Discuss and share any recruiting topics for December 2022 that don't warrant their own threads. Commits and decommits warrant their own threads.
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[1] New commitments, decommitments, portal entries, etc... deserve their own thread. Please read the brief best-practice tips at the top of the recruiting forum
[2] Scared money don't make money.
[3] Pry Marve 2024
Comments
This is sort of off-topic, but I wanted to share. Figured it didn't deserve a thread of its own:
My brother-in-law is a senior in high school, just wrapped up his final season of high school football (in the Atlanta area). One of his teammates is a 3-star with committable offers from a mix of P5 and G5 programs (Miami, Wisconsin, Troy, App State, and others). Ultimately, he decided to go to Troy.
His (the recruit's) thought process was that he would likely be a career back up at Miami/Wiscy, or he could go to Troy and likely earn a starting role. He says that playing in games is the best part of football, and if you're not going to get meaningful playing time, it doesn't make sense to put in all of the time and effort that it takes to be a student athlete. He also mentioned that he can always transfer to a P5 program later in his college career.
I know this is anecdotal, and obviously not all recruits think this way, but I thought it was cool to hear his thought process. Also interesting to hear that recruits (at least this recruit) are going through the recruiting process already thinking about potentially transferring in a few years.
Maybe this should be 'the sky is blue' level of obvious, but as someone who only follows recruiting at the macro level, and doesn't follow high school football, I thought it was an interesting insight into the mind of an average FBS recruit.
Very interesting -thanks for sharing!
It also seems implicit in his thought process that he likely won't develop much, but if he did, that's when he'd consider transferring. So it makes me wonder what all goes through recruits' heads about their potential, developing over time, playing now vs playing against P5 talent, etc.
And something else I don't know, to the point made - does a three star freshman start at someplace like Troy, or as a sophomore? Or maybe not start, but still get significant playing time?
He can confidently say that he will get can compete for a starting job at Troy in the next 2 years - and like I said, he doesn't believe that the commitment required to be a D1 college football player is 'worth it' if he's not going get significant playing time.
It seems like playing time is more important to him than the prestige of just being on the team at a brand-name institution
The start of a busy month of OV's, unofficial visits and in-home visits before the 3-day ESD window starts on December 21st.
Do we have any important planned commit dates coming up?
At this point in the year most commit dates go to ESD. We definitely have some key guys we are still after at some key positions.
So I was looking at the roster and we barely have Tight Ends. Nick Gallo could get a potential Covid year. I think Blumrick is done. Harrison St. Germain will be back. DeQuan Wright is mostly going to be pass catching and Gosnell, Benji is coming off 2 knee Surgeries. So I thought this was a position of need. Obviously offensive line.
what other spots do you think we could go after specifically for High School so we can develop?
Pry's press conference was pretty solid this week, he mentioned that the Offensive coaches needed to figure things out and gel. Having said that, do we even know if we will be running the same system next yest year? I would think you recruit (and X-fer Portal) based on your philosophy. I think we're lagging behind in this and it could have a negative impact on recruiting. I certainly see a lot of Athletic talent from the commits so far but it will take time.
Pry wants competition everywhere including QB. But have we developed Tajh or Farrell yet? Whitke at best needs to red-shirt and I'm not sure if any Portal guys want to even come here.
Let me know your thoughts.
Early smoke on Farrell is pretty promising. Word is he looks good in practice and jumped Bullock already. We will see though.
Gonna bring in a transfer qb most likely and their a couple hs qb recruits the staff are keeping up with
Yeah, don't misconstrue the positive stuff I've heard on Farrell as me suggesting we aren't looking at HS options AND transfer options still.
In modern era CFB you can't rest on your laurels with the QB room in any year. You've got to be bringing fresh bodies into that room every season via the portal/HS and making sure you have players to both compete and fill out your roster. So much movement among QB's now, you've gotta be prepared to turn that room over rapidly if necessary.
True
really wish he got some garbage time action vs like UNC, Duke or WVU. is hea dual threat?
I had the same thought
I've said this in other threads but we absolutely need to recruit OL hard. Like churn that group hard, we need two levels of capable players if Rudolph sticks with his scheme which I ultimately think he will. Also need to recruit and develop DL out of high school, we're not going to get many .94+ rated DL out of the portal YET, so we need to keep stacking that room and see who can play. Who can shed weight and play outside and who can pack pounds and play inside. I think it's honestly easier to get skill players out of the portal so my focus is definitely the line.
Looking at two other ACC O-line rebuilds - Clawson overhauled his OL at Wake in 4+ years (tough to say when the line was 'back' due to Wake-yLeaks). Took two coaches 6 years to get the line back to 'good' at FSU. But both of those rebuilds were in full swing before the transfer portal took off.
I think I agree with you here - skill players are easier to plug-and-play, and take less time to develop IMO. Linemen are (a) harder to evaluate, (b) take more time to develop, (c) are less likely to leave early for the NFL (at least it feels that way - please call me out if this is factually incorrect), and (d) you just need more of them for your roster.
Ideally, we get a mix of lineman from the portal and recruiting. The portal guys need to be able to play immediately and the high school recruits can grow into their role.
OL rebuilds take forever and this one will be no different
All correct, very few linemen leave early because very few are physically ready to meet the demand of an NFL lineman.
Wisconsin just had a coaching change. Maybe see if we can get some guys who already know Rudolph's system and flatten that learning curve a little bit.
I doubt we get a HS TE, we brought in 3 guys last year and two of them are redshirting. It seems like we'll bring Puccinelli in the 24 class. TE is definitely a position of need but more so older contributers who can block (Wright plays the Bucky Hodges version of the position) so TE this off-season will be a portal project.
Developed Tajh or Farrell? Heck, we haven't developed a quarterback in what, 10 or 12 years?
Why I really am eager to see what the staff can do with Wells having a full year with the team. I'm not as down on him as some. Modest running game, minimal blocking, not a good group of receivers ... so really want to see if we can see improvement in him. Don't get me wrong, I'd love take someone from the portal that is a clear step up or recruit someone who is a clear step up, but I'm more interested in portal or recruiting good offensive linemen or a big time disruptive defensive line pass rusher than QB.
I don't know about this. The offense needs help everywhere, but It seems to me - assuming Gallo comes back - that TE is the least of VT's offensive personnel worries (along with QB actually).
It's not like you can just go and sign whoever and however many you want from the portal. First off, as I understand it, transfers in from the portal are guaranteed their scholarship for the remainder of the eligibility - even if they reenter the portal (unlike non-portal guys unless explicitly given a multi-year scholly). So a school had better get it right. And given there are probably only a handful of portal slots available, I don't see TE being a priority.
Every year I get excited about the tight end position, and every year they catch like 12 passes collectively. The way we failed to exploit the absolute beast that was James Mitchell will always bug me. That kid could have dominated games.
