Thoughts on this? Clemson picked to win the ACC, while Georgia Tech picked to win the coastal division. Kendall Fuller got 6 votes for ACC player of the year, but Deshaun Watson picked as pre-season favorite.

https://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1784863

Another full breakdown, this time analyzing 2017 three-star safety Devante Smith, who committed last night:

http://rvls.co/1MFcF23

Guys, I've got a treat for you all on this week's chat. Our friend Adam Friedman, Rivals.com's mid-Atlantic recruiting analyst will be running the chat, starting at 12:30 pm ET on Friday. This is your chance to get his expertise on all your questions on where the Hokies stand with plenty of recruits and to get the very latest info.

I will say, be there at 12:30 SHARP, as Adam has a lot of things going on and has been gracious enough to let us borrow some of his time. Take advantage of and get the very most out of your subscriptions and join us for the chat!

Chat link: http://bit.ly/1MFTZzp

Our story/interview with three-star small forward Kodye Pugh: http://rvls.co/1M0Bwzl

He was already pretty high on VT's list this spring, then decided he needed to reclass from 2016 to 2017 and also transferred from Boys Latin (Md.) to Blair Academy (NJ). From watching him and everything I've been told, I think both moves will benefit him tremendously. The Hokies are in good position with him right now, but long way to go still. He's a hell of an artist, as I showed on video, but that doesn't do him justice. He'll be a top 100 kid easily by his senior year, after his move. Has already visited VT, but needs to get back this fall to have a good chance.

Definitely a 2017 kid to keep an eye on, Dillard (Fla.) three-star forward RaiQuan Gray. His AAU coach was coached in college by VT assistant coach Steve Rocaforte, so there's a connection.

Here's our story/interview with Gray at the UA Camp: http://rvls.co/1MrDXJf

Guys, Kelly interviewed Trevon Duval at the Under Armour All-American camp and as he explained, the Hokies are still in the mix, but they have some stiff competition: http://rvls.co/1HhOMsU

If Bud wants you, you must be awesome.

If traditional football power dook and the other NC programs stop out recruiting us for Virginia players, ... maybe, ...

COMMITS TO THE GOOD GUY!!!

Guys, I'm sure you noticed, but over the weekend, we started our countdown of who our staff believes are the 15 most vital players for VT this fall. All four on our staff submitted our lists and the player who was ranked No. 1 received 15 points, No. 2 got 14, etc. to get a true staff decision. Here's a recap of who we've listed so far:

No. 15: Wade Hansen
No. 14: Brandon Facyson
No. 13: Wyatt Teller/Augie Conte

Who's on your lists?

Guys, if you missed it, just a heads up that Landon School (Md.) four-star LB Keith Simms, Rivals' No. 22 OLB, tweeted earlier that he'll be visiting the Hokies on Tuesday:
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It figures he would push his commitment date back geez not good for us one bit!!!

Guys, some big news on the quarterback recruiting front. Spring Hill (Tenn.) four-star QB Tylin Oden has told our southeast analyst, Woody Wommack, that he'll be visiting VT Saturday for a throwing session with offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler and for Beamer's BBQ.

The Hokies recruited Oden this spring, but he committed to Louisville May 25. He was still in play with VT until Josh Jackson committed last month. With four-star QB Jawon Pass committing to the cardinals last week, Oden said he's still committed, but looking at all his options. And also keep in mind that the Hokies are still set with Jackson, but giving Oden a look to see if they want two QBs this class. For right now, Jackson is it.

Oden will be visiting Florida and throwing for the Gators' staff on Friday. Just something to keep an eye on, to see if he kills it at either this weekend, which could change his recruitment.

I got a chance to see Oden live last month at the Rivals QB Challenge in Baltimore. He's a very tall, lean kid who needs to add some weight, but had one of the more accurate arms in the group. So he's an intriguing guy to say the least.

As always, what's posted here, STAYS HERE. Don't de-value your own subscription by giving away information to others who don't pay like you do. It's also a violation of our terms of service and will result in the termination of your subscription.

Saw on twitter that he no longer is enrolled at VT! Is this bull or legit?

When does fall practice start? Need some positive mojo to look forward to.

I caught up with WR Divine Deablo yesterday after the Shrine Bowl camp in North Carolina. The entry in my recruiting notebook is below and the video interview is linked.

