Took a close look at the film for the Gardner-Webb transfer:

From the film room: Clayton Frady

There's a contributor in there. Not sure he's an upgrade over what the Hokies had last year (which is not a good thing to have to say), but even just as upperclassman depth, he'll do.

I've asked if VT is gonna poke around, haven't gotten a response yet:


(Given Barnwell's flakiness over the course of his recruitment, wouldn't surprise me for some schools to pass on another look at him... but VT may be in a position where talent trumps everything).

Mostly football with touches on hoops and big-picture stuff:

The Hokie Haven MAILBAG!

Thanks so much to those of you who got questions in!

It lives again! Board here:

Virginia Tech Hokies post-Spring Transfer Portal hub

Updates in the thread.

An offseason series from @ConnorMardian10

Summer overview: Quarterbacks

Drop your questions over the next couple days here. Football, basketball, recruiting, off-topic, anything.

I'll answer them in a front-page post (or if there's too much to fit in that, will follow through with some in the thread, as well) in a few days.

A source associated with Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha 2024 offensive lineman Terez Davis reached out within the past few hours to let me know that things may be going a little sideways with the Hokies' pursuit. A visit to Blacksburg canceled? Maryland suddenly with mounds of momentum? It wouldn't be out of the question historically for a DeMatha player, but it sounded a little interesting based on what we know - what has been shared in here - about the sleeper OL's recruitment.

Login to view embedded media
I caught up with the publishers of several of our Rivals sites to get their take on the matter really quickly (yes, I'll get to the Hokies' input on the matter in a moment).

"He's got GT next week and Syracuse the week after," said one of our team-site experts. "Then he's deciding between Maryland and VT for the 6/23 weekend. He told me he was going to go to Maryland today to talk to [head coach Mike] Locksley about that."

This confirmed what the source in the DC area had passed along in the first place. A player with the DeMatha connections to UMd is always a worry when you get to that point, of course. But Davis has some strong VT connections, too (not least of which is the Hokies' own DeMatha connection through former head coach and Maryland RBs coach Elijah Brooks, now coaching the same position for the Hokies - while recruiting the DC area including his alma mater). That includes one of his best friends, DT Emmett Laws, also committed to VT at this early stage.

I ran this info past sources in the Merryman Center and was told that he's absolutely still taking an official visit to Blacksburg in June, and that the Hokies have under no circumstances moved along from recruiting him. We shall see what happens in the long run (there are two weekends - the June 16 and June 23 weekends - not spoken for even if he's set on the GT and Cuse visits), but for now, the Hokies do and should continue to feel solid about the long game in his recruitment, and while that can change, it's the operating state of affairs at this point.

That's gotta be Josh Wallace (or Clayton Frady, but I don't believe he's visiting this weekend, so it would be unrelated to the visits):

Login to view embedded media

From @RivalsFriedman

East Spotlight: Five QBs to watch

An update with Rodriguez, who is coming off an official visit with Purdue. Virginia Tech and Kentucky officials up next

From @RivalsFriedman:

East Spotlight: Five most contested recruiting battles

Forgot to post this over the weekend when he sent it to me, but if he plays football this year, there'll be some serious speed on the field:

Login to view embedded media

Should be an important one in Blacksburg:

Important June for the Hokies on the recruiting trail

Quick note: I'm told (via his agent, which is a strange new world we're living in) that UMass transfer Josh Wallace will be at VT this weekend.

He's at Oklahoma through tomorrow, will be at Michigan the next two days, and then spends the weekend in Blacksburg. Those three are considered the top contenders to land the grad transfer (who has two years to play one thanks to the Covid season, but is expected to be a one-year player wherever he ends up), and while that may not ultimately be the only group that stands a chance to land him, it would not surprise if he takes a step back after seeing them in quick succession and decides to end his process in favor of one of them, or completely opens things up to another group of suitors.

The DeMatha connection - he played at the DC-area powerhouse under new VT running backs coach Elijah Brooks - is a strong one for the Hokies, not least of which because they want to continue proving that they can land kids out of the major powerhouse programs in what should be pipeline areas. Picking up a grad transfer to continue building those bonds in a less direct way would be a massive boost in its own right.

Stay tuned for more from Wallace after the weekend.

From @Adam Gorney:

Recruiting Rumor Mill: Chatter heats up as summer visits near