After missing on four-star wide receiver (and top realistic in-state target) KeAndre Lambert last week, the Hokies have had a chance to step back and figure out what they want to do with just a few scholarship openings remaining. For the time being, that plan has seen a shift to focusing on defensive ends.
There's still a focus on offensive line (though the top remaining target there, South Carolina three-star Parker Clements, is long-established and the Hokies are the prohibitive favorite at this point), but with current DE commit Derrell Bailey Jr. looking more and more likely to end up paving the way for running backs when he reaches the next level, there's not a strong need on the heels of a good 2019 group. With two members of last year's class
already consistent starters, a smaller 2020 class - and avoiding the inevitable transfer portal drama with a bigger group and no easy path to playing time - makes plenty of sense on OL.
So, that brings us back to the defensive line, where the lone commit so far is North Carolina three-star Stephen Sings, assuming the move for Bailey.
The Hokies are particularly searching for two types of players: tweeners that they can bulk up into defensive tackles at the next level, and a pure pass-rushing terror to complement Sings. Their offers to a Canadian duo - who are teammates in Florida - fit that mold to a T.
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Bailey is the tall-long, pure pass-rushing type who fits the traditional DE mold, while Mesidor, at 6-3, 255, fits the Woody Baron mold: a guy who's slightly undersized, but has the frame to add more weight and the other physical characteristics (strength, leverage, and toughness over pure speed) that can project to the interior after some time in the weight room. Both these guys are going to be priorities for a little while, and the staff is hoping to host them for a game this Fall - with the Wake Forest contest Nov. 9 looking most likely.
That's
not to say that the one true hope for a game-changing recruit in the 2020 class, top-50 prospect Desmond Evans, has been written off as a possibility. In fact, he remains high on Virginia Tech, and Blacksburg is the only official visit he has scheduled for the Fall (though others are possibilities/likelihoods, just not scheduled yet).
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The importance placed on that VT visit indicates that there's a legit chance here, not just window-dressing for a top five. In fact, given that North Carolina is also on his list of favorites, and his trip is for the Oct. 19 game against the Heels, there's a chance that the Hokies can not only help their own case but hurt another contender's with a strong performance. As is often the case with top prospects, winning on the field (and giving them the belief that they'll be able to win should they pick that college) is helpful, and while it's not always a game-changer for guys whose opinions of individual schools are based upon much more than a single game, the Hokies proving that early-season struggles are behind them and the bowl streak is en route to continuing would be very helpful.
Gauging Evans's feelings in-person will go a long way toward settling endgame strategy, and if the staff feels good about their chances to land him, obviously the desire to pursue a package deal with the Canadians tapers off (and Tennessean Gary Smith probably gets a second wind as the top priority for the defensive tackle position).
Recruiting in the 2020 class hasn't always been - in fact, has rarely been - the most exciting group to follow with prospects showing a bit of skepticism about Virginia Tech. However, there's still a chance for things to build, even if this group won't top the ACC rankings come Signing Day.
