Guys, I spoke a little while ago with 2017 Dr Phillips (Fla.) five-star OL Calvin Ashley. VT just offered today, becoming his 24th offer.

Ashley said that while he's listed at 6'7" and 270 pounds, he's actually at 6'8" and 311 pounds. He told me that's the result of a lot of protein, like pork and pasta.

Assistant coach Stacy Searels visited Ashley this morning and made the offer to his coach, who relayed the news. Ashley didn't have a ton to say about VT as coaches can't contact him right now, but Ashley said he wants to find out more.

The other most recent offer for Ashley came two weeks ago when Alabama and Lane Kiffin offered. But the school to watch as the presumptive favorite here is Auburn. That's the only place he's visited this year, for the spring game and he spent the weekend there. He also is going back May 30 for the Big Cat camp. Without me even asking, though, the only other school he said he might visit this summer is VT, though no date set.

Hard to get much of a read past that he really likes Auburn, but if he does visit VT, that'll be the true indicator.

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 will be on our front page in a bit, but here's the full results of everyone who competed Sunday at the DC stop of the Rivals Camp Series presented by Under Armour. Remember, all the times are laser timed and are as accurate as is possible. The equipment and crew who operated it was the exact same as the NFL Combine the past few years, as Under Armour is also the NFL Combine sponsor. I think these times were a bit eye-opening for a lot of kids and parents who had run low numbers by hand time:

http://bit.ly/1HbUzmp

Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Michigan, UGA, Clemson, Ole Miss, Virginia, Penn State, N.C. State, Wake Forest, Maryland and Miami have offered big time WR Grant Holloway but the Volunteers, Seminoles, Bulldogs and Hokies have caught his eye. He is planning visits to Florida, Florida State, Clemson and Georgia. Offers from Florida, Florida State, Oregon or Alabama could be game-changers for Holloway.

Holloway has a chance to be a big time track athlete as well and he isn't considering any school that says he can't do track and football in college. He admitted that, out of all the schools he is considering right now, Tennessee has the edge when it comes to track. He does not have a leader yet on the football side.

Video: Holloway planning visits

Rivals250 LB Jaquan Yulee will be announcing his commitment on June 4 at 6:30pm at his school. His finalists are Alabama, Florida State, UNC, Michigan State and Virginia Tech. He is scheduled to visit Alabama at the end of the month, his only visit between now and his commitment date.

Three-stars now but for sure four stars when the next rankings come out, here's my story/interview with Grant Holloway at the Rivals Combine. Great kid and will be a huge gamechanger wherever he ends up: http://rvls.co/1IulrkS

Another big-time offer went out today from VT, to Dr Phillips (Fla.) five-star OT Calvin Ashley, who will be playing in the Under Armour All-American game: http://sports.yahoo.com/virginiatech/football/recruiting/player-162777

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Overall record despite controversial "stupid hand holding rule" which allowed UNCheat to get controversial win
putting VT bid in question....evidently record & history good enough for Lady Hokies to get bid..... missed the first half of announcement...so really didn't catch the brackets .....just saw vt' listed as being in
....


now looking /hopeing VT sweep of UVA in baseball and UVa's unbelievably poor record will put hokies in and see the unbelievable poor Hoo record.....on the outside looking in.......

Check out my weekly baseball recap. Not a lot going on last week for VT baseball as they played just one game, but this three game set that starts Thursday is huge. They're in position to qualify for the ACC Tournament right now but need to take at least 1 probably to lock it down.

Mike Farrell tweeted not long ago, but VT has offered two 2017 big-timers from New Jersey:

OC Cesar Ruiz, Camden (NJ), four stars
DT Fred Hansard, Hun School (NJ), four stars

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overall momentum.?...... what do you expect in terms of regular season win -loss record with the following schedule?

Guys, I'm posted up at a McDonald's out in Masassas, but on my way back from the Rivals Combine presented by Under Armour, today out at St John's College HS in DC. Over 700 recruits took part in testing drills, like the 40 yd dash, three-con drill, agility shuttle drill, vertical jump, broad jump and others.

