I have never seen worse officiating in my life we are playing are hearts out and the officials are doing everything they can to keep FSU in the game. Like its a bad thing that we advance. I've said it for years when it comes tournament time these officials know where the bread is buttered in the conference when it comes to calls

Virginia Tech opens ACC Tournament play tonight in Washington D.C., a Virginia Tech hotbed of graduates and the like. I'm expecting a decidedly pro-VT crowd throughout the tourney and things will get crazy if the Hokies win two games to set up a date with UVA on Friday. Will you be attending? What is your plan?

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Guys, I spoke earlier with John Ehret (La.) CB Terrell Bailey, whom VT offered Saturday. Bailey was also just at the New Orleans Rivals camp Sunday and was offered by Texas A&M today, so it's been a big last few days for him.

Bailey is now up to 10 offers, as Colorado also offered over the past few days. He told me he doesn't know much about the Hokies right now, but said he's looking forward to learning more. Assistant coach Galen Scott made the offer and Bailey said they haven't talked much, but that he liked what Scott told him. When I asked Bailey if anything about his recruitment stood out, he said he liked the response he's gotten from VT and Tennessee fans.

Bailey said the only visit he's taken so far was a junior day to LSU, but the Tigers have not offered. The only visit he has planned is to Tennessee the first weekend of April. He wants to release a top 10 at the beginning of the summer.

As the recent offers have shown, Bailey is on the cusp of really blowing up. He was a strong finalist to win DB MVP at the Rivals camp and will be likely at least a mid to high three-star when the next rankings are released in May. Good for VT to get in early here, but tough to gauge who is standing out to Bailey since he hasn't taken many visits yet.

To keep you tied over til tip off, a few videos of VT arriving at the Verizon Center for the game:
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tremendous job this year and it likely gets even better hereafter.

On FOX News this am they had a 30 second slot showing Buzz and the Team during National Anthem presentation. Great stuff for VT. Gave me "Goosebumps"/so pround.

Max and I are up here at the Verizon Center as long as VT is. Here's just a short video from today:
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Guys, I tweeted this out yesterday, but for those of you not on Twitter, wanted you all to see what Babcock said after the game yesterday:
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Guys, I spoke earlier with Cass Tech (Mich.) four-star cornerback Donovan Johnson. This is among the first offers by new assistant coach Brian Mitchell, the offer coming over the weekend. So it's obvious that Mitchell will be recruiting Michigan, as well as the northeast.

Johnson, No. 179 in the Rivals250, was offered by Mitchell when he was at West Virginia. Johnson said he now has 12 offers, also recently from Nebraska, Wisconsin, Iowa State and Penn State. He told me he hasn't visited anywhere recently, but went on unofficial visits during his winter break to West Virginia, Tennessee, Pitt and Syracuse.

With the Hokies, it's obvious that Johnson doesn't know a ton. He said he has watched them on TV, but told me he needs to visit to really say a lot more. But the connection here is with Mitchell. Johnson told me "I got a good vibe from him." So there is definitely interest. It sounds like Mitchell was a big reason why Johnson visited West Virginia.

Still early here and tough to get a gauge at the moment, but this one is worth watching. It is a little strange that neither Michigan nor Michigan State have offered, so if they do, keep an eye on that. Johnson said he's lived in Michigan all his life, but isn't sure about whether he wants to get out. He did tell me he's also a state champion in the 60m dash in indoor track. He ran in 6.84 seconds to win state.

Plenty more coming here.

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Just got off the phone a few minutes ago with Lafayette (Va.) WR Hezekiah Grimsley. Another one of VT's newest offers that came last week.

Grimsley is up to six offers now. That list also includes Iowa State, Marshall, Syracuse, Old Dominion and Maryland. It sounds like the Hokies made an impression on Grimsley long before the offer came Feb. 25. He told me, "It’s a big deal. I’ve been wanting to go there since I was a little kid." Grimsley said he also likes the energy from the coaches and how VT recruits.

Assistant coach Galen Scott is the primary recruiter here and it looks like he'll now be recruiting the peninsula part of the 757, with Zohn Burden staying over on the other side of the bay. But with Scott, Grimsley said "We talk like we’re friends. We talk like we’ve been talking for forever." So obviously, good feedback at this point.

Grimsley said he has his spring break in two weeks. He plans on visiting Virginia Tech first, likely for that first, March 22 practice, before he visits Maryland. Assistant Chris Beatty is the recruiter from the Terps. Grimsley said he also might visit Syracuse during the final weekend of his spring break. So far, he's only been to Pittsburgh, that visit coming three weeks ago.

I like where VT is in this one. It'll be interesting to see how Scott gets adjusted to the peninsula, but this one is a good place to start. It helps to get Grimsley on a visit soon, as well.

I may have to set up a clinic for all the experts who picked Hokies to finish 14th.