Winston-Salem (N.C.) Mount Tabor wide receiver Divine Deablo says North Carolina, N.C. State, Virginia Tech and Georgia are tied at the top of his list. He took a lot of visits last month to schools like West Virginia, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, N.C. State and Duke. The visits to Virginia tech and North Carolina really stood out to Deablo. He is planning on taking official visits to his top four schools early in the football season and committing soon after because he is an early graduate. Deablo will likely take an official visit to Virginia Tech for the Ohio State game. There is also a chance he takes a fifth official visit depending on when he actually commits.

Video: Four at the top for WR Deablo

I caught up with Rivals250 DE Nick Coe yesterday after the Shrine Bowl camp in North Carolina. The entry in my recruiting notebook is below and the video interview is linked.

Virginia Tech, Auburn and North Carolina are Rivals250 defensive end Nick Coe’s top three. The Asheboro, N.C. star will visit Auburn on July 23 and head to Miami on August 9. Each of Coe’s top three schools will receive official visits. He plans on committing on National Signing Day.

Video: Top 3 + more visits for R250 DE Coe

Continuing our countdown of where VT stands in the states it recruits, plus DC and the northeast, since the Hokies are only up there sporadically. This will help break down the latest and which recruits to watch:

As always, what's posted here, STAYS HERE. Don't de-value your own subscription by giving away information to others who don't pay like you do. It's also a violation of our terms of service and will result in the termination of your subscription.

New Offers:
OG Tremayne Anchrum, McEachern (Ga.), three stars, No. 27 OG, No. 43 in GA -- Searels
QB Davis Mills, Greater Atlanta Christian (Ga.) four stars, No. 52 in 2017 Rivals100, No. 3 PS QB -- Loeffler
QB Chase Brice, Grayson (Ga.), four stars, No. 127 in 2017 Rivals250, No. 6 P-S QB -- Loeffler

Top targets:
Safety Marlon Character, Grady (Ga.), 2016, four stars, No. 214 in Rivals250, No. 12 safety -- Gray
OG Tremayne Anchrum, McEachern (Ga.), three stars, No. 27 OG, No. 43 in GA -- Searels
OL Patrick Kearns, Darlington (Ga.), two stars -- Searels
LB Emmanuel Belmar, Collins Hill (Ga.), 2016, three stars -- Gray
CB William Poole III, Hapeville Charter (Ga.), five stars, No. 12 in 2017 Rivals100 -- Gray
OL Tony Gray, Central Gwinnett (Ga.), four stars, No. 42 in 2017 Rivals100 -- Searels
CB LeAnthony Williams, Roswell (Ga.), four stars, No. 89 in 2017 Rivals250 -- Gray
LB Robert Beal, Norcross (Ga.), four stars, No. 129 in 2017 Rivals100 -- Gray
CB Tre Shaw, Cedar Grove (Ga.), four stars, No. 242 in 2017 Rivals250 -- Gray

Recent Rivals Stories On VT GA Targets:
Marlon Character from HokieHaven.com, July 13: http://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1782598
Character from GamecockCentral.com, June 24: http://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1777631
Kearns from HokieHaven.com, July 4: http://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1780263
Kearns from JacketsOnline.com, July 13: http://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1782647
Anchrum from BuffStampede.com, June 24: https://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1777651
Williams from TigerIllustrated.com, July 8: https://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1781142

Overview:
THE top target for the Hokies in the Peach State remains Character, who for months has said that Virginia Tech is near the top of his list. Unfortunately, Character has not been able to visit Blacksburg and the two that he has, Auburn and South Carolina, are now on top. The Hokies are still in contention, but based on not visiting, the chances look bleak. He'll be visiting Auburn July 30 and has said he's looking forward to reconnecting with coaches and players he knows. The Tigers have made up a ton of ground in the last month, so don't be surprised to see him commit on that visit.

The more realistic possibilities for the 2016 class are offensive linemen, Kearns and Anchrum. Kearns has Virginia Tech in his top four, along with Georgia Tech, Kentucky and NC State. Kearns visited the Hokies last month and has them, along with the Yellow Jackets on top. He visited the Wildcats this weekend, which could change things, but as of right now, it looks like Virginia Tech has the lead, with plans to commit before the end of the month. Anchrum has the Hokies in his top eight, released last month, of Boston College, Clemson, Colorado, Georgia, Missouri, Nebraska and Wake Forest. There's been talk of him visiting Virginia Tech for the barbecue next weekend, but that's not a definite.