*First off, the cool thing about the whole day is that all the drills were worked by the same Under Armour crew that also has worked the NFL Combine the past few years. Everything was electronically timed, from start to finish. So this is as accurate as you're gonna get, numbers-wise. There's no hand timing or partial electronic timing as a lot of others, including some of our competitors do.

**A few VT guys who had signed up, did not show, the biggest one being four-star OL Josh Ball and three-star OL Zach Adams. But there were still quite a few on hand, most notably a lot of 2018 guys who you'll be seeing a lot of over the next few years.

***The talk of the whole combine though was the performance of Grassfield (Va.) three-star ATH Grant Holloway. We've talked plenty on how good of a track athlete he is, a national champion at the New Balance nationals earlier this year who will be competing in July at the Pan-Am Games. But Holloway really put that speed on display today. He ran a 4.43 40-yard dash, the fastest time at any of Rivals' 11 combines this year, all across the country. Holloway also had a 33-inch vertical and a 7.28-second three-cone drill. Unreal times.

****Recruiting wise, Holloway said the next step is a top 15 that he'll release in the next month or so. He said he talks quite a bit with assistant coaches Zohn Burden and Bryan Stinespring and is very aware of what JC Coleman and the Hokies did in track this year. He also mentioned Demitri Knowles. Holloway also likes Florida State a lot, but the school to beat here is Tennessee. Holloway loves what Justin Hunter did there, in track and football and that's appealed to him a ton. Those are the top three right now, though, VT, Tennessee and FSU.

*****Holloway's younger teammate, 2017 OL Seth Harrell, was also very impressive. Harrell is just getting going and doesn't have any offers yet, but has a great frame as a college guard. It's only a matter of time here, before he starts bringing in a number of offers. His dad played tight end for NC State in the 1980s and the only three schools he's been to so far are VT, Virginia and NC State. The VT visit was for camp last summer and he plans on being back for one of the Hokies' camps this summer.

******I also like the makeup of 2018 Gilman (Md.) DL Evan Gregory. Very big kid, at 6'3" and 1/2 and about 245 pounds. Not a lot of interest yet, but he has been to Penn State. He said he wants to get to Maryland soon and mentioned talking a lot with his teammate, four-star DT Ellison Jordan, about the Hokies. He told me, "Ellison talks about them all the time." No plans on any visits to VT, though. But very early. Especially if Jordan does pick the Hokies, watch this one very closely.

*******I saw Northwest Guilford (NC) LB/safety Zach Welch again and he again looked solid. The biggest thing with him isn't his performance, though, it's his size. He has the unfortunate distinction of being a 'tweener. In between the size most big-time college coaches look for at linebacker and safety. The kid plays hard, though and will be a big get for someone. He was at VT April 25 for the spring game and loved the visit. He'll be back for camp this summer and the coaches told him they want to see him in one-on-ones in coverage. He's hearing from NC State, Wake Forest, Furman and Elon right now, too, but badly wants that VT offer. We'll just have to wait and see at camp if he gets it.

*********2018 QB DaeJuan Ellis from Bishop O'Connell (Va.) is also another kid to watch. He put up the second-fastest 40 time at the combine, at 4.5. Moves well and is certainly one to watch. Doesn't sound like much interest in VT right now, but he'll likely be one of the top QBs in the region for his class. Plenty of time for VT to get involved.

**********The other kid I really liked was Glenelg (Md.) 2017 OL Dakota Davis. Another kid with a very good frame who also moves well and should start getting some interest very soon. Familiar a little with VT, but one I'll be surprised if the Hokies don't at least get more in contact with.

More videos, stories, photos 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, I caught up earlier with Paramus Catholic (NJ) 2017 DT Corey Bolds, whom VT offered last week. Bolds isn't ranked yet, but will likely be a four-star kid when those rankings are released and is up to seven offers.

This spring, Bolds visited VT, Ohio State and Michigan. He went to VT the weekend after signing day in February for junior day and was in the convoy that included five-star DT Rashan Gary and other teammates. That's been the lone time Bolds has been to Blacksburg.

On that trip, Bolds said he caught up with and roomed with his former teammate, Billy Ray Mitchell, who redshirted this past fall for the Hokies. Bolds said he also walked around campus and got one-on-one time with assistant coach Charley Wiles.