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I spoke earlier with Armwood (Fla.) three-star athlete Darrian McNeal, one of Virginia Tech's newest offers. McNeal said he's now up to 19 offers, others recently from Georgia Tech, Syracuse and Tulane.

VT has recruited McNeal as an athlete, but it sounds like the emphasis is wide receiver. McNeal also plays defensive back, but said he wants the ball in his hands.

With the Hokies, McNeal said he always played with Michael Vick on his video games. Assistant coach Holmon Wiggins is the main recruiter here. McNeal said they've talked just once, last week when he got the offer, but that Wiggins told him they could get the ball in his hands. And right now, VT is the only visit McNeal said he has planned, in two weeks for spring practice. He plans to spend the whole weekend in Blacksburg, which at this point is a big sign.

McNeal has not taken any visits elsewhere to this point. So for VT to be one of the first, is another big deal. McNeal said he doesn't have any standouts and the on;y others he mentioned when I asked who he liked was Georgia Tech and Iowa State. He was at the Orlando stop of the Rivals Camp Series presented by Under Armour last weekend and was named one of the camp'stop performers.

During the men's basketball games, the Virginia Tech football team offered Terrell Bailey, a cornerback out of Marrero, Louisiana. This was Bailey's 9th offer.

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Here's his Rivals.com profile: https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/maple/178570

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I'm sure people are looking to purchase tickets to see the Hokies in the ACC Tournament on Wednesday.

Pro-tip: SeatGeek sponsors a boatload of sports podcasts, find one, listen to it to get the special offer code, and you can get $20 bucks off your first purchase.

I did some research for some NIT bracketology and found this nifty site - http://bracketmatrix.com/nit - which basically matrixes all the NIT projections on the web.

Basically, most everyone has Tech has a low seed in the NIT field right now, I've seen as high as a 6 seed and as low as an 8 seed. So they're right on the edge. They need to keep winning and also have the regular season champs of the lower conferences also win the conference tournaments.

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Guys, I finally spoke tonight with East Tech (OH) four-star point guard Markell Johnson. He visited VT officially Feb. 20 for the Florida State game. Johnson is No. 99 in the 2017 Rivals150.

That still to this point is the only official visit that Johnson has taken. When I asked what other schools are in the mix, the only other two he mentioned were Ohio State, which offered not that long ago and DePaul. He's taken unofficials to both, but also mentioned how Cincinnati and NC State have also offered.

As far as his VT official, that was his first visit since going in October for an unofficial for the Duke game. Johnson said this time was good because it gave him a first-hand look at how the players play and the coaches look for the Hokies. He said it also helped that he got to see VT beat a good team in FSU. "It changed how I see them in a good way," Johnson told me.

Johnson said he has a great relationship with assistant coach Isaac Chew and coach Buzz Williams. Johnson said he looks at Chew "like a hard-working man who’s good at what he does."

Johnson said he has no visits planned. He did say that he wants to decide before his AAU season starts in a few months. So honestly, VT is in great position here, having been his lone visit. The one school to watch, as has been the case throughout, is Ohio State. He has interest in the Buckeyes, but it's unclear just how much interest they have in him.

over the Canes!! Dominated the game!!

Now as bad as I hated rooting for you guys today now I got to to do the same tonight for duke..then hope we beat louisville..sure am glad I was wrong as well as a lot of other people about how well you guys would play...truly a magnificent job by buzz..acc coy. ..easily in my opinion..

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Guys, I tweeted it out tonight, but VT offered Oxbridge Academy (Fla.) DE Jonathan Garvin. He transferred earlier this year from Lake Worth (Fla.). Garvin now has even offers, also from North Carolina, NC State, Iowa State, Central Florida, Florida Atlantic and Western Michigan.

Garvin loves assistant coach Charley Wiles, his main recruiter. He told me they've been talking for a while now and Wiles has been preaching how football can lead to other things in life. But this might be the best quote from Garvin on the Hokies: "It means a lot to me because I’ve been working hard for so long to impress them specifically."

With Wiles, Garvin said he had a message on Twitter from Wiles today to call him. Garvin called back while Wiles was at the VT basketball game tonight and got the offer. "It means all my work is paying off," Garvin said.

The other one to really watch for right now is NC State. Garvin really loves assistant coach Ryan Nielsen, the DL coach there. Garvin said "I call him as much as I can." Garvin really likes how Nielsen has told him for some time that he would give him a chance. Central Florida and FAU are worth keeping an eye on because of proximity, but this is a kid who can do far better than those two and he knows it. I think he's just mentioning them now to be nice.

Garvin has also camped at Miami, so keep an eye out there. But for now, VT is in very good position. No visits planned, except to a spring practice at FAU, though that will change this summer.

