Does it matter if the OC routinely runs into the middle of the line on 1'st and 2'nd down and then passes on the third ?

Guys, the full story will be out tomorrow, but I spoke just a few minutes ago with Grady (Ga.) four-star safety Marlon Character, No. 195 in the Rivals250. As most of you saw and even from the tweet I embedded, Character tweeted a top three of VT, South Carolina and Ohio State:
Login to view embedded media Character said he actually plays both ways in school, WR and safety. He actually played mostly receiver in a seven-on-seven today in Atlanta. But he tells coaches who ask that he wants to play defense, because he feels like that's his best chance to get to the NFL and succeed in college. Character also returns punts and kicks.

I had him break down his top three and with VT, he likes the Hokies' track record of sending DBs to the NFL. He also said he feels like "I can be productive there" and he really likes Bud Foster and Torrian Gray. Character still has not visited Blacksburg yet, but here's the best news, he plans to visit for a whole weekend, June 19-21.

South Carolina sounds to be the other one that's right with VT. Character last visited there for the Gamecocks' game against Georgia last fall and plans on visiting again, June 13. This one though is only a one-day visit. Character said, "I can see myself playing there" and likes the overall energy in the program.

Of the three, the darkhorse sounds like Ohio State. Character has not visited there, either, and doesn't have a visit planned. But he likes the coaches and said they've "recruited me hard." Still, with no visit set and not saying a lot on the Buckeyes, it sounds like they're in a clear third.

Character said he doesn't have a date set to commit, but believes he'll be ready after his visits. Still, he said that will likely come in July, as he wants some time to think about his top three and his visits. Right now, it sounds like it's between VT and South Carolina and the upcoming visits will be the deciding factor. For the Hokies to be in this well without him visiting says a lot to where they stand.

Full story coming but 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.

I'm a pork and kraut guy

Just of interest to you guys, Mike Farrell's all-Rivals Camp Series team, featuring a few VT targets: https://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1768851

VT offers early------in hopes of gaining an advantage....recruits jump on it.....not because they are really gung ho for vt......but because its a place to land.......while they are out there seeing what other schools are going to offer that they feel has a bigger program name or conference........meanwhile , VT may have better player at a position (where VT already has filled that position's offers ....that really wants to come on board but can't ) only to see
a Bama, Clemson, OSU rush in at last minute steal our recruit because a rival stole one of theirs.

VT needs for figure out a way to intensify/ fortify / bond an intense obligation to honoring their commitmenst---
I don't know what happens when a player commits........if there are any formal letters that are signed. at the time........ if not, we should formulate a commitment welcoming package formally acknowledging / celebrating/congratulating them/ thanking them for coming on board... documenting the date. the recruiters involved, etc...... a mini -hokie bird statue......i.e. treat them like family, smother them with kindness, documenting their commitment......i.e. make them feel sooooo wanted & obligated to point (within NCAA written limits) that they would feel or come off looking like an crook. if they backed out........
...... We already have one who was "so thankful to VT -thrilled they were offered ---couldn't wait to play for VT in its home game with OSU".........only to be offered by OSU a day or so later......and withdrew his "I'm solid -soooo honored by VT offer" but dumped Vt in a mili-second ---- even if he doesn't play in the OSU game in BBurg....We need to run some sideline plays in his direction on the sideline where he was standing. I doubt he will be in Bburg when OSU comes. I am a firm believer in honoring commitments ---- if you don't ----you aren't worth one breath of the oxygen you breathe.

The NCAA gave them the Letter we all have been waiting on. Bubba said he wasn't releasing the info till a later date. They needed to go over it and see what it covers. Now ain't that a Joke. It covers twenty PLUS Years of cheating Bubba !! In Five Major Sports ...

Guys, this is the fsecond of what will be a regular segment on VT recruiting. I'll be breaking down where VT stands in the states it recruits, plus DC and the northeast, since the Hokies are only up there sporadically.

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.

Most Recent Offers:
None

Top targets:
WR, Sam Denmark, Hanahan (SC), three stars, No. 11 in SC (VT COMMIT) -- Beamer
CB Troy Pride, Greer (SC), three stars (VT COMMIT) -- Gray
OL Drew Wilson, Bamberg-Ehrhardt (SC), three stars -- Beamer, Searels

Recent Rivals Stories On VT SC Targets:
Troy Pride from TigerIllustrated.com, May 23: http://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1768640

Overview:
After getting two early commits from South Carolina in Pride and Denmark, the Hokies have been relatively quiet in the Palmetto state. But there's a little action going on.

