walker also attended.
There were some more guys there but I can't find any verification on their social media.
Jeez. Maybe I've just become spoiled, but I've gotten used to good news when it comes to all things crootin'. This was... underwhelming. Sounds like the biggest news is that everyone stayed committed who already has.
Did Bud cook the burgers 'medium well' or something? Did Fuente forget to lay out separate utensils for mustard, mayo, ketchup, relish, etc? Did Charley bring a salad??!?
Sounds like our recruiting has taken a huge step back.
/sssslawcountsasasalad
***Insert "These MAC coaches can't recruit" Comment Here*** /s
Forgive my ignorance, but I've seen this meme around and I have to ask, was this a real argument that someone made on TKP?
I don't have time to find the threads right now, but when Fuente brought so many of his Memphis assistants with him, there was definitely a camp that said he was sacrificing recruiting ability for familiarity since these guys had never had to recruit to compete at a P5 school.
It reached it's peak when Tyjuan Garbutt decommitted. You know, the guy that recommitted and is on the team now. It wasn't so bad here, but there were a few that brought it up. Unsurprisingly, the negativity on TSL made the site unreadable (even more so than the terrible layout).
Possibly related:
Anyone else weirded out that DeJuan Ellis has removed his commitment from his Twitter bio?
All I know is what I read for free (247, Da Twittah):
-his picture is still pro-VT to the max
-
he was in Blacksburg for the BBQEDIT: wasn't. Came down Sunday for some QT with The Good Guys during the camp (see below)-his buddy Jordan Houston ('19) got offered at our camp this weekend
Anyone got thoughts? I'd normally not be too worried, but there's history here. He's a freakish athlete and a great fit for The Good Guys...
Is he the guy that decommitted before?
It actually was a comment on TSL AND in an email to Andy Bitter for his mailbag questions.
Just like any other fan base, we have our fair-share of assholes. Nothing to really bother about.
Cole Slaw sucks. Team Salad, particularly macaroni.
UNLESS its Coale Slaw, then it's good.
Salad, particularly macaroni.
The beauty of slaw: it can go beside the burger or hot dog. Or it can go ON the burger or hot dog. (Fun Fact: where I'm from, the standard "convenience store" dog is slaw, beef chili, & yellow mustard.)
If it helps to convince you, though, we can absolutely call it Coale Slaw.
In fact, fuck it. It's a thing now. You just invented Coale Slaw!! And you don't even like it!!
I don't like it either. Best way in the world to screw up a good BBQ sandwich.
False
Cole Slaw (the right kind) belongs on a good pulled bbq sammich
False
And when you're talkin about pulled BBQ.... Vinegar > Tomato
Don't @ me!
Mix the two and have a Lexington sauce!!! Best of both worlds!
Lexington is good, no doubt, but not as good as a proper Eastern vinegar, peppers and salt. No need for the red stuff. I've definitely had some poor Eastern, but a decent pit master or BBQ joint has that stuff down.
I stand by my statement
Your correct, CORRECT statement.
Good on a hot dog. Bad on slow and low pork.
You're right about this event being about building camaraderie with current commits, and the one commitment this year definitely isn't like years past but there's a big reason why:
The last two classes we had 10 commits, and 9 commits, at the time this final July event took place, whereas this year we already had 18 (now 19) commitments in or pocket. The staff has done an excellent job accelerating our recruiting calendar and, you could feel it this summer. In the past, I remember "no news is good news" during the summer months for VT, because we just didn't land commitments over a 3month period every year it seemed. Obviously changes in recruiting have sped things up, but just comparing this class to the previous two classes shows why this BBQ Bash wasn't going to be as big of a push for a bunch of guys. This is good for our 2019 efforts and gives us an edge for sure. Still have to close out though...!
That looks a lot like the fat boss from 30 Rock...
....Don't know if serious...
This is my favorite scene from The Hunt For Red October
QP got a bump in the composite to an .8744
What a joke, he's the 16th ranked DTQB yet was 1 of the top 12 quarterbacks in the nation/ went to the opening/ Elite 11 Finalist
From what I've gathered, he could be in for another bump after his senior film starts coming in this fall.
They have a dude that hasn't even started a game at a low/mid 4*
QP just competed at an insane level and continues to get better... it's kind of insulting that he is being delayed
I keep up with stars with the best of them but for this kid, I really don't care. At the end of the day he's a Hokie and in a few years he will have people chanting his name!
Here's the article regarding the QP re-rating as mentioned above. The article gives a previous and current rating. Also, tre turner and chamarri conner got an increase too.
3 hokies re ranked
I'm surprised they bumped him at all given their earlier statement. Can only bode well, people want this guy to blow up. He could be a media darling.
So 247 did this interview with Darryle Simmons and I found it interesting that he said...
If true that's 2 WR's in this class over 6'3''.
Gervin may be close to a decision. I hope he announces at the UA AA game
Can't embed on phone, but Nadir Thompson inplied via a tweet that 3 star CB Jermaine Waller has committed to VT
I don't see the tweet, but it says on 247 that Waller committed today!
http://247sports.com/Player/Jermaine-Waller-46039190
247sports also shows him as a commit with a commitment date of today.
EDIT: 30 seconds too slow...
247 appears to confirm thisDr. Brule,
I concur.
Coaches signals are up, recruit incoming.
I am going to go out on a limb here and guess its CB Jermaine Waller.
We are in the top 3 for KJ Henry. Gotta beat Alabama and Clemson
Oh good, I was worried it was going to be us vs. some big name schools or something...
Where'd you see this?
Hah, we got this one in the bag.....
/s
Nice to be on the table with the last 2 National Champions.
I'm hoping KJ picks the Hokies and helps bring a championship to Blacksburg.
Very cool. His Top 3 are the 2015 national champions, the 2016 national champions, and the 2017 national champions. I guess he likes a winner!
Haven't seen this anywhere. Sauces? Fake news?
hopefully there's some #sauces.
KJ Henry publicly announces his top 5 on Monday
Where did you get this info?
Saw James Mitchell and his dad tonight. His dad coached me in high school so I talked to him for several minutes. Didn't discuss where James was going but his dad was wearing a VT hat. I liked that fact.
As expected the "news" coming up from K.J. is another top schools announcement.
So hes adding schools?
I don't know where people are getting a top 3 from unless it's from #sauces. So far he only has a top 10 released.
#KJ2VT is alive!
Progress in the Process #Final5 #BeBlessed pic.twitter.com/ds35ZxVHnc— K5 (@thekjhenry_) July 31, 2017 " target="_blank">
There's always going to be guys who give us a chance. We just need to get some work done on the field and maybe we can nudge him over to the good guys.
Just saw that OL Aidan Rafferty committed to Indiana about a week ago. I had heard he was no longer a take for us but I'm still surprised since our OL recruiting has been so lacking. Here's to hoping either Gwyn or Walker will come to the good guys (or both)!
Also saw an article that said DT Alim McNeill is planning to announce in September. All the CBs have gone over to NC State recently but at least we may still have time to make a push for him. I'm not holding my breath, but would love to pick him up .
Also there's still time for the Pack to have another lousy season and Doeren to get canned.
As an o-lineman, there are worse places to end up than in Bloomington.