Discuss and share any recruiting topics for July 2021 that don't warrant their own threads. Commits and Decommits warrant their own threads.
This recruiting thread is used to share information regarding VT-specific targets, PWO offers, scholarship offers, visits, camps, and general news, in addition to larger trends. In the interests of limiting load times, check the thread to see if a tweet was already embedded prior to adding it yourself.
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Comments
Remember, link to 247, not embed.
Here is the link to the google doc of the big board, which is maintained externally from TKP.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/1/d/1zfQ6MDgOe3xUOen2OLk8SFFBfQ-s...
New commit Daequan Wright has been given a rating: 247 composite .8516 and 247 industry 87. I came away impressed by his film, good body control and can high point the ball well.
very encouraging to me that the few unrated recruits who've verballed in the last couple weeks were then rated 87/88 range and not just given the auto-85
Agreed. We all love to see the star power but this is an indication that the "scouts" agree with our evaluation.
Kyree Moyston kicks off the month by committing to the good guys
https://247sports.com/Player/Kyree-Moyston-46109952/
I've noticed recruits love the logoed visors when taking photos on their visits, but am I the only one getting Talladega Nights flashbacks from them?
I love getting a local kid's commitment! 6'4"? If he grows to 6'6" in the next few years, he could have the length to match or beat the reach of a lot of Tackles!
I really want to see those visor stickers on the guys during warmups when the cameras are getting their pregame footage.
Rashaud Pernell commitment date: July 4th
Gunner Givens commitment date: July 16th
Keep an eye on the Cams: Cam Miller, Fernandina Beach, FL 4*, and Cam Johnson, St Frances Academy, 4*, both DBs
Ramon Brown visited last week. I'd like to think we are in play, and he'd be a great 4* addition to the roster
I saw something about Miller dropping a top two soon
Edit: today apparently. Also his tweet before says he no longer attends that Fernandina Beach hs
https://twitter.com/Cam_miller8/status/1410355262041567234?s=19
Yep transferring to Trinity Christian here in Jacksonville I think.
What? Thought u were in murrells inlet?
https://www.thekeyplay.com/content/2018/february/1/moving-florida
Gotta keep up.
My bad. BTW, wife n i considering move to murrells inlet. Id like to pick ur brain a bit, if thats ok.
Sure. My email is in that thread shoot me one.
Done, please confirm receipt so I know I didn't screw up the address. Thanks
Got it. Working on putting something together for you.
Murrell's Inlet is great, I get there about twice a year. The seafood is hard to beat down there.
247 profile
head to head vs PSU for a composite 4* is the kind of battle our program needs to start winning more frequently
much more frequently. dylan rivers is the only one that comes to mind that we actually took from PSU
Kevin Jones would like a word
"Who is Kevin Jones" - Any recruit we are talking to.
Unfortunately, that was a long time ago.
Ha, got me there. Although when I said "we" I was more referring to the Fuente regime.
I expect Kevin Jones will never be surpassed as our greatest recruiting battle victory. We landed the #1 overall recruit who was out of state.
If we had beaten out recent-champion FSU for Josh Sweat, maybe that would have been close, but he was from VA so we still had a natural leg up
Well, technically Kevin Jones was a 5*, so we're good.
Judging solely by the quality of the photos, we got this
FYI, we are also his first offer. Always a good sign when we can get in early with a recruit.
Nicholas Singleton committing on July 6 with all CB's for PSU right now. Gotta be good for our chances with Ramon if PSU picks him up right?
Yee
Even if Singleton picks PSU that doesn't necessarily help us with Ramon. Laborn went to FSU even after Akers committed even though Laborn committed first I believe he still stayed, other kids from Va committed to PSU before or after other 4/5 star RB's committed to PSU. I'd like to hope it helps our chances but i've seen too much to the contrary. Ramon and Givens would really help or recruiting class along with that 4 star CB who is down to us and PSU. This recruiting class does give me hope that things are getting better for VT and upgraded facilities seem like they could be the reason.
Idk man I think it helps some also Ramon likes Tech alot. I'm feeling decent about this
This is a positive
Can't embed because I'm on mobile but a tweet from Rashaud Pernell, hoping for some fireworks tomorrow
https://twitter.com/Rashaudd__/status/1411128051782520838?s=09
What does finna mean?
Fixing - about to be
It's fixing to, but then add a bunch of slang, so it becomes fixinna, then finna
gonna
You're old.
Fact. Even more so that I don't get it even after the explanations.
It's a "typo". Fi is one letter adjacent to go
So that's where my head went. "Is this a typo that had become a thing?"
Is it me or does it seem like we're bringing in a ton of recruits this class with Ivy league offers? Obviously not complaining but wasn't sure if grades / SATs scores was a point of emphasis with this class.
SAT scores being a point of emphasis would be one of, if not the single, biggest reason yet to fire fuente
Rashaud Petnell has committed to the good guys!
Great news, pending of course additional info on his Rivals rating and his SAT scores. 😄
After the Pernell commitment.... Ramon brown is from 804 🤞🤞🤞🤞
Ramon Brown Top 5: Penn State, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, South Carolina, Maryland
Best news of the day! Serious talk we were out of the running, but his official went well!
Yeah, but he also said that the decision will come down to simple things, including the number of RBs in the room. Hopefully that doesn't cost us.
Really would like to have him in the rb room. He is college ready already.
So having 83 RBs might be a deterrent?
It is crazy how many there are but you have to imagine that multiple RBs will hit the portal.
Despite our current RB numbers, I'd think the lack of a clear high end back in the room would play in our favor.
That's a message that the staff will have to craft delicately.
If you do that incorrectly, you're saying that you don't believe in the guys you recruited or you failed to develop them. If Ramon has a skillset that none of the other running backs have, then they should be prepared to show why and how Ramon can benefit.
Is "it's okay, after a RB fumbles he's exiled to an alternate dimension, so you'll move up the depth chart quickly" a quality pitch? Asking for a friend.
Edit: Removed
So it boils down to Pedo State, Shane's gang and the Good Guys?
We're in the center that has to be a good thing right?
Happy Fourth of July, Hokies! Great news for a great recruit on the fourth! Let's do this thing!!!
Too many backs = no elite backs. Staff is selling as such as well, we're in the mix still, but I don't see there being another RB take this class if we land him, if we take another I think that signals he's no longer in play
Well look what we have here.
Start checking for those crystal balls on 247...
1 prediction for PSU back in May at a 5
I'll add this nugget - and this isn't the only one regarding PSU and VT -WVU fans are not feeling it. Other tweets include a tidbit or 2 about Corbin Page definitely flipping. Page backed off the flip to VT last month.
They're slightly less sweet than Hoo tears, but I'll take 'Neer tears any day.
Page makes TE number 4 bring him in baby!
[I'm actually being serious, he's far bigger than any of the others we got, will be used differently. At least one of the other guys will end up at receiver maybe two.]
I'm pretty sure he'd be a lineman if anything....
I hope not it would be a huge waste of talent. Plus we've already got 4 linemen in the class, while hoping to add at least one more of the current targets.
I wonder if Ramon Brown is going to commit to PSU this Friday so that any other 4 star might get disgruntled and look to commit elsewhere. I hope not but that's what it feels like. Hokies are on fire on the recruiting trail and this would be a good get but all the talk of the other 4 star rb's getting cb's to PSU makes me think he may try to commit before they do. Going back to Sweat and Nnadi I have gotten my hopes up too much only to see them get destroyed and with Laborn going to FSU and other RB's in Va going to PSU history just isn't on our side as of lately. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst. If we get Gunner Givens that gives us 6 O-linemen in the class, surely one of them is going to D-line, maybe Braelin Moore?
Not being a "Debbie Downer", but I just don't see this happening Fam. No real #sauces, just a feeling based on recent trends with this staff and RBs. Not to mention they have yet to actually develop a RB they recruited out of HS.
lotta noise around commits in our current class that would point to this being good for us
This is awesome! I certainly hope I'll be eating crow on this.
What I'm hopeful for is the staff just showed what they could do with a bell cow in Herbert, when recruiting you can point to that and say "see, you come here and we can do that". They never had that with past recruits.
Why project this negativity into the world fam
Take a seat, pop open a cold one, and just enjoy the next few weeks of recruiting.
Then wait with psychotic anxiety that none of them decommit and sign on signing day, preferably early signing day.
Any noise on Bryson Jennings? I know he had his last official to UNC, but didn't know if we still felt like we were in the driver's seat.
The possibility of landing Givens, Brown, Purnell, and Jennings in the same class to reestablish our footprint in VA recruiting is a hell of an opportunity. Can't remember the last time we got 4 top 15 guys in the state.
haven't heard anything since we made his top-5 (VT, UVA, UK, PSU, and UNC) about a month ago, but i'm not plugged in or paywalled anywhere
If we get 4/4 give the recruiters and the recruiting staff on the team a raise.
Agreed...but not necessarily a contract extension
We in a good spot for Jennings
Pretty sure I remember his Dad making a diving catch against UVA from Will Furrer.
UVA, Will Furrer? I think I was at that game, but all the great catches I recall were made by Chris Witten, who I believe had a hell of a game. Who is the elder Jennings? Maybe a TE on that team?
Shawn Witten?
I would say quick news favors us based on recent commits
I did see crystal balls for 2 other 4 star running backs on 247 earlier today for penn state. Singleton and Allen. Would think that would bode well for the good guys
SC OL Xavier Chapman commits to the good guys! Can't embed right now
Bring in all the beef! Win the trenches, win the game.
If the stuff on 247 is true then this dude is 1) a fucking brickhouse of a man and 2) under the radar, but not for long.
I'm fucking pumped for this signing.
Or the whale! They don't move real fast, but it only takes one of them to stuff the middle.
Received an offer while at camp
If we get Givens this may be the best OL class in recent memory. Everything starts in the trenches, if we can close with Ramon Brown and the Cams too, oh boy, 2022 may actually be our year 😳
Singleton commits to PSU gotta be a good omen on Ramon
Wonder how Ramon Brown feels about the number 3 RB in the country going to PSU
Hoping he wants to join us instead. Nice to see ya btw hope you're doing well!
He probably doesn't care because he's going to be playing football in Blacksburg.
I know this is a bit out of left field, but does UVA have a legitimate shot at landing Zach Rice? What did we do wrong to be left out of his top 5 and such?
LCA's always been a feeder for UVA.
Didn't they have 3 guys go there who were all relatively highly rated one year?
I say 10%. I really think hes going to unc
I'd rather he went to UVA personally
We got Braxton Pfaff and Demitri Knowles from LCA. Typically I don't know of LCA producing that many p5 players and typically just feeds to Liberty.
In the last few years it seems like LCA has had an influx of talent for one reason or another.
From what I've heard, VT was never really in consideration to begin with and the coaching staff looked elsewhere early in the process.
I would be shocked if he ended up at UVA, but I was shocked when Andrew Brown and Quin Blanding ended up at UVA.
Yep, told the coaching staff thanks but no thanks.
But then his mom went out on social media to trash the coaches?
Perhaps we're not getting the full story here, but seriously? You tell someone you're not interested and then you spin it like they didn't care about you when they back off?
It's probably because (I'm speculating) Fuente and Co. weren't willing to kiss the requisite amount of ass to capture their .01% chance of getting his commitment.
His mom is probably getting a "who you think you are" vibe from them.
If all is that is true, then they made the right decision. The college football version of the bar scene from a beautiful mind, except the blonde was always going home with the billionaire to begin with.
In case you haven't noticed VT football in 2021 is UVA football. there is no discernable differences in the programs. Both are mediocre, neither have national juice right now, so to pretend that "why would a recruit choose UVA" is a no brainer as a VT fan isn't really true anymore. We are just as mediocre as they are now.
I am well aware. I was just asking if there was something we had done on the recruiting trail to upset him and pulled a Tony Grimes by putting UVA in his top 5 to spite VT.
If I'm recalling correctly, he's the kid whose UVA alum grandfather would be "rolling over in his grave" if Rice went to VT
we had zero chance from the outset, we knew it and we didn't waste any time on him
composite 5* CB from Georgia
https://247sports.com/Player/AJ-Harris-46112778/
Coach Smitty shootin for the moon!
seriously -- to even be in the conversation at this point means something is resonating. is it enough to pull? who knows, but part of me thinks it's just nice to see VT in a 5*'s top-whatever instead of UNC for once
I mean, every single five star corner that we have ever recruited was drafted in the first round
I'm not religious, is god right-handed? Because we are in the right hand there 😂
It's like Utah was forgotten and somebody had to slap them on there at the last minute.
First thing that came to my mind was that Utah's sole reason for inclusion on the graphic is to cover up the bulge...
on the other hand, the logo is centered just fine and wouldn't look out of place if it wasn't so asymmetric.
interesting note, i compared the 247 in-house score to the composite for our 17 current commits (16 really, as xavier chaplin is currently unrated in both) just to see how much 247 does or doesn't like our commits and how their composite may change -- are they overrated, underrated, etc.
Since 247 only gives integer ratings, I considered more than 1.5 pts difference either way to be significant, since 247 groups their 3* ratings in a way where a two point difference has a good chance of moving a prospect from one bracket to the next (80-83 for potential P5 contributor/G5 starter, 84-86 for P5 starter/impact G5 player, 87-89 means significant NFL upside/impact P5 player)>
Of our 16 rated commits, four have a 247 in-house rating >1.5 pts better than their composite: Xavier Simmons (91 vs .8891), Rashaud Pernell (89 vs .8682), Malcolm Jones (88 vs .8628) and Daequan Wright (87 vs .8516). Bryce Duke and Lemar law are both about 1 pt better in 247 in-house than composite.
There are two commits whose 247 in-house is >1.5 pts lower than composite: Alex Orji (86 vs .8847) and Braelin Moore (85 vs .8675). Kyree Moyston and Harrison St Germain both ~1 pt worse on 247 than in the composite.
Overall, 247 in-house ratings tend to favor our guys relative the composite, but the average composite rating (0.8581 and the average 247 inhouse rating (86) are pretty dang close.
The good news is that TSL is releasing a half point rating system to make VT's recruiting classes look better on paper and continue to carry Fuente's water. I'm excited.
I think the actual good news is that we are still 5 months to early signing day and already have 17 players who ant to be hokies, including a few good in-state guys; several guys who were unrated when they committed and then came in at high-3* in the ratings (Wright, Jones); several guys joining from Texas as unheralded post-hype and post-hashtag players. If you're not at least a little encouraged by the way this class is shaping up relative to the way the last two went, then you're either set on being pessimistic or you're not paying attention.
We all want to be better, and 2021 class was a highly publicized whiff on the recruiting trail relative to the hype that came from staff. It's very clear to me that this staff put in some incredible work to identify and begin recruiting talent that wasn't on anyone else's radar, and let's hope that it translates to wins if Fuente is still around to see them on campus. It's not worth complaining about things in July.
edited because math is hard
I am excited about the 22 class -there are some higher level commits than what we have gotten recently. There are also some "intriguing" players that the staff can coach up.
The Athletic does in house analysis on committed players also are they looking to stay on Fuente's good side?
Why does TSL feel the need to distinguish within 3 star rankings? Why?
Isn't the nature of rankings distinguishing enough? The highest-rated four-star player is ranked mid-thirties nationally whereas the lowest four-star player is ranked in the mid-300's nationally. Quite a wide range that doesn't mean anything to most people outside of "well he's a four-star player" and that's with the already large caveats that come with projecting how teenagers across 50 states, and varying levels of competition, will continue to grow once they get to college.
[Edit: Weirdly enough the thing I was thinking of was a TSL tweet explaining their system, which I think does a much better job explaining it than I could.]
The lowest rated 4 star player is rated higher than the highest rated 3 star player. That's pretty clear to most people. What does rating someone a 3.5 star mean or do? nothing
if this is what you were trying to communicate, your original comment about half-point rating systems on TSL was about as clear as mud my guy lmao
It is directly proportional to abandoning star rankings and go directly with the 0.8 -1.0 scale. I don't see the big deal either way.
People over simplify and I thought TSL made good objective points. I would dispute the fact that most fans know what you said - most casual fans (who are most of the fans) know stars and headlines. Not sure why it bothers you they wrote an article digging into the details.
Look at the timestamps. The OP made his comment, DC replied, and then the OP edited the comment and added the TSL link. DC was not replying to the article link.
Because the 5 star system - which is really basically a 3.5 star system - isn't (and has never been) sufficiently granular enough to accurate portray the relative differences between players.
I see your point and I counter with the TV program "Star Search".
one to keep an eye on for next cycle. great size and speed, we were his second offer after he hit some camps this summer
https://247sports.com/Player/Tony-Rojas-46117743/
Another in-state 23 recruit
https://247sports.com/player/mathias-barnwell-46086674/
His verbal would be rather large
So you're saying it would be a "mega" commitment?
I think I saw elsewhere that we aren't the likely landing spot.
I might tend to agree, but we were in it early with him.and he's visited a few times. Top 10 will help clarify if it's realistic
Wasn't he a previous commit to Penn State? Seems like an uphill battle either way.
😎🦃 What can Brown do for you
BIG UPS
Here's hoping
Hoping for more of these gifs tomorrow evening...
via GIPHY
Deliver.
Stay committed through signing day
Ramon Brown's 247 now has a single crystal ball to the good guys from USCe's insider, and the previous one for PSU is gone.
and while not a crystal ball, this might as well be one
Up to 6 crystal balls for Brown now.
LETS GOOOOO
HOKIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Even @HokiesFB with the dual meaning tweet this morning
This will age me and understanding copyright... but using 50 Cent "Patiently Waiting" as the background music... now that is real social media usage and would have set this Tweet off....
I had the same thought. One of my favorite 50 tracks.
I don't know if anyone else saw it but the head VT guy for rivals said he could see Orji, LaHue, Holloway, and at least two other players could easily play there way into 4* by signing day.
[Edit: found the link, it's a public mailbag made from premium members questions]
I feel like Malcolm Jones is in that camp as well off the top of my head. Xavier Simmons is likely headed to composite 4* status as well imo.
Got some beef too 🏌🏻
Are we gunning for mid July beef?
Probably more early fall time table
Perusing the roster today and I focused in on Connor Blumrick. Anybody know how he shrank from 6'5" on his recruiting profile to 6'1" on our roster?
Only tight ends are allowed to be listed over 6'-3".
He was listed at 6'5 on A&M's roster too. Seems like a massive change.
Everything is bigger in Texas
I've seen him in person and he's definitely taller than 6'1"
So glad you cleared that up👍
Hokiesports height/weights have always been wonky prior to the season.
Jordan Williams is listed at 6'1" when he was listed at 6'4" at Clemson.
Also weird was that in the 2015 pre-season, Trevon Hill was listed at 6'5" but then got updated to 6'3". This pre-season, Mattheus Carroll is listed at 6'5", so we'll see if that remains true.
I would have to think that's legit on Carroll. I mean, why would they call a 6'2" or 6'3" DE "Stretch"? Heck, 6'5" might be too small for that nickname.
Only reason for the discrepancies in height and weight (unless intentional) that I can see could possibly be 'in uniform' vs. 'out of uniform'. I know in hs, everyone on our team was listed 1-2 inches taller and 5-15 pounds heavier, which would be representative of our "playing" size. Made us all look impressive on paper, at least.
Nothing to do with the player, but interesting story anyway. My daughter had a swim clinic with 2 Olympians. 1 regular, 1 disabled. She was born (I think) in Russia without much of her legs. Adopted by a US couple and has artificial legs that can be expanded or retracted. Says something along the lines of: 'so I can change my height, which is pretty cool'.
He was in the pool!
via GIPHY
Also side note not directly related to an individual recruit, but from what I've been hearing, the legalization of pot will help us in recruiting. Yes I know players are not supposed to smoke, and most won't... But as we all know some will.
via GIPHY
Most won't?
That's a heady take
Good one, dad.
It's Hedley
So our recruiters are all a bunch of towlies now?
Does this mean VT will loosen their draconian stances on weed?
Pretty sure after the July 1 changes, VT admin came out and reminded students that weed isn't allowed for them.
The school can't as long as it's still federal law since they get federal money. The school has no choice.
Wonder if they can loosen their rules? Like, prohibit use/possession on campus but considering the changes in VA law, could defer to those regulations off campus?
So as long as they are off campus. We should not have any arrests by BPD for possession.
They can still fail a drug test required for participation though
True but they only test in season and not the entire team.
Bingo, besides coaches at other schools I won't name drop manipulate the rules to make sure only certain players get tested all the time. Biggest thing is off field arrests, how many times have we seen a possession charge get a kid thrown out of school, I don't think we will see any of that anymore unless it's something major.
That doesn't mean you won't face student discipline. Also the law isn't a blanket free pass for marijuana.
The school can choose not to enforce the law.
1) not sure that's how it works for federally funded public schools. 2) did Joe ever get that comment thread locking feature working, cause this one has really lost the thread.
You're right.... I've been hard at work on a Friday for the first time since early March 2020 or so
My workplace has a draconian stance on weed. I can't get high at work. It sucks. Draconian.
LET'S GOOOO RAMON BROWN TO THE GOOD GUYS!!!
The 247 point system rates this class at 191.06. It is the 3rd lowest of the Fuente era, but we know it isn't finished yet.
Adding some of the other names bandied about here would give the class a score of 215.79, the highest rated since 2019. Any adjustments up or additions, and it could become his highest rated class.
We are pulling strong size and talent from in state and elsewhere, this year, and we got us a blue chip 4 star RB. No expert, here, but I'll take the overall outlook for this class over CJF's previous classes.
Didn't a bunch of VT basketball players get caught with weed right before the NCAA tourney and VT didn't punish them? Pretty sure that is an endorsement of modern thinking (imagine the same scenario 20 years ago).
Not sure blaming the school for the laws of the state is the correct conclusion. I think VT has to play the hand they are dealt here and it's frustrating when fans still want to blame the school for things out of their control - weak.
When subthreads are locked, pls don't continue the topic in a new comment
Rashaud Pernell hinting some more top VA talent is coming to VT. I'm officially excited about this class.
Possibly Gunner Givens and Bryson Jennings?
Yup and someone else no one is talking about and should be
Very exciting!!
Its George Pettaway isnt it? Isnt it???
Wish we were rollin like that, but not banks either all though he's a VT lean right now too. This ones out of state and he's gonna be a good one
I hope it's Cam Miller. He's a Caleb Farley clone.
Banks. He should end up a top 20 player in the state.
Maryland or Florida
So with Brown, Pernell, and if some of what Pernell seems to be getting at, if this becomes the class that we seem to have all been waiting for...how much goodwill does that buy Fu?
A top 30 class makes 8 wins tolerable (in my book, also depending on how bad the losses are, but still that's a good chunk of goodwill.)
A top 30 class and 8 wins is a pretty good start in year 1
/s
He's got to win the coastal to stay
YES YES AND YES!!!!
Agreed. The recruiting results have been very exciting thus far, but he's going to have to close the class out strong and keep it together, plus at least win the coastal with 8-9 wins IMO to show we are heading in the right direction.
Assuming losses to WVU and Notre Dame, 8 wins would be 6-2 in conference; that can win the coastal. Remember, all the teams in the coastal play each other. We can win if they knock each other out.
Duke has Louisville and Wake from the Atlantic
GT has Clemson and BC
Miami has FSU and NC State
UNC has WF and NC State
Pitt has Clemson and Syracuse
UVA has Louisville and WF
VT has BC and Syracuse.
Assuming all Coastal teams go 4-2 or worse in division, I like our chances of going 2-0 out of division better than most of the others. This isn't a hot take, but I think it comes down to Miami, UNC, and us. NC State can do us a world of good by going 2-0 against them. We get UNC at home, which I think benefits us. We get Miami on the road after they play FSU. I don't know who that benefits. UNC plays Miami at home. So, what we need to best win the Coastal is...
VT def UNC
UNC def Mia
NC State def Mia
VT vs Mia does not matter if all teams maintain equal WL in remaining games.
WF is a noncon game for UNC. Their crossover game is FSU who is probably worse. I think the big thing for us is the timing if the schedule. Getting UNC game 1 is big when they are breaking in all of those new skill position players is a nice perk. I wish we got Miami earlier in the year with King coming off the ACL tear (maybe a little rust there) but can't really complain about it.
I can only speak for myself, but for a recruiting class to take the sting out of a disappointing season (7 or fewer wins, personally) it would need to be in the ACC Top 5.
I like the kids we've got on the committed side of the board so far and I'll cheer for just about anyone in O&M, but it would be a big ask for a recruiting class to heal those wounds by itself.
The class finishing in the Top 25 helps, but there has to be improvement on the field. On paper we probably aren't better than UNC, Miami, or ND, but we play the games for a reason. I think if we finished 9-3 with a win against one of the 3 teams I mentioned, it would be hard to let him go (Finishing better and we're dancing in the streets). If we go 6-6 or 7-5, then you make the move, which would likely destroy the class we're mostly excited about...so that may be something to consider. Personally I think we finish 8-4, and the team looks improved enough for Fu to keep his job and we play this game again next year.
This is basically how I'm feeling as well
While I think there is good reason for some optimism for this year's class, you have to also consider what we are comparing it to...
A Top 30 (and maybe better) class feels much more impressive when your last 2 classes were both treading the bottom of your Conference. So while I think it buys Fu some goodwill, it's more a case of at least meeting Recruiting Expectations rather than exceeding them.
The other obvious question is whether they can keep this class together to Signing Day?
A bad on-field 21-22' could really derail any goodwill that's been built up and derail the 22 class as well.
Anyone else think it's an odd coincidence that Tyler Banks released his Top 7 the same day number 7 committed to Tech?
Honestly, I think a bunch of our commitments are going to look better eight months from now - there a few in particular (Holloway, Jones, LaHue, etc.) that will be potentially bumped to 4* if they reach their potential during their senior year.
Totally agree. Made a similar comment - albeit not as specific as yours - around player ratings potentially making significant moves during and post seasons due to limited or out-dated information that are driving some of the individual player ratings today (due to Covid, lack of camps etc etc)
247 has Merrillville (IN) LB Drayk Bowen rated as the top LB prospect in the nation for 2023
That VT pops.
Recruiting against Shane and Wiles...again
All are Going to have to beat ND anyways
Maybe the whole top players wanting to leave the state bug has spread to Indiana.
Also surprised to see Northwestern left off this list, not too far and great defensive petigree on the staff
Again at where we have been in recruiting the past few years, glad to at least be in the covno with a recruit of this caliber.
We've been in the conversation any number of times. But it'd be nice to break out of 'friend status' once in a while.
for those with memberships to the athletic, they are doing anonymous interviews with high school coaches from some states, and south carolina coaches were recently interviewed. the final question was about out of state schools with the biggest presence, and VT was mentioned by almost every coach. including a great shout-out to Shibest: "That's the type of recruiter that I think makes a difference".
Definitely worth reading, if you have a subscription. Pretty sure they haven't covered Virginia yet.
Top 3 for Reid Pulliam out of Life Christian Academy
247 Profile
unranked with offers from 4 P5 schools and ideal measurables?
Kid's got the potential to be a diamond in the rough
Never fear a 4 star is near 🦃
I'm gunning for some good news come this Friday
hoping it's a givens at this point
here's to hoping that Friday is just one of several Evenings Rung in with a celebratory anagram
Maybe we Cam get 2 or 3?
you sayin' we'll be living the high life?
Trains got some wheels again for sure, gotta play good this fall though to keep the momentum going
Jennings announcing this week?
UNC feels confident?
I would say we have a good shot, but I haven't heard much on this front recently
Apparently both VT and UNC are confident. My gut says UNC though.
Damn, that was quick. Last I heard he was waiting. Hopefully it's the good guys.
No crystal balls or anything, but it sounds like UNC could be the favorite? He just visited there.
He visited there 6/20. VT on 6/7.
😎🦃
Sorry to burst y'alls bubbles but it's unc
Big miss by the staff. Big miss.
I saw somewhere he is a VT legacy, but haven't been able to identify the connection.
He's dad played here
https://www.ultimaterecruit.com/bryson-jennings-vt-offer/
His dad Bryan was All Big East at tight end in the 90s
Why? How is this any different from any other recruit? Tons of guys go to different places than their family members.
Position of need. Player likely to go up to 4* status and VA top 10. His dad not just a player at VT but a fan favorite for those of us if a certain age. Losing him to literally the worst team to lose a recruit (Ohio St or Clemson are unattainable, Unc isn't)
Position of need. Worth mentioning twice.
Sure. But VT used to have the family connection thing down pat for quite some time.
Our whole recruiting pitch is based around "This is home" and the family atmosphere. Not a good look if we can't keep family members in the program.
We just got our second Stroman and Hollifield on campus this past year. Our win percentage on legacy recruits seems to be pretty good. Only guys I can remember missing on are Walker and now potentially Jennings.
My thoughts as well. Sometimes a legacy wants to go a different direction. I am more concerned about missing out on a huge position of need.
would have loved Tyler Baron and Quin Carroll here, not sure if "legacy" counts siblings
We also missed out on Kam's cousin. The WR from Norfolk.
keandre lambert, who landed at PSU
I believe he started as a Freshman
Dazz Newsome was one we missed out on though believe he was a cousin/nephew and not sibling or child of former players.
He was Deon Newsome's brother who was still on the team at the time
So the son of a former player and brother of a current player at the time of his high school recruitment. What a colossal screw up.
Y'all act like these family members are somehow bound to follow in the family footsteps. I certainly didn't take the same path as my father or brother. Some people want to take their own path for no other reason than to be different from their family.
Yes that Beamer's staff didn't even bother to offer.
I agree it was a screw up but not because we got beat out. He wasn't a take until late in the process (maybe because his brother never panned out as a receiver idk very dumb reasoning if so)
Of course it is. Dre Bly vs. whomever we have recruiting him. And his dad played here.
Agree, losing Jennings is bad optics at a position of need. Honestly, I am surprised we have recruited as well as we have been, and while I certainly wish we were doing better, I am not surprised that UNC is wiping the floor with us on the recruiting trail. Game 1 is a big one. If we get boat raced, I anticipate a mass exodus from our current recruiting class.
Well I hope 1 game doesn't lead to a "mass exodus". Even if we get boat raced.
It doesn't...
I don't think 1 game would. I don't think we'll get boat raced by UNC (I really hope we don't, anyway) but if we did that would probably be an indicator that the rest of the season is going to be very difficult. Absolute worst case scenario for me (and FTR I really don't think this will happen) is we start off 0-6 and Fuente is fired mid season. That could result in a mass exodus. But losing one game probably doesn't
Yeah I know UNC is ranked higher than last year but I believe they will not be as good. At least when we play them. Maybe their D will be better but they lost a lot on O. If our D improves from last year I expect a close W....
We also lost a lot on O. Jury is still out on the Defense. I expect it to be improved but I don't know how improved it can be. We don't have a ton of talent and we're super thin in some spots. I expect our offense to regress from 2020. I think UNC will win the game but I'm hoping we can at least keep it close. 28-24 or something...
Well shit.
How certain? Number1 is an insider with #sauces as well or at least I thought
About 90% sure
Jennings picked up a CB last night for UNC
And another from Wiltfong. If it goes the way it's looking this will be a huge loss given the recent attrition and the legacy aspect. He'd immediately be in the 2-deep as a true freshman.
As a legacy and with our depth chart at DE, hopefully the staff stays on him. Was it close enough that some on field success this season might sway him to the good guys?
5* with 100% CBs for VT??
via GIPHY
currently a mid-4* rated ~130th nationally
https://247sports.com/PlayerSport/Gunner-Givens-at-Lord-Botetourt-252495...
Well fine, ruin my excitement :(
His Twitter account says 5*!
Gotta love the self confidence!
Ask and you shall be given
5* as OL. downgraded to 4* because he wanted to try DL in camps
Interesting, thanks for the info.
Do we know where VT wants him to play?
I've read DT at VT.
Tell him whatever we need to get him in the door. I don't think he has the explosiveness for DT to be honest. Would be a road grader RT or excellent guard on the offensive line imo.
Reminds me of Wyatt Teller. Teller wanted to play DL, we recruited him to play DL despite knowing his awesome potential at OL. Once he got here, Teller realized OL was the best move for him indivdually and for the team.
If Gunner wants to be a DL, fine. Let him come into the program as a DL. If he's great, then he stays on D. If he's average or worse, sit him down and tell him he can potentially become a multi-millionaire (like Wyatt) if he switches to OL.
Running back
/s or not?
We do have a pretty big need there.
How about QB?
Saw him at our local gym here in botetourt tonight....guy was putting in the work too. Looks like he can play oline, dline, linebacker, dend....possibilities are endless with his frame and athleticism. Hope we get one for the good guys tomorrow!!!! And know I didn't ask him anything just a gut feeling
You see Terrell Edmunds comment on it and tag his Steeler friends? Nice recruiting touch by a Hokie alum.
We bout to be sneaky good at pooch punting
Givens announcement details
If he makes the move, that's 2 Top 247 players committing to the good guys on national tv on back to back weeks. That's a good thing.
This dude looks older than me (33) and he's a High Schooler?!?1
Looks like a navy seals vet of like 10 years.
it's the tattoo
Needs more hair gel and a tighter shirt.
and have already written a book....
you should grow some facial hair
I have a full beard...
not with that attitude!
My attitude is perfect, I don't know what you're talking about.
via GIPHY
I said above he was at the local gym this evening and he looks like a 25 year old NFL linebacker. I have a really good feeling for the good guys on this one. Just an absolute beast and really hope we land this recruit....can play multiple positions and with his frame can mold him into multiple positions...let's go🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻
Bryson Jennings picks UNC 😭
I am so sick of watching in state talent leave. There is no nice way to say it, our coaches are getting their butts spanked by other coaches who come and get what they want from our state, they just take it! UNC has 2 good DE's already and now they have a 3rd one. Pathetic that we lost that guy and others in our state to UNC and we will continue to lose more. Our coaching staff is probably disliked among many coaches in the Beach, Peninsula and Southeastern districs in Virginia which is where a lot of the talent is at. Our offensive coordinator gives me no hope for any season anymore anyways...Is there anything to honestly be excited about when it comes to Hokie football anymore? I haven't been this disgruntled in a while!
A few things. Would you rather go back to Loeffler? Stiney?
No hope? Do you realize we're coming off the 2nd best PPG output, best RPG by 60 yards, 2nd best Total Offense, and 5th best 3rd down conversion rate in the decade?
Or that the year before that was the 3rd best PPG output and 4th best Rushing O of the decade?
Or that we've had four straight years of improving PPG and Rushing O?
Or that every year under Cornelsen we've had fewer 3rd down attempts than the year before?
Or that under Cornelsen, we're averaging a first down per game more per season?
Or that the offensive coordinator had nothing to do with recruiting a defensive end?
Stinespring and Loeffler could both recruit, stick to a QB and RB for a whole season, and as bad as they were the current one is worse. Hokies never missed a bowl game under Stinespring or Loeffler, coaches in Hampton Roads didn't hate Stinespring or Loeffler, and we made better bowl games and occasionally beat top 10 teams with Stinespring and Loeffler. We won way more conference championships with Stinespring than we have with the current OC, we were respected more in the ACC under Stinespring and Loeffler, and we never to lost UVA under Stinespring and Loeffler. All of what I have said is true and down votes will not change it =)
I remember this one time we had a thriller of a game against Wake where we went to overtime tied 0-0.
Blaming program woes on the offense is just misguided. It hasn't met expectations but has undeniably improved.
We haven't had major inroads in the 757 until recently, due to the 7-on-7 crowd
I don't think that had much to do with Stinespring or Loeffler if we're being honest. And if they really were just the absolute aces of recruiting you'd think they'd still be in P5 football. But Stinespring went to JMU (2 years), Maryland (1), ODU (1), and now is at Delaware (entering year 3). Loeffler spent a few years at BC before becoming the HC at Bowling Green. It's hard to say he's underachieved with what that program is but it's not good (and it's not like BC fans were sad to see him go).
Does that mean I hate them both or think they're bad coaches? Not at all. But I had a friend from who had a very successful playing career at UNC who thought Stinespring was a great recruiter. But even during good Beamer years, and with Stinespring, he still chose Larry Fedora instead.
Everyone has strengths, everyone has weaknesses. You could say Corny has a good offense with the right QB cause that is actually true. And you can ask why hasn't he been able to develop a QB since, which is equally as fair.
Don't completely agree with the poster you replied to, but worth noting that using SP+ (tempo adjust metric) Stinespring's offenses often out performed Corny's.
Forgot about that 4-star RB that just committed mighty quick.
You can go back to the early 2000's and see that every year we have lost instate guys to out of state programs. It's not just a Fuente thing, as Beamer also lost top in state guys. Percy Harvin, EJ Manuel, Tajh Boyd, Phillip Sims, Landon Turner, Curtis Grant, Christian Hackenburg, Jonathan Allen, Da' Shawn Hand, Derrick Nnadi, Josh Sweat, Clelin Ferrell were all top in state guys that went out of state during the Beamer years.
The loss of Josh Sweat still haunts my dreams
Agreed. But tahj Boyd is also a huge what if. He helped propel clemson to the top of the acc. If we had him instead of clemson we can keep Logan at tight end (where he is still cashing checks in the nfl) and maybe we stay atop the conference, or at least win the division more than once in the last decade
Quarterback play was not the reason we lost to clemson twice that year. And an upgrade at tight end would not have made a difference either so let's not go down that rabbit hole.
This actually has the potential to be a very good discussion (not here though) IMO. Good points could be made here all the way around.
Welp. Now I am going to have an eye twitch the rest of the day. This string of misses is what broke me of getting too invested in recruiting. Each one was a gut punch.
It's a college football thing. I mean Michigan's been pulling players out of Ohio for decades and decades...
Truest thing about this post is that Bryson just ran headlong into a log jam at DE when he could've got immediate playing time here.
Obviously they're better recruiters in general but with the shear number of these wins a lot of it has to be money related
It's not the QB play that VT had but maybe our recruiting doesn't take the dip it did since TT left. You have to admit that Boyd was when Clemson went from being a good team in the ACC to being the Gold standard in the ACC. Without Boyd maybe they don't land Watkins, which to me is when Clemson started its reign.
Boyd and Watkins became starters the same season. Their offensive revolution (and overall ascent) started in 2011 when Dabo made the very ballsy Chad Morris OC hire. Boyd was a very good college QB (re-wrote their record books, and still holds many Clemson records after Watson and Lawrence passed through), but Morris also got the most out of everyone in that offense.
someone named "deandre hopkins" was on that team too
It's crazy they had Hopkins on the team the year before when they had a losing season. Chad Morris really was the sole reason for Clemson's success in 2011. He changed the game. Without him it's just another anemic Clemson offense with a few really good skill players.
Hopkins was a good not great college WR. I remember thinking "why is he coming out". Reminds me of McLaurin for WFT. Went to the pros and showed that the college coaches should have gotten him the ball more.
Hopkins was great in 2012.... 1405 yds -- 18 TD's -- 17.1 ypc
Hopkins was an excellent college receiver. He just didn't get the media attention Watkins did because he was more of a big play guy than Hopkins.
That 2011-2013 Clemson skill core was disgusting. Those 2, Martavious Bryant, Adam Humphries, and Andre Ellington. Slightly OT, but Clemson is still living off those guys reputation. Have they had a successful NFL receiver since then? Maybe Mike Williams? They claim to be WRU but I feel like a lot of their guys bust.
WRU is currently Bama and it isn't even close.
OSU says "hi".... it's at least close.
I don't really think it's all that close unless there's some WR in the league from OSU I'm not thinking of other than Thomas, McLaurin, Samuel, Campbell? Doesn't hold a candle to Jones, Ridley, Cooper, plus the slew of first rounders last year and this: ruggs, jeudy, smith, waddle.
If you get to put Juedy, Ruggs, Smith and Waddle I get to put KJ Hill. Which makes it close because Julio is long past his best days and all of OSU players are in their prime... Either way Thomas/Ridley, McLaurin/Cooper, Samuel/Jones, Campbell/Juedy.... it's close imo
Yeah I'll take the four first rounders in the last two years over the 7th rounder from last year with 7 catches for 73 yards in his rookie year.
I'd argue LSU is up there with Odell, Landry, Jefferson, Chase, and Chark off the top of my head. But the way Bama has put WRs into the league at the top of the draft in the last few years is just nuts.
In actual recruiting news, just got a fresh CB for Givens to the good guys from anOSU insider.
Stop with your positivity... /s
Gunner Givens Commit!
Staff may be looking at Givens at DE. Talk about boosting the size on the d-line
I have been wondering about how they intend to evolve DE with size. Check out this Instagram post from Brock Hoffman and tell me if I am seeing things: do I see Pollard and Kendricks played DE with Williams and Fuga (all with spring numbers) playing DT?
Hoffman Insta
Could we be seeing some DTs slide over to DE full time? Is this a goal line package?
Would say we will see more DTs push out some just out of necessity this year but I think long term they definitely want DEs to be 250-260+ range regularly, I think we will be more physical at attack this year because of it. But if we go heavy packages too often we could get burned for it versus teams with pace that won't allow subs
Definitely like that better than moving guys that should be linebackers over a la Melvin Keihn and Nathan Proctor
Agree, I think they saw how much going undersized was hurting the run defense, And then on top of that you can't go undersized and not get pressure on the QB that's a nail in the coffin on your defense versus any good team
Great news to see a 4-star, homebred lineman commit to the good guys. Not sure if I should look hopefully forward to who's next, or look back lamenting all the ones that got away.
Come on Hokies., let's keep filling up the boat with talented young pups. Go Hokies!!
More 4 stars to come 🦃🔒 Also may get to see that out of state player I was talking about commit sooner than I though #Beef
Tell me more tell me more
Hutson or Hopper? #beef
I think Hutson would be on board already if he was a take with the staff, but Martin is who I'm referencing, highly underrated he can be a difference maker on the oline or dline
I think he is from NC correct? But now plays at LCA in Va?
Positive he's going to USCE
Would be a huge bummer from what I've been hearing about him
Martin would be huge after missing on Jennings and the exodus of DL players. Would fit into the theme of true diamond in the rough prospects the staff has been nailing this class.
Any word on Santana Hopper? I know he visited recently and with the Hollifield connection in Shelby, I wonder how much of a shot VT has to land him.
I'm hearing grades are a concern and that's why you haven't heard anything for a while. But NC State will be full soon at DL and I don't think UNC is recruiting him hard. If he does the work, this could be a really great steal.
Thanks!
Don't get why UNC isn't on him. I know they're hot after Shaw but imagine the meltdowns on this board if we had a board of like 20 people. No plan B's anywhere and they're about to get killed on missing on Everette and Pope in the back end.
Edit: can't read dates.
So there's three uncommitted players in the VA top 11 (rice, Murphy, Greene), and none have offers from tech. Anyone know why?
Edit: I'm an idiot and didn't click ' View complete team list' on their 247 page
According to 247, all three have offers from the good guys.
Anyone know how big of a class we are expecting?
We're at 19 now, so i'd guess not too many more spots. I'll also assume we'll lose 1 or 2 of our 19 (change of mind/processed) and we might try to bring in a transfer or two depending on who might become available.
I'd expect:
LB (preferably Banks)
DT (preferably Martin)
DE (find someone)
CB or two (preferably the two Cams)
WR (big guy, not a slot)
Best available of late bloomers
So I'd say we are looking at a full 25 man class
25-27 I would guess will probably be close to the number, maybe a few more transfers sneak in if any more attrition happens post season
I'd say slot receiver, we already have one big and and at least two of the TE's could move over. Taking another OL wouldn't be overkill either even if Givens does stay on offense.
Considering how weak the last class was I would assume they are counting on attrition so this will need to be a big class to try and compensate for the last cycle.
Is Martin expected to be interior DL? He is listed as an edge. Just curious
Yes
Anyone know what this does to our recruiting class ranking? What is the best source for that info?
It's July.
It's like wondering who's ahead in a staggered 400m run.
Not sure what "this" is, but 247's recruiting class rankings are industry standard. their methodology is such that the top-third of the class has an outsized effect on the overall ranking
https://247sports.com/Season/2022-Football/CompositeTeamRankings/
we are currently 15th but it's July and our class is comparatively large at 19 commits, more than everyone ahead of us in the rankings aside from PSU (currently #2 with 20 commits) and ND (currently #3 with 19). Everyone ahead of us has more blue chippers (4*/5*) than we do, and 11/15 teams behind us in the top-30 have as many or more than we do.
This class is shaping up to be top-30, hopefully we can close on some other highly rated recruits we're after like (Cam Johnson and Cam Miller) to be pushing top-25.
I commented on the wrong thread. Should have been on Givens' commit thread. But thank you for helping me out! There seemed to be several ranking when I googled and I didn't know which one we typically use on TKP. I should probably stop commenting during meetings, but thanks for the assist!
ut prosim
not to mention that we haven't actually signed any of these players yet. One of the reasons I can't follow recruiting is because it is impossible to count the eggs before they're even in the basket. I give little to no credence to verbal commitments these days. I don't consider a high school athlete to be a Hokie until they are on campus and in the program.
I totally agree. A lot can change when you're talking about 17/18 year olds. I think I'm a bit more interested right now because we have some positive momentum and there hasn't been a ton of that lately. I'm worried about the season and trying to cling to something to get me hyped.
I am glad that we have positive momentum on the recruiting trail, ostensibly, though I fear it is too little too late. I, like you, am worried about the season. For the first time since I've been a fan of VT I'm not optimistic about the upcoming season. Perhaps a part of me is hoping that by expecting the worst I'll be pleasantly surprised by anything better than the worst. Maybe a part of me is hoping that by some weird voodoo reverse psychology my belief that this team is going to be bad will actually result in the team being good. I don't really know. All I know is that I'm just not excited about VT football for the the first time, ever. That makes me sad. I hope that we have a good enough season to retain the recruits and build off that momentum. But if we lose 6 games or more and Fuente is fired I would expect most of these recruits to look for greener pastures. And I wouldn't be able to blame them. What happens this season is going to have a big impact on how our recruiting class finishes, I think.
Agree on all points. The feeling of not being super excited for the end of August is very new to me. First time in 29 years I think. I very much hope to be proven wrong. I really hope we run up the score on UNC and ride that momentum to a great season. I'm just not sure we realistically have the resources to do that.
yep, you and I are in the same boat. I would love nothing more than to trounce UNC 45-10 and ride that momentum to a 10+ win season. I just don't see how that is realistically, or even reasonably, possible so I refuse to get my hopes up that it can happen...we'll see, I guess
Weird actually something funny from that twits feed
two high-confidence CBs in for PSU today, incl wiltfong
https://247sports.com/player/cam-miller-46102671/
Franklin/ some staff in home visit over the weekend, this is not good
Maybe, maybe not... Isn't the last weekend of July usually some big recruiting event? I seem to remember Darrell Baily and Dorian Strong committing after the Blacksburg Bash in 2019 (also Stephen Sings, who ended up at Liberty...) So, considering this weekend is the last full weekend in July, isn't there a chance he comes back for one last unofficial visit?
dead period, no?
According to the NCAA calendar, that weekend (specifically July 25th) is a quiet period meaning you can host unofficials.
Sorry for the confusion, this past weekend they visited not upcoming weekend
For the life of me I can't understand why someone that I assume has goals of playing in the NFL would go to Penn State to play CB. They currently have 3 total, none of which you've ever heard of.
Cause Franklin is a ×100 times better of a recruiter than Fu
It is a shame that recruits can't see through Franklin.
Agreed, he's great with recruits and media but I don't think he's that great of a coach.
He's a terrible gameday coach. I also just think he's full of #)$*
Fake tough guy
You mean like he tried to fight a fan after a game when the kid said "love you, but you blew it".
Did something like this actually happen?
https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2018/9/30/17918982/james-frank...
Pretty sure this the reference. 4th down call that was pretty rough.
That 4th down call was also after 2 timeouts.
And if you are counting Apke, he's on his way out....
Well as least I won't get my hopes up for him...so there's that.
It's PSU ...
I cannot stand Piece of
S(fecal material) U.Sorry, at work now and trying to be polite.
Like Shields states he is committed. Is he a PWO?
https://twitter.com/lukeshields23/status/1417852646195662855?s=21
He is. He had PWO offers from us and NC State. Read that on the tweeters earlier.
Looks like it.
My amateur film review of his hudl highlights:
Play 1: A little hesitation, could have gotten upfield and into the backfield sooner, but adjusted quickly and made solid contact with the runner on the tackle
#2: Play was designed to take him away and free up the TE on the screen. Still made the tackle well upfield.
#3: Adjusted quickly to the WR screen. Solid open field tackle.
#4: Nice delayed blitz, maybe a little hesitation, but got the sack.
#5: Great man coverage. Locked his receiver down on the fake punt, forced the incompletion
#6: Medium zone coverage. Recognized the slant, but arrived late to force an incompletion, but receiver didn't get any YAC
#7: Charged the hole, hit the RB for a short gain.
#8: Slot Receiver: skinny post to the middle of the field, made the catch between a box of four defenders
#9: Deep Zone: Eliminated a deep throw. Rush was able to get upfield forcing a lame duck that he picked off
#10: Slot Receiver: Short out, made the catch. Fought off initial contact
#11: Man Coverage on Slot Receiver: Kept eyes on receiver, had the athleticism to run with him on the go-route. forced the incompletion
#12: Mid/Shallow zone coverage, noticed the QB was in trouble and pushed upfield to assist on the sack.
How big is he and how fast is he?
twitter profile says 6-0 160
hudl profile says 4.1 in the shuttle
And according to 247, his dad played at Virginia Tech as well.
Maybe Antonio Banks? Damn, I'm old!
Antonio graduated from my high school. Warwick in the class of 91. I'm in the class of 93. So Antonio is around 47-48yrs old. 91 was a really good year for Warwick sports. I believe Vincent Yarborough may have been on that team as well. Not sure. I moved from Maryland to Virginia in March of 91.
quote from 247sports article
CB from USCe insider for Tyler Banks to the Hokies! Banks is listed as 6'1 215 ATH, but I have seen him listed at 6'4 205 in other locations.
Obligatory 247 profile
https://247sports.com/player/tyler-banks-46103205/
Rated 85 by 247 and 36 in the state
Good offer list as well (Michigan, USCe, UT, Cal, etc)
I'm sold on his mutton chops alone. Sign this man!
Banks is very much in the Malcolm Jones / Tucker Holloway mold of diamond in the rough prospects that the staff has been nailing this cycle. Would be a big, big get for us.
Yeah, his offers and his Top 7 (VT, Cal, Michigan, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Vandy, and Kentucky) suggests that someone is wrong about his rating. I think once things get back into their normal fall rhythm we might see some VA ratings change a lot this year for the better.
I really hope we land him and we can keep the family connection going.
Something wrong about a lot of ratings especially this year. Need him on board
You can spell what's crazy about the ratings with 5 letters and 2 numbers
Elijah Howard has finally arrived on campus and looks like will be moved out of the RB room. Obviously very good news.
Smart kid. It's also more fun to hit than to be hit, lol
It looks like we'll be holding one last even during the quiet period on Sunday before camps start and the next dead period begins. Could also be useful for some last-minute unofficials on guys deciding soon.
👀
As far as I can see, we're only recruiting one player out of Jacksonville, and his name rhymes with damn killer
Looks like Evan Watkins VT Insider today entered a medium crystal ball prediction to PSU. So I'm not sure there's a chance here
Witfong, Watkins, and Sis all have CBs to PSU.
The odds are against him deciding on VT, but it wouldn't be the first time they've all been wrong.
Maybe I'm in the minority, but the "(insert location/state)2VT" is getting stale. Almost has become a laughing stock with our recruiting fails/transfer of players from Texas.