Rivals.com is going over every position to look at the top guys. Fuller featured among the DBs:

https://n.rivals.com/news/nfl-combine-dbs-stock-report

Hey everyone, the combine ended yesterday and I’ve got the results of the Hokies that participated.


Kendall Fuller:

• Bench Press: 15 reps at 225 lbs.

Dadi Nicolas:

• 40-yard Dash: 4.74 seconds
  
• Bench Press: 14 reps at 225 lbs.
  
• Vertical Jump: 41.00 inches
  
• Broad Jump: 9 ft 7 inches
• 20-Yard Shuttle: 4.38 seconds
  
• 3-Cone Drill: 7.04 seconds

Luther Maddy:

• Bench Press: 29 reps at 225 lbs.

Ryan Malleck:

• Vertical Jump: 34.5 inches
• Broad Jump: 121.0 inches
• Bench Press: 18 reps at 225 lbs.
• 3-Cone Drill: 7.00 seconds
• 20-Yard Shuttle: 4.33 seconds

Kendall Fuller only partially participated in the combine, as he is still recovering from the knee surgery that cut his final season short at Virginia Tech. Fuller only participated in the bench press, getting 15 reps at 225 lbs. NFL.com graded him at 5.64, which roughly translates to a chance to become an NFL starter.

Dadi Nicolas was a full participant in the 2016 NFL combine. He had a 4.74 40-yard dash, did 14 reps on the bench press, had a 116.0-inch broad jump, a 7.04 second 3-cone drill, and a 4.38 second 20-yard shuttle. He was a top performer in the vertical jump, where he scored 41.0 inches. NFL.com graded Nicolas at 5.24, which translates to NFL backup or special teams potential.

Luther Maddy was a partial participant in the 2016 NFL combine, where he only participated in the bench press, where Maddy did 29 reps at 225 lbs. NFL.com graded him out at 5.24, the same grade as Dadi Nicolas.

Ryan Malleck was the second Hokie to fully participate in the 2016 NFL combine. He was a top performer in two categories: the vertical jump and the broad jump, where he had results of 34.5 inches and 121.0 inches, respectively. He had 18 reps on the bench press at 225 lbs, had a 7.00 second 3-cone drill, and a 4.33 second 20-yard shuttle. NFL.com rated him at a grade of 5.16, which translates to a better-than-average chance to make an NFL roster.

Guys, I know many of you have been wondering what the hold up with Brian Mitchell as assistant coach has been. Well, VT finally announced him this morning in this press release:

Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente announced the hiring of Brian Mitchell as cornerbacks coach on Friday. Mitchell joins the Hokies after serving as cornerbacks coach for the past three seasons at West Virginia. He held the dual role of defensive coordinator and secondary coach at East Carolina from 2010-12 prior to his assignment with the Mountaineers.

“Brian will be a great fit with Coach [Bud] Foster and the rest of our coaching staff on the field and on the recruiting trail,” Fuente said. “He brings a wealth of experience to this role at Virginia Tech, as both a coach and a player. We’re excited to have our coaching staff finalized as we continue our preparations for spring football.”

With the addition of Mitchell, Fuente confirmed the following roles for his defensive staff:

·Bud Foster – Associate head coach/defensive coordinator/linebackers
·Galen Scott – Assistant head coach/safeties
·Charley Wiles – Defensive line
·Brian Mitchell – Cornerbacks

A seventh-round draft pick of the Atlanta Falcons in the 1991 NFL Draft, Mitchell played three seasons with the Falcons and Cowboys after a standout collegiate career as a cornerback at BYU from 1987-90. An All-WAC performer for the Cougars, he still holds a school record with a 97-yard INT return against New Mexico in 1989. He registered 13 career interceptions and played in four bowls for BYU in addition to running the opening leg of the school’s All-America 400-meter relay team.

Hey everyone,

VT just offered Rivals250 athlete Hamsah Nasirildeen, a 4* product out of Concord, NC. He's rated the 28th prospect in North Carolina. He's rated the 226th in the country and the 26th best athlete in the country.

He's received offers from quite a few schools, and here are some of the big ones: Tennessee, Florida, Florida State, Notre Dame. He also has offers from UNC, NC State, West Virginia, Penn State, and Mississippi.

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His Rivals.com profile: https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/maple/186312

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We go over the past week and look ahead in Virginia Tech athletics. Where will the Hokies end their basketball season? Will they make a run in the ACC Tournament to get to the NIT? In recruiting, what can we make of the offers Justin Fuente has given out? Was junior day number two a success? And Virginia Tech baseball has won three straight, including a come from behind, walk-ff win over Radford. What can we take away from the Hokies' start?

That and more as publisher Jason Stamm, senior writer Doug Bowman and former Hokies DT Derrick 'Skip' Hopkins go over the latest in VT sports. on episode No. 49 of our FREE, weekly podcast!
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DOWNLOAD HERE: http://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-wg5uv-5d3f27/download