One big visitor to the barbecue will be Williams, who has been very high on the Hokies. They were the second to offer, behind Kentucky, in February. But this will be his first visit. Williams has been to Alabama, Auburn and Louisville and will be at Clemson this weekend before visiting Blacksburg. There's still plenty of time, but this is an important visit for the Hokies, to get in good position.

Also keep an eye on a pair of quarterback offers in play with Brice and Mills. Brice impressed at the Rivals 100 Quarterback Challenge last month and has really taken off in his recruitment since then. Loeffler has taken a shine to both quarterbacks, but neither have visited Virginia Tech yet, so it's tough to get a true gauge on where the Hokies stand. They've also thrown out some offers to some top players in the 2017 class like Beal, Gray and Shaw, but haven't gotten any serious bites yet.

Rivals national team analysis:
"I think Auburn is kinda trending in the best direction with Character right now. They came in and made a late push. It's kinda interesting, Virginia Tech has been there every step of the way, but I just think the sales pitch from T-Rob (Auburn assistant Tavaris Robinson)and the coaches at Auburn has really put them in the mix. Ohio State seems to have fallen off, but I still think Virginia Tech did itself a major favor in getting involved with him anyway, especially when some people were cooling on him for whatever reason. Character works out with a lot of prominent players and underclassmen in Atlanta. He's part of a training group that puts out a lot of big time players. I think Virginia Tech has built relationships with some of those guys, so even if they don't get Character, they'll be in it for a lot of kids down the road.

Kearns seems to be a guy a lot of people like. He came to the Atlanta Rivals camp and he has a lot of momentum. I didn't think he was that impressive, but he's big and not fat. He has a good tackle frame, a guy who's 6'5" or 6'6" and on the light side. Those are the type of guys you take a risk on, especially because you can see him having a frame, adding weight and becoming a guy who blossoms down the road.

Jaden Hunter trains in that same group as Character. The quarterbacks could be interesting. They have a lot of options, but we've already seen dominos fall. We saw Jake Allen to Florida, Clifford to Penn State. I know there's still a lot of schools sniffing around Mills and Brice and with VT getting in on them early, they might be able to hang around and be in the mix all the way. Neither seems to be leaning anywhere."

-- Rivals.com southeast analyst Woody Wommack

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What's your thoughts on guys like Dickerson, valentine, and coe who do you think we land and miss out on

Louisville has just completed its first full season in the ACC. The are many Cardinal fans wondering how Louisville is perceived by its new conference rivals and brethren. We would appreciate your thoughts after a full year of Louisville being a member of the ACC.

Did you attend any games or matches in Louisville? If so did you like our campus and facilities and were our fans friendly? Do you think Louisville traveled well? If you have met Louisville fans, what were your impressions?

Personally I am looking forward to visiting Blacksburg for a football game. Everyone tells me it is a truly great experience.

lots of anticipation for this season in Morgantown. The defense will be really good but the offense has question marks. Some say Holgerson needs to win at least 8 to stay. I know coach Beamer is nearing the end of his career and it would be nice to send him off with some great years. He, like Don Nehlen, is a class act and there aren't many of them around anymore....good luck this year and looking forward to renewing the series. We should have never stopped it in the first place. On another note, although I don't care for him personally you all got a good one in Buzz Williams.....he will win there eventually

With uniform design so important to recruiting, how does Penn State get so many good recruits? And will that continue now that they have gone to their throwbacks by taking the names off of the back of the jursey?

I caught up with 2018 DE Xavier Lucas yesterday after Florida State's camp. The entry in my recruiting notebook is below and the video interview is linked.

Xavier Thomas is only a 2018 prospect but he looks like he could be one of the best defensive line prospects in the class. Florida State was the first school to offer the Florence (S.C.) Wilson star and the Seminoles had a strong relationship with that school. Linebacker Lawrence Timmons was the last big-time recruit to come out of Wilson and he went on to star at Florida State. Thomas will visit Tennessee on Friday and will camp at South Carolina on July 25. He grew up a fan of South Carolina and thinks the Gamecocks will offer him then. Thomas says he will be at Florida State when they play Clemson this year. He thinks West Virginia, Virginia Tech and Notre Dame are close to offering and is really hoping for an Alabama offer.

Video: 2018 DE Thomas already a national recruit

I seen his verdict was handed down in court but he was cleared by the University. Any chance he plays? Sits out a year? Ever plays again?