And then Gallo gets 7 catches in the first game and about 7 more combined in the next 10 games
yep.. our offense is historically bad- all of it
And how exactly does any of yet another standard issue complaint relate to what was written about the TE position not being a priority for the portal?
Aziah Johnson could be a big late addition out of Thomas Jefferson high school in Richmond. Not highly rated but offers from Michigan state and South Carolina. 247 says he has a Tech OV on December 17th. Great film imo.
https://247sports.com/Player/Aziah-Johnson-46136819/
Wait he won player of the year on both sides of the ball?
That's pretty cool.
6'2", 175 lb, 86-rated, plays both sides of the ball, Richmond kid -- sounds like the exact kind of clay this staff has been using to build out this 23 class
Same high school as Jaylen Jones. Hopefully he can help recruit him to the good guys.
Speaking of. Jones needs to step up next year. It's his time.
Full article is behind subscription pay wall, but just a squib on future Hokie Thomas Williams (good to see positive things).
Class of 2023 RB.
Primary recruiter was Coach Cheetah.
Links:
"Thomas Williams leaves Powdersville High as the GOAT"
Thomas Williams 247 info
We need all the help we can get. What position does he project to?
MMA star Vitor Belfort had his s son was at VT this weekend.
Davi Belfort
Just writing that is a reminder of my age, and how awesome it is a star like that has a high quality QB recruit for a son.
Did we recruit him years ago? Feels like he was a last minute steal from UF?
Yep, he was a big gamer with Lino and the recruiting guys
I thought I'd provide a quick tracker of transfer portal offers. See below:
Wyoming DE Oluwaseyi Omotosho (12/6/22); 6'2", 205
Western Michigan DE Andre Carter (12/6/22); 6'4", 230
Eastern Washington WR Freddie Roberson (12/6/22) (OVs to VT, 2 Arizona State, Fresno State); 6'2", 180
California LB/DE Orin Patu (12/6/22); 6'4", 200
Kent State WR Dante Cephas (12/6/22); 6'1", 175
Coastal Carolina DE Josaiah Stewart (12/6/22); 6'2", 235
Wake Forest CB Gavin Holmes (12/5/22); 5'11", 178
Rutgers DE Shawn Collins (12/5/22); 6'5", 245
Minnesota DL Gage Keys (12/5/22); 6'5", 280
Louisville DE Caleb Banks (12/5/22); 6'6", 255
Kent State CB Montre Miller (12/5/22); 5'10", 168
Texas A&M DE Elijah Jeudy (12/5/22); 6'3", 295
Cincinnati CB Ja'Quan Sheppard (12/5/22); 6'2", 190
ODU WR Ali Jennings (12/4/22); 6'2", 186
USF WR Jimmy Horn Jr (12/1/22) (VT did not make top 4); 5'9", 170
Austin Peay WR Drae McCray (11/30/22); 5'10", 170
Norfolk State WR Da'Quan Felton (11/26/22); 6'3", 200
Texas A&M-Commerce WR Andrew Armstrong (OVs to Arkansas, Missouri) (11/22/22); 6'3", 180
Duquesne WR Abdul Janneh (OVs to VT, UCF) (11/21/22); 6'3, 180
I've gotten a ton of updates that are too hard to keep track of on my Bleacher Report mobile app. I'll try to keep this up to date.
Edit: original list was a copy/paste from this link, a lot of the names that came up on my BR app were included in the link above, so I used it as a starting point, and then hyperlinked the 247 URL's for each player and brief height/weight stats
Very clear our two main positions looking to be addressed are DE and WR
I like the beef they're recruiting at DE. Also a wide variation of size and shiftiness at WR.
Should I be surprised no OL on this list? We rolling with player development?
It's very difficult to get OL in the portal
Yes but not impossible and we def need more than one if we want to make a bowl next year quite frankly
But the point isn't just that it's hard to get any OL, but it's extra hard to get a contributor. There's low supply of established & developed OL transfers and *every* school needs an OL. You better be willing to pay.
Not disputing that, but Duke did it with 3 guys last year. I know they have money, but are they dishing out for OL in the portal? Doubt it. One of them was FCS as well so far from a sure bet, but a good evaluation.
Point is, if Duke can do it in football then so can we. And if we fail to even get 1 that's what it is a failure. It may be difficult but if this staff can't do it we need to find and bring in someone who can.
One, it's not like VT didn't go after OL last year.
Two, Duke may be Duke in football, but it's also Duke the educational institution (and note that one of the OL transfers came from Cornell). If you're a transfer, only spending a year or maybe two at Duke and getting a Duke undergrad or grad degree doesn't suck.
The majority of the OL on the roster/committed (17/20) are underclassmen or recruits. Looks like we want to develop at this position.
I don't think it's a bad idea, but (1) coaches have actually develop these players, and (2) we need to buckle up; we could be on the Wake Forest schedule.
Lol you can do both though it's not mutually exclusive. I'll make a bet with anyone, if we don't add a single lineman in the portal this year there's a 0% chance we get to 7 wins next season. Probably don't make a bowl either
I'll give us a 0% chance at 7 wins next year regardless of what happens in the portal or recruiting. Not trying to be negative, I just think we're on a 5-year rebuild trajectory--meaning by year 5 we should be sniffing the top 2-4 of the conference
Is a 5 year rebuild realistic in the current era though? Duke flipped a historically bad roster and team to 8 wins in less than one year. Other rebuilding teams have imported basically entire units from the transfer portal to become competitive.
Will the fan base wait 5 years? We're paying the 4th highest salary in the ACC, not like we're getting a bargain to wait
Duke's success this year was largely based on their VERY experienced offensive line which they will be losing over half of their 2 deep (including 4 starters) to graduation this year. Yes, they had a good year but they will likely have a noticeable step back next year. I am treating Duke's success this year as an exception.
Duke had a bad year, but it was a well developed roster that quit last year. Bud Elliott talked on one of the Cover 3 episodes about how Duke's performance last year wasn't a good indicator of their roster talent.
FSU is on the 5 year plan, and I think their fans are just as, if not more, delusional than us.
I don't even know if they're delusional. We want to compete for conference championships which is reasonable with our history and recruiting footprint. They want to compete for national championships which falls right in line with their historical success.
source? Miami, Clemson, Pittsburgh, FSU, NCST, UNC, (GT about to) all pay total coaching salaries higher than us.
Probably thinking of around when we hired Fuente. Pretty sure he was 4th-highest at that time.
If he's thinking of Fuente, we DID wait 5 years.
Since when? FSU and Clemson were paying more than us when Pry was introduced. Miami took their COVID money and paid Cristobol more than Pry & co.
GT is not paying their staff more than us - they are broke AF, and it's why they hired the interim.
GT with their hire announced an assistant pool of 7.5 million, Hokies are at about 5.5 million. Again people really under estimate what our peers are paying out.
I'm response to Rayo's initial comment:
This past season VT was the 4th highest paid staff, and they did not inspire confidence (in games at least)
Thanks - I didn't realize this. Worth noting that Key is taking a million less than Pry. This also doesn't account for support staff. The point is, we're not going to win by outspending our opponents, but we're also not spending so little that we are disqualifying ourselves from competing?
