Hope the best for him, really good dude:

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Still sort of surprised he opted to leave, since his struggles this year were personal, not team-related (in fact, he kept getting opportunities despite his performance level), but may he rip it up with the Huskies.

We all knew it’s gonna take time to establish relationships and get back on track in the home state, but are to start to worry that we only have managed 1 commit so far? After a huge weekend and we come away without anyone that wants to commit. How do we feel about that? Other than the obvious relationship building, what appears to be the philosophy in what we are doing recruiting wise?

Don't want to leave it in the title, but the subhead may as well be "who's up next on the board?" Kernersville (N.C.) East Forsyth tight end JayVontay Conner will make his choice tomorrow, and it's not gonna be for the Hokies.

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The Orange and Maroon are in contention - and there was a brief time that they were No. 1 with a bullet on his list - but on the heels of visits to the Sunshine State contenders, UCF and Florida State have pulled way ahead for him. His time in Florida over Spring Break was enough time to believe he wants to head there for his college ball.

The issue is which of those two he ultimately picks. He gave extremely positive vibes to the UCF staff (you'll note I put in a FutureCast to UCF yesterday after touching base with a number of sources). However, a source extremely close to his decision-making process told me that everyone thinks it's going to be UCF, but Conner is ready to pull a shock-the-world move. Regardless, with Maryland, Mississippi State, and South Carolina looking poised to finish 4-6 in some order, what's important for us is that I'm not picking Hokies.

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So what's next if and when Conner does the expected (if he's trolling me individually, I'll be pretty annoyed about it!) and picks Florida State - fwiw I have a hard time believing the Noles would bother taking him at this stage in the process, which may be another tea leaf in UCF's favor, but folks in Tallahassee haven't ruled definitively one way or the other - who's next?

The Orange and Maroon have re-opened serious lines of communication with another Greensboro-area tight end, Vance Bolyard. You'l recall that he eliminated Virginia Tech from the running, but that was largely due to a slow-play from the Hokies (which to be fair is partially among the factors for Conner's about-face). Now that they've slowed down on Conner and don't believe they'll get him - in part due to their own preferences (not that there's an obvious TE ready to commit at this stage to replace him on the board) - Bolyard is the next one up for a regeneration of his pursuit from the Hokies.

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He's not the same style of TE - ini some ways a blocker-who-can-catch like Nick Gallo, rather than a more well-rounded receiving threat a la Drake DeIuliis, but at a position of strong need in the class (particularly with the departure of Jared Gibble after just one year in Blacksburg). We shall see how this all plays out: for better or worse, one of the staff's guiding principles at this stage in the cycle is to not push for a commitment unless they really know a kid is sold and high-caliber enough - Antonio Cotman? Sure, they'd love to see him commit. Farther down the board? Patience is the name of the game.

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Could that mean a signee come December or February is someone we're not even considering as a potential future Hokie right now? It does. This is a long process, and a staff operating through a coaching change and trying to build new relationships is taking a slow-and-steady approach for now.

Won’t be the last of the week (or day - depends on how guys want to announce their departures).

Jordan Brunson officially enters the transfer portal

He’s headed to Miami of Ohio.

If that's something that might interest you:

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Ranked #8. Preseason prognosticators missed the boat on how well team would perform.

Getting under way shortly.

Future five-star 2024 OL:

Top-flight OL Kam Pringle interested in a VT return

No surprise - I mentioned when Mike Young floated the idea that either or both of he and Aluma could spend one more year, that it was somewhere between extremely unlikely and not possible:

Justyn Mutts declares for NBA Draft

Not a surprise in the least, but definitely a solid step forward in his recruitment:

Hokies make Jayvontay Conner's top six

RVING, TEXAS – The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) has announced the members of the 2021 NFF Hampshire Honor Society, which is comprised of college football players from all divisions of the NCAA, NAIA and sprint football who each maintained a cumulative 3.2 GPA or better throughout their college careers. Five Virginia Tech players were named to the squad.



Qualifications for the NFF Hampshire Honor Society

• Completed their final year of playing eligibility in Fall 2021 or have declared for the NFL Draft

• Attained a minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.2 (4.0 scale)

• Met all NCAA/NAIA-mandated progress towards degree requirements

• Were starters or significant contributors throughout the 2021 season.



S Tae Daley Curriculum and Instruction – Warner Robins, Georgia

Daley earned a spot on the ACC All-Academic Team in 2021 after transferring from Vanderbilt. He made an immediate impact for the Hokies’ secondary, recording an interception and the game-clinching pass breakup at Virginia (11/27/21). In his one season with Tech, Daley racked up 73 tackles, including 4.0 tackles for loss, three pass breakups, an interception and a forced fumble. His 73 tackles ranked fifth on the team in 2021. Daley played in the 2022 Tropical Bowl following the conclusion of the season.



C Brock Hoffman Curriculum and Instruction – Statesville, North Carolina

Hoffman earned All-ACC honorable mention honors after playing in 12 games in 2021 with 11 starts (10 at center, one at right guard). He also made his second straight appearance on the All-ACC Academic Team. The Statesville, North Carolina native was named the TD Club of Richmond’s Wells Fargo Advisors Humanitarian of the Year and was a semifinalist for both the Wuerffel Trophy and the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award. Hoffman played in the 2022 East-West Shrine Bowl in February.



