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lets goooo

A ton of clarity since the previous edition, with a number of players who never really seemed realistic making that official, and the needs more clear thanks to Mattheus Carroll's commitment:

Virginia Tech Hokies 2021 recruiting hotboard: Defensive line

It's not a pretty solid picture of what things will continue to look like, unless and until the staff feels the need to expand the offer net.

Sam Horn is a 2022 in Georgia to know. He is a two-sport star with two-sport offers and West Virginia is on his list.

link: HORN UPDATE

From @MFarrell and @RivalsFriedman:

How things stand with top five uncommitted OL

Welcome to the latest edition of Tunnel Talk, running through the inside scoop on Hokies and recruiting.

Bullock on the clock?

I spoke yesterday about quarterback Tahj Bullock, and how a planned trip to Virginia Tech - not technically a recruiting visit during the dead period, but a chance to check out campus nonetheless - would be crucial in landing him. He's gotten enough of the football side of things through electronic communication, and physically experience the school is important.

That tentatively-planned trip is no longer tentative: Bullock and his parents will head to town tomorrow and spend the weekend taking in the sights.

Of course, there are no guarantees that a visit (especially one in which the coaches aren't allowed to be guides) goes well. However, the expectation from all accounts is that it will. It says a lot - perhaps as much about his recruiting timeline and trying to stick to a schedule as it does about how Virginia Tech is capital-T capital-O The One - that he's heading to campus despite knowing that it can't be the full visit experience.

Sources close to the Rutgers program have indicated that the Knights' coaching staff has seen its confidence fully evaporate in recent days. A commitment to the Hokies this weekend isn't out of the question - and I've submitted my FutureCast in favor of the Orange and Maroon.

The good and bad in coaching changes

I've mentioned a few times some of the negatives from a recruiting perspective of having to make coaching staff changes. For example, a lot of relationships in the 757 went out the door when Zohn Burden was let go (though I've said the on-field and recruiting results probably necessitated that change). Of course, that's not the kiss of death: Darryl Tapp is doing a good job rebuilding some of those relationships, and some of the more-vocal "you shouldn't have let Zohn go" voices are... maybe looking for something to criticize about VT and picking low-hanging fruit, rather than actually analyzing that change? I guess that's the clearest I can put it without reading too much malice into their actions.

Anyway. There are also positives when coaching changes are made. Sometimes, it's an obvious case of replacing a poor recruiter with a good one (I would say that Tyrone Nix's departure and Justin Hamilton's hire prior to the 2019 season is an example - not that Nix is a poor recruiter overall, but his geographic expertise was a bad fit for VT and therefore the results were bad). Other times, though, it can be a matter of personalities lining up better with recruiting in a modern atmosphere.

Charley Wiles was a solid recruiter (particularly in North Carolina) for the Hokies through the head coaching transition, but he seemed to be halfway checked-out during the final year of the Bud Foster era. His personality type is also an extremely good fit in some situations: the good-ol'-boy schmoozing of high school coaches who like a guy who reminds them of themselves. That may seem like I'm being critical, but that's not the case. A big part of how Mack Brown was so successful at Texas and how he's turned UNC into a bit of a recruiting power seemingly overnight is because he's the master of it. Coaches in North Carolina (see: Wiles's previous success and now Brown's current success) love it, and it's a cultural fit for recruiting there.

It isn't the best fit, however, with a different type of prospect or family. Those who have a bit more... serious isn't the right word necessarily, but it's the closest I can think of... approach to life and the recruiting process aren't always enamored with it. Military families, for example - like you find a lot of in Metro DC and in the Norfolk area - tend to want a coach whose selling points are different than being able to guffaw with the high school coach: defined plans for the prospect's and team's success in the short- and long-terms are more intriguing pitches for them. I think Wiles will do a good job at NC State, but I think the combo of Tapp (a people-person who can sell his NFL success) and Teerlinck (the tactical, technical coach and developer) is going to play better on a staff that doesn't have Bud Foster's track record in its back pocket.

It's certainly been a better approach for in-state DE/DT Kelvin Gilliam (who has that military family background), and the coaching change has gone a long way in helping get VT back in the hunt. Some winning on the field could make the Hokies a favorite for him, when they've been more of an also-ran for some time.

"He's a by-the-book, hard-working sort of kid," a source at Highland Springs said. "With a military family, there just wasn't the personality to fit with Wiles."

Getting into Highland Springs in a more significant way has to be a priority for this staff. They're pushing a lot of the right buttons at this point, but there's a ways to go. Obviously the DL coaching change wasn't for the specific purpose of having a better shot at Gilliam or breaking into the program at which they've whiffed on Mekhi Becton, Malcolm Greene, and others in recent classes.

Watson still an option

It's easy to forget as the cornerstones of the #TX2VT movement have ended up decommitting that Dematrius Davis and Latrell Neville weren't the only players from the Lone Star State who looked likely to end up as Hokies at some point. Indeed, I have a FutureCast pick in for Landyn Watson to end up in Blacksburg. I probably wouldn't make that pick today, but I'm also not necessarily hustling to change it, either.

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The four-star out of Hutto (Texas) High had connections to the Hokies because of his friendships with Davis and Neville. However, they were more of a bonus, rather than the focus of VT's recruitment of him. Hailing from the Austin area, he was not as closely-tied to that pair.

Tapp has continued to recruit Watson hard, and the prospect is very appreciative of that attention. The relationship between coach and prospect continues to blossom, and could go a long way toward maintaining VT at the top of his list. Overcoming geography is always going to be an issue (and I've cited it many times as a reason I'm wary to spend quite so much effort trying to build classes out of Texas), but probably not a significant one in the end for Watson. The Hokies are doing the right things to stay in their lofty position.

If and when the emergency Dead Period lifts and he's able to take his official visit to Blacksburg, things could continue to progress in very productive ways.

Any shot?? I’m assuming we needed to get a visit for this one to really have any shot.

(Not that all of them would have necessarily been answered in Spring). Starting with QBs:

Biggest questions by position: Quarterback

We have had the Sep 12 VT/PSU match up circled on the calendar ever since my son chose to become a Hokie. If anyone is looking to sell 3 or 4 tics for the game, please let me know.
Yes I am absolutely an optimist!!

The latest with Boston College commit Jalen McCain

Virginia Tech, Kentucky, & North Carolina are keeping tabs on Boston College commit Jalen McCain. He's a name to watch down the road.

Welcome to Tunnel Talk, running through the latest in the world of Hokies and recruiting. Today, we reside in the Garden State...

Another running back still on the board

Despite landing athlete/RB Chance Black within the past couple weeks, the Hokies' recruiting staff has not ceased operations when it comes to recruiting the running back position. A player who has pretty much always been near the top of the board remains the primary target as the Hokies look to complement Black in the class.

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Montvale (N.J.) St. Joseph's Regional four-star Audric Estime has a very different build (5-11, 210 pounds) from the taller, slimmer Black, and a thunder-and-lightning approach is still possible in the class. Black's positional versatility would provide some additional options should the VT staff manage to also land Estime.

They certainly haven't given up the ghost, hosting him on a "virtual visit" last week.

“I’m hearing a lot from Rutgers along with Arizona State, Michigan State, Nebraska and Virginia Tech,” he said. “Florida is hitting me up too even though they haven’t offered. I did a virtual visit with Arizona State three weeks ago and one with Virginia Tech last week. Rutgers I did recently as well. I learned more about both the football and academic side of the programs.”

The most likely outcome is that he ends up at Rutgers - the Knights are doing a good job establishing themselves as a legitimate option for a number of the top players in their home state, and have built connections with Estime's program - but Virginia Tech is probably No. 2 on the list at this point. How much energy the Hokies can expend on his recruitment will go a long way toward determining the final outcome, and is dependent upon how the rest of the group develops.

Tahjamell Bullock

Staying in North Jersey, and indeed in the Catholic ranks (though conference reshuffling in recent years means these schools are no longer rivals), Jersey City St. Peter's Prep three-star Tahjamell Bullock remains the top target at the quarterback position as the Hokies rebound from the decommitment of Dematrius Davis.

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Bullock's recruitment was initially designed to wrap up before the beginning of his senior season, but like with many other players, the emergency Dead Period has thrown a bit of a wrench into the works.

The Hokies feel as though they've taken over the top spot in his recruitment. There are two primary questions: 1) is he willing to commit sight-unseen (more on this in a moment)? and 2) if he's not willing to commit without a recruiting visit, will he be able to take a visit before the season begins? If the answer to both of those questions is "no," the options are to push back his recruitment or pick a school that he's already visited. Pushing back the recruitment would be the more likely of the two options, since it doesn't preclude an eventual commitment to a school that he's already seen anyway.

Popping back to the "recruiting visit" portion of the above paragraph. We've seen players get creative with checking out campuses (such as former VT target Tristan Bounds), taking self-guided tours that the NCAA has no jurisdiction over. They can't meet with coaches on those trips, but if you combine them with the "virtual visits" that prospects are taking - and I hate that terminology, because it refers to glorified (or not-even-glorified) FaceTime conversations with coaching staffs, i.e. not a big deal at all - they can get a feel for campus.

Bullock has gotten the "virtual visit" treatment from the coaching staff, and is tentatively considering a trip down to Blacksburg - again, not technically a visit in the NCAA's eyes - to tie the whole thing together. Assuming that does happen (and I am assuming this), the Hokies can close some of the gaps pointed out above, and I'd name them the heavy favorite in Bullock's recruitment.

Just a two-parter today, but plenty of interesting nuggets on a pair of top targets. Keep it locked on HokieHaven.com for all the latest in the world of Hokie recruiting.

