It has been a tough 6 weeks since the last post, with the top 3 targets on my list committing elsewhere, and no new commits in the meantime. With summer almost here and the camp schedule picking up I figured I would do an update on the list with some new names. As always, this list is without #sauces. It is based on reading through TKP and other sites such as 247, TSL, and others.
Class List:
| Name | Position | Stars | Composite Score | Notes |
| Tahj Gary | RB | 3 | 0.8538 | GA |
| Jordan Houston | RB/ATH | 3 | 0.8577 | Warm, 4/14 visit |
| Isaiah Hazel | WR | 4 | 0.9261 | Warm, in top 4 |
| Tayvion Robinson | WR | 4 | 0.8902 | Favorite, 757, 1/14 visit |
| Elijah Bowick | WR | 3 | 0.8709 | Committed |
| Nick Gallo | TE | 3 | 0.8739 | Hokie Brother |
| Donavan Beaver | OT | 3 | 0.8577 | VA, multiple visits |
| Bryan Hudson | OG | 4 | 0.9154 | Committed |
| Riley Simonds | OG | 3 | 0.8809 | Buford, GA, 3/17 visit |
| Jesse Hanson | OG | 3 | 0.8749 | Committed |
| Tre'Mon Morris-Brash | DE | 4 | 0.9028 | Goode's HS |
| D'Von Ellies | DT | 3 | 0.89 | DeJuan Ellis teammate |
| Adarious Jones | DT | 3 | 0.8739 | 757, Bishop Sullivan, 3/24 visit |
| Mario Kendricks | DT | 3 | 0.8527 | Warm, FL |
| Nyquee Hawkins | CB | 3 | 0.8892 | Committed |
| Mike Sainristil | CB | 3 | 0.8635 | Committed |
| Khalid Martin | S | 3 | 0.881 | Warm, in top 4, 4/14 visit |
| Jahad Carter | WR/DB | 3 | 0.8572 | Committed |
Others to Watch:
| Name | Position | Stars | Composite Score | Notes |
| Zonavan Knight | RB | 4 | 0.8942 | Nadir's HS teammate |
| Keshawn King | RB | 3 | 0.8777 | FL |
| Jamious Griffin | RB | 3 | 0.8735 | NC St commit, Hokie brother |
| Michel Dukes | RB | 3 | 0.8333 | SC |
| Jacoby Pinckney | WR | 3 | 0.8732 | Warmer, 6'3" |
| Cam Hart | WR | 3 | 0.8556 | 6' 3", MD |
| Ryan Coll | OT | 6/3 workout, not yet offered | ||
| Savion Jackson | DE | 4 | 0.9775 | 2/2 visit, top 3 |
| Logan Cash | DT | 3 | 0.8516 | GA |
| Jaden McKenzie | DT | 3 | 0.8516 | Not Yet Offered, Kane HS teammate |
| Gio Paez | DT | 3 | 0.8466 | Not Yet Offered |
| Zaylin Wood | DT | Not Yet Offered | ||
| Jayree Hardy | DT | Not Yet Offered | ||
| Traveon Freshwater | ILB | 4 | 0.8895 | Warm, in top 5 |
| Jaylon Scott | OLB | 3 | 0.8556 | Not Yet Offered, Dax HS teammate |
| Dean Ferguson | OLB | 3 | 0.8416 | Warm |
| Semar Melvin | CB | 3 | 0.8653 | Warm, in top 2 |
| Myles Bell | CB | 3 | 0.8427 | Warm |
| Anthony Harris | S | 4 | 0.9298 | Warm, 1/14 visit |
| DeMarcco Hellams | S | 4 | 0.9582 | Warm |
| JR Walker | S | 4 | 0.9001 | NC |
Last year, our overall composite score according to 247 was .8746. I said earlier in the cycle that with this being a smaller class I wasn't going to judge the success of this class on the class ranking, but rather on if the composite score. If we were to land everyone on the first list our composite score would be .8784 (which would equate to about the 34th ranked class according to last year's numbers). That's still an increase, though not as large of an increase as I was hoping for earlier in the cycle. I was also hoping more quietly for at least one higher profile recruit on each side of the ball (such as Ford on offense and Smith or Jackson on defense). I'm not holding my breath for that any more, but if we were to land everyone on that top list I think it would improve just about every position group we recruited for:
RB – Improvement (Houston and Gary would complement each other really well)
WR – Improvement (I love Hazel's film, I think he's underrated even at .9261, and the staff loves Bowick and Robinson apparently, it's a well-rounded group)
TE – Push (I like Gallo, think he might ended rated about where Mitchell was last year)
OL – Improvement (Hudson, Simonds, and Hanson are all studs, and I really like Beaver or Coll)
DT – Improvement (Ellies and Jones could possibly push for time right away, and I think Kendricks is a perfect fit for our system)
DE – Push (No one seems to know anything about Brash, and if we don't get him I'm not sure we get a DE, which is a little scary)
DB – Improvement (I think Sainristil is our most underrated recruit, Stroman 2.0. Staff seems to love Carter, and I think Hawkins is a 4 star. If we could somehow pull Hellams that would be a great group)
With holes in the 2019 class at QB, DE, and LB that puts an emphasis at those positions for the next cycle, and I would also include DT in that group to continue to build depth.
So overall, I think this can still be a really solid class that will improve the positions we are recruiting, but it may not have the headliners we were all hoping for that could take this class to the next level.
Comments
Would probably add Camden Lewis on there as well, could see him getting an offer if numbers start to look REALLY slim
He goes to the high school that's next to the middle school where my wife teaches. Might have to go to a game or two if we turn up the heat on him.
Don't you know, as a fan, it's part of your job to turn up the heat on him. Go yell Hokie things at that boy and tweet him until he submits. /s
I ran into Sainristil at the spring game.
Very composed young man. Stroman 2.0 is definitely right from a build standpoint. He looks athletic, but he is small. If he has Stro's heart and competitive fire, I would be thrilled.
We can take 9-10 more players this cycle. These are my favorite guys.
1. DT Adarious Jones - In state beast at our biggest position of need
2. RB Tahj Gary - super underrated IMO, short stepper, changes direction well, great vision and balance
3. DT D'Von Ellies - big explosive, MD powerhouse HS that we need to pipeline
4. ATH Tayvion Robinson - another in state guy that will help with that perception; versatile
5. WR Jacoby Pinckney - Not overly fast but strongest hands, best route runner I've seen, great outside WR
6. RB Jordan Houston - gets overlooked because of size and comp but hard worker with some skills
7. OG Riley Simonds - big ugly from GA powerhouse, need that
8. DT Mario Kendricks - If the first two DTs above don't work, he's a Wiles/Foster type guy inside; twitchy, undersized
9. DE Tramon Morris-Brash - DC powerhouse program, teammate of Goode; don't need DE's but he's explosive!
10. OT Beaver or ATH Hellams/Hazel - Hellams and Hazel are really highly rated neither stood out to me as much as Pinckney when it comes to high pointing, plucking, route running or body control. Beaver would need time to develop but has a great frame, meanstreak and another in state guy that could help perception.
If we can land 8 of these 12, our class will be a success (unless we lose out on each of the DTs). Go Hokies!!!
Any word on Faux Doadles?
Nice job, very helpful.
Disagree that we don't need a DE this class. Taking only a 5'10" DE across 2 classes is the kind of thing that leads to the DT depth issues that we're facing now.
Did Garbutt, Proctor and Debose all redshirt last year? I say DE isn't necessary thinking they did, which would give us 3 RS-FR plus Adams, who'll likely redshirt this fall. If any of those three 2017 guys burned their shirt last year, then I stand corrected about needing a DE this class.
Isn't Jaevon Becton DE also? I don't see him being a DT for us. Our DT's are usually shorter than 6'4 and a lot heavier than 250 lbs.
Hey, if we land Hazel, there'd be a good chance we'd have Hazel and Hazelton split wide next to each other. Almost as good as the Wang-Chung combo on the o-line!