Waiting until 8 p.m. games is a grind, even with plenty of college football on. So let's take a look at a couple recruiting updates.
Offensive line
Since the staff passed on Maryland offensive lineman
Chris Adams, that final OL need in the 2021 class has been a bit more nebulous. They continue to keep tabs on Minnesota commit Austin Barber, but it seems less likely that he can be shaken loose from the Gophers. When he was unable to drop by campus for a visit over the Summer, the chance to land him took a hit. Of course, there's always the opportunity to ramp things back up at the conclusion of the season - and when
actual visits rather than self-guided tours can become an option - but that's a question for a later date.
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In the meantime, the Hokies
issued a new offer to Texas three-star Remington Strickland yesterday. He's expressed interest in returning the attention that the Hokie staff is giving him. However, that the Hokies were beaten to the punch by Michigan and Oklahoma in recent weeks, and the fact that the emergency Dead Period lives on... well, there are a couple limiting factors for anything happening quickly.
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However, he seems far more likely than another recent Class of 2021 offer to end up in the class (more on that in a moment), and VT's connections to the Houston area are a bit of a help there. He's not in a hurry to make a decision right now, so there's time to keep recruiting, and making some statements against the big boys.
Nonetheless, I wouldn't expect him to be the last new OL offer in the Class of 2021. The staff needs more options - which, in fairness, could also mean a DL offer like Robert Jackson gets a look as an offensive lineman, rather than a new-new offer to a previously-unrecruited player - and will do what it takes to find them.
Receiver
The other 2021 offer that came through yesterday afternoon was wide receiver Keon Coleman, a product of Louisiana and recent decommitment from Kansas. The coaching staff was initially on the fence about replacing Tray Curry in the class (thanks to the scholarship numbers situation, the eligibility pause, the athletic department's finances, and how all of that comes together a year from now, and a year beyond that as well). However, Coleman's offer indicates that, where they see an opportunity to land a player worthy of using a scarce scholarship slot, they're going to do it.
The Hokies pulled out all the stops,
offering as both a football and basketball prospect at the same time. It'll be interesting to see how this one plays out.
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According to a few contacts in The Boot, Coleman considers himself a basketball player who can also lace 'em up on the gridiron, whereas most colleges see the scale tilted in the other direction as far as his top upside. He's a legit player in both, but the ceiling in football is what has colleges excited about him. The same contacts also tell me, though, that because of his personal priorities, he'll be focused on evaluating basketball programs as much or more as he will their accompanying football programs. For Virginia Tech, which is poised for success in the former and rebuilding in the latter, that may not be ideal. It's not damning, but not ideal.
It remains to be seen if there are other targets set to emerge as that big outside receiver in the class. Clearly, the staff has the luxury of being picky there.
Hoyle's commitment solidified
Although he's the longest-standing commitment in the 2021 class, there have been times over the course of the cycle that Englewood (N.J.) Dwight Morrow safety Jalen Hoyle wasn't quite solid to the Orange and Maroon.
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He took multiple visits to Rutgers last offseason (and the VT staff hadn't known about all of them beforehand - one of those, the staff was unaware of until I informed them), and even though Rutgers isn't exactly the most intimidating pursuer on the recruiting trail, a kid doesn't take visits unless he's at least a little shaky in his commitment. We saw one of those play out in a worst-case manner when Tyreem Powell flipped to Rutgers late in the 2020 recruiting cycle.
Lately, though, Hoyle has really shored up how firm he is with VT, and he's invested in the future of the program from an emotional standpoint (and of course beyond just an emotional standpoint). The staff doesn't have strong concerns about losing him at this point, and my conversations with Hoyle would lead me to the same position on where things stand with him. The Scarlet Knights are going to make another push when the Big Ten's season gets under way. It may very well be irrelevant.
Hoyle is one of the players in the class who I feel is underrated (as Powell was last year), and holding onto him will be big.
As always, thanks for visiting HokieHaven.com. Feel free to use this thread to discuss the topics herein.
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