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In-State Recruiting

Including this year's class, we have 20 Rival's four star recruits in the program from the state of Virginia. I don't have access to the historical data that would translate that raw number into what percentage it represents of how many in-state four star kids were actually AVAILABLE over the past 5 years. Going off of memory alone, at least 8 were considered Top 5 in Virginia.

why the difference in various ACC recruiting classes ?

- Some programs believe recruiting is THE MOST IMPORTANT SEASON----- the be all/ end all in terms of a programs win/loss record & status. Aggressive recruiting of the best will determine who finishes near or at the top.... year in year out...
i.e. you want the best-- you gotta get the best.

You must be aggressively competitive in all facets. If you do so,...you'll be near the top.

Outside an exclusive few name coaches (you can count on one hand)... D-1 (on the field coaching) is overrated.......we've all seen big name coaches (some come out of retirement or are lured elsewhere to ...and having been hired on past reputation to rebuild a program-- only to yield mediocre results. Facilities also play a role.. Most legit D-! programs have good coaching.

Great coaches have a head turning presence or persona that demands the attention of recruits, administrators, alums, & fans...rachetting up the intensity & CREATING excitement level in a program. The have the power to push for better facilities, weight rooms, unis,etc You have look successful to be successful..have a little charisma..in all facets and at all times....at least when out in public.....and always with recruits.

ANYTHING LESS..will.yield less and heads towards mediocrity .

Syracuse Basketball Ban

I laughed when I read Syracuse has imposed a self ban from any tourney play this season for infractions from long ago.....the school appeared before the NCAA in October but decided today to self impose.....they are struggling to make NCAA tourney so I guess it's a great time to slap yourself on the wrist. A joke if you ask me, bet money they wouldn't have pulled this crap if they were playing well.

Marcus Lewis Commitment

The news that Marcus Lewis chose a different school today is not surprising. If his future is guided by the uncertainly of his past, Florida State will have a hard time keeping him settled long enough to play football. One thing I have always admired about Frank Beamer is that athletes truly want to come to Tech, they are generally ALL-IN. I would be surprised to see Mr. Lewis playing football in a couple years.

Check this article out. If true its so disappointing and disturbing...

This is the part that gets me...



Virginia Tech may have flipped the younger Toliver's commitment with a simple, "Hello." Even Toliver's father admits that he honestly thought his son would end up at Virginia Tech.

Then came the official visit this past fall. Virginia Tech's defensive backs coach never introduced himself or spoke to the recruit's mother, Stephanie Toliver, until the third day of a three-day visit, the elder Toliver said.

During a Sunday meeting with defensive coordinator Bud Foster, Stephanie Toliver called out secondary coach Torrian Gray, who also was in the room.

I've been here all weekend, and I haven't met you,' " Stephanie told the coach, Toliver said. "He apologized. You should have seen the look on Bud Foster's face. He nearly fell out."

On the drive back from Blacksburg, Stephanie Toliver told her son that she couldn't "swallow" being ignored for two days by the guy who would be coaching her son's position.

Kevin Toliver's official visit...

Basketball Heartbreaker

Have to say that lost in all the signing day action on the board, I am very happy with the job Buzz is doing. We have a depleted, young roster. While we've lost a number of heartbreakers this year has been much better than I expected. Buzz has the kids playing above their experience and this can only be a good sign for 2016. Great hire by Whit.

***Zach Hoyt Explains VT Commit***

As some of you might have seen on our blitz chat earlier, VT leaked the news of Zach Hoyt's commitment a little too soon, but I was still on hand for his ceremony, to get video on him and why he chose VT.

It's been a long ordeal the past few days for Hoyt, who was stranded in Phoenix until last night and returned home only to have to go to the hospital and be there until 4 AM.

Here's the full story/video on Hoyt:

Hoyt talks Hokies

***INsider: Zach Hoyt Update***

Guys, just a heads up that as of now, the only recruit that VT will be waiting on tomorrow is Salem (Va.) two-star OL Zach Hoyt. He's not responded to my calls and texts, but I've been in touch with a few sources close to him.

Hoyt last week said he thought he would decide before signing day. But with that being tomorrow, it appears that Hoyt will wait until then. He'll decide between VT, Pittsburgh, where he officially visited Jan. 23 and BYU, where he officially visited this past weekend.

Hoyt and his teammate, two-star ATH Coleman Fox, will be holding a ceremony at noon tomorrow. I'll be there for full coverage.

Right now, it appears that Hoyt is a heavy lean for the Hokies, but the other two are still very much in play.

Also as a heads up, I had planned on being at the Blacksburg Sports Club tomorrow to try to get an update on all the facilities from associate AD Tom Gabbard, but I'll try to see if I can't get Gabbard one on one sometime instead.

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.[/B]

Zach Hoyt profile

***INsider: When To Expect LOIs***

Guys, there's still a few who are ironing out details, of which we'll add that info when available. But here is the info on when VT commitments are holding ceremonies and when they've said they'll be faxing their letters of intent, if that differs. In total, the Hokies are expecting 16 letters of intent, though it could be 17 if OL Zach Hoyt follows through as expected, with VT. All times eastern:

7 AM- DT Tim Settle, Stonewall Jackson (Va.), four stars-- It looks like the first received letter of intent of the day should come from Settle. He's said he's not sure if a ceremony will take place, but it would be something small. He plans on faxing in his letter of intent at this time.

Safety Jahque Alleyne, Ocean Lakes (Va.), four stars -- Alleyne plans on sending in his letter of intent at this time. He told me he wasn't sure what time his ceremony with his teammates would be.

8 AM- DE Darius Fullwood, Good Counsel (Md.), four stars-- holding ceremony with teammates, who are all signing their letters of intent. Will fax his to VT staff after the ceremony.

9 AM- RB Deshawn McClease, Oscar Smith (Va.), four stars-- holding ceremony with his teammates, all signing their letters of intent at same time. Will fax this actual letter of intent following ceremony.

9 AM- DT Harry Lewis, Phoebus (Va.) three stars-- will be sending his letter of intent to VT at this time. Holding ceremony at school auditorium at 3 pm.

DT Adonis Williamson, Arsenal Tech (Ind.), both three stars-- Whitehead has said neither are planning anything big for tomorrow, but both should be sending in their letters around this time to the VT staff.

NOON- DE Houshun Gaines, (Nash Central (NC), three stars-- holding small ceremony at his school at this time. Will also be signing actual letter of intent and send to coaches following ceremony.

CB DuWayne Johnson, Woodson (DC), three stars -- Not doing a ceremony, but will meet with local media at this time to talk about his signing. Will likely fax letter of intent before this time, though.

ATH Zach Hoyt, Salem (Va.) both two stars -- Fox has been solid with VT since October, but Hoyt will decide between the Hokies, Pittsburgh and BYU. HokieHaven.com will be on hand for full coverage.

1 PM- QB Dwayne Lawson, Hillsborough (Fla.), four stars-- holding ceremony at his school in the auditorium in which he also will sign his actual letter of intent and send to coaches following ceremony.

2:30 PM- OL Mike Arnold, Winter Haven (Fla.), three stars-- will be signing letter of intent at his school, which is expected to be televised locally by Brighthouse Network. Will send letter to VT staff after ceremony.

3 PM- OL D'Andre Plantin, Norcross (Ga.), three stars-- holding ceremony at his school theater, but said he will send his actual letter of intent to VT coaches before the ceremony.

4 PM- Virginia Tech will hold a press conference to announce all of its 2015 signees and talk about each player, as well as any other recruiting questions/topics.

4:30 PM- LB Tremaine Edmunds, Dan River (Va.), four stars-- will be holding ceremony at his school at this time, but has said he will fax in actual letter of intent to VT staff sometime in the morning. No specified time.









This post was edited on 2/3 12:56 PM by Jason Stamm

This post was edited on 2/3 6:07 PM by Jason Stamm

This post was edited on 2/3 6:48 PM by Jason Stamm

This post was edited on 2/3 10:53 PM by Jason Stamm

2015 Class Finish

Guys, just wanted to shed some light on VT finishing the class. Right now, it sounds like there won't be any waiting around on signing day. Really, there's just one addition left.

I spoke to my VT staff sources, who told me they were disappointed in losing three-star OL Fred Johnson to Florida last night. But they also told me they viewed him as a 'bonus' to the class. And that even without him, the VT staff feels fine about where it is with everyone. But I can tell you for a fact that the VT staff will reach out to him tomorrow and Tuesday to try one more time to pull him back to the Hokies. Those odds looking increasingly slim, though.

Basically, the only one still left on the board is two-star OL Zach Hoyt. I text him earlier before he boarded his flight from Utah and he told me he enjoyed his official visit to BYU this weekend. He's set to decide over the next few days between VT, Pittsburgh and BYU. Although he officially visited Pittsburgh last weekend and said he "fell in love" with Pitt on his visit, he's expected to pick the Hokies.

Hoyt has long said, including last week, that VT was the school he's been waiting on. Right now, that's a full offer, but it depends on how guys who are borderline in qualifying, like Eric Whitehead and Tim Settle, do in qualifying, which we'll know at the end of the semester. If both qualify, Hoyt would likely be a grayshirt. And he's an interior guy, who will likely play guard or center. He's also said he plans on deciding before signing day, so likely over the next few days.

Aside from Johnson, the last few guys the Hokies were waiting on were Rivals250 RB Bryce Love and three-star LB Victor Alexander. Love committed to Stanford on Friday, while Alexander chose Georgia Tech yesterday, flipping from UCLA. There's always some walk-ons that VT will look at and probably add one or two, but barring something hugely unforeseen, the 2015 class is pretty well wrapped up for the Hokies. And just a few days from signing day, that's a very good thing to not be worrying about.

Now, we're just waiting on confirmation of the VT commitment of three-star DE/LB Houshun Gaines, who said last week he would be thinking over the Hokies and Vanderbilt. The VT staff believes he's solid with the Hokies, but he hasn't said anything about it yet.

And I know a few of you have worried about three-star OL Mike Arnold. Yes, he did get an LSU offer last week. But no, he did not visit there over the weekend and has said he's solid to VT. We'll be catching up with him, though, to get it straight from him.

More
info coming when it's available, 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.
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