Bolds said he hasn't spoken to Wiles since, but keeps up with assistant coach Cornell Brown at least once a week. He called Brown "really cool" and said because of their relationship, he was more expecting the offer than surprised by it.

It's still very early but the one school Bolds seemed to be big on was Rutgers, where he visited last week. Bolds said he likes the proximity, the family atmosphere and that "I don’t have to go far to play big-time football." But unlike a lot of Jersey guys, he's only been there a couple of times. Coming up this summer, Bolds said he hopes to see Alabama, Ole Miss, LSU and Clemson. This one's just really getting started as far as recruiting, so for VT to get him down and stay in contact, that's a very good thing. No cutdowns or anything in sight.

And I'll be honest, I didn't realize Justin Rowland from the KY Rivals site talked to him before I did and posted the story after Bolds and I talked. But I don't get a sense that Kentucky is any real factor at all right 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, I'll be in Washington, DC this weekend for the stop of the Rivals Combine Series presented by Under Armour. The combine gets going at 7:45 AM Sunday at St John's College HS and will consist of two waves of kids, about 1,200 in total, who will go through the same testing that is done at the NFL Combine, plus a few other areas.

These are the kinds of events where you really see kids who might have otherwise been overlooked. And those are exactly the types of kids VT goes after. But I'm also looking for underclassmen, like the 2017 and 2018 classes, guys who might just be getting started with their recruitments.

I'll be posting photos, videos, video interviews and INsiders on how VT guys perform. Here are the guys to keep an eye on, who have registered to participate:

OL Josh Ball, Stafford (Va.), four stars, No. 24 OT, No. 9 in VA --- Searels
WR Grant Holloway, Grassfield (Va.), three stars, No. 23 in VA --- Stinespring
Safety Keyvone Bruton, Lake Taylor (Va.), three stars, No. 29 in VA -- Stinespring
OL Zach Adams, Riverbend (Va.), three stars (NO OFFER) -- Searels
ATH Jake Funk, Damascus (Md.) two stars (NO OFFER) -- Burden
CB Taurus Carroll, Hylton (Va.) (NO OFFER) -- Foster
LB Zach Welch, Reidsville (NC) (NO OFFER) -- Wiles
WR Noah Boone, Landstown (Va.) two stars (NO OFFER) -- Burden
LB Kumonde Hines, LC Bird (Va.) (NO OFFER)-- James Madison Commit-- Beamer
TE Deandre Christopher, Caroline (Va.) (NO OFFER) -- Beamer
RB DeWayne Murray, Steel Valley (Pa.) (2017) (NO OFFER) -- Loeffler
RB PK Kier, Millbrook (Va.) (2017) (NO OFFER) -- Gray
DE Garrett Groulx, Davidson Day (NC) (2017) (NO OFFER) -- Beamer
ATH Brelin Faison-Walden, Grimsley (NC) (2017) (NO OFFER) -- Wiles
WR Kris Leach, Liberty (Va.) (2017) -- Foster
OL Pierce Banbury, Oakton (Va.) (2017) (NO OFFER) -- Searels
QB DeJuan Ellis, Bishop O'Connell (Va.) (2018) (NO OFFER) -- Gray
DT Reggie Jones, Hopewell (Va.) (2018) (NO OFFER) -- Beamer

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 came out a bit earlier, but here's the story from the Carolina Panthers' website, that Detrick Bonner is one of those trying out today:

http://www.panthers.com/news/articl...minicamp/6717782c-88fb-4a1f-9245-c5a0769658f5

Wonder if he's connected to coach Searels? Would be very nice catch if we could land him..

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...-star-ol-darius-james-transferring-from-texas

Guys, press release from VT this morning. Basically, 56 courtside seats are being added that could generate over a quarter of a million dollars annually for VT. Good idea, as not having the ability have suites really limits what you can do to have premium seating.

From VT:
The Virginia Tech Department of Athletics unveiled plans for “Courtside at Cassell” on Friday. This exclusive opportunity to enjoy premium courtside seating at Cassell Coliseum will be available in time for the 2015-16 basketball season. Construction is set to begin this summer and be completed by October.

