Now that VT has got Webb and Mitchell, theoretically, they can only get 7-10 more guys if they stretch the numbers.
Here is everyone that is left for the Hokies (obviously I have no sauces, I am going with my gut instinct on these guys)
KJ is a program changer. I think it's between us and Clemson with him. If we had more time, and he was signing in February, I think we might have a legit chance to get him, but right now it's a pipe dream
LAHokie seems confident. Good enough for me. I would LOVE to see him and Rivers be the starters in a few years, if not next year
He has delayed his commitment, we had our chance, and with him high on Auburn, I think we fall off the cliff
A really highly rated OL, but I think Culver is a bigger priority. Taking a visit soon, which could get things trending our way
Beside KJ and Dax, I think Jean-Baptiste is your next biggest priority. A real diamond in the rough.
Running Back depth is needed, and Grant would provide us with downs early
A true diamond in the rough, would add more D-Line balance alongside Kane, Adams, and Jean-Baptiste
Guy has gotten hype recently. Who Knows?
Comments
Can you be a diamond in the rough if you're rated as a four star? I thought a diamond in the rough was a quality player that is under appreciated.
That said, thanks for the run down. Shouldn't you be taking the SATs or something on a Saturday morning? 😋
Chores, sweeping the garage or something.
Woo, look at the time! I gotta get to bed. I still gotta brush my teeth, feed the hog, still got some homework to do, still got those bills to pay, wash the car...
via GIPHY
I thought I'd take a break from the homework and put all that together
I thought he was more of a Diamond in the rough because he is considering Boston College and the only SEC offer he has is Tennessee
Obviously he's saying they should be 5*s.
I would say that's one possible meaning. The other would be a player with great measurables and natural talent who hasn't been "polished" into a football player.
Re: Rasheed Walker
He's on his OV this weekend per his twitter.
We get KJ, Dax, jean- Baptiste, and Rasheed Walker. You heard it here first folks
Lol, throw in Culver and that's basically the super best case scenario that essentially has a 0% chance of actually happening.
Maybe that's why he didn't include Culver.
I would fully buy into Fuente as a program changer at that point
Walker is very athletic but very raw. If VT gets him, fans will need to be patient. I think Culver may not have as much upside, but will be ready to play faster. Of course, Nijman was very athletic and much more raw than Walker, and he has been productive. I still like Jackson and don't think LT is as much a priority as finding the next RT. Plantin and Smith will be there next year too and Chung is trying to get a 6th year. Smith and Aiden Brown will likely be in the mix to replace Teller.
Baptiste or Henry would be awesome. I like our depth their anyway, so outside of perception I don't think they are critical hits. Becton, I would only refocus on him if Wiles thinks he can be effective at DT. I don't think he is twitchy enough at end.
I think Dax is huge because of the time and resources available. He gives you more speed and range at mike than they have had in a long long time. It does suck that the positions where depth is critical (DL and corner is a little thin, while linebacker and safety (places where Bud rarely rotates because of communication) have a bunch of good players that can't all get on the field.
I haven't watched Grant yet, so I will reserve comment. A good friend who has good Vols info said they expect him to flip. We will see.
I'm with you on DE not being a super-critical addition at this stage of the 2018 class. But if we land KJH and/or JPB they would both be super-boosters to the current DE situation. KJH immediately, as in 2018/2019 and JPB after a little bit of development in 2019/2020. It's next-level type depth.
I would feel better about the DE depth if I knew something about DeBose, Porcher, Garbutt and Proctor. Is Porcher going to have to slide to DT? How is Glaze doing inside?
My blink was that Garbutt and Proctor were projects, Porcher was probably a tweener and may need to slide to DT and I thought DeBose may play as a true-freshman....so when he didn't a little concern popped up.
But if all four of these DE's are having a great redshirt year, I would agree that it isn't super critical to get at least one of Henry/Batiste.
The DeBose redshirt was more of a product of Belmar surprising everyone when he moved to DE and I think DeBose majoring in Architecture might have played role. I haven't talked to him in awhile, but he surprised us and majored in Arch instead of Engineering.