Denmark was on hand at Virginia Tech's spring game April 25, but Pride was nowhere to be seen. Of the Hokies' eight commitments, Pride was the only one who didn't plan on being at their spring game. Three-star DB Myles Wolfolk didn't make it, but said the poor weather was the biggest factor. Pride, though, has been shopping around since he committed. A day after his commitment, he was at a junior day at Georgia and also soon saw Georgia Tech. Others have been interested as well, including Clemson, Notre Dame, Michigan State, NC State and Duke. Of the guys committed to VT right now, Pride could stay put, but he's the likeliest to go elsewhere.

Wilson has been rather quiet of late. He did visit the Hokies this spring, but didn't make it to the spring game as he'd planned. Right now, he's waiting around through the summer on more possible offers, but VT has been in to see him during the spring evaluation period, so the interest is there.

The player the Hokies should get in on is Wando (SC) 2017 four-star wide receiver OrTre Smith. He dominated at the Charlotte stop of the Rivals Camp Series presented by Under Armour, catching everything thrown near him and earning WR MVP. Smith only has nine offers right now, but that won't be the case for long. Smith should be a top 250 player who will command at least 20 offers, so for now, it's still relatively early.

Rivals national team analysis:
"I mean, as you go in and get two commits...I was actually looking at the state rankings the other day and Virginia Tech has just as much of a presence as South Carolina does right now. It remains to be seen how that will shake out. A lot of the players in South Carolina have been off the radar this spring, which is kind of disappointing.

I think VT is in a good spot with Pride and Denmark. I think they're in a better spot with Denmark. He seems more solid than the DB. Pride is gonna look around, he's gonna camp places and he's probably gonna run, test really well at schools that are hand-timing, because he's really fast. I'd put him in the 'maybe' pile because he likes to look around. But to have two commits from a state in the southeast, even South Carolina, they don't produce many players each year, but the guys they do produce see success. VT targeted two guys it likes, they got 'em and you can't complain about that."

-- Rivals.com southeast analyst Woody Wommack

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This from our friend Paul Strelow at TigerIllustrated.com, our Clemson site. Three-star cornerback commit Troy Pride is still being pursued by a few schools, including Clemson. If you'll remember, he's also the only one of the Hokies' eight current commitments who hadn't planned on being at VT's spring game. Myles Wolfolk didn't make it because of the weather, but had originally intended to.

Pride story: http://rvls.co/1dqLAV0

Guys, you got a first look at where VT stood with safety Marlon Character, No. 195 in the Rivals250, in our Location: VT on Georgia yesterday. Today, he tweeted out his top three:

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Guys, this is the first of what will be a regular segment on VT recruiting. I've alluded to a series coming. This is it. I'll be breaking down where VT stands in the states it recruits, plus DC and the northeast, since the Hokies are only up there sporadically.

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:
OL Andrew Thomas, Pace Academy (Ga.), 2017, three stars -- Searels
OL Patrick Kearns, Darlington (Ga.), 2016, two stars -- Searels
QB Trevor Lawrence, Cartersville (Ga.) 2018 -- Loeffler
LB Robert Beal, Norcross (Ga.), 2017, four stars -- Gray

Top targets:
Safety Marlon Character, Grady (Ga.), 2016, four stars, No. 195 in Rivals250 -- Gray
LB Tyrone Hopper, Roswell (Ga.), 2016, four stars, No. 47 OLB, No. 53 in GA -- Gray
LB Emmanuel Belmar, Collins Hill (Ga.), 2016, three stars -- Gray

Recent Rivals Stories On VT GA Targets:
Marlon Character from GamecockCentral.com, May 16: http://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1766086
Andrew Thomas from HokieHaven.com, May 21: http://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1768123
Andrew Thomas from TheWolverine.com, May 23: http://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1767929
Robert Beal from UGASports.com, May 10: http://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1764940
LeAnthony Williams from TheWolverine.com, May 15: http://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1766588
Trevor Lawrence from TigerBait.com, May 15: http://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1765316

Overview:
The Hokies have some big offers out in Georgia, most notably to five-star defensive tackle Derrick Brown, five-star athlete Demetris Robertson, Rivals100 athlete Mecole Hardman and Rivals100 linebacker Tre Lamar. But they're not really in the mix with any of that group as they've all turned their attention elsewhere.