“We are thrilled to further enhance our fan experience at Cassell Coliseum,” Tech Director of Athletics Whit Babcock said. “Courtside at Cassell should only strengthen the home-court advantage our teams already enjoy, while providing some of our most passionate Hokies’ fans an improved perspective from the best seats in the house. The revenue we generate from this initiative will help to offset some of the escalating student-athlete scholarship costs and new Cost-of-Attendance measures recently adopted by the NCAA.”

“Courtside at Cassell” will consist of approximately 14 brand new four-seat tables which will line the court across from the team benches and along the baseline. Each four-seat table will consist of upgraded luxury seats and will be priced at $20,000 for the men’s basketball season plus the cost of season tickets. A significant portion of the investment is tax deductible and adds to donors’ Hokie Club point priority totals.

Members of the media who previously occupied these courtside seat locations will be relocated above the team tunnel in sections 16, 17 and 18 to a newly constructed and expanded area. The ADA wheelchair-accessible seating area will also be relocated from the baseline area to above the team tunnel with convenient access to concourse level amenities. The number of ADA accessible seating locations will more than double as a result of this renovation. Radio and TV media will remain on the floor.

Any season ticket holders impacted by the construction or relocation of the media and ADA seating expansion will be contacted by the Virginia Tech ticket office and offered the option of comparable season ticket locations free of charge for the 2015-16 season as a result of this potential inconvenience. Approximately 70 season ticket holder accounts in sections 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 will be impacted. No other sections of the coliseum will be impacted.

“Courtside at Cassell” patrons will receive in-seat concierge service featuring complimentary menu items. Other amenities will include reserved VIP parking, a private entrance to the arena, select ACCgame Chalk Talks with coaching staff, complimentary pre-game Bowman Room access, as well as invitations to other exclusive events and functions.

Space is extremely limited, so Hokie Club members are encouraged to express their intent or desire to purchase as soon as possible. Interested parties should contact the Hokie Club at 540-231-6618 or email hokieclub@vt.edu to express your intent or to receive additional information.

Availability and priority in the ordering and selection process will be based on the Hokie Club point priority ranking.

The new seating plan will affect all sports in Cassell Coliseum. Additional information will follow regarding opportunities for purchase for women’s basketball season as well as courtside use for volleyball and wrestling.

Hi guys.

I am considering a road trip this fall to Blacksburg with some friends. Are there any suggestions you would have on must see places/eats?

Thanks.

As tweeted out by the recruit himself, VT has offered Seton La Salle (Pa.) 2017 Rivals100 ATH Paris Ford. Offered by Scot Loeffler.

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Rivals250 LB Jaquan Yulee was one of the players featured in my recruiting notebook today.
Here's the link to the story: VA Recruiting Notebook
Here's the video interview I did with him: Big visit coming for R250 LB Yulee
Here's the section specifically about Yulee:

Yulee claims no top five despite reports of having one. The Rivals250 linebacker says North Carolina, Alabama, Virginia Tech, Michigan and Michigan State are the teams most involved, but Miami, Virginia and Temple are still in the mix. Yulee wants to name a short list in July, after he has taken some additional visits. He plans on visiting Alabama at the end of the month with his father and grandmother. Yulee's grandmother's opinion carries a lot of weight and any school will need her stamp of approval before they are a serious contender. Yulee would not rule out the possibility of committing to Alabama during the visit if she likes it. He is also planning on visiting Virginia Tech on June 20.

2017 Rivals100 ATH Eric Crosby was one of the players featured in my recruiting notebook today.
Here's the link to the story: VA Recruiting Notebook
Here's the video interview I did with him: More offers for 2017 R100 Crosby
Here's the section specifically about Crosby:

Alabama, Miami and Clemson are the most recent offers for the Rivals100 athlete. Florida State, Ole Miss, Ohio State, Tennessee and many other big-time programs have offered Crosby. He has started developing a relationship with assistant coach Zohn Burden at Virginia Tech but hasn't talked to many other coaches. Crosby is hoping to visit Miami, Florida State, Alabama and Tennessee this offseason.