I cannot imagine being successful in both Architecture and football. Even when I was at Tech, architecture required more than 168 hours a week. It's only gotten harder since then, from what I've heard.
(I know engineering is considered more intellectually demanding, but in terms of time management, I still think Architecture takes the cake.)
I would have to agree. My roommate was architecture and it definitely required better time management than me.
I could never grasp why architecture is so demanding when it comes to the lab work. If it is beneficial (and I assume it is), why doesn't Engineering follow a similar model?
It probably has to do with how much Engineering is just applying theories to problems. You don't want engineers to just learn what to do in that specific case, which I find is what labs do. Labs are great to show theories in action, but if you do too many, it is just repetitive and reinforces a single case in which the theory works.
Someone correct me if I am wrong, but architecture studio work is applying design principles. This is not a definitive situation as theories are. Architecture is more about how you apply design principles with your own thoughts and ideas. Studio work gives you opportunities to learn how to mix your ideas with the design principles in an effective way.
*Disclaimer: I may be completely off base and all of this may need to be disregarded.
The shorter answer is that a design project is never finished: it's just turned in at some point. You work a problem, you get a solution, you hope it's right, you're done. You work on a design, you get it almost right, you tweak it a little, it's almost what you want, you tweak it a little, you think of something else that would make it better, you tweak it a little, you realize it was better before you added that last thing, you tweak it a little, you watch the sunrise, you tweak it a little, you see where I'm going here...
Dumb question: what position is WDE.
Weak-side defensive end.
Weakside defensive end, term which doesn't mean much for Tech because Foster doesn't change defensive ends based on alignment often.
WDE are generally considered strong pass rushers and SDE are generally considered stronger run defenders.
It does mean something for Tech. Our ends are almost exclusively WDE, and if we bring in a SDE, they'll probably get moved to DT. For the reasons you outlined about pass rushing/run defending lining up with what Foster likes.
I meant it's a term that doesn't mean anything for Tech tactically, as Foster doesn't make a distinction for Weak-side or a Strong-side defensive ends in his system.
recruiting services do though. and that's what we're talking about here... the labels put on players by recruiting services
I'll see your thumbs up and raise you an "okay".
via GIPHY
It's not 100% but if you see us recruiting a "SDE" odds are they'll be moving to DT @ VT. Foster prizes the explosive twitch at the DE position that frequently gets a prospect labeled as 'WDE' no matter how big they are.
World Dairy Expo
World Dog Expo
When's Drew Enrolling?
The gif gave me a static shock when I upvoted
I just had a seizure.
Add in my migraine.
Holy shit
This comment should go to plaid.
Tight End/Quarterback
Somebody show Jean-Baptiste some film of a certain 6'5" OLB who happened to be a diamond in the rough 3* a few years ago, and now happens to be an all-American and likely early round draft pick.
With Webb joining the party, that probably sews up DBs - I guess Boykin becomes less of a priority, for one - and Mitchell caps off a great 👏🏼 fucking 👏🏼 class 👏🏼 of skill guys. Kind of surprised we're still in the market for a RB, and would be surprised if it was Grant. French, is your Vol sauce predicting a flip specifically to VT or just that he won't end up at UT? Are they gonna have to build a new RBs room? I would think we would roll with what we've got this cycle and just go all-in on the World Series Of Devyn Ford.
I think we're going to be glad we got Tenuta and held on to Harris - I've got a bad feeling about how we close out on the OL. We've never felt closer than 3rd for Walker, and Culver is having his 'McFadden/Kleympsun' moment with Auburn. French broke down the depth pretty well above, and add Dzansi and Darrisaw to the group and depth is deeecent. We'll need a big 2018 from Vance Vice.
And I think we close out great on D - and that doesn't necessarily mean we get KJ. I think we get Dax and either KJ, JJB or Becton (but we've never felt close on Becton).
Lost in all the LB and DE hubbub: the need to add another DT. Who, if anyone, are we still talking to? I know McNeill had a recent visit.
