The three-day 'early' window for 2018 cycle recruits to sign their national letter of intent is upon us. The overwhelming majority of Virginia Tech's verbal committments have signaled they will sign Wednesday. And that's exactly how Justin Fuente wants it.
"If you're committed, I expect you to sign," Fuente told reporters per the Richmond Times-Dispatch. "If you don't sign, you're not committed. ... Now, I'm sure that won't β I mean, we'll see what happens, but that's what I expect."
Indeed, we will see what happens sooner rather than later as Braxton Clark indicated to Rivals he plans to sign in February.
"At the moment, it doesn't affect my commitment to Virginia Tech right now," Clark said. "I'm signing in February and I plan on taking other trips. It's something for me and my family to figure out, but I will probably take three [visits] next month.
"There have been a lot of schools coming at me, and I can tell you who has been showing me a lot of interest recently. That would be Nebraska, Missouri and UCF. I haven't taken one official yet."
Clark is planning to take his first official visit to Virginia Tech when the NCAA dead period ends.
4-star athlete James Graham is expected to sign, but with either the Hokies or Yellow Jackets after a recent official visit to the latter.
Graham has been committed to the Hokies since October, but Georgia Tech has maintained its pursuit of him, resulting in the official visit. Graham, a four-star prospect in the "athlete" category (247 Sports composite), would be a valuable pickup for the Jackets, who do not have a quarterback in the recruiting class and only have three on the roster β TaQuon Marshall, Lucas Johnson and Tobias Oliver.
Graham's decision may rest, at least in part, on if and how much he wants to play quarterback. Virginia Tech is recruiting him as an athlete, meaning he could go anywhere (and probably not quarterback), while Georgia Tech is recruiting him as a quarterback.
And finally, 5-star defensive end K.J. Henry announces and signs tomorrow.
Our very own Kj Henry will be making his commitment this Wednesday at 4:20 in the new gym. Kj is a 5 Star DE & is rated #3 in the nation at his position #5 overall by ESPN, he is choosing between Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, South Carolina, & Virginia Tech, be there! #WestFo https://t.co/7R5cd484Xgβ West Forsyth Pride (@WestFoPride) December 16, 2017
Comments
LET'S GO
Hokies!
Wooooo!
Announcing at 4:20. Interesting choice. Damn I think I'll shit myself if we sign him. Fingers crossed! Hopefully we're all on here celebrating tonight. I have a great feeling about today. No sauce just a feeling.
Hopefully since he's announcing at 420 doesn't mean we'll have any Beckett like trouble from him /s
Joe will each recruit get their own thread or do you want them all kept here?
I say they all get threads. Early Signing day is like
Christmas in........December?
I assume Joe is doing things like in previous years, where TKP staff will be reviewing each prospect progressively. I would ask that we not start a new thread just to announce that each individual person has signed. With the speed of the day, there's going to be lots of duplicates if we do that. So if all you have to contribute is "player X has signed!" I don't think that merits a new thread. If you've got more info or analysis to share, please do.
Edit: any new or surprise commits would merit their own thread, per usual recruiting forum policy.
I meant yea wait for the TKP staff thread or post it on here. I'm sure Joe already has every thread written up already.
I don't. I ain't got time for that. (It also seems rather inefficient use of time when I basically wrote above Tech expects everyone to sign today that's committed sans Clark and possibly Graham. Those are the stories.)
FTFY, Joe
Wait... Player X has signed? That's a nice pickup. You can never have too many X's. Now we've just got to flip a few of those O's that are wobbly.
The nice thing about X's is a few snips and some glue means you got your Y's and Z's as well.
Not so easy to make an X into an O. We've certainly tried that before. Works sometimes.
Me right now...
Evan Watkins just cb'ed Jean-Baptiste to the good guys.
Oh yeah...
After we got a CB for him yesterday I stared wondering what/if that means anything with regards to Henry. My conclusion is that I have no idea.
Both are takes. Other than potential positive momentum with regards to Baptiste, I would not read into it.
So anyone signed yet?
7 am.
Are we still using fax machines in 2017 for signing day?
Only two options are fax or email a scanned version I think.
Docusign seems like they could have a huge opportunity with a contract for NCAA schools, if NCAA adopted electronic signatures....
Now I have something to email back to the DocuSign sales rep that emails me every day despite the fact that I'm not at all in any position to decide what software we use as a company.
Ready and waiting. Off work today. This is a cool time of year for signing period. Even if we strike out, Christmas is a few days away and will help overcome the ones we don't sign. It's all good til spring.
And so it begins, the chase of the mythical Recruiticorn that will take us to the promise land...
IT IS TIME LETS GOOOOOOO
I'm watching Hokiesports and they don't seem to have a running list of signees like they've had in the past. Am I missing something?
Andy's running one.
Hokiesports is doing coverage at 11am online.
We should also see a lot of coaching shuffles in the next few days, as a result of the expansion to the new 10th full time assistant coach.
I hear Keith Henry is looking for a job. That might be a pretty good hire.
Ellis official.
https://twitter.com/CoachFuente/status/943454530188005376
nice
I found it interesting that the graphic lists him as a QB, especially since there is an ATH section. Didn't he formally reopen his recruitment and recommit as an "ATH?" Either way, glad to have that kind of speed and explosiveness onboard!
I like that the recruit who once de-committed was the first to send in, shows he was all in
Nadir Thompson and Johnny Harris also in.
WE GOT HARRIS!
Glad to see Drew finally signed, and will be in the mix at RB. It's been a long time coming.
This is me all day today!!
chamarri conner in
That's awesome! I was a little worried with how quiet he's been over the last few months. I think he may be a surprise of this class. No one really talks about him, but he's a good looking safety!
Conner is in
Chamarri Conner signed. Don't know much about the guy.
https://twitter.com/CoachFuente/status/943456745556447232
Conner is one of our better prospects. I think he will be a name to remember from this class
http://www.thekeyplay.com/virginia-tech-football-recruiting/2016/11/1314...
Walker Culver and Shadley in
Culver is in? I thought Auburn was a lock for him? /s
Sneaky big flip. We should be as excited about Culver this year as we were Rivers last winter. Kid is gonna be a beast
I know I took a ton of (unnecessary) heat for saying I hoped he signed on the 20th, and its a really good thing did. Jackson Carmen, a 5* OT who was going to go to OSU committed to Clemson, so he definitely would have been a take at OSU. Great work by the staff to lock him up.
