I've always looked through ACC rosters and surprised at the number of VA recruits has from Clemson to schools like Wake and Duke. FSU doesn't fit that been as they've have high profile guys like Laborn and Sweat.
I thought this maybe could be done for every team for current players on the roster and I'd be interested in hearing if anyone has any stories about their recruitment or random HS interactions.
STARTING CENTER - r-Sr Alec Eberle 3-star OL - Mechanicsville, VA Atlee (Didn't get a VT offer)
3RD STRING RB - r-Fr Khalan Laborn 5-star RB - Virginia Beach, VA Bishop Sullivan Catholic
STARTING CB - Jr Levonta Taylor 5-star DB - Virginia Beach, VA Ocean Lakes
2ND STRING P - r-Fr Tommy Martin 5-star P (Ranking by Chris Sailer Kicking) - Chesapeake, VA Hickory
Comments
Fuck FSU.
We're clawing for 5 star recruits and they have 3 on their roster from our home state alone.....
Eberle's parents own the bar right down the street from me and I have talked to him a few times. Guy is huge.
What bar is that?
Kreggers. They have another location opening in the Fan here next month. Good place, despite the Florida State stuff on the wall.
Oh dang, that's his family? Good food.
Yeeeeeaaaaah I would be ok if this kinda post didn't become a series. There's already enough angst on any given recruiting thread, nothing quite like rehashing that on a week to week basis.
Or it keeps the deficiency front and center and highlights the importance of improvement
Yeah we've got enough to worry about during the season, lets leave the depressing "croots lost" to the offseason.
I mean these guys are gone so nothing to really get riled up about. FSU being the exception, but even players that are at Clemson doesn't feel like there were any that really stung emotionally and there's VA players littered all over the ACC that don't have any real emotion to them and I'm always interested in learning how they ended up at these places and why they weren't recruited/committed to tech and any connections to their community and members here on TKP.
In regards to Clemson... They got Clelin Ferrell, that one stings in a major, major way. They got KJ Henry (who is from NC but same difference on recruiting battles), who we were really just a side chick to flirt with, but with Clemson out of the picture who knows. They got K'Von Wallace who has already logged plenty of snaps for Clemson and they stole him away from us after we both came in on him somewhat late in the process. They also nabbed an OL MacFadden (from SC) who was committted to us last cycle, but we knew that was a threat if they ever offered.
I get that, but I think there's a difference in the sting based on guys we thought we had like Sweat or Ford, vs guys that we wanted and could use for their talent but werent truly expecting they would commit/stay committed like Kelly or KJ.
Sweat and Ford definitely hurt more I agree, but I do think some of the losses to Clemson in recruiting really stung as well.
I wouldn't mind seeing VT Players from Opponent's State posts, though. Might not be as big of a deal this week, given the number of P5-quality recruits in Florida in any given year (hint: it's more than the number of P5-quality UVA players), but it could be pretty interesting on a week-by-week basis in the ACC.
Maybe combine the two?
Who could forget the ire of the Laborn and Taylor misses. What a difference those two would have made on this years team.
Right. What's galling about those two is that those two are in such positions of need right now.
Makes me throw up in my mouth. He'd be a sophomore star in Blacksburg. Not bitter or anything.
Not everyone likes to start day one and become a campus legend!
he even benches himself on NCAA 2014
Problems I wish we had:
I hate to say I told you so, but I know Tech fans told him he would be riding the pine behind Akers for half is career in Tally when he could have been starting last year at Tech
I think I saw a stat they other day that Levonta Taylor allowed 12 receptions all year without a single TD last season.
that's because they were throwing the ball at 5* first round pick derwin james the whole time. #starsdontmatter #neitherdodraftpicks
Comes down to the individual player, IMO. We can all pretend that "in state" doesn't matter- and it doesn't in terms of Isaiah Ford vs. Marcus Davis.. Ford was much better, but Davis was from Virginia- so what. But it DOES matter when you are talking about comparing a Josh Sweat to House Gaines or Lavonta Taylor to Bryce Watts. Sweat and Taylor are better players, and VT would be a better team with them, and that stings since they are from our home state. This would become an even bigger issue if UVA started to do better than we did in Virginia.
My interest is less in whether it matters that we have Sweat VS. Gaines, or that recruiting VA isnt necessary to compete unless they're elite recruits, I think that's played out in current recruiting threads. These guys are gone and it's just interesting to learn more about the stories like where guys we wanted sit on rosters/depth chart, stories behind what players in the state end up where and why guys like Eberle end up at FSU and also get no offer from tech. Or that Wake has 9 kids from VA, not saying we should have them on our squad but Wake having that many is a story in and of itself to me.
My interest is less in whether it matters that we have Sweat VS. Gaines
But Hilgart said if you Sweat in the weight room, expect to have some Gaines in your physique
Wasn't there a high 4* O lineman that we were in the top 3 for that ended up at FSU as an instant starter? Is he already in the league?
Edit: never mind, he was a NC guy, not VA.
Landon Dickerson? Yeah that was a bad miss by us
Could we not do this again until UVA, and thats for a chuckle....
Just wait for this type of post once we play PSU in a few years.
I'm not crying. YOU'RE crying.
Trigger Warning: This type of post if we ever play PSU
I am fine with this post as it can also be a "where are they now" thing as well as reminder that not every player pans out and some turn out better.
Just here to say that Trevon Hill has already played in more ACC title games than Josh Sweat ever did and has only 1 less career win.