And is there anyone in our class that might be on Flip Watch? We all saw McFadden coming from a mile away, but it's otherwise been quiet re hard commits getting poached. I guess all this stability is appealing to our croots. Or maybe it's just extra crazy elsewhere.
One last thought: this early signing period sure is fun for us cfb dorks, but must be pure murder on the coaching staffs. All this travel and gladhanding and you've got Christmas 4 days after the signing period. And oh right a bowl game 3 days after that. 🎶 It's the mooost wonderful tiiiiime of the yeeeear 🎶
Word was McNeill did not in fact visit.
It was mentioned that Braxton Clark got crystal balls to flip to Nebraska from two 247 VT insiders.
With regards to my friend (yes, he dragged me to watch Chris Leak play in high school before Leak flipped to Florida), he does not believe Grant will end up at Tennessee.
Thanks for the rundown with profile links. Would be a great end to the class to get Dax, either KJ or Baptiste, and either Rasheed or Culver. If we could get Grant to flip that would be the cherry on top and everything I've heard from #sauces if that Becton is only remotely on the board if we miss on both guys (like French said, not explosive and I think too small for DT).
Perhaps I'm just not up to speed on how recruiting works, but with all these players being hard commits elsewhere or at least heavy leans, does this thread mean these are just wishlist players or does it mean you think we actually have a shot at flipping some of them? I don't really follow the recruiticorning much, so I'm just wondering what our actual chances might be with these guys.
Either way, I'm really loving the fact that we're even in the conversation. Future seems bright.
Also, as an aside, I know we have the bowl game but am I the only one already dreading the off season and anxious for September?
Literally the only committed recruit in the OP is Grant and he is committed to Tennessee. Tennessee's coaching change didn't go particularly smoothly and their new coach is still working for Bama through the playoff. So while nobody expects us to get all of these recruits, I think it would be shocking if we didn't get at least one and slightly disappointing to not get 2+.
That's like saying Atlanta had a bit of trouble from Sherman.
They burnt that fucker to the ground... and Atlanta also suffered some damages
Other than that, Ms. O'Hara, how'd the 1860's go for you?
Those were the days
KJ or Baptiste
Dax
Grant
Who am I missing left on the board?
Rasheed Walker? Or is that unlikely with Culver committing?
Walker is a good athlete trying to learn to be an offensive lineman. We have two of those types (Jackson and Dznasi) already and they need room for a KJ/Dax/Baptise/Grant. Based on resource allocation, you save room for a need (a higher grade of RB) or a program changer (the other three could be.)
I also wonder if we don't end up flipping Grant (or Elliott from Oregon) if Elijah Davis gets an offer. Just seems like the staff wants another RB and they retweet everything about him on Twitter.
KJ And Baptiste, they aren't going to turn down either of these guys.
With culver committing I think Walker may have missed the boat.
Lala is getting a PWO option and that's it I think. (Kind of sucks, think he could be a baller)
Grant and Dax are going to ride this bad boy out. I think right now we may got 2 for 2 but Grant has more OV's left so the coaches have more work to do.
I would be excited to land either KJ or Baptiste, but landing both of them would be amazing. Any word on how the weekend went for Baptiste?
I am pumped about Culver, but with our OL struggles I can't imagine we are in a position to turn down a 4* OL in Walker, even if he is more of a project like French suggests.
That makes me a little sad about LaLa, I also think he would be worth a shot. I think I saw his senior year numbers were like 3500 yards and 59 TDs.
I would like to land Grant, but wouldn't be hugely disappointed if we missed on him. I'm all aboard the Ford train for next year, and would also love to see us go after and get Jordan Houston.
Might just be me, but I would rather take Walker to deepen our Oline and whoever commits first in the DE spot, and stop trying to add our 100th running back to the class. I really don't understand why we're after Grant.
Between Beck, Graham, and Steward, I agree... don't really see the need for a fourth running back. But I don't make 7 figures to make the decision...though I'm probably qualified...
If you're qualified, then so am I.
(2016 ChE)
but are you well qualified?
I have a theoretical doctorate in physics
Are you saying that you have a "theoretical doctorate in physics" or a "doctorate in theoretical physics"?