Additionally, for the guys who gave me shit about saying what I did, I'd recommend this thread if you want to see what actual nasty recruiting talk is like. It's ruthless.
https://ohiostate.247sports.com/Board/120/Contents/BREAKING-Jackson-Carman-announces-for-Clemson-Tigers-over-Ohio-State-Buckeyes-USC-Trojans-112521240
That's some ugly shit there. I like that we usually keep it classy here. Usually. Some of those Bucknuts sound more like Wingnuts.
(emphasis mine)
The delusion is real. As is the asshattery.
This response got me chuckling:
It's a flood now. Good sign. Fuente's words ring true.
We've gone 2 minutes with out any new NLI's coming in, should we freak out yet /s
Hope they don't forget to wind the fax machine every so often.
In all seriousness, my sister went to Columbia and the her high school had to fax something over. After the 3rd try and her watching the secretary do it, the university secretary admitted that there was no paper in the fax machine. For 3 days.
Mike Barber of Richmond Times Dispatch has a list with names turning green. It's easier for me to keep up with. Bitter also doing a less organized grouping. To his defense he's home with a little one today.
http://www.richmond.com/sports/college/schools/virginia-tech/live-virgin...
Jermaine Waller is in
Let's take a moment today for everyone to remember and acknowledge that these are high schoolers making the biggest decision of their lives at this point. Please treat them as such and remember that we are all grown men who shouldn't put our emotional stake into these decisions.
With that being said I will absolutely lose my shit if we get KJ.
i'd like to add that the only reason someone would choose not VT is because the other school is clearly cheating
/s
The crazy thing is some fan from multiple schools will call the NCAA compliance office and report them for cheating when a recruit doesn't pick their school.
I'm looking at you, NC State.
Luke Tenuta and Nasir Peoples are in
Luke Tenuta looks like the second coming of Wyatt Teller.
well 57-2 is...
ah, never mind
reminds me of Vinny Mihota
Darryle Simmons is in
Does Ellis play QB with gloves on?
I thought he reclassified as an ATH? But his NSL pic says QB?
whatisgoingon.gif
itdoesntmatter.jpeg
TightEnd.gif
Random question.... Are recruits parents allowed to get free swag on an official visit? It seems like you always see them wearing the school's apparel as well and I can't imagine them buying that for each school they visit before their son announces.
I can, its a right of passage for your son pursuing what he loves. I did it when my son went through it. Still have most of them.
He also plays QB with shorts on.
Come on Quincy, wake up so I can start partying!
Gotta remember he is back an hour from EST
So what you're saying is I should just plan to party one extra hour?
Armani Chatman gets tagged as an athlete.
Joe Kane is in
Keshon Artis is in
Christian Darrisaw is in
He is a 4 Star prep recruit. Moved up from 2 out of high school.
Our coaches really Darrisaw his talent.
Is he not listed as an .85 in the 247 composite currently? I asked this in the receuiting thread but no one had responded. I thought he was bumped up to an .88 or thereabouts recently. Am i wrong?
Yeah I don't know either. He got bumped yesterday to an .8850 and now dropped back all the way to a .8588. Don't know what the reason for it is but always hope it goes back up to increase our avg. star rating.
Per Mike Barber, all 4 of our OL commits have signed. The beef is here.
Four beefy bois
Someone jump on those Hardee's coupons for them boys - wasknick, was that you that had them last time?
I'm more of a bacon and eggs person, myself.
via GIPHY
This movie is hilarious.
its 8AM and we have 14 letters in...UVA has 4 haha
Got more NLIs than fans at their spring game... and we're only an hour or so in.... should we be worried??? /s
Mitchell is in
Mitchell signs! #FuckPaulJohnson
I think that's James Mitchell not James Graham
I still stand by my fuck Paul Johnson remark...but you right dammit
DRINK!
We have never agreed more
QP is in!
https://247sports.com/college/virginia-tech/Season/2018-Football/Commits
Figured Fuente's twitter would be quickest update. He's tweeted now. Thanks! Time to party!
247 is weird. They showed him signed before anyone... then CJF tweeted it.... then 247 changed back to hard commit.... weird. Anyway, QP is definitely HOME!
QUINCAAYYYYYY
Whooop whooop whoopp whoop
First full day of leave where I can sit around and do nothing in my underwear. Anything on TKP at 8:17? [checks TKP] [14 NLIs already] Well there it is. Today is a good day.
Status update:
-NavyEMC
Not very informed on all recruits, but someone from another fan site posted a link that Braxton Clark, 3 star DB recruit lost his offer. He's still listed as a VT commit. Anyone have more info/insight?
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/florida-recruiting/blog/os-sp-brax...
We have had some great DB commits sign this morning already, so this isn't too concerning. Just curious.
http://www.thekeyplay.com/comment/633769#comment-633769
Looks like he doesn't have an offer.
That makes me feel a little dirty
Kid backed out of signing during the early signing period. What should the coaches have done?
Well, we should wait around and be nice obviously while players look for greener pastures even though we are filling up spots on the team. Nice wins championships don't you know? That's why Saban has so many. He's a nice guy.
Don't get me wrong I'm not a fan of pulling scholarships Willy Nilly but if a kid won't sign on the line when they claim to be committed barring academic issues or family issues I don't think they have a guaranteed scholarship.
It doesn't give me the warm fuzzies either but when we are pulling in 4* talent at the CB role, at what point do we spite ourselves by being nice and signing too many especially when that player will have to battle his way on to the field? Scholarships are thin, this is a business.
not according to the ncaa!
Frankly, it probably helps him. Playing time might be tight with the higher ranked guys we've got coming in.
Can we start a discussion on whether stars matter?
I thought one of the things coaches liked about the early signing period is to help deal with players flipping. You plan to take 2 CBs, and get the two you really want committed, so you stop recruiting others. Than on signing day one goes to ISU to play with his cousin and the other accepts a late offer from Blue Chip U. You're screwed. Now, you know if they are not really committed to you if they don't sign, and can plan accordingly, including downgrading your commitment to equal theirs.
I think it helps with that.
Also, the players (and teams) can stop worrying about it as the Alabamas of the world can't swoop in late on those players.
