Welcome to Tunnel Talk, with the latest in Virginia Tech and recruiting.
Kenji Christian
Rivals.com Southeast Recruiting Analyst Chad Simmons dropped by The Gobbler yesterday with some positive news on the recruiting trail: Alabama running back Kenji Christian's profile now
includes a FutureCast prediction in favor of the Orange and Maroon.
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I had been a little bit surprised, in the wake of Malachi Thomas's pledge, when Christian was the recipient of an
official written scholarship offer from Virginia Tech. I had assumed that it was just sending one out to keep the interest in the Yellowhammer State with a little bit of a buzz. I didn't even bother checking with sources to see if there was anything behind it.
Well, my assumptions proved faulty. After Chad brought the news, I touched base with some folks who indicated that Virginia Tech would very much still like a commitment from Christian. He's seen as a bit of an RB/Ath, rather than simply a true tailback - and that's sort of the case with multiple other players already on the commit list, too. There's a lot of flexibility among their positions, and the staff intends to take advantage of that. I've held off on putting in my FutureCast for now, but given the positive vibes on both sides of the recruitment, it's probably only a matter of time.
I do worry that the staff seems to be loading up
too much at running back (in part because they've been unable to find production out of that spot - though I believe it's more offensive line-related than anything else). Even with some expected/possible attrition - Cole Beck sound likely to be a track-only athlete going forward, it seems unlikely that Terius Wheatley spends his fifth year at Virginia Tech, etc. - that's still a lot of bodies in one role.
This staff has made major strides in improving their personnel management in the past two years after being very weak in that area to start their tenure here. There's still a hesitance to be in a "trust the coaches" mindset in that department for me, though.
The opt-outs
It made major headlines when Hokies CB Caleb Farley announced his decision to opt out of the 2020 season, citing coronavirus concerns. This decision was used by some to besmirch his character (for some unknown reason: "you're a bad guy if you're more worried about your health than my entertainment!" does not seem a legit concern), though many - myself included - warned that this was just the tip of the iceberg.
In the days since, Minnesota receiver Rashod Bateman and Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons - like Farley, basically locks to go in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft - have opted out (or in Parsons's case, plan to announce that decision today). As was the case with Farley, these won't be the last.
Of course, it's become clear that, despite all the schedule announcements from conferences, realignment plans, etc., we aren't going to have the type of season we expected before the pandemic - and probably not the full season as laid out by those adjusted plans. Fingers-crossed for as much of it as possible, but realistically it's not going to happen. (Frankly, speaking from a non-selfish perspective, it probably
shouldn't happen given the state of the pandemic, either. From a selfish perspective... I miss the sport).
Going back to the Hokies, Farley's concerns about the workout conditions on-campus have been unfortunately confirmed by a few sources who have been inside the building: a
stated dedication to mask-wearing and sanitation, but a lax enforcement of those policies. That's not to rip on the Hokies' support staff - you'd have a hard time finding a college football program hosting on-campus workouts without those concerns, and at least VT didn't force its athletes to sign a downright evil liability waiver - but to take a step back and think, 'maybe Farley had a point.' That point applies to every school, and the NCAA as a whole, but the attempt to play this Fall is going to soldier on until it's untenable.
Up next recruiting
The class is starting to fill out, and aside from a potential future commitment from Christian, the majority of the action should be in the places he's been looking for a few weeks now: offensive and defensive lines.
Despite a commitment from Bryce Goodner this week - and it's worth noting that the staff sees him as a developmental guy with potential, sort of like they must consider Danijel Miletic - there's still plenty of need up front. That need may still include guard, even with a couple in the class. However, it's primarily centered around tackle... with options either slipping away (Diego Pounds), or few in number overall (aside from North Carolina three-star Andrew Canelas and unranked Marylander Chris Adams - himself more a natural guard, despite good height).
It's a rosier picture on defense, even though Tyleik Williams from Manassas (Va.) Stonewall Jackson tackle and Landyn Watson of Hutto (Texas) look like a couple of the very few realistic four-stars for the program. The three-stars on the board here are high-potential types that have excelled at VT for years, and the staff appears to be in more consistent good shape with players on this side of the ball.
Even with 18 commitments in the class now - truly starting to fill out - there's a ways to go in finishing the group.
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