TE James Mitchell Sports Media and Analysis – Big Stone Gap, Virginia

Mitchell was a Preseason All-ACC Selection and a Mackey Award Watch List honoree for the Hokies in 2021 before suffering a season-ending knee injury vs. Middle Tennessee State (9/11/21). The Big Stone Gap, Virginia native led Tech with four receiving touchdowns in 2020, recording 26 receptions for 435 yards in 10 games (nine starts). In 38 career games (20 starts) for Tech, he racked up 52 catches for 838 yards with seven touchdowns to go along with five rushing TDs. He was a second-team All-ACC pick of PFF College in 2020.



OL Tyrell Smith Criminology/Instructional Technology – North Brunswick, New Jersey

Smith served as a three-year captain for the Hokies from 2019-21 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in criminology and a master’s degree in instructional technology. He began his career in Blacksburg in 2014 and would go on to play in 65 career games with one start for the Hokies. In 2021 he was one of only eight FBS players entering their seventh season at the same school. The North Brunswick, N.J. native served on Virginia Tech’s Student-Athlete Advisory, volunteered in Tech’s weight room during the spring of 2021 and was a regular participant in community engagement activities.



OL Luke Tenuta Sports Media & Analytics – Crozet, Virginia

Tenuta earned the All-ACC Academic nod for a third consecutive season after starting 12 games at tackle in 2021. He also earned All-ACC Honorable Mention honors following the regular season. The Crozet, Virginia native started 11 games at left tackle and also had one start at right tackle vs. Richmond (9/25/21). Tenuta competed in the 2022 East-West Shrine Bowl in Feburary.

JT Daniels transferring to West Virginia:

In-state 2024 LB with a couple visits under his belt:

Hokies among those in strongest pursuit of Kristopher Jones

Big step forward in making sure student-athletes (and, let's not be obtuse here: recruits) are aware of their options in taking advantage of their name, image, and likeness:

Virginia Tech partners with NIL firms

BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech director of athletics Whit Babcock announced Wednesday that Virginia Tech alumnus and longtime benefactor, Win Sheridan, has pledged $5 million to the Virginia Tech Football program. Sheridan’s generous gift will help fund a complete redesign and renovation of the Hokies’ locker room facility. A variety of design options and upgrades are currently under consideration. Conceptual renderings for the project will be shared at a later date once further details are finalized and approved.



“I am extremely enthused about the direction of the Virginia Tech Football program under the leadership of head coach Brent Pry,” Sheridan said. “Coach Pry was working under Coach Beamer when the Hokies truly emerged onto the national stage with a historic win in the 1995 Sugar Bowl, a victory that helped propel Tech to the National Championship Game following the 1999 season. When our football program is successful, it raises the profile of our entire university. I was fortunate to help fund the construction of the current locker room along with some of my best friends, and it’s truly my pleasure to help transform this space to meet the needs of Coach Pry and our team for years to come. I’m immensely proud of Virginia Tech and the trajectory of a place that means so much to me. It’s a great time to be a Hokie!”



Sheridan co-founded Apex Systems, an information technology services company, in 1995 with fellow Tech alums Brian Callaghan and Jeff Veatch. Apex Systems, which was acquired by ASGN Incorporated in 2012, had sales $2.4 billion in 2021 and employed approximately 30,000 individuals. Sheridan has served as a Director of ASGN Incorporated since 2012.



Sheridan was part of the group that provided substantial funding for the original Team United Locker Room in honor of Frank Beamer that was constructed in 2009 as part of a $15 million expansion of the Jamerson Athletic Center. Sheridan was joined in that effort to fund the existing locker room facility by Callaghan, Veatch and fellow Tech alum, Ted Hanson.



“Win continues to serve as a great example of the tremendous impact our alumni can have on our overall success and make in the lives of our student-athletes at Virginia Tech,” Babcock said. “Win has consistently set a very high standard in terms of his benevolence and commitment to Tech Athletics over many years. The redesign and renovation of the football locker room will mark another key project to ensure we provide a first-class experience for our football team, in addition to remaining competitive with our peers in terms of player-centric spaces and recruiting. Win is creative and a great leader in his own right. He understands what it takes to be great. We appreciate him stepping up and investing in our momentum and future at this critical time.”



“Win has been exceptionally generous to his alma mater over the years,” Virginia Tech Football head coach Brent Pry said. “On behalf of everyone associated with Virginia Tech Football, I would like to personally thank Win for his continued support and specifically his most recent gift. Win’s investment in our locker room project will positively impact our football family. We sincerely appreciate Win’s example of giving back to this university and his belief in the direction of our football program.”



“Win Sheridan and his Apex partners who helped fund the original construction of our locker room are great Virginia Tech success stories,” Hall of Fame coach Frank Beamer said. “More importantly, Win, Jeff, Brian and Ted are all tremendous people. They have all been wonderful supporters of Tech Football and other campus initiatives over the years. It didn’t surprise me at all that Win decided to step up with a generous gift to bring our locker room up to today’s standards. I’ve greatly appreciated Win’s friendship and his love of our alma mater over the years. Thank you, Win, for your latest contribution to the success of Virginia Tech.”



Investing in the future of Virginia Tech students certainly isn’t a new concept for Sheridan, who has contributed over $8 million to a variety of projects at his alma mater over the years. Virginia Tech’s Apex Systems Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship was named in recognition of a joint commitment of $5 million by Sheridan, Callaghan, Veatch and Hanson. Motivated by a simple vision to create a University-wide platform for entrepreneurship, the Apex Systems Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship is supported by alumni highly committed to supporting student founders and launching the Center on a trajectory for rapid growth.

Should be getting under way shortly here. Crowded docket with Pry, Assistants Chris Marve and Shawn Quinn, and a couple DBs and RBs.

Good to see him stick in The League:

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