Missed this one yesterday:

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FYI:

BLACKSBURG – Effective Saturday, January 15, 2022, Virginia Tech Athletics will institute a policy requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination OR proof of vaccine medical exemption OR negative test for indoor events. Virginia Tech Athletics appreciates fans’ understanding and cooperation as coronavirus continues to impact our campus and our community.



This vaccination policy has been developed in conjunction with Virginia Tech campus officials and Virginia Tech’s COVID-19 task force, as well as guidance from health professionals and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This policy has been implemented with the health and well-being of Virginia Tech’s student-athletes, staff, community, and guests being our top priority.



All guests and working personnel ages 12 and older will be required to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination, proof of a vaccine medical exemption or a negative COVID-19 PCR or rapid test taken within 72 hours of the event. Face masks continue to be required and must be worn during all home indoor athletic events.



Upon entry to an indoor venue, ONE of the following will be required:

• An official, government issued vaccination card listing the guest’s name and dates the last dose was administered
• A photo or digital version of an official government issued vaccination card listing the guest’s name and dates the last dose was administered
• A printed or digital negative COVID-19 PCR or antigen test taken within 72 hours of the event that includes the guest’s name and date the last test was taken
• For guests with vaccine medical exemptions, proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR or rapid test taken within 72 hours of the event that includes the guest’s name and date the last test was taken
• For Virginia Tech students, a valid Hokie Passport

Individuals who cannot provide proof of vaccination, proof of medical exemption or a valid negative COVID-19 test according to the conditions outlined above will not be allowed to enter a Tech Athletics indoor event.



These changes will remain in effect until further notice.

WR from Temple:

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More to come shortly.

The Hokies have added a pair of quarterbacks and a multi-position receiver from the NCAA Transfer Portal in the past week, but the roster for the upcoming 2022 season has not reached its final form yet. The coaching staff still has work to do, both in the Transfer Portal and in traditional high school recruiting before the traditional Signing Day in just over three weeks.

So what are the remaining needs?

Perhaps the biggest one (from both an immediate and developmental perspective) is pure pass rush. After Amare Barno graduated, there isn't a guy who's a pure (and purely talented) "get after the QB" edge rusher - though after a really disappointing final campaign, replacing Barno's production won't be as difficult, the priority is to find somebody who can outperform that. TyJuan Garbutt and Jaylen Griffin are the only returning defensive ends who notched even a single sack last year (though neither has officially announced taking advantage of the Covid year to come back in 2022, Garbutt's definitely planning to do so, and there's been no indication yet that Griffin is moving along).

A name that has emerged in the transfer portal is Miami (Ohio)'s Lonnie Phelps, who will be a redshirt junior this Fall. Phelps was second-team All-MAC last year, and more importantly, racked up 9.5 sacks (more than all Hokie DEs combined last year), which is the specific aspect of the game that VT really wants to develop. There hasn't been a formal offer yet, and Kansas is the highest-profile option currently on the table for the Cincinnati native. However, the Hokies are doing their due diligence and feel good about a chance to land him with a strong push.

As far as high school names go, Nuer Gatkuoth is seeing his recruitment heat up with the Hokies. A South Sudan native who's grown up in Canada, his class standing (as is often the case with Canadians) can be a little malleable, but after playing at Georgia Prep Academy this Fall, he's hoping to earn a scholarship offer in the 2022 class, and he'll be visiting Virginia Tech in January to try to convince the staff that he's sincerely interested - and deserving. If he doesn't like his options come National Signing Day, Georgia Prep offers post-grad years, so it's likely that he'd stick around for one last high school season. He plays linebacker right now at 6-4, 215, he's a lot like Barno in that he has a skillset and frame that portend a move down to the line in the long run (and since he's a high schooler, there's a little more time to develop him into that, unlike Barno who was playing OLB in junior college).

He's definitely one to keep a close eye on.

The staff is also continuing to evaluate offensive line options, but it seems like if the No. 1 target (Cornell grad transfer Hunter Nourzad) isn't the guy, they're not too invested in going to the Transfer Portal well for it - the return of Silas Dzansi is a big help in that department. The hope is that they ink longtime commit Xavier Chaplin, who will take an official visit to Michigan this weekend and then plans to see Blacksburg the following week. The staff is keeping tabs on other targets just in case, with Mississippi two-star McKale Boley one to keep a particular eye on. If the staff's feeling for landing Chaplin begins to fade, Boley should be on campus within the next couple weeks.

This weekend sees the coaches largely shift focus to the 2023 class, with a number of in-state visitors making their way to campus. With some of the top Virginians already committed elsewhere (primarily to Penn State, given that three of the top seven in-state players have already pledged to the Nittany Lions), it won't exactly be a blockbuster recruiting event, but look for some of the remaining top prospects to make their way. The top priority for now (we'll see if the Penn State flavor to the Hokies' coaching staff can help dislodge some of those PSU commits and have them reconsider the in-state program) is Life Christian Academy corner Antonio Cotman. My personal take is that he's underrated, and would be a massive pickup. He hasn't firmly established a visit for this weekend, but plans to see Blacksburg one of these weekend in January. Stay tuned there.