What about Pitt and NC st? Couldn't find any good data on increases there
Pitt because of Pennsylvania law doesn't have to report (PSU either), but when they won the ACC Narduzzi was reported to have gotten a raise along with staff.
I know Narduzzi's Salary is up to $5.5ish mil, but I can't find anything on Pitt staff salaries.
I tend to agree. I'm guessing it's because there's just not many options in the portal - Looking at the 247 portal, looks like there's only 8 OL in the portal, and only 1 with more than a single year of eligibility? I've tried a bunch of filters, but this looks like everything? Maybe I've filtered wrong?
When we lost to ODU, it occurred to me that two seasons without a bowl was possible. I can live with that if the class of '24 is loaded (inside the top 20, with a star QB)... but I don't think that will be the case.
All that to say, I'm not feeling great about the state of our OL.
Yeah, lets get a couple consecutive first downs each quarter before we jump into 7 win territory
Man we are a fringe top 30 program in every measure except recent history (and have every right to expect to be). 7 wins is a bad season. We should definitely be shooting for higher next season regardless of roster status
Based on recent experience, 7 wins seems like a stretch. However, we did lose 4 games by a combined 11 points, and if I remember correctly we led in the 4th quarter in all of those. This also doesn't include the last game of the season which I feel we had a real chance to win. So I could certainly see an improvement in our win total next year. My main concern is to see us continue to mature, get an identity on both sides of the ball, bring in and develop talent, and ultimately continue to improve. I know this is going to be a long rebuild, but I want this to be rock bottom and I want us to move up from here.
Yes we came decently close this year but remember it was a historically easy schedule. If the ACC rebounds at all getting those wins will be much more difficult
I don't think that's a realistic expectation. Especially without roster improvement.
I agre with you about realism but we should still be shooting for it
So you're saying we should all have unrealistic expectations? Sounds great. Let's make sure we all call out the coaches and administrators when they fail to meet those unrealistic expectations. Maybe the SEC will send us an invite if we can out-crazy their asshole fans.
No but the coaching staff should be trying to win more than the expected 5 games when they're making big time money and in at least a top 5 job in the conference
We'll yeah, they should try to win all of them. Just don't be surprised if they don't.
They should also stack the roster in the offseason to win those games and we shouldn't accept a lack of roster moves that even gives us a chance of winning them. If they don't make them this cycle
??? You expect us to get the all SEC second team to enter the portal? Maybe I am not getting what you are saying, but maybe it's not me?
Pretty big leap to get there from what I said. Make roster moves that help you win games.
Build a roster that you can point to and legitimately say "this team could be bowl eligible this year", even if it doesn't actually happen. That's a good goal for the staff, and really realistic year 2 expectations at just about any program
I think it was your use of the word "stack". I read that to mean elite talent, as in "that team is stacked". You used it more to mean build up from a foundation.
There is a difference between goals and realistic expectations.
For instance, I thought that understanding this truth was a realistic expectation but evidently it's a goal the community hasn't yet reached
If you mean goals, use the word goals in your post.
Sorry, I didn't realize "what we should be shooting for" wasn't clear enough context to be synonymous with "goals".
I'll try my best to over-explain more clearly next time to avoid confusion
That sounds aspirational, at best.
Sorry, I'm definitely the asshole here, but I read your comment as "I agree 7 wins isn't realistic but I expect it anyway". I apologize.
I can agree that 7 wins isn't realistic, but the program should definitely shoot for better than that.
the royal we as "fans" vs the royal we "as a program" made this confusing.
Wow, I want what you've been drinking...we've had one 10 win season in the last 11 seasons...additionally our cumulative record since 2012 is 76-64, and those 12 games over .500 are basically buoyed by the 2016 & 2017 seasons when Fu was playing with Beamer players. We are not a Top 30 program right now, so to scoff at a 7-5 after what we've seen the last few years is ridiculous.
Yeah... in the last 10-15 years, we're not top 30 in wins, recruiting, or spending.
But to Rayo's comment, I think there's a difference between 'goals' and 'expectations'. Goal for the upcoming season should be bowl eligibility. 'Expectations' are closer to the floor. I would 'expect' at least 5 wins next season.
I think someone needs to explain that difference to some people on here.
The goals are the two little polls that stand up right, the expectation is that the kicker splits them.
The coaches and the AP?
Wait I thought it was the first position to start a race
Brandyn Hillman to ND. I know we offered, and was kind of hoping he was a possibility.
Ugh
TE is a need.
Here is a better question, hopefully one that a more knowledgeable person can answer.
A TE has to be 3 things, all of which have competing athletic traits. A TE has to simultaneously be a FB, OL, and WR. That's why a hall of fame TE is a unicorn.
So the question is what will our coaches ask of our TEs? The reality is that they will need 3 or 4 that have different strengths.
Our TE's were terrible at blocking this year. In this offense that might be THE most important skill. Some offenses will basically use the TE as a big WR- like Kelce and Gronk, but that is not what our offense is. So pass catching is nice, but they need to be able to block to the point that the play action pass works since we can run the ball/run block. Thats the key to this offense.
Wright, Gosnell and St. Germain are all Freshman. Give that group some time to develop and recover. TE is an area I think we will be okay in.
We don't even know our offensive identity... How can we know what we need in a TE?
Well, that's easy. We need a QB in a TE, right?
This is the showdown we've all been waiting for. Kaveion Keys, 4* LB and #5 overall player from VA, decommits from UNC and has had visits to PSU and the good guys. Could be a big flip for Pry and Co.
https://247sports.com/Article/Kaveion-Keys-decommitment-North-Carolina-c...
If we can land a guy like this over PSU, after years of seeing how this story usually plays out, it would be big.
That being said, I am not going to get my hopes up
Were the CB's updated after the decommitment? If so not looking good :(
Yup, they were posted today. Not massively confident predictions fwiw (only a 6 for both). Manny Diaz landing the FAU job maybe could have helped us out here, but no reason to feel super optimistic right now I dont think....
It's an exaggeration to call this a 'must-land' recruit, but this would be a big get:
Why did he not stay with UNC? did they recruit over him?
He probably saw the wave of defensive players hit the portal this year after UNC put out another charmin soft defense and realized he probably wouldn't get developed or drafted out of there
NIL $ didn't materialize for him
Could one say this is the ultimate showndown...?
Doesn't look like he's really seriously considering us unfortunately, only people I've seen discuss VT as an option are our own fans. Probably need to put together a good NIL deal to have any kind of shot
If he visits this weekend then he is considering us. PSU is the favorite right now though.
Come play in the Rose Bowl a year we finish 3rd in our own division, or get slaughtered by the Pitt running game for 400 yards and fail to get a first down against Duke in the 4th Q. Tough times right now in Blacksburg
I'm old. What does this mean.