Did he? I hadn't heard that. Seeing as we're still in early signing period I thought it was pulled prior to
He said some thing along the lines he is still taking official visits etc. I'll try and find the quote.
Couldn't that be because his offer was rescinded? We have no clue what the timeline was on any of this, so I'm not really comfortable pinning this one on the kid.
It could very well be that he said he'd still take official visits because he was getting word from staff that he might not be a take any more.
You won't have to look far: it's at the top of the page.
From the article:
Which came first? The lost offer or the searching?
IIRC I read somewhere that he was planning to not sign today, had a couple officials he wanted to take. That might be enough for Fuente to pull the scholly.
Apologies, can't find the article now.
Picked up an Ole' Miss offer two days ago.
D-BLOCK seems to be retooling the swagger.
What's at the bottom right of the graphic...Long Snapper?
Yep, Tech got the countries best long snapper.
Wait, all the countries? Man that's pretty impressive.
Well I can't find a long snapper from anywhere else. So just like our teams our WORLD series champs. Our players are the worlds best.
Affirmative, Captain
Comic Sans is so much easier to read. I guess Word 97 can't sustain recruiting forever.
If NCAA 14 can sustain video game football, Word can do it!
Man, I don't like that we don't have Graham yet
I'm more worried about the 3 Greensboro kids who have ties to KJ.
THIS!!!!
No need to be worried, they are just waiting until 4:20 to sign at the same time with KJ!
https://twitter.com/treturner_15/status/943464919722323968
This was a little while ago... I dont think we have anything to worry about... probably a good reason for the delay.... right? ....... right?
EDIT: Also this: https://twitter.com/alantisdale3/status/942925041758502912
Looks like Alan at least is waiting till after the KJ announcement which might initially seem awkward, but there's a strong "NC2VT" in the tweet..... so maybe something big is brewing???
Greasy Ham making sure I have a good day of partying!
They are waiting and all sending in with KJ after his announcement πͺπ»πͺπ»
god if you're right I don't know if I'll survive the excitement.
FULLY TORQUED
It IS interesting that they're all, including KJ, are announcing at the same time.
Hmmmmm, I wonder.
Tre Turner and DJ Crossen are already in. Just Tisdale left of the Greensboro group and he said he will be signing at 4:30.
I wonder if the guy who was at Hunter's commitment announcement last year is going to be at KJ's? only slightly /s
That guy creeps me out. I hope hes not
Same here. I've had a couple interactions with that dude in real life and....well.... I'll be nice and just say that he's not my favorite person ever. I'm going to leave it at that.
But shit he has some access to players somehow.
I wonder if he frequents TKP
Looks like it
Dude is committed, I'll give him that.
Dude
isneeds to be committedFTFY
I heard he did get in a little trouble for ripping people off on tickets and hooking people/players up with some illicit substances
Well then...
Dude
isneeds to becommittedarrestedHow about:
Dude
isneeds to becommitted arrestedconvicted?Agree, but that can't happen without the other.
I got in line for College Gameday at 1 AM back in September and he and his sister got there late and skipped me in line right before they let everyone in. I still ended up in the pit, so it worked out, but I was tired, hungry, thirsty, and sore from tripping during the initial stampede so I was pissed.
Relevant. Gonna be pulling for this kid - love what he is bringing to Virginia Tech.
I didn't play sports at VT but I do remember walking across the Drillfield one morning, about a month into the fall semester of my freshman year with similar sentiment. Proud of being a Hokie, confident in my decision to go to VT and excited about my future.
I hope all of the kids making a college decision over the coming months are able to make the right decision for them.
Had offers from Alabama, Florida State and Ohio State and wouldn't even entertain a visit.
We snagged a talented kid
Hard worker too. You don't pursue engineering as an athlete unless you're serious.
is anyone a surprise yet?
was Caleb Steward on the original 247 list as a committ?
Yep, no surprises yet
Probably would have been faster than the fax
@french...what are your thought on Eli Adams? Position?
Kaleb Smith is a surprise, right?
https://247sports.com/Player/Kaleb-Smith-46040288
EDIT: embedded tweet
Surprise WR commit. Didn't know he had an offer. Who's spot did he take? Clark's?
That would be my only guess as well.
Henry's? Graham's? ::ducks::
PWO originally committed to WF. Not a surprise, I think it was discussed in one of the recruiting threads
Nice! He went to my high school!
Who da heck is Kaleb Smith???
Kaleb Smith is a PWO WR out of Ashland, VA. Has good height at 6' 2" and was previously committed on full scholly to Wake Forest but thought the PWO offer from the Hokies was the better option! Says he hopes to earn a scholarship.
So what does it mean when a PWO commits? Does it count against numbers? Is it just a signal to the coaches?
Also, how are we allowed to tweet out graphics of him if he doesn't sign an NLI? or do PWO's still sign NLIs?
That's a really good question.
According to this web page, they sign nothing.
https://www.athleticscholarships.net/2014/11/11/do-walk-ons-have-something-to-sign-on-signing-day.htm
You can't tweet a player's info until they sign a NLI or begin classes. Thus, Fuente's tweet today is a giveaway that he signed a NLI and is not a PWO.
Correction:
If Smith is an early enrollee (Jan 2018) and already signed his enrollment, he could be announced now as a PWO. It sounds like that is potentially the case.
He's a PWO.
If he is truly a PWO (and this graphic is the only reason to question that), he doesn't count against the numbers.
Dude was offered by UVA and still walked on at VT
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOL
Got some good ribbing in on my LOLUVA coworker with that one.
Edit #2:
His scholly kills that. Oh well, I still have 14 straight to fall back on.So, no shit,
Said LOLUVA grad coworker just came into my office to get me to open a bottle of water for him.
Did his parents cut off his allowance, or did you misspell Perrier?
It wasn't Perrier. So, his parents must've cut him off.
He's from Bumpass, VA, per Hokiesports.com. I've always wondered. Is it pronounced Bum-pass or Bump-ass?
I'd imagine Bump-us
This is correct
Bump-us is one hoppin' burg! It has RR track and 3 houses!
LOL...this was my college roommate's hometown
And, so help me God, if anyone adds a Kevin joke...
Mike Barber reporting he has a scholly, not a PWO.
