Virginia Tech had previously schedule an official visit with Baltimore St. Frances 2022 WR Ike White for this coming weekend. The Hokies are trying hard to work their way into becoming a realistic factor for players from SFA, and getting as many of them on-campus as possible is important. So too, of course, is landing some of them. The Philadelphia native playing at the Charm City powerhouse seemed a good bet given the connections to the Hokies' position coach.
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"I'm talking to coach Jafar [Williams]," he said. "He said he likes the way I play: he can see me there and I could see myself there. I met him when he was at Maryland. He's real cool. He's from Philly too, so we're from the same part. Definitely a relationship there."
The issue for VT? He's only had two visits set up for June, planning to leave the other three open for the twists and turns that inevitably arise through the recruiting process. He went to Minnesota last weekend, and the not-so-subtle tea leave point to a Twin Cities future before even giving the Orange and Maroon a chance.
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What he told me in advance of his trip to Minneapolis is particularly telling. While he'd tentatively planned on an August college commitment (after seeing both Minnesota and VT - and potentially another school or two from his list), it's been more about finding what he's
looking for, rather than sticking to a certain timeline that has always been the priority for the 6-0, 176-pounder.
"Somewhere that I go up, and it feels like home. I'm looking for somewhere I can go, and it's me for real. Somewhere I can play right away, the atmosphere and everything is perfect. It's going to take a conversation with my parents, definitely. We want somewhere we can all agree to, somewhere they're cool sending me, and somewhere I can go feel like I'm home."
Unless he's throwing us all for a loop and tonight's announcement is something
other than a commitment, he may be one for Hokie fans to cross off the board relatively soon.
Of course, that's not the end of the world: part of the canvas of his recruitment is that he's not the most hotly-coveted player in the country. He's also not the most hotly-coveted inside Merryman Athletic Center. The simple truth is that if the staff had wanted to string him along
at least long enough to get him on a visit to campus, they could have made that happen pretty easily. Instead, their priorities lie elsewhere. That's not to say they're infallible - I've been pretty critical of their "recruiting board ADHD" characteristics at times in recent years (and to a lesser extent this year - but in this case, it certainly would seem to be justified, to say the least.
If they want to make a late run at a different stage of the process, that opportunity should be available to them.