Presented without further comment (for now):

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The more I take a look at how he fits in, the more I really like Miletic's long-term upside (but also, it sort of makes me worry even more about the staff needing to shoehorn him in as a tackle when he has NFL potential at guard):

Class impact: Danijel Miletic to VT

Phillip Riley chats with our Notre Dame site about it:

https://virginiatech.rivals.com/new...iley-on-picking-notre-dame-over-virginia-tech

I wouldn't say there's anything damning about the Hokies' approach to recruiting him (sometimes, you're just gonna lose kids to traditional powers), but as part of a larger story arc in which the staff has had a tough time closing on some top targets, it's not the warmest nor fuzziest data point.

Welcome to the latest edition of Tunnel Talk, running through some of the topics du jour in the world of Hokies and recruiting.

The numbers

Let's begin today with a quick discussion of scholarship numbers: take a look at the scholarship distribution for starters. With 78 scholarship slots officially spoken for via recruited student athletes (and others all-but certain to go to preferred walk-ons like wide receiver Kaleb Smith, offensive lineman Austin Cannon, and kicker Brian Johnson), there are a few openings unspoken for.

Some of those will go to other preferred walk-ons, with guys who haven't been honored in the past - unlike the above-three listed players - earning them on a year-to-year basis (or if they're contributors, perhaps beyond). However, there are still likely to be one or two to play with.

For that reason, the coaching staff is continuing to monitor the Transfer Portal for players who'd be a good fit for Virginia Tech. There's no guarantee they'll bring anybody in, of course. The player has to be a good fit for their needs on the field, have the right amount of eligibility (and therefore scholarship use) remaining, and of course be willing to transfer to Blacksburg. There are some options with whom they've made contact, and of course grad-transfer players are the best fit because they require only a commitment to one year on-scholarship.

At this point, the staff is hopeful to pick up one more player, though my personal view of the matter is that they'll have a tough time hitting all three criteria (namely landing a guy who has a lot of other options).

Dead period blues

On the high school recruiting end of things, a recent run on commitments - and yes, a couple decommitments - has meant an eventful phase of the emergency Dead Period. As I said consistently when the period began, there's no predicting for certain how an unprecedented situation is going to impact timelines and the process. Even still, the situation that unfolded, with tons of players making early commitments around the country (including to programs they'd never visited), was a surprise.

My expectation is that a lot of these commits are going to be shaky when the visit trail can continue. That is to say, if Virginia Tech was a runner-up for a player who committed elsewhere, and he hadn't seen Blacksburg before picking the other program, a push to get that player to at least visit is extremely likely to be fruitful.

The opposite is true as well, of course, but with Dematrius Davis and Latrell Neville having already left the fold... well, VT doesn't have any commitments who are particularly shaky (I DO NOT intend to say he'll definitely look at other schools, but Jacksonville (Ark.) defensive tackle Tyas Martin is the only prospect to commit without visiting yet, and most of the others have taken several visits over the years).

There may be a bit of a free-for-all this Fall when it comes to poaching other programs' commits, but VT is poised to be a beneficiary much more than a victim.

Tyrell Raby unlikely

When Virginia Tech offered him, it appeared that Tyrell Raby would be a serious prospect to consider the Orange and Maroon, and possibly even end up in the class. The three-star out of Baton Rouge (La.) Madison Prep said the right things about VT early.

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However, now that the Hokies have lost a commitment from his cousin, Latrell Neville (a New Orleans native who moved to the Houston area as a kid), the primary connection isn't there. While Neville won't explicitly cross VT off the list publicly until he makes a commitment elsewhere, he is not expected to continue considering the program, and that diminishes the shot at Raby, as well.

Of course, that doesn't mean a shot at Raby is gone, per se: five of the schools in his top 10 are Group of Five programs, so the Hokies don't have to keep pace with the Alabamas and LSUs of the world so much as the Louisiana Techs and Memphises. That may also have some indication of his overall level of play, though, and if landing him isn't made easier by a family connection, pursuing a player whose geography makes his recruitment more convenient is probably going to end up being the move.

As always, thanks for reading. Stay tuned for the latest on the Hokies and recruiting.

@RivalsFriedman is back to break down another future Hokie:

Nyke Johnson a future weapon for VT

Virginia Tech Hokies 2021 recruiting hotboard: Offensive line

It should come as no surprise that right now, the staff's plan is to close on some of these less-heralded guys with whom they're in good position (Diego Pounds, Andrew Canelas - either of whom you could make an argument for being underrated - and the like), and hold out hope that there'll be enough time to swing Tristan Leigh (or someone else with a major national profile) with some on-field success in the Fall.

Probably the right move at this point, imo.

The Hokies are in this one:

In-depth on Tywone Malone

They must do a better job selling the two-sport athlete aspect to really stay in it, but the more patient he is in narrowing the list, the better.