DT Jamari Logan was one of the players featured in my recruiting notebook today.
Here's the link to the story: VA Recruiting Notebook
Here's the video interview I did with him: Logan planning visits
Here's the section specifically about Logan:

Logan claims offers from N.C. State, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia Tech and Marshall. He is planning a visit to N.C. State and wants to visit Tennessee later in the offseason. Logan likes the history of good defensive linemen at these schools and he is planning on visiting Virginia Tech for their first game this season.

From our good friend Rod Johnson at VirginiaPreps.com, he spoke with new VT LB offer Tavante Beckett at Indian River (Va.). This was Beckett's third offer, following Marshall and Delaware.

Beckett is also a kid I'm sure a lot of you know about. Great film, but he's a bit undersized at maybe 6-foot. I wasn't sure if he was gonna get a Hokies offer because of that, but now that they have, VT is the overwhelming favorite. I would expect a commitment in the next month or so, but definitely later on this summer.

Beckett said he talks to JC Coleman and his former teammates, Jaylen Bradshaw and Deshawn McClease a lot. He also said he'll be visiting East Carolina, Maryland and Rutgers this summer.

Here's what he had to say on VT:
"It was one of the schools I wanted. It took a while and it was a long wait. That kinda opened my recruiting a little but more, now that other people are coming in. It kinda changed the game a little bit."

Full video: http://rvls.co/1F7tweE

In the video linked below, four-star defensive back Wayne Davis reveals his official top five of Ohio State, Michigan, Virginia Tech and Tennessee. He plans on visiting Ohio State before the end of the month and will visit Virginia Tech, Penn State and Maryland in early June. Davis is also intrigued by recent offers from Georgia and Nebraska.

http://rvls.co/1F5WFa2

and it can be pretty much the case if they are a 4* or 5* recruit for top programs......IF THEY HAVE TAKEN CARE OF BUSINESS IN THE CLASSROOM & are behaving themselves.....

... Without beating issues to death after almost 2+ decades of solid? VT football.... our program is no longer an elite program. The story of the program in the post Michael Vick era is one of complacency (except on the defensive side of the ball). Special teams was once a hallmark for VT---but it too has settled for malaise. Holding a well attended national coaching clinic and telling all the secrets about special teams was pretty lame move- resulting in just so-so performance in that area. and teams flipping the table on VT.. Duke took notice and helped blocked kicks & punts when making its coming out move under Cudcliffe to flip tables on VT in an upset win in BBurg 23-22----after VT led 22-0.,

After a season in the mid -2000's went thru disrespect & disruptive behavior behind the scenes.... VT decided to go after choir boys with no drama and settling & sometimes celebrating .500 or slightly better seasons going to a bowl----that seems now to be the benchmark of satisfaction & success.

if VT were a horse in the Kentucky Derby----it would considering finishing in the middle of the pack as a success.--- and it shows in recruiting.... We have had some highly desired players show a lot of interest in VT and even commit.......but the real powers OSU, Clemson, FSU Big Ten?'s , SEC's & other programs with a national name or better cache sit back and let us identify top recruits .....only to easily take them away like taking candy from a baby..... see Kareem Fielder (which you will when OSU & its fans roll into bburg with an 60% red & gray vs O&M stadium tint. I gave up 30+ years of family seasons five years ago---health & retirement. I keep hearing from several neighbors/friends/ former colleagues who say that OSu fans tossing big bucks & many hokies selling the OSU tickets to cover the cost of the rest of this upcoming season's games..

For me, because of health concerns, I record games---if VT wins, I watch---if not, I usually don't.watch the game nor read the paper......unfortunately, I have to dodge neighbors for about a week as many will want to talk (more like fuss) about it.......like I'm doing now.

Guys, the spring might be over, but we've still got plenty to talk about at 12:30 pm ET tomorrow for this week's INsider chat. For one, the Rivals Combine is on Sunday in DC and yours truly will be there to cover the Hokies targets and prospects in attendance. I'll be posting a list of the guys to watch as well. But there's always plenty to talk about and questions to answer that you all have, so come take advantage of and get the very most of your subscriptions by chatting with us!

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

And remember, if you can't be on the chat, you can always post a question here on the board or email me atjason.stamm@rocketmail.com.