The placement of that adjective makes a huge difference in the determination of your qualifications. Or am I just missing the joke (wouldn't be the first time)?
you missed the joke
yes
Let's just say I drafted Alvin Kamara in the 10th round of my fantasy draft...
ignore this
Ditto, but 12th.
Ditto, but 15th
Edit, so I can brag more. I also added him from FA in October in another league where I already had Kareem Hunt, Zeke, and Chris Thompson
Ditto, but I didn't play fantasy football this year.
Just curious if you're in the championship since Thompson is done for the year, Zeke's been suspended, Hunt was slumping until the past two weeks, and Kamara was concussed two weeks ago?
only thing better than beating your own fantasy chest is fantasy smack talk.
Fantasy sports is like reality tv. Someone is desperately trying to conjure a reason for me to be interested... and I just don't get it. I don't need any extra reason for following sports.
.
... Do I qualify for a curmudgeon point? ...
I mean, different strokes for different folks. I'm not gonna try to convince anyone to play, but as a Packers fan, it's the only reason I kept watching the NFL this year after Rodgers went down. I've also been playing fantasy football for about 15 years (since before they did live scoring on ESPN and you had to either do the math yourself at the end of the day or wait until Monday/Tuesday to find your scores). So it's just second nature for me at this point.
Yup, just won my Semi-Final by about 45 points thanks to the Cam/Olsen connection (RIP my Packers) and Hunt. The Kamara concussion was on a bye week, and he stepped up basically the same week Zeke's suspension was official so I didn't feel it too hard there.
I definitely took my lumps with injuries, and suspensions but that team was stackedddd. Locked in the 1 seed with the help of DeShaun Watson for a while and Adam Thielen all season. The true MVPs of my team though: Baltimore Defense (~12.8ppg) and Greg The Leg Zeurlein (13.0ppg)
Edit.....Sorry, I really needed Big Cat and PFT to jump in there and tell me that no one fugging cares
Because he's a different class of RB and cleaner fit than those guys as an every down back. I like all four, but I get the logic.
Graham is an Athlete, maybe not even a RB.
Beck is a straight-line speed guy with little wiggle, likely a return man and offensive "weapon".
Steward is a camp find with exceptional Sparq scores, but a lowish ranking and not great Senior film.
Because, these coaches think the rb's we are recruiting are better than the ones we have.
With McMillian leaving, by my count we will have 9 RB on the roster if we flip Grant and retain the current commitments. That is unnecessary.
Love your icon, never seen that logo before. They make any merchandise with that?
I actually found it on an old forum some user drew. I cleaned some of the colors up just to use it as an icon. Idk what the laws are but I would imagine you could probably print your own personal shirt with it but you'd probably have to contact the guy that drew it in order to monetize it.
http://boards.sportslogos.net/topic/112882-virginia-tech-hokie-bird/
There are a ton of scenarios here. And I count 8. Who am I missing?
Holston, McClease, Fox, Peoples, Steward, Beck, Grant, Wheatley
I saw Skeens listed as RB on the roster, although I've never heard of him so he may no longer be on the team or may be a fullback.
He is a fullback, just listed as a RB
not on scholarship, so I wouldn't worry about that.
I would be shocked if there isn't some more attrition at running back, especially if the lock up Ford or Houston next year.
Trey is a walk-on. He got to dress this past year. But, he's not likely in the conversation much. He's at Tech for school. Football is second.
Nice to see a guy who did come to play school.
I think we are assuming Graham projects as a RB
I heard Drew Harris is about to enroll *ducks*
That's if we flip Grant, retain the current commitments, *and* retain all of the RBs currently on the roster.
I don't see all three happening.
Is it just KJ left in terms of targets that are signing during the early signing period? From what I've seen, it looks like Dax has his Stanford OV, Baptiste and Grant may visit a few more schools, and haven't heard anything in particular about Walker.
From the tweets from VT coaches, big hints from BAG and LAHokie,
I got a feeling two or three of the guys you mentioned are going to be committed by the end of the week
if not all of them
This is what I'm interested in
Who or when will next commit come, or are we waiting for KJ on the 20th