Same with Bitter. Both are citing a VT spokesperson.
They were both wrong.
Now he's saying he is a PWO. He says he's gotten confusing info for Tech.
Who is the latest commit, Kaleb Smith
No, Who's on first, What's on second, and Kaleb Smtih is the latest commit.
Is Tre Turner expected to sign today?
The Greensboro crew are going to sign with VT at 4:21 pm during an event in [checks notes] Clemmons, NC
Now the Greensboro crew has signed....
so we just added a 6 ft 3 three-star wide receiver as a walk-on? my how things have changed
Currently sitting at 21 LOI's, 2 hours in...
23 on Fuente's twitter
Well I searched LOLUVA NLI results. The first thing that came up was a woman's basketball recruit.
Great stuff.
Starting to think Bronco came out saying he was focusing on bowl prep over early signing so he could play the "I wasn't really trying" card when the booster asks about it.
DJ is in! #NC2VT
Tre Turner too!
Yussssssssss!
That makes 23 now - still enough room for Dax and KJ to come on board.
Any idea what our scholarship limit is this year?
As many that want to sign and Fuente wants to take.
The numbers always work out.
But what does this mean for KJ's commitment?? /s
Kaleb Smith?
Not TPKing hard enough.
Remember that time when you misspelled TKP while chastising someone for not TKPing hard enough?
Pretty sure he was chastising himself.
I'm just laughing at myself. Not even going to edit it. Too funny.
See above.
Do we know what is going on with Dax? Does anyone really think KJ will suddenly lean VT over Clemson? Sorry we are still climbing and they are toe to toe with anyone in the country.
Dax is committing in February
No one has any idea, he could commit to Charlotte for all we know
See the Dec Recruiting thread #4. Apparently, #sauces are reporting he's a Clemson lock still.
Someone tell me who this Kaleb Smith kid is.
Looks like it's going to be a slow news day until 4 PM
via GIPHY
My pitch to James Graham, is do you want to play at the next level? I can assure you, you have a better shot at doing so playing at Virginia Tech. Playing QB at Georgia Tech is going to put you behind in making it to the NFL.
I can't imagine that's an easy decision.
THE NUMBERS ARE NOT WORKING OUT
/s
Maybe if you had paid attention in math class this year...
via GIPHY
Sooo I thought we weren't allowed to tweet out info like that about him then... yea did we just commit a recruiting violation?
Not if we stop bringing it up
Good point. I'm sure the first places the NCAA goes to look for evidence of recruiting violations are internet message boards.
Quick, everyone start down voting everything, so at least the posts will be hazy when the NCAA scans TKP. Maybe they won't notice them.
Hahahaha. Nice one.
I say this with a certain amount of /s, but would that really surprise you?
Yes. Internet message boards would be a wildly unreliable source for investigating infractions. Instead the NCAA will go to the source itself, that is the actual school.
You say this like the NCAA isn't a giant clusterfuck that doesn't do anything the right way
They're aren't a reliable source, but they do generate attention that needn't be
Apparently, VT has reversed course and backed off the scholarship/financial aid statement. Smith is a PWO:
https://twitter.com/AndyBitterVT/status/943493668429758464
And...drink. does eggnog count?
Aaaaaaaaand we have our first recruiting violation of the Fuente Era.
Looks like we're good?
Yup, that should do it.
It would have been a minor violation anyway. Self report it and we would've been fine. But all things being equal, I'd prefer not having to deal with at at all. And it looks like we don't.
Is it spiked?
Your answer is the answer.
Not today, gotta take the little one out for shopping.
same.
Best of luck to Clark!
Just some observations:
-Ellis listed as QB
-Beck listed as ATH
I wonder if it's one of those deals where the coaches have agreed to give him his "shot" at QB first.
Yes this is the case. Ellis will get shot at QB but switch pretty quickly to Slot WR if he doesn't crack the top 3 at QB.
Is this sauced, or just a reasonable conclusion from the evidence? (I believe it either way, I'm just curious)
That has been the info that I've seen come out from awhile ago, and been confirmed by other on here. With JJ, Hooker, and QP, he would have to be something special at QB to crack the top 3, but he has game-changing quickness that will get him on the field early either way.
Correct. Some sites have reported that Ellis will at least get a shot at QB. Beck has been listed as RB/S, hence the ATH designation.
Should we start tweeting at KJ? /s
When in doubt about tweeting a recruit, always go with yes. /S
That S is for serious, correct?
Correct. /SS
^That's for super serious.
Hilariously just saw someone tweet at KJ, and Bud retweeted it.
Never embedded a tweet, so all I can share...[EDIT]: can't get Bud's "retweet" to show...
brb, tweetin @ cruitz
@thekjhenry_ how do you feel about hardees?
I admit that I'm a curmudgeon but I liked it better when coaches, schools etc. couldn't say or tweet anything about unsigned high school athletes.
Graham and Goode still unsigned as of rn
Thought he was waiting till 4:30. I'll take it though.
Yup. I was under the belief he was waiting for KJ. My yearly recruiting let down (technically now the 2nd time in 2017) is beginning to kick in.
On the bright side we now have a Christmas tradition! God bless us, everyone! Now drink enough eggnog that you want to up-vote every comment, even the ones that come in at 4:21 pm!
Tisdale in!
Wait who is the preferred walk on?
Guys I think Alan Tisdale is in.
Refresh. Refresh!
Guys, it's almost 11am on early signing day, and we're sitting on one of the best recruiting classes VT has ever had, even WITHOUT a couple of those highly ranked recruits who haven't committed yet.
Just sayin' it's a good day.
It's definitely not one of the best classes, as of now at least. More on par with, or slightly below our average. 247 has us at the 26th ranked class.
What are you talking about?
We're ranked 15th:
https://247sports.com/Season/2018-Football/CompositeTeamRankings
Probably referencing the 2017 rankings:
https://247sports.com/Season/2017-Football/CompositeTeamRankings
Good catch, I was just testing you...
Hopefully it stays that high, I know lots of highly ranked recruits like to wait before commiting.
ALthough, we do have the lowest average ranking of the top 20 teams, so a decent portion of high ranking seems to come from our large quantity of recruits, so our potential to fall is probably higher than most of the teams around us.
This is going to be a pretty good class at this point, regardless.
It's solid, no matter how you look at it. The early signing day helps us, I believe, by preventing some of the last minute sniping potential in January.
This is exactly what i was trying to explain in another thread. Our current class score has us finishing around 25 or 26th from last years final rankings and is about where we would probably end up with no more additions on the final signing day for this year. Hopefully though we add some dax and/or baptiste and dont lose too much ground.
Another way to say it is we are currently on pace to be on par with our average class ranking from years past.
Serious question:
Why is it #ExitLight18 instead of #ExitL18ht?
Because we didn't want it pronounced the way Metallica sings it... "Exit Lie-eight" or "Exit Lie-ate"?
I guess that's a valid explanation. Are we doing #EnterNight19 or #Enter19 for next year?
I feel like I've seen it floating around, but maybe not officially yet. I'm also onboard for #TakeMyHand20, Looking ahead, #ThingsThatWillBite27 could be great.
Better than #NewStandard18 which is LOLUVA's hashtag...
The new standard must be referring to when they lose for the 15th straight year to us?
I thought it was #toastedtruffles18
Why is it #ExitLight18 instead of #ExitL18ht?
I guess they opted for readable over efficient with letters.
just be happy they didn't go with the second option: #naturallight18pack
Because ExitL18ht is pronounced Kevin.
Because someone in our PR department is not as clever as you?
just got another CB for Baptiste at 9:38 nice....
Is Baptiste gone?
I saw somebody tweet about him not signing until February. Dunno if that is true or not, but it may be just a waiting game on him and Dax.
I work with Clemson people who are talking about how they just picked up their third top 10 guy of the class this morning. I swear if they pick up their fourth in KJ I might have to quit.
This gif will never not get a leg from me. Does anyone know where it came from?
No. Are you going to tell us, or just leave that hanging out there?
Asia??
Duh. China. That's where the pandas are.
Egypt
I used to live there when these commercials went viral.
It is from an Egyptian commercial for a brand of cheese called Panda Cheese. They had a bunch of commercials where a Panda would smash stuff because people said they didn't want Panda Cheese and you never say no to Panda.
Ahh, thank you. I've always wondered about that. Just for kicks, I found a compilation of several of those ads. Funny stuff.
Don't quit, it is frustrating working next to people like that. Nothing we can do now but settle it on the football field or start watching out basketball, wrestling, and track programs!
They have the #1 QB (who is also the #1 overall recruit), #1 OT (who is from Ohio), and #1 DT.
Dabo is doing work.
Just saw come across one recruit said Dabo told him Urban was going to be done coaching soon and he shouldn't go to a place where the HC won't be there. Wow more Pretend nice guy Dabo shit.
Im sure urban doesnt say anything negative about any other coaching staff.
Its ironic that there's a generous possibility that Dabo leaves for Tuscaloosa once Satan hangs up his horns.
You done beat the man, why not stay and be a Clemson god. I believe there will be other hot young coaches who don't have their own legacy who will take that job instead.
He has been in the playoffs 3 straight years being the best of the ACC. That could go on for another 5.
Alabama is his alma mater and I wouldn't blame him for wanting to do what he's done at clemson at his alma mater.
Plus a salary potential over 10 million a year
Wouldn't blame him either, would be tough on the heartstrings not to think about his own statue out there next to Bear and Satan
he could be like #jimbo2.0 #90MILreasonswhy
Dabo is a snake oil salesman if there ever was one. He has always come off as that smooth talker, gift-of-gab nice guy who would backstab you in a heartbeat if it benefited him. Some people just love that personality, but comes off as a swindler to me.
Is it really snake oil if the elixir actually works? I mean, they are the national champions.
Also, he may be right about Urban Meyer.
This sounds like some real deal sour grapes shit.
If Fuente was pulling in guys like that, I couldn't care less what he told them provided they met the two requirements...
1. NCAA compliant
2. Not a straight out lie. Vague assumptions, non-provable misnomers, and trash talk about other schools are fine by me.
Agreeeed. Is saying a coach MIGHT leave even that terrible of a shot?
I mean, Urban did leave Florida due to health concerns. It's not exactly a stretch to say he's getting old.
Due to health concerns. Like people finding out you've been covering for illegal activities of players because you'd sell your soul to
SabanSatan to win a national championship health concerns?Here comes the Fuente to tOSU rumors.
IT WAS ON ELEVEN WARRIORS!!!!111!!1!
Yeah, he had a Tebo-ectomy and no near term cure to be found in Gainesville. Tough times. Good thing they found a cure in Columbus to get him back to his normal self.
And Urban has left a school suddenly before, so there is that.
Sammy Watkins- one guy- really jump started it for Dabo. VT used to crush Clemson until they got Watkins and Tajh Boyd- who WVU basically turned down- he was not a program changing recruit, Watkins was. At that same time, they got a few nice 4 star players like Stephone Anthony, but nothing we couldn't or haven't done here. What Fuente needs is his Sammy Watkins to open the flood gates of recruiting mojo, IMO.
Source?
I can't believe Pitt and Syracuse have beaten them honestly
I think this demonstrates that winning is REALLY hard, especially doing it consistently, with 18-22 YO players. Every team drops a game they shouldn't on paper, even with a decided talent advantage.
Also, matchups matter. Clemson's offense in 2006-2007 was blowing everyone away, but Bud's system and specific talent was tailor-made to stop it.
Demetrius Taylor / Tyrod Taylor
Right there with you.
We have 11 players with signed NLIs ranked higher than UVA's highest ranked official commit. That number could be as high as 13 or 14 by the time it's all said and done too.
I'm not going to deny that this gives me a warm fuzzy, but I'm thinking more about Miami, Florida State, and Clemson.
#GetBetter
Florida State's class is in the toilet, unsurprisingly. Funny enough, NC State is currently at 4th in the conference.
Ranking the ACC
Miami blows
Virginia, with their FCS-level recruiting class is still eighth in the conference? Doesn't say much for the ACC, that's for sure.
Does anybody else think the rankings should be based on average recruit score? It seems weird to me that FSU, with an average ranking of 91, should be 10th in the class just because other teams have way more recruits than them.
I think having a large class as a counterbalance to average score is actually good. For instance, if a school signed only one player in their class, but he was the top player in the country, it shouldn't make sense that they have the best overall class. Makes the rankings more equitable overall.
Well that's a bit of a hypothetical. Most classes signed won't be less than 15 because schools have to keep their numbers up. Looking at the past years on 247 a lot of classes look to average around 20. I'm just saying if you get 30 recruits (Michigan 2017) that pure volume shouldn't mean your class is that much better than a team that only signed 20 players but has a better average.
In the end I've noticed it doesn't make a huge difference in the rankings once you hit a critical mass of about 15 players, but I've just always thought it was strange.
^^ This. Both metrics are important (avg vs. numbers); however, depth is CRUCIAL in college football. If you have a class of six 5 star guys and three of them get hurt.... oops. I love the depth of this class, couple of blue chip dudes with a chance to make a national impact with a LOT of quality guys to provide that depth that we need.
you can in theory, use both in one metric. Take the cumulative score, multiply it by the average, and then you'll have a somewhat better indication of where the teams rank. By a quick calculation, the rankings wouldn't change, except for FSU would jump up two spots to above Duke.
Seems theres definitely a balance that has to be in play. If you have lots of great talent that leaves early for the nfl obviously youll be in trouble signing 9 kids a year no matter how good they are. If you sign lots per year you have more opportunity to find the gems in the 3 stars and atrrish (?) (Part ways) with the not so good ones.
They just lost (and replaced) their coach, who seemed distracted all year.
They are going to bounce back. The early signing period isn't helping them this year, though.
Oh for sure, just referencing the example given. FSU is a juggernaut that cant be held down. It would be fun to beat em once tho!! Weve got a decent chance at it this year too.
Somebody posted something around here somewhere (I know, great citation) about how the best way to look at star rankings is as a probability. Something like 90% of 5* recruits end up contributing, 75% 4*, 60% 3*, etc. So if you take 5 5*s and 5 4*s, your looking at 8.25 guys who you would expect to contribute. But if you take 5 4*s and 15 3*s, you're expecting 12.75 guys to contribute. Which class would you prefer? (the right answer is probably 'depends on what depth and recruiting looks like from years past' but we're talking in a vacuum.)
My point being that you have to account for quantity (which has a quality all its own) somehow. Does the way they do it make a whole lot of sense? Probably not. But even without looking at extreme outliers like "they signed the best player in the country as their only recruit so they should have the #1 class" there's some argument to be made for quantity.
Yeahhhhh, this seems iffy at best.
EDIT: Basically the variable you left out is "quality" of contribution.
I agree. Hypothetical drawn up to make a point that numbers should be taken into account in this uber serious business of ranking classes on paper. Because we all know that football games are won on paper in February (well, now Dec.).
IF we could fill out the rest of the class with Sam Rogerses I would get completely behind the 5*s.
I haven't really paid attention to recruiting in the past. I'm seeing why I didn't, and if it weren't the only thing going on around here, I'd go back to ignoring it and not caring about football until Aug/Sept.
It doesn't help that my Broncos suck.
What else do you expect from a team wearing orange and blue?
Guilt by association.
Also, filed under "Teams who have coaches who are Broncos".
I saw that post and their point in that case was that stars do matter. Yes, you can obviously find 3 star guys that are amazing, but a greater percentage of highly ranked guys will contribute.
I understand that depth helps, but if you're just looking at one class I want the 4 and 5 stars because every team has 85 scholarship players on their team and I would rather most of them be highly rated. You can't really answer the question in your scenario because the reason teams have 25 signees one year and only 15 the next is because they only have that many scholarships available, not because they choose to only sign 15 guys. This is why I think you still prize quality over quantity. FSU has a small class, but it's representative of their team which is loaded with talent that historically pays off for them.
Every team that has a national title in the last 15 years has had a top five class on the roster.
This response is probably better related to any number of comments in any number of threads but yours is most recent so here it goes...
General explanation of stars and ratings
Similar to what you were saying the link goes into expectations for a player based off their numerical rating.
There has been a lot of debate lately on how many 5* recruits a team needs to eventually compete for a championship or if the quality of coordinators and position coaches has anything to do with the likelihood a 5* making it to the NFL. I thought it was interesting that the 24/7 current top 5 rated players Baker Mayfield, Lamar Jackson, Bryce Love, Saquon Barkley, and Bradley Chubb were respectively 3*, 3*, 4*, 4*, and 3*. Granted there are only like, 30(?) 5*s in any one given class year and a ton of 4s and 3s but I think I am all for the argument that 5* recruits are nice but its possible to find success without them.
That is where the percentage argument comes in to play. Yes you can definitely find 3 and 4 star guys that are awesome, but there is a greater chance that the 5 star guy will contribute early and develop into a great player. Like you said, the quantity of 3 and 4 stars gives people plenty of success stories to draw from but, simply put, if you would rather have a class of 25 5 stars than 25 3 or 4 stars, then you agree stars matter.
It's been said 1000 different ways in 100 different forums, but I have a feeling that the general consensus among TKPers is that the higher rated the player, the greater chance for success they have and to compete at a very high level you need some of those guys, but that there are hundreds of lower rated players that will end up being great college and even pro football players.
Florida State's class is in the toilet
Florida State only has 9 commits. Six of those are 4 stars.
I'm still paying attention to them.
You're right about NC State, though.
I thought our new in state rival was ODU. They're the 2nd best team in Virginia.
Any word on Drew Harris and Todd Nolen?
We're never going to accuse you of giving up on recruits.
I didn't recognize either name, but that might be because Harris was committed to Tech back in 2012 and Nolen in 2006?
edit: I think I missed the joke
I actually heard somewhere Harris is gonna be an early enrollee.
Did Deveon Simmons finally qualify?
Should we worry that Cam Goode hasn't signed yet? Given his invite to the UA All-American game this reads to me like he could be waiting to see if he picks up any bigger offers post-Early Signing Period.
event at his school later, will sign then. No worries.
Some kids like having that moment when they pull out the VT hat on national TV and announce for the good guys. It's fun for them to get the face time.
To answer your question, no.
I asked on the other thread but does anyone know the status of Jaevon Becton for us?
I don't think we're pursuing him heavily.
Not sure how coaches are handling Becton. We are 23/28 scholarships right now, by my guess only. Goode and Graham have yet to sign. That makes 25/28 (if). Braxton Clark's spot is open plus two. So why not swing for the fences and see who will set Blacksburg on fire.