Speaking of in-state recruits in the 2023 class, it's going to be a very important year for a new coaching staff to prove that it has the ability to reel in top talent from close to home. I'll be putting together a primer soon to see exactly where some of the top players are - and the Hokies' chances to reestablish strength in the Commonwealth.

Man, the Mack Brown thing might just be over. This is like going to Google and typing in "guy that recruits least want to play for" and hiring that guy

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Unfortunately, he played a position that's not one of the top two spots he's mostly likely to end up at in college, so some of the athletic and playbook aspects require projection. But overall I think it was a positive data point in terms of how he'll translate to the next level:

Film review: Gunner Givens at the UA Next game

Grant Wells from Marshall:

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Jason Brown from South Carolina:

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Last year was sort of a down year for Rivals Camps (particularly from a VT perspective, since some of the most relevant locations had their dates when a bunch of kids couldn't attend), but Philly and Charlotte should be solid this year:

Assuming that Jacksonville Jaguars tight ends coach Tyler Bowen will be hired to the same position (plus a Recruiting Coordinator title) by Virginia Tech as soon as he's available - and there's no reason to assume anything has changed with VT's pursuit of him - there's only one unfilled spot on Virginia Tech's 2022 coaching staff: wide receivers coach. There's been far less buzz about this one than manny of the other positions. For example, we were talking about Shawn Quinn and Derek Jones days before they were hired, and Joe Rudolph weeks before he was. If Bowen is indeed appointed as soon as the Urban Meyer Nightmare ends in Northern Florida, we'll have been discussing him for more than a month by the time he gets the job officially.

Meanwhile, we're finally starting to get some inside rumblings about the wide receivers coach, and Mike Brown of Cincinnati is Target No. 1. The Charlottesville native (and Liberty alum) has the connections back to his home state to be a recruiter and developer of talent in Blacksburg, should he get the job. He was previously running backs coach at his alma mater. Before getting into coaching, he also had a three-year NFL career. Senior Alec Pierce was second-team All-AAC from his Cincinnati unit this year, while the corps as a whole helped quarterback Desmond Ridder earn recognition as the league's Offensive Player of the Year. He's a younger guy (just 32), which is largely considered a benefit in terms of connecting with players both as a teacher and recruiter.

He's expected to move along from the Queen City this offseason either way, and the Hokies seem poised to offer hi the gig. If he doesn't get the offer, there are other options on the table, but Hokie recruits have been led to believe the official appointment of their position coach is simply a formality - which would imply the decision has already been made.

A top FCS wide receiver, currently playing at JMU:

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No offer from VT yet (I think he's not officially in the portal, just announced his intentions), but it seems pretty likely!

Would be huge news if he follows through. Hokies desperately need experienced OL, and he's a heck of a good one:

Based on the thread title, you know there are only three options here (with most of VT's 2022 class signed, only a handful remain committed and unsigned), so I won't beat around the bush: Seabrook (S.C.) Whale Branch offensive lineman Xavier Chaplin is the one to keep an eye on.

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The three-star held off from signing during the December signing period largely because he hasn't had a chance to get to know the new Hokie coaching staff (and hasn't seen enough of Blacksburg, either), but he'll also make sure he goes through due diligence with other options. That means an official visit to Michigan Jan. 14, the first weekend after the Dead Period that surrounds the New Year. The Wolverines have ramped up their pursuit of him in the past couple weeks, and believe they have a real shot.

Of course, The Hokies have a major new sales pitch for players up front, in the form of a coach who's put as many OL into the League as anybody in recent years. The hire of Joe Rudolph may not be an immediate game-changer for offensive line recruiting, but you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who'd move the needle more than him. The expectation is that Chaplin sees Blacksburg one of the following two weekends, and if that trip goes well, there's confidence that his long-standing pledge to Virginia Tech will combine with the positive factors surrounding the dawn of the Pry era to keep him in the fold. It's nonetheless going to be difficult to compete with a program that just made the College Football playoff.

My opinion on the matter, before he takes any visits (and it's worth noting that there's also one more weekend available to potentially look at a third option), is that Chaplin sticks with the Orange and Maroon. But it's certainly not a done deal yet.

The Notre Dame transfer OL didn't pick up any sort of formal offer from the Hokies despite the family connection:


Staff believed (and accurately so!) that it was a done deal for him to return to his home state.

A look at how Pry can fix (or already is) some of the major mistakes of the Fuente era, and a breath of fresh air around the program:

A new year, and a new era for the Hokies

My take's in the story. Drop your predictions in the thread before tipoff at 7 p.m - and hang out all game chatting with fellow VT fans.

Virginia Tech Hokies basketball preview: NC State

Uh,

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VT will have a major uphill battle to land a kid that every program will be after (including those that don't even need a quarterback in the immediate term), but he's a DC-area native, and Penn State was one of his favorites the first time around (and assuming nothing has fallen apart with the Tyler Bowen hire, that means he was the primary recruiter from the Nittany Lions' end).

Update on a 2024 shooting guard from @Jamie Shaw: