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.

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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:

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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?

2015 is shaping up as a better year on the field than prior years. We expect to win anywhere from 8 to 11 games this year because of the talent level of our team. Frankly, anything is possible with this team because there are many unknowns surrounding it. Here are some of the unknowns.

1. Will our O-line really be better? We have two replacements. I don't count LT because he started there for a year before. Our RT also has some starts but only a partial season. Center is a few plays from brand new.
a. Will everyone stay healthy because if they don't we are hurting badly for back-up?
b. Will our RT make the significant advance in his ability which will be required ? Remember he was sorely lacking last year because he didn't know the slot.
c. Will our center be able to do his job? He's green.
d. Is there enough talent on the line to be able to block for the run or protect for the pass? Last year we struggled to do both even though it did improve when Teller started to play regularly. Still, our line was pretty bad.

2. Will our QB be able to play through the season without getting hurt to the point that he cannot play and will he be able to lead this team to victory?
a. Last year he showed a lot of toughness but it became obvious that he could easily be taken out by the opposition if our line doesn't do a heck of a lot better job this year. He must quit running into unnecessary gang tackles.
b. He must significantly cut down on turnovers due to interceptions and fumbles? There is nothing yet to indicate this will happen or not happen.
c. He must be able to throw the long ball and do it accurately. This has not been shown anywhere from last years experience.
d. He has shown the ability to lead and understand his position.

3. Will our D-line be able to ward off the teams with big running QB's and RB's.
a. Currently our D-line is not very big. Adding Maddy is a tradeoff sizewise. He's very good at his position but his replacement did pretty well. We struggle with teams like BC,Pitt, the U and yes,even WF. Iknow that we also stopped WF but they had no offense.

4. Will our LB'ers be able to perform their jobs?
a. Our LB's are relatively small and that's OK with the spread but once again we struggle with the running teams with big backs.
b. This year we are counting on two new LB's. One is a Sr. and should be OK but the other is the one that has to really show up. He's very green in that he has started only a handful of games. We suffered during those starts. Will he be ready to go? Let's hope.
c. Depth could play an important part here also.

5. Will our KO's still be directed to land on our opponents 5 to 15 yard line?
a. I am not certain that this by accident but if it is our plan we need to relook at it because it gave our opponents way too much good field position. What we did as routine our opponents did as exception.

6. Will our O plays mirror what we called last year?
a. Last year people seemed intent that we should not run JC through the line on third down. We did seem to do this but I'm not certain how often. Actually, if you open a gap he can run anywhere.
b. No-one criticized it but should you continue to run Marshawn parallel to our line trying to go outside or even around the corner? Last year he was stopped behind the line or for little gain on a number of occasions because he is not a scat back and our protection just did not allow him the time to get this done. Why keep trying to do it? He did real well when he got decent blocking running right through the line.
c. Will we learn to plan our games not just by taking our opponent into consideration but also not being so obvious on what we are going to do on so many plays? What was our game plan for WF? Did we look upon them as a pushover and lay down on our job? It does no good for your D to shut down what was already a lousy O if you are not going to have a good O plan that addresses the team you are playing and have your team ready to play.

7.. Will coach Beamer be able to lead our team with a united coaching staff and a team ready to play every game.
a. There have been many occasions over the last years when people have doubted that we were prepared to play. This used to be mainly noticeable when went into a bowl game but lately it has been discussed on other games also. Was JMU one of those? WF?

8. Will our RB's be taught to pick up the blitzes and block them and will the QB get rid of the ball when he needs to?
a. A lot of the time our O-line takes all the heat for sacks but I would personally ask you to go back and review film . The O-line did allow way too many sacks last year but there were quite a number of sacks allows by whiffs or total not addressing of blitzes by others. It also doesn't help if the QB takes too long to unload the ball.

In short, we are asking for a ton of improvements from our team. We have a lot of great talent and I fully believe that our guys will play as hard as they can to be successful. There are a lot of unknowns here but if our coaches are doing everything in their power to bring this team out properly prepared to play every game we have an outside shot at having a very good team.
As to coach Beamer I hope that he can withstand the rigors demanded to do his job .

Another pre-season award watch list released this morning, with Dadi Nicolas and Ken Ekanem named to the Lombardi list: http://bit.ly/1K5nn4l

Who will step up with CJ gone? Can Holland fisher step up this fall and take it over? Wanted to see what everyone thought

I caught up with Rivals100 OT Landon Dickerson yesterday after Florida State's camp. The entry in my recruiting notebook is below and the video interview is linked.

Rivals100 offensive lineman Landon Dickerson made the trip from Hudson (N.C.) South Caldwell to Florida State for the first time and really enjoyed his visit. He spent Wednesday touring the campus, meeting with the academic staff and building a stronger relationship with head coach Jimbo Fisher and offensive line coach Rick Trickett. Florida State will likely get an official visit and Dickerson is in the process of setting it up. Virginia Tech, Tennessee, Michigan, Auburn and South Carolina are Dickerson’s other top schools with Auburn and Michigan having locked in official visits already. Dickerson expressed some interest in possibly taking an official visit to Stanford this season.

VIDEO: FSU makes big impression on Dickerson

is there a list or target board up for the 2016 class? I am probably missing it somewhere on the board.

Guys, I just spoke with Brashear (Pa.) three-star cornerback Therran Coleman (separate INsider coming), but he, Rivals250 safety Damar Hamlin and 2017 Rivals100 safety Paris Ford are all about 80% visiting July 25 for the barbecue. They're likely all bringing their dads and will likely happen, but it's not a sure bet right now.

The other big visitor confirmed is Roswell (Ga.) 2017 Rivals100 CB LeAnthony Williams. He'll be flying up July 24 to stay for the barbecue, then fly out immediately after the barbecue to go to Penn State July 26.

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That's what I'm talking about! This kid will be on the field early and often!

Guys, I just got off the phone earlier with Brashear (Pa.) three-star CB Therran Coleman, whom VT offered about a month ago. The Hokies have some catching up to do, but I can tell you right off the top, they have a chance here.

Coleman didn't have a ton to say about the Hokies, as he said he's only been in contact with assistant coach Torrian Gray for about a week or so. But he's interested, enough that he said it's very likely that he, Rivals250 safety Damar Hamlin and 2017 Rivals100 safety Paris Ford will all be visiting VT July 25 with their dads for the barbecue. Those three players are very tight and it's a very good possibility that wherever one picks, the others will follow. They've taken multiple visits together, so if they do make it to the barbecue, that's a huge deal.

The only visits Coleman has taken so far are to Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Penn State. Pitt will be the one to watch, as he only lives about 10-15 minutes from the school and has been multiple times. Coleman visited West Virginia a few weeks ago and said that he loves the proximity, the atmosphere and a few other aspects with the team.

The one out of the picture, though is Penn State. Apparently that trip didn't go too well. The Nittany Lions didn't offer, so Coleman said of that visit, "It doesn't really count." A plus there for the Hokies.

Coleman said he also wants to visit Notre Dame and Michigan over the next few weeks with Hamlin and Ford. Not sure if all three are going, but Coleman also wants to see Wisconsin, likely July 31. Paul Crist recruited Coleman hard when he was at Pitt, so Coleman wants to go check it out. Coleman said he'll likely make a decision in August, though he'll likely still take official visits and finalize his commitment after those.

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, 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. 12 in SC (VT COMMIT) -- Beamer
CB Troy Pride, Greer (SC), three stars, No. 13 in SC (VT COMMIT) -- Gray

Recent Rivals Stories On VT SC Targets:
OrTre Smith from HokieHaven.com, July 7: http://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1780812
Pride from BlueandGold.com, June 4: https://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1771893

Overview:
The Hokies did get their two commitments early, from Denmark and Pride, but other than that, it's been relatively quiet in the state. There's a few targets in 2017, especially, to watch but Virginia Tech hasn't really bitten.

Pride, though, continues to be one to monitor for a possible decommitment and subsequent flip elsewhere. For now, he remains on board with the Hokies, but he continues to shop himself around. Notre Dame offered early last month, though it's still not clear just how valid that offer is. He also visited Kentucky and Clemson last month, but no offers came. The offers that Pride seemed to be looking towards early on, Georgia, Georgia Tech and Clemson, haven't taken the bait. Remember, the day after committing to Virginia Tech in February, he visited Georgia for a visit, followed by Georgia Tech. Pride is also one of the few who didn't make it to the spring game for a visit, which was concerning. Expect for him to keep looking around, as the Hokies are aware, but unless he has a monster senior season, which could still happen, expect him to stay on board. But he'll make it interesting until the end if he does stay.

Denmark is solid as a rock. He did visit Virginia Tech for the spring game and seemed to really enjoy himself. Denmark made the trip with his mother and other members of his family. Since then, he's primarily been focused on track, where he was again a state champion. Denmark has also said he plans on graduating from high school in December and enrolling this January at VT.

The guy to really watch in the state is 2017 Wando (SC) four-star wide receiver OrTre Smith, No. 61 in the Rivals100, Smith doesn't have that many offers, nine to be exact. He camped with the Hokies two summers ago with a number of his teammates, so he has interest and some familiarity. Smith said assistant coach Zohn Burden has reached out, but there's been nothing serious so far. South Carolina has offered, but he seems very interested to look elsewhere.

The other 2017 player to watch is Lake Marion (SC) four-star safety Davondre Robinson, No. 36 in the Rivals100. We've seen assistant coach Torrian Gray be a bit particular about the type of player he likes and so far, he hasn't seen enough in Robinson to make an offer. But though both in-state powers have offered, Robinson has just eight total, so there's still time for VT to get in if it wants.

Rivals national team analysis:
"I just think it's just a wait and see approach, if Pride's not gonna come to camp. I just don't think Virginia Tech is recruiting that far ahead. That far out of state, they'll probably wait til they can see guys' junior film and then go from there before they hand out more offers. Guys seem to emerge later from that state anyway.

I haven't heard anything new on Pride, but I haven't heard him getting a bunch of new offers, either. He might take other visits, but it's not like he has a hundred new options, either. He's been committed for a while now and hasn't changed his mind yet. We'll see if he gets up to campus for a few visits, unofficially and then we'll maybe see what he might be doing.

We saw OrTre in person at the Charlotte camp and he was good enough to earn an invite to Baltimore, where he was impressive as well. I just think sometimes, it's a situation where people wanna see how fast he is. They wanna see him run, put him on the clock. I don't know how many schools he's gone to and done that. He'll have 25 offers when it's done, it's just a matter of whether they start coming now or after the year. I can't imagine he goes to a program known for producing talent every year, goes until this time next year and doesn't have like 25 offers or so."

-- Rivals.com southeast analyst Woody Wommack

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The latest on Hickory Ridge (NC) OL Will Putnam from our friends at GamecockCentral.com, as Putnam said VT and South Carolina are his top two. It sounds like he's waiting to see if UNC offers, too: http://rvls.co/1N5MNwj

Guys, I mentioned the other day, but I'll be traveling on Friday during our normal chat time, so we'll be going a day early this week, tomorrow (Thursday). And based on voting, we'll go at 12:30 pm ET. I promise we'll still get to a 3 pm chat, just not this week.

But lots going on as you can tell from our INsiders, with Tim Settle getting qualified, Hokies named to watch lists and more visitors confirmed for the July 25 barbecue. Come take advantage of your subscriptions and get answers to your questions! And if you can't make the chat, you can post questions on The Gobbler or email me directly and watch the chat replay.

Hope to see you all tomorrow!

Chat link: http://bit.ly/1gCasu6

Guys, I have to travel on Friday of this week, so our chat will have to be on Thursday. That said, would everyone prefer it to be at 12:30 pm or 3 pm?