Becton is fine, but not a 'swing for the fences' guy, nor a guy we need to settle with and give a spot to now.
Recall the last two years we've had guys seemingly pop out of nowhere late in the process. I wouldn't be shocked if we sign a guy we've not talked about up to this point who is higher rated than Becton.
Eli Adams in..
Down with LPD? That's a knee slapper.
I love watching this guy's film, so underrated (.8534 on 247) in my opinion. Talk about the quality of this class - guys like he and John Harris are technically rated near the bottom, but are going to be GOOD. I'm so excited, this is awesome.
He's rated as he is because 5'11" is really short for a DE who is going to be matched up against 6'6" OT's
I got to see Eli in person. His physical stature will shock some folks. But, he has a unique ability to penetrate and, unlike the similar sized Corey Moore, does it aligning inside and outside. My worry is that IF the OL can get bodied on him, he can get worked. The ultimate boom or bust DE. The first 10 plays I saw him rep, he had 4TFLs, 2 QBHs, and got run over twice.
"got run over twice" - sorry, but that made me laugh.
Been hearing for weeks how wvu will have their greatest recruiting class ever.
Ranked 29 below UK and had several commits sign elsewhere hahahahaha
I can't account for their fan attitude, but that's not really a terrible recruiting class.
I like some of their recruits on defense, in particular Dante Stills and Kwantel Raines.
Dear god, Georgia has slaughtered signing day. The entire front page of /r/cfb is all blue-chip recruits signing/commiting to the Dawgs.
#1 and #3 RBs, and #1 and #2 OGs.
How dey do dat?
Hopefully, Shane is taking notes.
Or a pissed-off former quarterback who is out of work decided to give him the recruiting Playbook
But they didn't get Micah Parsons
And now I'll never hear the end of it
The best part is, loluva is opening the 2020 season against UGA! Kirby Smart might catch a felony murder charge once that game is done.
More like a mercy killing.
UGA is the next Bama, 10 year dynasty.
commence analysis:
EDIT: thank you for your very sincere analysis pointing out they're in alphabetical order. The rest of us will have some fun with this while we wait.
Alphabetical order: simple analysis
We're screwed:
https://www.sbnation.com/college-football-recruiting/2017/2/1/14433518/n...
Based on that, he's DEFINITELY not going to UGA. Who guys a hat with just "BULLDOGS" on it for something like this?
Objectively, the VT one looks the best, Bama looks the worst, closely followed by UGA.
Obviously, he's gonna shock the world and declare for Fresno State.
He's right handed right? Game over.
If I was committing, I'd have the hat in front of my dominant hand. If he's right handed, he's off to Clemson.
Our hat is the only one with a sticker still left on the brim. Good or bad???
We're so much of an afterthought that he forgot to have a hat for us and just went out and got it. (Just trying not to get my hopes up)
Wants to keep it clean, plans to wear it more frequently, throw the others away
#stickerhatsources
Good - Bought a new hat to wear after he commits to VT.
Bad - Had the hat for a while but sticker is on it because he's never worn it because he's always been a Clemson lock.
Neither. A lot of people leave the sticker on because it looks cool and a lot of popular figures don't take the stickers off. If the tags were still on it I would worry, but not that sticker.
Not really much to read into the hats. They're in alphabetical order, none of them look particularly worn, all appear to be standard school hats with the exception of Georgia's.
Probably safe to say that the VT hat hasn't been getting much use
why do the hats always look like they came from the local Kroger of each teams town. cant we get some better swag? if I had to pick a hat off that line up id go with bama just because its nike and id be more likely to wear it in public. but im a brand whore so what do I know.
I dunno I like the look of the VT hat but I'm biased. FWIW it looks like the UGA hat came out of a crane machine at Kroger or the top of your great uncles closet. Not good Bob.
yeah even the bama hat looks like it was left sitting in the recliner and the dog laid on it before they sat it up there.
But shouldn't VT trump all other logos in these parts?
no doubt it does, I was speaking more in a sense if im sitting hats on the table the one I already know im picking will be the best one on the table. but theyd all be nice hats lol.
Saw another angle on Twitter, it's an Adidas VT had.
:(
im sure im late and its somewhere but is his announcement streaming anywhere?
ESPNU
thanks homie!
Sigh. Clemson is easily the best quality hat. I'm going to need the recruits to do a better job of hats in the future so that I can ensure that their choice leads to my ultimate disappointment. I'm disappointed in this years disappointment.
And the hats didn't matter!
I'm prepping myself for the let down
He Gone........sticker stays on so he can return it............sigh. Bring on Baptiste............I think we got a great class today.
Here's hoping KJ picks up the VT hat and says
I thought it was in style to leave the sticker on the hat? Clearly he plans to wear it all the time
Just saw on TSL that Cam Goode is being shady. Says he has signed an NLI but won't release where he sent it and is asking that school to keep their lips sealed too. Strange tactic to still be taking officials after a school knows they didn't get him.
I was able to read the article even though I'm not a subscriber:
Very strange.
Someone said elsewhere he wants to sign with his teammates. May just be that he knows Fuente is dodgy about it, sent the letter in, asked him to stay quiet, and will "announce" with the teammates in Feb.
Isn't Fuente all about not putting up with that kind of BS lately? If that story's true, he's gone.
He didn't say where he was visiting - so it could be that he just wants to make it a surprise and won't visit anywhere else.
I don't blame the kid for showing Fuente he is committed (if he did send us his LOI, but wants to be there with his friends and teammates when they sign and have his moment too.
FWIW, his Twitter is all VT from the past few days.
Why would any school pay for his official if they already know they didn't receive the signed NLI. Seems to me the only ones who have a visit scheduled (us) are probably the ones who got the signature.
say no more
Haha I'm not a subscriber nor do I click their stuff regularly, but I'm bored in a dentists office looking for answers and only saw one #sauce and no posts Β―\_(γ)_/Β―
I doubt that stays underwraps to long. the teams that didn't get him will more than likely shrug and say "well he didn't sign with us so...."
Anybody else notice that he says he signed his LOI but didn't say anything about submitting it?
Who has the KJ feed?
ESPNU
ESPNU
KJ is sitting behind the VT hat!!!