Nem is slang for "them" or "others"..
Contraction of "and them". Pry nem= Pry and company
First Tweeter: "If Pry and the staff can land this recruit, I will believe in them"
Second Tweeter: "You should believe in this staff, trust me, I'm a former player and I know what's up."
He also works directly with Coach Glover in recruit development and mentoring during the recruiting process. No idea the relationship with Keys though, but Roc is connected with many recruits from the DMV and Virginia generally.
Gotcha. Who is the first tweeter? And Keys is the recruit in question I presume.
A Tech podcaster
DonV757 is VT fan, podcaster, and twitter personality who lives in the 757. He starts twitter spaces after every game and often gets hundreds of people listening in, including former players (Billy Ray joins often, Dwight Vick joins in a lot, a bunch more guys on occasion).
yea his Twitter Space he creates after every game is a must listen IMO... good insight from former players and fans that don't overact (for the most part) like you see on your twitter feed
Is it pronounced "Kevin"?
I guess we're shooting our shot since this was just posted:
Pry definitely seems to be doing a full court press on Keys. Hopefully we can steal a good one here. Maybe Pry can get Keys a call from Micah Parsons.
Nope. Not gonna happen. Not gonna let that picture get my hopes up only for my heart to be shattered. Happened too many times before.
Stop it, feelings. You stay buried down there. Stop giving me hope. Damn it, its happening again
Coach "Cheetah" wearing cheetah print socks is very on brand
Wow, super classy from someone that just jumped into the portal
This is cool, but super confusing
I think Keshon wants to play his last year and knew that it's an uphill battle with Lawson, Keller, Tisdale, Jenkins, McDonald, Walker
EDIT: listed LBs replaced Artis with Tisdale
Yeah, guessing the same. Not all endings are bad, sometimes they're just endings.
Battling yourself is never easy.
It was super classy, in fact. He's on his way out, but has nothing but good stuff to say about VT, same for his mom, if you follow her on the tweeter machine.
Artis also still follows the VT coaches, RTed Marve, Jones & Hampton earlier today
Sometimes the portal isn't about a player wanting to get out of a bad situation, or because they are unhappy...it's just a business move. And sometimes it might be a result of one of those 'difficult conversations' with the head coach, if that is the case, very classy to not hold any grudges.
Seems to me that he is genuinely excited for the future of VT football, even if he isn't to be a part of it
0.9488 composite QB out of St Frances Academy in Baltimore (edit: 2024 class)
https://247sports.com/player/michael-van-buren-46127549/
We want to turn this ship around? Need better players. If 23 is a "culture class", 24 needs to raise the ceiling
I don't like clicking on unverified links (actually just lazy - reading context Mr. Van Buren is '24?
Yes
https://247sports.com/player/ayden-greene-46103703/
89 rated WR from Tennessee with 8 P5 offers, recent Cincy decommit
Yeah, Show him something, Blacksburg!
Narrator: Blacksburg did, in fact, show him something
I like it when a plan comes together.
Nice work, coaches (and staff and players)!
Question - What are the rules for official visits for transfers?
Getting the 11th and 12th best players from the state of Tennessee would be pretty pog imo
Durrell Robinson decommited from BC. He was a target a while back.
Jarvis Green has gotten offers from us and Clemson in the last day or so. Decommitted from JMU. We had coaches in South Carolina.
I think Green is a Clemson lock. I'm pretty sure he's openly said that was his dream school.
Love to see incoming guys reppin VT this way...Class of 23 commits Takye Heath and Braylon Johnson after the win by Highland Springs
I seen where we got some flip predictions for William Pop Watson. QB from Massachusetts committed to Nebraska
https://247sports.com/Player/William-Watson-III-46097401/
Scrolled down on that 247 page. They list 9 qb's on BC's roster. We list 4.
Got a CB for Ayden Greene 👀 (High 3 Star receiver from Tennessee)
He's a good player. Could use several more just like him. Hope he commits to the good guys
These are the sorts of players we need to be getting more consistently. I feel like when we were at our best, we'd get 7-10 high 3 stars with potential per class. Add 3-5 consensus 4 stars and that puts us in the top 25 consistently.
This would be huge
Seems as if the recruiting weekend went pretty well. It sucks that we weren't able to schedule it for the same weekend as a home basketball game because that would have made it even better.
Yeah, I'd say it went pretty well, lol. 2 commits (so far). Hopefully they keep rolling in!
OHHH WAAAA. Ayden greene commits to the good guys😎🔥
Damn that was quick...very nice!!!
Another one👀
Let's not stop now.
That is now 8 x 804 recruits in this cycle.
Is this what recruiting momentum feels like?
Hey. Yall want a 3rd tonight?
Just saw the third Pry signal. Must be another inbound!
Kavion Pls
Would you take a QB instead
https://twitter.com/JoshParcell/status/1602082379509948416?t=zW7JfL4uqgK...
Can't embed but current class numbers for 22-23 include 23 instate commits. Fu had 25 over 5 years
Class of 22 and 23 have 23 in state recruits combined
Yeah I can't read or math
And that's a good thing?
If the intent is to recruit our footprint, then yes.
Hopefully the footprint is bigger than that. Otherwise, VT is in trouble.
The size of our intended foot print has already been established I have no idea why you're even commenting.
And there it is. Flipped a Nebraska QB commit!
https://247sports.com/college/virginia-tech/Article/William-Watson-commi...
Lovett saying we ain't done yet👀😎🔥
More good news in coming days?
This picture must find other uses.
I'm with Mik here, this is a fantastic victory picture from the other Ballein girl
As a fan of English history, I see what you did there. 🧐
Mood:
If I'm reading correctly, Pry might have a top 35 (#33) recruiting class based on 247.
Heard the lights are going crazy and they playing Enter Sandman at the stadium rn. Sound like a commitment video being made imo
I thought you couldn't simulate a game day expierence per NCAA guidelines (wierd rule I know)
Stands are empty. It would be a violation at UVA but not here.
Perfect...
Hopefully we're getting new LEDs we can dim or turn off/on to create a better atmosphere.
Yea I've always thought Enter Sandman at a night game with the lights out and all of the fans have maroon and orange glowsticks would look insane.
Meanwhile I've never thought of this but now absolutely need to see it happen.
Estimated cost for Auburn's LED stadium lights was $3.75 - 4.25 million.
Trying Enter Sandman with some new drone technology? 👀
👀
Relevant:
Yes, STILL relevant.
Working hard in that VA footprint. All the home state croots to VT.
Not to discount the good work Pry & co. are doing rebuilding relationships in VA, but weren't a large number of the VA recruits in the '22 recruiting class committed under Fuente as well? We had a couple of late adds under Pry that added to the number of VA kids in that class, but if I recall correctly the majority were already committed.
Again, Pry and his staff have really committed to VA recruiting moreso than Fuente ever seemed to, but we shouldn't overlook that the '22 class was largely put together by the previous regime just in order to write a certain narrative.
Yep, of the last class 9 VA signees committed to Fuente and 3 committed after Pry was hired. Also one of the original 9 was Reid Pulliam who Pry ran off within a week of getting on campus.
Total it's really 14 VA commits from Pry between the two classes. And 8 he was able to keep committed from last year
and rashaud pernell never made it to campus either
"Pry ran off" Sources? Or just conjecture?
https://techlunchpail.com/blog/virginia-tech-lb-reid-pulliam-enters-the-...
Looks like a suspension over the summer - nothing in the way of details from the above. (Guessing: "ran off" may not be entirely correct but it's also probably not wrong...)
He was in the portal after a week with the program
Pulliam is from Texas, he moved to Virginia to attend LCA
Great measurables. He must have done something cut and dry to be suspended for a year.
Im totally fine with over looking any 'work' the previous regime did. Give Pry the glory.
Very true
Hearing from my 757 peeps we have some 2024 kids ready to commit.
oh baby
https://247sports.com/Season/2024-Football/RecruitRankings/?InstitutionG...
4 of the top 10 in the state are 757 players (incl 3 blue chippers), 8 of the top 20, and 10 of the 23 currently rated c/o 24 recruits.
Is that Henderson from Hopewell related to the OSU RB?
lil bro
I'm not familiar with 2024 recruits. Who in VA are we sitting well with?
Kristopher Jones the 2nd best recruit for va is very interested in Tech. DJ Tolliver the 5th best recruit is very interested. Assad Brown the 6th best recruit is very interested. Chanz Wiggins the 7th best recruit is very interested and Mekhai White the 8th best recruit is very interested
For what it's worth, I know a guy whose son plays with Chanz and Mekhai. He agrees that we're in a good spot right now. Both guys can ball too.
Two big bodied relievers I would really like on board.
Are we sure Chanz is not related to the Edmundi? From his picture, the similarities are uncanny.
It would be awesome to get DJ Toliver, and a hell of a coup as well. I went to LBHS with his dad and uncle, both of whom played at UVA. Glad to see he's open to wherever provides him the best opportunity.
I hope we can. Our staff really needs some big wins in recruiting to show some tangible improvements. I'm very happy to see us loading up on kids from the Commonwealth again, but the real rubber will meet the road when we start getting some of the higher end talent and possibly some blue chippers.
I do have faith that Pry will do it, and will absolutely praise the staff when they do, but I'm not ready to celebrate until it happens, I've been burned too many times in the recent past to get excited now.
absolutely agree. i am on record as saying that it's all fine and good to take a year to rebuild relationships with coaches and load up on mid-high 3*s that we believe are scheme fit, culture fit, academic fit, etc etc etc to put a foundation in place -- but that moving forward we definitely need to raise the ceiling of the talent we're bringing in.
I know its impossible to do winning 3 games, getting blown out by the likes of Duke and Maryland (in football), but eventually- and soon- we need a David Wilson, Logan Thomas, Ryan Williams, Tyrod type recruit to jump start things. Build a relationship, sell the program on a talent like a Tyrod. That builds recruiting momentum bigger than anything. Pry needs to get his difference maker in the next couple cycles.
Agree -- in terms of navigating program trajectory, we need the "this feels like a major inflection point" news before the start of the 24 season. Whether it's a major impact transfer, whether it's a major impact recruit, whether it's a significant jump in recruting (e.g. top-35 class in 2023 becomes a #19 nationally in 2024), whether it's flipping multiple guys from PSU/OSU/Michigan/Clemson/ND that they want and not just bc they got processed, etc.
2024 is a loaded in state. We have a big opportunity to turn the recruiting tide.
Couple that with a possibly improved 2023 season, and we could hit some home runs.
This^^^^ is why Pry is focusing on Virginia in 2023. He's building relationships with a decent class for 2023 so the VT Football coaches can hit pay dirt in 2024.
I'm ready to get hurt again!
Dads at the state title game were rather chatty. Lots of love and interest in VT. It helps I've gotten to watch one of my coworker's sons grow up to be a solid football prospect in the state.
Chance Fitzgerald got a offer from Oklahoma. Uh oh😰
do us all a favor and add a link when we're talking about someone new, thanks!
https://247sports.com/player/chance-fitzgerald-46113194/
Gobble I still don't know how It works on Mobile 😂
just copy the link address from your browser and paste it in the comment text field. ezpz
Ohhh. Next problem is how long does it take for me to forget tbh😂
Just bookmark this link: https://www.thekeyplay.com/content/2022/december/1/december-2022-recruit...
I'm having double vision 🥴
What does this even mean?
No sources, but I think he's implying we have two more recruits coming in.
Oh, I just thought he had too much bourbon
Not a drinker 😞
Pry signal is up. 12/12 at 4:57
Also Bowen and Mines. Offensive player?
Yep!
Fleming and Mansoor Delane both said there's more to come after Drones and Jennings announced.
(Pre-Drones below)
Cam Fleming and Dante Lovett hinting at more
Mines, Brenden HIll, plus our social media coordinator put up a similar "we're not done yet" message.
Love it from Lovett
Hope is a dangerous thing
Here comes another one y'all.
Pry and staff are on fire
Got us a QB with plenty of eligibility!!!!'
MORE BAT SIGNALS
DBU gonna get better?
Portal or high school commit? seems like you know whos next
Portal hopes and dreams.
Nothing concrete, Just echoing some message board fodder.
PRY STAFF DOING WORK
MOMENTUM MEANS MO HOKIES
Prying off the crooting lid
I like it. I like it a lot.
Staff is doing exactly the type of recruiting I've been waiting to see! This is how you build a team! Well done coach Pry and staff, let's keep going.
We have two solid corners next year, but this is an opportunity you can't ignore both from a talent and perception perspective. Game changer for recruiting if we could snag him somehow.
I believe French said Delane has the ability to slide to safety so bring on another stud cb!
Everything I've heard is Delane is a safety but we had a need at corner this year so he played there. Adding a starting CB is a good thing for sure.
This worries me. Kid was amazing at CB this year. Feels odd to shift him his second year then what happens when Grimes leaves and Delane is best corner again.
Portal
Or give a year for the youngunz to develop sufficiently. Like they're supposed to.
His natural position is Safety. Bud/Torrian would shuffle players around in the secondary, I don't think it's that weird.
IF (big if) Grimes comes to VT, then he'll play corner. If the best strategy is to play Delane at safety and Grimes at corner, than we'll do that. If Delane is a better corner than grimes and someone else can play safety, then Grimes can be second string (second string at CB gets plenty of play time).
The entire secondary is a position of need. We have at least one player who is flexible. Let's build around him by getting the most talented guys who fit our scheme.
Bud played a lot more DB's than Pry has in the past, he has used more LB's.
Kam played CB before switching to safety
Where he had 9 total tackles. Delane is clearly a huge benefit playing CB.
I'll never forget that position change. It felt like Bam Bam Cam "disappeared" that season.
CBs typically aren't known for making tackles, unless they're just getting gashed defensively and they're the last man. I do agree Delane is the best tackling CB we have had in forever, he could realistically play any position in the defensive backfield. But I feel although he's great at CB, he could be a lights out safety.
Think French nailed it when he said he looked like a young Chuck Clark.
100% agree, could be a big difference maker for the D.
At one point, Grimes was very high on VT, then something fell apart with the relationship..I think we can safely surmise that something was Fuente & Co.
It's been so long since we have had legit Recruiting Momentum that I almost forgot what it feels like...it feels awesome.
Pretty well insinuated that Fu & Co and Coach Glover (Grimes's dad) had some sort of falling out/misunderstanding/whatever. The roll the PR tape that Grimes and his "handlers" were "difficult" and he was too much of a diva and that dad was going to steer him to UNC out of spite etc etc. Lots of message board comments about how we're better off without etc etc.
Who knows what actually happened to cause the rift -- but thinking you can land 5* talent without a lil butt kissing is naive and thinking you dont need talent to thrive is also naive.
I'll take him 10 times out of 10 if he wants to come now. Talent ingestion and roster turnover is something we knew we needed. This would be an injection of talent that could help us out in a big way.
86 rated safety from charlotte, class of 24
https://247sports.com/player/brody-barnhardt-46111879/
This kid is legit and would be an awesome get for VT. I have no idea why he's rated what he's rated, but I think he's much much better.
It'd be nice for VT to regain a presence in NC again.
How I looked opening up this thread to all the new transfers / commitments the last 2 days.
Man I'm loving VT this weekend in all aspects from the wins (Bball and Rasslin) to recruiting.
Getting Grimes would be solid. You could have a combo of Delane, strong and Grimes on the field at the same time on some long/3rd down situations. Also if Delane switches to Free Safety, I think he could lead NCAA in interceptions. His Vision and closing speed is incredible. Also don't forget Cam Johnson was a 4-star recruit who I'm sure will be putting on some weight and getting bigger. I just love it.
On Offense, I hope Wells stays despite Drones getting in the transfer Portal. Wells could compete for the starting job, there are no guarantees per Pry and also our depth needs to be filled up. Wells has a ton of Grit. I would even think a 2 QB system is possible. Another way to look at it is this might get Wells to raise his game, regardless of who starts, the top 2 guys might elevate our overall game.
Now as for the Offenssive line, man we need to either get Portal guys or beef up/Coach up some young ones. We have got to Protect the QB, last year was rough. I hope we come through with a solid plan.
Nice get at WR from ODU
Love the vibe - I feel it too and agree with everything you said. I've just seen the line comment come up a lot and want to add my 2 cents.
It was clear that was bad (that being line play over the course of the year). It's also been stated that Rudolph was trying to get a bunch of zone guys to gap (or something like that, I have no idea what I'm talking about), but it sounds like that's trying to get dinosaurs to tap dance (please make no inference to me claiming our OL are dinosaurs, they're beautiful human beings, I welcome all similes and metaphors). That said, it sounded like in some of the adjustments later in the year they went back to some zone mechanics and things got better?
So hopefully we are either comfortable with running that and developing what Rudy wants to do as we go or there's going to be a quantum step in quality with spring and offseason training. Might be rosy but it seems like that's the plan. Or we're just gonna suck.
Here we go, another huge visit
Fleming, Ali Jennings, and others already tweeting at him. Would be a huge perception win on and off the field.
I feel very comfortable that Derek Jones >>> Dre Bly when it comes to coaching technique in CBs. I think some of the technique and tackling issues we saw at UNC can be fixed pretty easily. He's still an excellent athlete but I think he learned at UNC that you need both +athletic +technique skills to be a true shutdown corner and get to the next level.
Why do I have a feeling that "Coach Cheetah" is going to be able to connect pretty well with the Grimes
Side note to another video he posted of them on a tour of campus. We really need to switch over to electric golf carts. The gas engine is so loud in the video you can't even hear them talking.
I mean we are trying to sell recruits on VT and electric carts over gas just don't cut it.
As someone who lives in a Florida community with over 5,000 golf carts I beg to differ they can go just as fast and with the right batteries their range is over 50 miles easy. Our 6 seater has done 88 before it needed a charge. It's nice a quiet so you can talk, hear things around you and don't bother people you pass.
Is this yours?
This just with Hokie colors and stickers.
All I know is that every electric cart I've used struggled with hills which means Florida usage probably doesn't compare to Appalachia usage.
All the golf courses by me (Royal New Kent, Brickshire, Stonehouse, Brookswoods) have gas carts because there are a lot of hills. Load it up with a few guys 250+ and it makes a difference.
Are y'all telling me we can't have some engineering students mod a golf cart to put in more battery capacity and higher torque motors to handle the hills of Blacksburg? What the hell, people? Invent the damned future!
We could invent the future if the university didn't drop that tagline 5 years ago along with that horrid academic logo
We could, but cost efficiency. I would rather they put that $ towards something more meaningful to the recruits and team than quieter golf carts.
I thought we put the electric versus gas to bed years ago with torque and electric vehicles kicking gas powered cars ass up and down courses. Electric carts with the right batteries, right setup in torque and speed ratios will do hills just fine.
As an avid golfer, I MUCH prefer an electric cart. no comparison
Last time I went golfing with my dad we had an electric cart and I had to get out and walk with our clubs so he could make it up the last hill to return the cart.
I prefer electric while golfing if it's charged...
side note - no matter if gas or electric: I don't wanna spend $50+ a round to drive a governed golf cart around the course. If I want to haul ass to my 2nd shot, let me sign a waiver saying I'll pay for all damages incurred if I somehow destroy it ramping in and out of a bunker.
I prefer walking over electric or gas.
Yeah the course had no walking rules, only my 3rd round of golf with a cart in my life.
I haven't walked in so long. I used to walk 2 rounds a day when I was playing for high school. Living in the mountains does not have me interested in walking though, maybe somewhere down the line if I live in a flatter area, I'll get myself a new cart and wheel myself around.
When I lived out west you could wall the courses by rule but they were absolutely not designed to be walked. I was in my 20s and walked my local course in nebraska the first time I played it. Picked up a cart for the back 9.
I like walking and I like riding but some courses are really really tough to walk.
They could do it, but then it is likely a custom cart. I doubt the recruits care that the golf cart was gas over electric. If they went with a decked out, custom cart that hit jumps and did cool shit, I am all for it being electric but until then, its just a golf cart.
The carts are custom. Hokie colors, seats, decals etc.
I've owned a 2002 ClubCar since 2005, and I've been told by several people in the golf cart industry that those were the best ClubCars they ever built. Reportedly, ClubCar discontinued them because they were so reliable that sales of new carts were going down. I've had to replace the batteries & cables a few times, a couple new tires, and this year I had a power cable and speed modulator replaced, but that's it. I don't think it's had brake pads in 5-10 years, but it doesn't squeak. And, despite it being perhaps the oldest cart at my club (I call it my "World War II Urban Assault Vehicle"), there are only a few that are faster than mine. It can fly, and has no problems with hills.