The guy to really watch here is Rivals250 safety Marlon Character from Grady (Ga.). Virginia Tech usually always has a chance with any big-time defensive back and that's definitely the case here. Character, No. 195 in the Rivals250, told HokieHaven.com in early April that he had a top five of VT, Ole Miss, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. He'd planned to visit for the Hokies' spring game, but wasn't able to make it. Still, he remains the top safety target and assistant coaches Torrian Gray and Stacy Searels visited him a few weeks ago. They remain in constant contact. Still, VT needs him to visit soon to have a good chance here, but right now, they're firmly in the mix.

One of the recruits who looked most likely to commit was Belmar, who did make it for the Hokies' spring game. Going into that weekend, he was thought to be the favorite to commit. But the weekend came and went without any decision and while Virginia Tech is still the leader for now, he continues to look around. Interest continues to come from elsewhere, though no big-timers have gotten involved. Middle Tennessee, Memphis and Old Dominion are his most recent offers.

Hopper also looked to be closing in with the Hokies earlier in the spring, as he made multiple visits to Blacksburg. But Tennessee is now the biggest contender, with Virginia Tech still hanging in right at the top. Another recruit who needs to return this summer for the Hokies to feel good about.

Georgia is certainly a state that Virginia Tech is getting into more, especially with Searels' connections. Right now, though, it's still too early to say whether the Hokies have made much progress on their new offers. Lawrence is a likely future five-star player, though and a good player to get in relatively early with.

Rivals national team analysis:
"It seems like they're in a relatively good spot with Character. I know we heard a lot about them initially and then not so much. It looked like he was gonna go to Georgia, but I just don't think he and Georgia are gonna happen. Some of the guys they've taken, they just took Chad Clay, so that opens the door for Virginia Tech and Character seems to like 'em. He's kinda been off the radar this spring because he's been hurt, but I have a feeling there will be some big events and he'll be back on the map. I like their position with him.

I haven't heard much from Hopper lately, but if they can get Character, I would consider that a huge get. I really like him as a player. I like him better than some of the other guys that even the SEC schools are getting. To be in the mix with him and hanging around there, he's in an influential group of younger players as well. If he were to go up there, I think that would help them not only now, but down the road with some younger guys."

-- Rivals.com southeast analyst Woody Wommack

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• This contest is for zero cash and 2 pts in the grand prize running.
• Open to all rivals posters with a minimum of 50 forum comments.
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CONTEST:

The Greatest Play In VT History

Using between 30-50 words, give your description of what was the greatest VT football play ever. Here's the catch though; you cannot use the letters "t" and "e" anywhere in your description. Greatness of the actual play will be a factor in judging but not the only one. Comedic overtone, and how you work around the lack of "t" and "e" dilemma with humor in your description without sacrificing spelling will be highly valued when judging.

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If you have questions, email or message Sunny. Good luck and may Babcock be with you.

In the video linked below WR Divine Deablo names a top five of NC State, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolin and Virginia Tech. He says NC State has really caught his eye. Deablo has been trying to build relationships with Louisville and West Virginia also. He hopes to visit all 7 schools before committing around the beginning of the season. He is an early graduate so he isn't sure about taking official visits.

http://rvls.co/1PC0rN8

I caught up with 2017 4-star WR JT Cauthen the other day. He is picking up a lot of offers and Virginia Tech was one of his most recent. Cauthen is also very interested in Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Clemson. He will visit Georgia, Michigan, Virginia Tech and a few others this summer.

https://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1768739

Guys, it was missed largely last night, but three-star QB Anthony Brown committed to Boston College. I was definitely wrong on this one and I'll admit it. He gave me a top four of VT, BC, Northwestern and Syracuse, but it sounded to me like Syracuse is where he was leaning to. He spoke more about the Orange than anyone else. Here's the story from our BC site: https://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1768634

Guys, our podcast for this week is up and running. Our final weekly one before fall camp starts in August. We'll have one in June and one in July: http://rvls.co/1KpqELu

In the video linked below 2017 WR Ryan Jones talks about his new Tennessee offer as well as his interest in Clemson and Virginia Tech. He is also planning a visit to Georgia this summer.

Video: 2017 WR Jones talks Vols offer, summer plans

Guys, story from Adam Friedman on the Hokies making the cut, as Josh Ball has trimmed the number of schools still in play: http://rvls.co/1KpDFVp

WR Ian Boyd is trying to figure out if he will pursue a career in basketball or football. In the video linked below Boyd breaks down his options and talks about his offer from Virginia Tech.

Video: WR Boyd weighing his options

Four-star Florida State commit Josh Brown committed to the Noles back in September and he has taken a handful of visit since then. Oregon, Alabama, Virginia Tech and Tennessee along with Florida State have hosted Brown over the past couple months. In the video below he talks about all of those visits and says he wants to visit Georgia and Florida. Brown will take all of his official visits and says he will use one to go to the FSU/Miami game.

Video: 4-star FSU commit Brown talks recent & upcoming visits

Guys, not sure if any of you saw the tweet, but it definitely took me by surprise when this was tweeted tonight about three-star VT DT signee Eric Whitehead:

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I just talked to Whitehead on the phone and he said it's not true. As of right now, he's NOT going to Nassau CC (NY) and is still set to join VT this summer.

BUT...and this is a big but, he has to get the right test score. Right now, Whitehead said the Hokies staff has told him he has a good enough GPA. But he still needs to get the right test score.

Whitehead told me he's taken the ACT twice and the SAT once and will take both again when the final days to take them are, June 6 for the SAT and June 13 for the ACT. He's set to graduate from high school June 9.

"I'm to the point where if I don’t make it, I wont be mad," Whitehead told me. "I don’t wanna stress myself out about it."

Basically, VT has set it up for Whitehead to go to Nassau CC if he doesn't get the test scores needed. If he does, he'll be good to go. Whitehead said he wasn't mad, but a little annoyed that Nassau CC would tweet out the info when it wasn't set just yet.

So basically, this is the same situation as big Rivals250 DT Tim Settle. Their fates will come down to the tests and them receiving their scores.

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.

2017 LB Justin Foster is one of the best OLBs in his class. In the video linked below he talks about his offers from Clemson, Virginia, Wake Forest, North Carolina, Duke, N.C. State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and Vanderbilt. He has already taken a lot of visits and is planning more to schools like Georgia, Florida State, Alabama, Florida and some others. Foster said he will camp at Georgia and Alabama.

Video: 2017 LB Foster headed for stardom

We are in the doldrums.

I read this article and got to thinking, we really do have some hard hitters on this defense this year. It's going to be a fun season.

Guys, I just spoke earlier with St John Vianney (NJ) three-star QB Anthony Brown, whom VT offered two and a half weeks ago. The big news is that Brown now has a top four.

Previously, Brown had a top five that consisted of Wake Forest, Syracuse, Boston College, Northwestern and Temple. But some new offers, the biggest from VT May 4, changed that.

Brown told me tonight he now has a top four of VT, Boston College, Northwestern and Syracuse. His most recent offers were from VT, BC, UCONN and Navy.

As far as the Hokies go, Brown said he still hasn't visited. VT is the only one of the top four he hasn't seen. But Brown said he loves offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler and that he has coaches who went to VT and his QBs coach gave the thumbs up on Loeffler.

Right now, the top two sound like VT and Syracuse. Brown said he wants to visit Blacksburg literally as soon as he can. Could happen tomorrow or this weekend, even, but nothing set yet. Brown also told me his next step is committing, which could happen "in the next week and a half to a couple of days." If Brown does get to VT, there's a chance he commits on the spot. He has former teammates and friends at Syracuse, though, who he said have been "really influencing me to commit."

This is one to big time keep an eye on as something could happen any time now.

Full story coming, but 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.

Guys, it's been a while since we've done one of these, but I'm proud to announce we've got another one coming! Wanted to give you all plenty of heads up. Post your questions in this thread and next Wednesday, May 20, our own, former Hokies DT Antoine Hopkins will be answering your questions! Keep em PG-rated and appropriate, but Antoine will be answering what you guys can throw his way!