Game changer - we all thought KJ would sit in the middle... he's sitting right behind the VT hat[EDIT]: drinking....
Just turned on the TV and saw KJ is sitting right behind the VT hat before it cut to commercial ...
*deep breathing*
Why do I do this to myself every year?
WELP
KJ to clemson
I hate Clemson.
Welp, the last place on earth I would have wanted him to go. Great.
Better than UVA. That said if you read posts this morning the expectations should've been tempered.
Exactly.
Good luck to him. A lot of respect for him recognizing that coach. I hope we beat him but seems like he's a good kid.
KJ to Clemson
I felt like we were being trolled when he sat behind the VT hat. I still think he's a class act for recognizing his coach like that. Also for keeping us in it 'till the end.
That's OK, though. The difference maker for us will have to be someone else.
Frees up a spot in our very tight class.
The numbers always work out :'(
Oh god, I think I figured out what that means...the numbers always work out because the top targets never commit to us ;_;
Excited about the players we do have!
every....f'ing.....year.....
We were in for KJ until the end and it's not like our entire class hinges on his decision. Hopefully we'll be celebrating Dax and a couple others down the line for this recruiting cycle.
Lame.
Good luck to the kid. Except on the first Saturday of December. I hope he always plays like shit on the first Saturday in December.
I'd hope he never plays on the first Saturday in December, but it's nothing personal against him.
I don't hate Clemson. Unless we're playing them. Having grown up and now living well outside the ACC footprint, I don't have to deal with fans of other conference schools and it's admittedly made me soft when it comes to conference opponents (except UVA and Miami. fuck those guys. and chinballs. fuck that guy, too).
If we're really on the upswing we all hope and think we are, I think it's likely we end up seeing Klempsun on the first saturday in December quite a bit in the future.
I wouldn't have it any other way.
As long as we're there, too, and beat them.
Every single fan in the world hoping a kid would sign with us doesn't change anything about the kids that did sign with us.
Stop it with the optimism!
que the
"Oh he was never going to be a good fit.... (insert name here) is a better fit for our scheme/defense!"
OR
"Why do I do this to myself every year!?!?!?"
Nah dude... no one that pays attention on this site will say that about this kid.
I know... it was a joke. Who would ever say that about the #5 player in nation? Nobody.
Fair enough, you confused me because the second one was literally stated about 3 lines above your post. Take a leg.
How about the
"TOLD YOU SO"
or
"You guys were stupid to ever even think it'd go differently."
Arguably more frustrating to see IMO.
Yea I can't stand those type of fans who have no source or anything, just going off what other people are hearing or past history.
There's a first time for everything so I wonder what they would be saying if KJ actually did commit.
2019 is gonna be the year Tech is gonna to get some 5 stars and it's gonna be so good
*After Signing Day for 2025*
FTFY
I always find a way to get my hopes up even when I know I will be let down. Oh well, I am loving this class so far and the amount of buy in they have for the Hokies.
I mean we have started to do things we didn't think we could. Granted we have more things to work on but you can't have them all in one year. Small steps lead to big steps. Plus this shit ain't over with till Feb.
I should have put /s at the end. Don't get me wrong, I am happy. But, this was about par for the course, maybe a bit above average than our usual take when Beamer and Co. were recruiting well. And it is pretty much over other than 2 or so recruits (Dax and JBB) with this new signing day.
Y'all played yourselves by getting your hopes up.
We were ALWAYS the girl with a good personality with KJ. Nice to keep around but you ain't going home with her.
Hopefully, we're the girl you (KJ) sees in a few years and think 'damn, I messed up'
Eh, it's more fun to care and and hope then it is to be pessimistic and fatalistic. Just going about it with a defeated attitude doesn't seem fun to me. And this is just all about fun anyway, so why not hope?
this seems appropriate...
UGA is LOADED.
Good now that's out of the way, let's get Dax and JJB and close strong!
it was so much fun all the way up until the end......
Never understand why everyone wishes a kid well after they commit somewhere else. They are the enemy now, and in my opinion, the only thing I wish them well on is enjoying a bag of dongs.
I'm gonna hope that this was a very bad attempt at a joke.
It's poop. π©
Just being real. Honestly, what are you supposed to say? "Thanks for stringing us along and wasting our time, resources and money. Hope you whip our ass on the field." Nope. Don't see the point in that. Sorry if that makes folks mad.
Or, y'know, "Damn, really wish you'd have picked us but good luck with your future."
This is a kid who made a decision to hopefully better his future. I'm not going to wish ill on him just because he didn't choose the team I like.
It's not really a waste of time if they were actually interested.
I choose to put KJ in that category.
Way to poop on our parade...
A bit salty?
I love the diversity of TKP, there's always somebody that twists the focus dial for me. Many times I find a nugget that I wish I had written. Sometimes I feel the need to google "THAT GUY gif's" .
.
Because we're adults?
Look on here after we a loss that we should have won and see if you still think that
Joking but not really joking
Hatin' on Dabo...
So to get back to the topic:
Is this the most Early enrolled players anyone can recall?
Mmmm...I'm digging that.
I thought Webb had said he'd be enrolling in Jan as well. Does he not count as an early enrollee since he's coming from JUCO?
Is Dax committing today (or by the 22nd)? I'm thinking Tech may have to recruit him for the long haul.
He's not committing until after his Stanford visit in January........
Edit: I should have refreshed
is it time for #EXITLIGHT18 NATIONAL SIGNING DAY OPEN THREAD DECEMBER EDITION Pt. 2?
Nah man! If it hits 500 we go paisley!
](https://postimg.org/image/7lfud9sg7/))
I'd prefer to go Metallica.
Metallica is Zep's bastard child.....in a good way!
Pastor of Muppets
This comes to mind. Something Nnadi something Sweat..... Never really thought he was headed here but its fun to hope.
Nice Report
Any news on Graham and Grant? Haven't heard a peep about either of them today. I know Grant has 3 CBs for the good guys but I thought something with them might have come out today.
Grant going for visits in January. Unc and Miss St, I think.
Graham truly torn between WR at VT and QB at GT (and closer to home). Probably decide by Friday, not sure if VT offer will still be around if he doesn't sign by 12/22 close to ESD.
VT feels good about Goode, will announce in Feb with the rest of his teammates.
I got the 500th comment. yay