And, the attached cooler is always filled with cold ones...
We didn't get a club car because when getting a six seater they just weld them no body support so major issues of sag over time. Went with EZGO.
Any tips for someone who will be looking to purchase a 6 seater in near future?
Test drive multiple cart manufacturers AND multiple custom sellers. Big things we looked for: get under the cart and look for rust spots or abnormalities, check the batteries and wire connections, make sure they give you a new charger, in a lot of 6 seaters the second and third row seatbelts can be uncomfortable for small kids or large adults make sure you try buckling them and sitting for a minute. Go with higher end batteries. Less maintenance better charge time and run time. Get at least some lift.
Damn. Looking good.
88? Really?!? ;^)
Unfortunately we speed limited ours o I didn't have to get it licensed. Ours only goes 25. You take the limiter off and my cart can hit over 40. 88 was the range. A 4 seater with same battery setup goes over 100 miles per charge.
I'm convinced during that loud gas engine burst he said, "I'm committing to VT." We just couldn't hear it because of that damn loud golf cart.
Just saw Derek Jones retweeted this. How effing cool is she, and love the message!
Insert Juggernaut.gif
With a mom like that, he ain't going to no damn Nebraska! Iwill take more of that for 4 years! Can we set her up with Dwight Vick for some game reviews? Can we get her her on a Manningcast like streaming during a game?
Wowza!
Nominee for cool mom award.
Is it a bad sign we aren't hearing much about the Grimes visit today? I got my first hit of recruiting dopamine in awhile and I'm already getting the shakes
Edit - cautiously optimistic about Grimes. Great scheme fit and would be a big perception win in state.
Yeah it's why I'm especially anxious about this guy after paying attention to recruiting again and being a fan of Pry. This is exactly the type of player her needs to land to succeed here and he needs it now.
I wouldn't worry about it too much. Glover tweeted 3 times about it, Grimes tweeted that he was at VT, which is about the same that he tweeted from other spots. All the croots were doing their thing, at the end of the day I want him if he wants to come here, but if he doesn't then we still got some talented DBs on the roster.
The perception and impact to the 757 area would be very big for us, especially going into a loaded 24 class.
Don't forget that there was a former 757 4 star DB visiting with him!
Who?
Cam'Ron Kelly was there as well!! Similar vein to Grimes in regards to coaching and him being a valuable asset.
Not sure this is the right thread for this, but couldn't think of a better one and didn't think it warranted it's own thread.
Anyway, just saw this - remember all the player development we wanted to see over the last 5 years but didn't? I have a sneaking suspicion we'll be seeing some in the next couple years:
Also, he's a great follow if you haven't already!
So what've we got today? Any last minute signees? We had like 5 last year. Any smoke?
Well we have 6 days until ESD so a bit early to tell on signees
Dang I thought it was today for some reason.
I believe it is always on a Wednesday the signing periods open.
Staff is busy
Pancake flips 🤔 so we're stealing an O Line commit?!! /s
Does this gif has a double meaning? Flipping OL recruits...
Edit: too late. Need to hit refresh. Drinks on me.
I need some information on OL flips instead of golf cart sales pitches in the recruiting thread LOL
Think your going to disappointed if that's what's your waiting for.
TKP: come for the recruiting news and transfer threads, stay for the in depth discussion of BIT as a viable major, equitable graduate student compensation, and golf carts
Don't forget condiment wars.
HEY! I thought we agreed no more NSFW gifs??
Also, this makes me want to puke
This is a good question for LancerHokie
I am sure she asks herself that question daily.
I do ask myself that question quite often. Being with you (and becoming friends with your friends) for as long as we have been together, i know y'all aint right. I love you in spite of the fact that you are trifling.
You've known him for this long and you are seriously asking this question??
He's spe-shul. Bless his heart....
Bless your heart.
I just threw up in my mouth at work.
Now that I can get behind
I... Will never stop hating this gif
Hey, a couple years ago it would have been 75 posts about the Hokie Club and if the facilities were outdated or not. This is big time positive progress.
Gotta work those bubbles out before the initial flip.
Antonio Cotman, come on down!!!
Dammit, keep expecting recruiting news, only to open and find 8 new comments on the merits of electric vs gas golf carts.
dammit, I'd cleared the notifications on all the golf cart comments and then came back only to find that now all the new comments were complaining about golf cart comments.
I'll take partial responsibility for that...
How do you do that?
I just meant I'd opened the thread after the golf carts were posted so all those showed as "read" then came back and all the new comments were complaining about golf cart comments and still not recruiting news.
I mean...there's a super special feature Joe has for Big Board leaders and people who donate above and beyond normal TKPC dues that lets you mute certain parts of conversations... So everyone should join TKPC, throw more money at Joe, and be a hell of a lot funnier so they can earn some legs.
The golf cart posts are still much better than the post my husband made yesterday in this thread.....
Strong disagree
Dude, you are the one that said people should ask me why he is the way that he is .......
Didn't say the way that he is was bad lol
Weird gif's make the world go 'round
Facts.
There's weird and then there's WTAF....
It's a vicious cycle.
Kaveion Keys just said on Twitter that he's making his commitment tomorrow morning at 8:30 👀
I'm ready to get hurt again.
He is 100% crystal balls to Penn State. I wouldn't hold my breath
Those were made before his visit to Tech
And nobody has seen fit to change them since his visit 🙁
Why not wait til ESD? Get some camera time?
Down to PSU and VT and I don't think either school has been told!
committed to PSU. https://www.pennlive.com/pennstatefootball/2022/12/penn-state-adds-4-sta...
VT target just decommitted from BC
24/7 profile
I never understood that commit to begin with.
Jeff Hafley is a good coach, a defensive minded head coach, and a good recruiter. They had a bad year this year, and it's still BC, but never underestimate him.
He must be a wicked recruiter to get players to look past Boston accents and Patriot fans during their visits.
Ahem...
Edit: I have lived up here since 1996, and still don't have a trace of a Boston accent. And, I grew up a Redskins fan. To escape that purgatory, I became a somewhat disinterested Pats fan.
But, do you run on Dunkin' yet?
Ha ha, nope. Get that weak-ass shit out of here. Starbucks French Roast brewed at home using the 'bold' setting.
It's not an accent. It's a speech defect.
(Just kidding, NE folks...I worked in Boston for a number of years)
Still not as bad as Minnesota.
Weyll, dear that's just yoo're OpiniOn, dOnchaknO
Ope sOrry.
Ah screw-em I'm from Michigan
I think you meant to say Meatchicken
Fortunately not from that part, I do absolutely say ciddy (city) and rarely pronounce the hard "t" at the end of a word (hih instead of hit) tho
$$$$$
I met him at the spring game. We were staying in the same hotel. Good kid
I have 0 sources just a weirdly good feeling when I saw this news.
