It's no surprise - we've talked about it almost incessantly here,
including with a hotboard - that Virginia Tech will fill a couple more spots in the 2020 class if possible. While all scholarships are currently spoken for, a regular rate of attrition (whether through players leaving early for the NFL, suffering career-ending injuries, or opting to seek playing time elsewhere) should see about 2-4 more spots available by next Fall. Teams have the ability to oversign the roster maximum of 85 scholarships as long as they're down to the number by the following season, and VT can do the former with no risk of missing on the latter benchmark.
With that said, there are just a few options left. While it was inevitable that a guy like Brandon Frazier was going to be off the board after VT signed tight end Wilfried Pene,
that's now official. Similarly, while it
isn't official yet, the likes of QB Chandler Morris and Chayce Brown (who has indicated to me that he hasn't remained in contact with the coaching staff) and others aren't going to be options.
There are some legit options, with linebacker/athlete DJ Lundy one of the most enticing.
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Had Lundy signed during the Early Signing Period - as was the plan - it would have been with Vanderbilt, but that the 6-1, 230-pounder wants to wait to take an official to Blacksburg is encouraging. He didn't take his scheduled trip in December, which would have been the kiss of death. VT is definitely still playing catch-up, but now there's a chance to
make that pass.
The other important option to keep en eye on is Houston-area cornerback Dwight McGlothern.
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Virginia Tech had a lot of juice in his recruitment shortly before the Early Signing Period, but when McGlothern canceled a tentatively-planned trip to Blacksburg to see USC instead, it felt like the kiss of death. With a Jan. 4 commitment announcement planned - and no trip to Blacksburg - the hope was rapidly diminishing. VT had to rely upon a delay to his commitment announcement... which seems to have come. Perhaps just as importantly, the school that he saw
instead of VT in December may not be a great option anymore:
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With his USC lead recruiter no longer in Los Angeles, and a commitment no longer guaranteed (or at least not finalized if it
does happen - recruiting!) at the All-American Bowl this weekend, Virginia Tech is once again positioned to make a move for McGlothern. If they can reel
him in, he would usurp fellow Texan Alec Bryant as the highest-ranked player in the class, boosting VT (as things stand today, at least: other programs will be adding players in January and early February, as well) to them No. 65 class nationally. That's still not where you'd like it to be, of course, but a far cry from how things looked just days before the Early Signing Period.
Other prospects are likely waiting to see what happens with that pair before getting the final push.That includes
another Texas DE in Clinton Anokwuru, who would have committed and signed in December if the Hokies had wanted, potentially in-state DE Nick Craig, punter Peter Moore, and possibly even including in-state DB/WR Lamareon James, who may see a late run if the Hokies are confident in his ability to qualify, or likelihood of remaining committed through a year at Fork Union.
To be clear: those are guys who appear on the board
right now, but probably wouldn't have a spot in the class barring either missing on the remaining top targets or a n unexpectedly-high number of NFL or playing-time departures. It's almost as likely that new targets emerge in those instances as these guys get that final push.
However, it should still be a fun January on the recruiting trail. Even if it's not one with a wide
range of prospects, the day-to-day of the prospects who
are on the board will be high drama.