Lots of #HardHatHunt21 tweets out of no where
I think this is a reference to the start of fall camp? Maybe official coaches reporting type thing.
Very possible
Scavenger hunt with current players and recruits on campus. Payoute won with Ramon Brown, his brother and Mega Barnwell.
Mega Barnwell is on campus it appears
247 Profile
6 CBs to PSU tho
All the CBs are from last June, though, so who knows?
Yeah he committed to psu last June but he decommitted from them in January so i think they are just gonna keep them there until they hear something new
Not surprising, but now official. Cam Miller commits to PSU.
🤢 he really liked Tech, this is a bad miss
I hate James Franklin, man.
He's a damn good used car salesman; and he's a damn mediocre football coach. No matter the talent he brings in, PSU isn't going to win the Big 10 or make the CFP as long as he is coaching there. Doesn't help us, but it is reality in Happy Valley.
PSU won the B10 in 2016 with James Franklin as head coach.
He's a top 15-25 coach IMO. Not a top 5-10.
Remembering 2016- VT wins the Coastal and CJF has us on our way back to national prominence.
He's being paid 5-10 level.
Agreed. He's a great recruiter and not some bum coach. He would kick VTs ass if we played this year.
We probably need to realize that picking Penn St. over VT isn't a "bad miss" anymore...they've got great used car salesmen over there and we don't have much to sell recently. The 22' class is solid now and can become better, but VT needs to win to get those out of state guys to come to the 'Burg.
They sucked ass last year too
And so did we. Smith has been hot on the recruiting trail. I can't fault him for not closing on this one. Onto the next one.
Yet another example of W-L record not being that much of a factor in recruiting.
https://www.thekeyplay.com/comment/1053299#comment-1053299
just gonna leave this here. it's not a bad miss, but even though this class is shaping up to be much improved over the last two, it's a bummer when we don't pull a blue chip DB in a head-to-head crootin battle
Agreed
Not entirely on-topic, but Tathan Martell is back in recruiting news, having just transferred.....again....this time to UNLV.
He has to be on course for most teams affiliated with and fewest snaps played.
If broadcasters wanted to savage him throw up the snaps to colleges attended stat when he walks out
2 years of eligibility left! 2!
I saw on r/CFB that it was 9 years ago yesterday he committed to Washington to play under Steve Sarkisian.
https://www.reddit.com/r/CFB/comments/osc9hz/on_this_date_9_years_ago_ta...
Unreal, he's be committed to five schools at different points - UWash as a 14-year-old, de-committed in high school to TAMU before ultimately enrolling at OSU, transferred to Miami, and now UNLV.
Also, college coaches shouldn't be allowed to talk to potential recruits until after their freshman year in high school #JMT #TakeASeat.
He sucks. Sucks. Can't play dead in a western
Not going to link it because it's behind a paywall but Bitter just wrote a fantastic article on the Athletic that goes behind the scenes with VT's recruiting team. Had no idea how hard those guys worked, we're very lucky to have them in fold.
That article was awesome. I am waiting on someone to complain about the comment about Chritiansburg though.
Friendly reminder to donate to the Hokie Club, and get resources to the recruiting team. More recruit staff, more recruits the team can get to campus, can work with, talk to, get on board, and commit!
Also, don't forget to donate to the school! The dorm upgrades are a direct result of increased enrollment from our degree offerings and world class dining and residence halls. The recruits are seeing it!
26 year member of the Hokie Club here.... Now that there is an official BBQ restaurant of the O Line and Cameo fees for players, I'm thinking Whit and Co. can find some money that is not mine to pay for scholarships. It is what it is now. Semi Pro football.
Genuine question, are you suggesting that because players are getting paid they don't need as much scholarship money so we shouldn't offer full rides that way we don't need as much athletic department funding? Or that the players should share NIL earnings with the school? I'm just confused because those are different pots of money, NIL and scholarship.
I am curious, too. Mainly, if a high-level player with massive NIL deals is asked to pay for school on their own rather than through the scholarship in an effort to open up a scholarship spot to another player. Is that something that could happen?
My stance is more philosophical, and yes I fully understand that this whole issue is not binary or zero sum. I am not independently wealthy to the point that I donate to the Washington Football Team, The Wizards, The Orioles. They are professional multi billion dollar enterprises. Why would a person who is not looking for a tax shelter ever in their right mind donate to the Washington Wizards? They wouldn't. Now that the supreme court has ruled on amateurism and the fact that the NCAA can not hide behind that as anti-trust, Colleges can now monetize student athletes by law. It is now by definition semi pro (at least) - which is fine. So given that, and yes I fully understand my donation also helps women's soccer- my perception is that VT athletics as a multi million dollar company that now is able to land endorsements for it's employees can figure out how to fund scholarships too. Get creative now that the NCAA has been rendered useless on amateurism rules.
Except they cannot be involved in NIL deals for their employees. They can only help the players learn how to market themselves better and use the tools (social media) they have to find deals. Now I don't know how/if the ncaa would even enforce it, but right now the only rule that is clear is that the school cannot find endorsements for the players.
How many NIL deals will be signed with no afficiation to VT sports? Will Allenye get a deal because he has pretty teeth? Will Burmeister get a deal because he is a nice guy? Come on man.
I'm not an idiot. Deals will be made because they are VT athletes. That does not mean that Virginia Tech can orchestrate these deals in any fashion if we are going to follow probably the only rule that the NCAA set for NIL. The players will have to do this on their own.
There will also be deals because someone is good at social media. There is a reason people like the K clan have made billions without doing anything concrete like acting etc. their endorsements.
Fuente said more or less the same thing during his interview with TSL. Think his exact quote was "The donor dollar isn't going to double". He was speaking with the assumption that many deals VT athletes make will be with VT alumni who are more so aiming to assist the players then necessarily have some breakthrough marketing campaign for their business. Which then puts the athletic department and school in an interesting position of having to navigate that.
Guessing there won't really be any hard data on how this impacts budgets for at least a year, but it's something the schools are at least aware of.
Thats a really great point, and theres a good chance athletic departments may have less money as a result of NLI.
Donor X gives VT $1000 every year. This year he decides to give $500 to a player he likes directly, rather than the Hokie Club. That player buys a PS5, and the athletic department now has $500 less to spend on support staff/meals/ facilities, because donor X isn't going to spend $1500 supporting his team this year.
No doubt having a large fan base giving money to players directly will help bring in talent. Its just that now the athletic department doesn't have as much control over the process end to end
I fully appreciate your view. But, I think we need to see past it. It has always been ludicrous to donate to a program that is way better than self sufficient. But, without moving those dollars around, it does affect how our program competes. They shouldn't need a single dollar donated, except they do. If pro teams weren't capped on compensation, they would too.
Colleges could always monetize student athletes. That's how college football and basketball have become what they are. Now student athletes can legally monetize themselves without having it go through the schools via either scholarships or ancillary benefits.
For reference, this was the busiest recruiting period in the history of college football. Every school had a ~1 month period to evaluate every high school football player (and visa-versa). Just saying that June was hardly a routine month for these guys - I think the article lacked that context.
The discussion around facilities was really well done though. The comment "It's not so much that having all this shiny new stuff helps as not having it hurts... No one's getting people because you have a waterfall or you have the nicest dorms. But if you don't have it and you're stuck where it's archaic, it'll hurt." Reminds me of the Kanye lyric "Having money ain't everything, but not having it is."
I know it's August now, but didn't see an Aug recruiting thread yet
Evan Watkins just put in a CB for him to the good guys!!!!
https://247sports.com/player/dandre-martin-46057664/