Evan Watkins put in a CB for the good guys after the decommit
New crystal ball for Chance Fitzgerald. Hopefully the chance of a crystal ball for another school between now and ESD is slim to none.
https://247sports.com/player/chance-fitzgerald-46113194/
I'm feeling good about this one
So you're saying there's a Chance?
If we get everyone we look to be getting this year, I will feel 1000x better about our WR room going forward.
Not just about WR - but I'm thinking about it like this: WR made itself obvious that it was a position of need this year. The coaches seem to have gone out and made a lot of headway in actually recruiting wide receivers! What a novel concept! And some seemingly good ones at that!
Going out and recruiting the positions we have needs in, and having them commit around now rather than decommitting feels good to me!
recent offers from oklahoma and colorado...would be a great job by the staff if he signs with us
Any chance we go after Jahad Carter? I mean we are pretty much loaded with young DB's but he was pretty solid for Syracuse last year. Committed to VT twice, went elsewhere both times due to eligibility I believe
Ja'Had was a solid starter for Syracuse, is a Richmond, VA product, and did have a commitment to the Hokies at one point. Seems like a good veteran to bring in
https://247sports.com/player/jahad-carter-46042794/
https://www.syracuse.com/orangefootball/2022/12/su-safety-jahad-carter-w...
I was substitute teaching in his social studies class on NSD that year before he made his announcement.
He turned his assignment in with the VT logo.
He desperately wanted to be a Hokie.
I'm confused by this. If he desperately wanted to be a Hokie, wasn't he in control of that choice?
He committed to tech in class of 2019, but likely had his scholarship offer pulled when he had to go to prep school for a year. Ultimately signed with syracuse as class of 2020, but on "late" signing day
I'm sure our door is open
Not keeping my hopes up for Keys, but if we could get Cotman and Fitzgerald it would be a very good finish to the 23' class.
Keys to PSU :(
Would have been nice to get him and a real "statement of intent"/proof of concept on the recruiting trail for this staff
Big bummer
Kills me that of the top 11 VA recruits in this year's class, 6 of them are going to Penn State.
Really hope Pry & co. can turn that around moving forward.
I mean, that's one of the reasons why we hired Pry, right? He's been saying it will take until class of 2025 to change that.
Yeah it was. I get blue chip recruits take years of relationship building to get on board so 2025 is probably realistic but sure is a tough pill to swallow right now.
Tough pill to swallow? This is an easy pill to swallow. We just improved from having classes outside the top 40, to a possibly top 30 class with the highest ranked QB recruit/transfer since Logan Thomas (who was technically recruited as a TE, so this would actually be our highest rated QB recruit since Tyrod).
And this is Pry's first full class. At worst, I feel confident that we can get back to the Frank Beamer norm of classes in the 20's most years. At best, Pry might become the best recruiting staff VT has ever had.
How is this a tough pill to swallow?
He probably didn't have any water.
I personally agree, the tough pill to swallow comment was more in regards to the sentiment of a vocal portion of the board who are convinced VT football is crashing and burning.
For the record, I am very happy with what Pry has shown us in the last few days building the roster.
Wait... Is this accurate? Drones is higher rated than Evans, QP, Hooker, etc.? (Not arguing, just genuinely excited if true).
Higher ranked in his signing class (2021) than QP and Hooker were in theirs.
Overall class rankings:
Drones - 263
QP - 275
Hooker - 337
Not sure on Evans since he was a transfer from JUCO.
Need to check on Evans. Yes to hooker and QP though.
Edit: not as high as Evans. Evans was a .91-something, Drones is a .90-something.
Nice, I'll take it!
Does anyone know anything about Chimdy Onoh? Apparently he's a 4 star OT that just decommitted from ODU. His offer list is Colorado, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Rutgers, Syracuse, JMU, ODU, and a bunch of FCS schools.
According to reddit, he just got a 247 page 2 weeks ago and everything on the page is about his track and field accomplishments. It looks like all of his P5 offers came rolling in during the past 2 weeks or so.
Is this one of those rare hidden gems on the recruiting trail or is 247's evaluation of him way off?
Wishlist: Fitzgerald, Cotman, Carter, Grimes, Gage Keys, at least one OL
What about Spencer and Hughes? Those are the top two on my wishlist.
The CB's are medium confidence but they were this morning and yesterday evening following a visit. Great offer list and it seems Colorado and Oklahoma joined the press late. Hopefully this one goes the good guys way,
Lots of chatter on the twitters that the odds look good
Pry signal is up as of 12:54 ET.
Can anybody tell me how long it usually takes 247 to update who has committed and update rankings? Just curious, I'm excited about the momentum and where some of it puts our class.
If curious, you can always plug a name into the class calculator.
The addition of Chance Fitzgerald puts us at 204.64, up to 30th spot just ahead of Washington.
Excellent - thanks!!!
Although now that I look at it, I see that in the calculator, it includes transfers-in. I didn't think the '23 class ranking would do that since transfers have different eligibility (so theoretically would impact a previous class' ranking).
Good catch!
It looks like you still have to kick out the Transfers to get an accurate team score.
Well, it's up and official now- 199.98, good for 33rd place.
Adding William Spencer, Elijah Hughes, and Antonio Cotman while subtracting Wittke would put us at 25 commits and a 204.53 score. Currently that would sit 30th between WVU and Washington, but obviously that would change in the next week.
Our scores the past few years:
2022 -- 208.77
2021 -- 195.79
2020 -- 162.89
2019 -- 224.01
2018 -- 226.01
2017 -- 217.74
2016 -- 190.06
2015 -- 212.07
Is Wittke likely to look elsewhere?
No
What are the rankings on those years?
NVM, I was able to click around and find it. For the benefit others, our rankings in previous years:
2022 -- 208.77 (36th)
2021 -- 195.79 (44th)
2020 -- 162.89 (76th !!!!@#%&!!)
2019 -- 224.01 (26th)
2018 -- 226.01 (24th)
2017 -- 217.74 (26th)
2016 -- 190.06 (42nd)
2015 -- 212.07 (29th)
2014 -- 208.6 (28th)
2013 -- 203.38 (21st)
Edit: Updated to add the 2014 and 2013 class scores and rankings.
Probably shouldn't factor in Hughes. USC recieved another crystal ball today.
Edit: I'll have one after work for the double!
Elijah Hughes finally has a composite score...it's an 85. 247 still has him as an 88. Watkins crystal balled him to USC.
https://247sports.com/Player/Elijah-Hughes-46129781/
3 CB's in the last 24 hours, 2 today, for Cotman. All medium confidence. Would be another good addition to this class.
We've made it to the big time, gents
Big Dogged
Kinda nice to be on the right side of that for a change.
Sorry Michigan,
It's our catch
Which recruit were we in a battle with them for?
I would assume he was referencing Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald- committed today
Time for a December part 2 recruiting thread?