Virginia Tech nominally has about five prospects still on the board heading into tomorrow's National Signing Day. Here's the latest on each...
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I'll actually start with the one the Hokies seem to have the least chance with, though they're technically a finalist. Walker is a DMV-area kid with plenty of good relationships in Blacksburg. That's been enough to make VT at least an also-ran at this point in the process. Whether it's a serious option is a different story, though.
"He's at the point where he knows he's about to make a business decision," a source indicated. "He doesn't want to hurt feelings, because he has relationships where and he does like it there, but Ohio State and Penn State seem like his better career moves."
Hopefully within a couple years, and a couple more seasons of success under the current coaching staff, heading to Virginia Tech can be seen as the business move over other options. Or, heck, VT is a finalist for a reason: maybe he pulls a stunner tomorrow. Just don't count on it.
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I'm finally ready to come around and say I believe Virginia Tech is going to get Hollifield (after he trended away during the course of the Fall). He really likes Stanford, and at one point said, "I'm going to Stanford, just haven't announced it yet" to one of our sources. However, as crunch time has approached, the distance from home has become a major factor. He just doesn't want to be that far. That leaves three options, but one can be eliminated pretty quickly.
"Even the people in his family who are North Carolina fans, and who would like him to go to UNC for that reason know that it's not the best fit for him," our folks in North Carolina say. "It's their favored school because they've liked it all along, but they know other options are better for Dax."
That leaves Virginia Tech and Clemson, which have sort of opposite approaches to this recruitment: Clemson told him early that there wasn't room, and only recently turned the heat back up. Virginia Tech, meanwhile, has never had a sudden burst of momentum, but has been there in the background the whole time. Clemson was a childhood favorite (though despite that, he was burning Tigers gear when the Hokies played them in Fall 2016), and close friend KJ Henry, a five-star defensive end who was once strongly considering VT, has helped rekindle that interest. Does Dax feel like he can trust them after they hopped into the process very late, though? That will probably be the deciding factor.
There are certainly folks around him who are
far more comfortable with the steady approach of VT than the sudden heat applied by Clemson.
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One of VT's remaining Georgia targets, Grant could be a coup from the Southeast to close out the 2018 cycle. There are plenty of moving pieces to connect - from his reaction to recent visits, the best fit for his college career, and the kid's simple feelings about the programs - that have a couple schools standing out, but Virginia Tech looking the more sensible choice.
"Virginia Tech is better from an early impact standpoint, and they [the family] want him to get on the field," Rivals Southeast Analyst Chad Simmons tells us. "Anthony likes it just as a school and town, as well. I think it’s FSU or VT, and the Noles have much more depth there, and he can get on the field earlier."
From the looks of things Tennessee is completely out. Virginia Tech's emphasis on recruiting Buford High is a boost here, not necessarily because he's all that close to individual teammates, but rather because it builds a positive vibe between the university and high school (plus their football programs). This one is about as close as Hollifield, but the latest intel seems to point toward them ending in the same result.
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Jean-Baptiste is a bit of a mystery. He was
extremely high on Virginia Tech following his official visit in December, but didn't sign early (and if he had, it would have been with the Hokies), and VT seemed to fade into the periphery when he hit the road again in January. Official visits to Nebraska, Ohio State, and Texas A&M are complicating matters and making it look wide open again.
A&M looks like a non-factor right now, while Nebraska's coaches don't have a strong feel for where he's leaning (which typically - though not always - means it's not toward their school). Ohio State and Virginia Tech coaches are both cautiously optimistic. However, with the Buckeyes appearing to miss out on in-state OLB
Chris Oats, their need there (and the ability to continue playing LB, rather than a likely move down to defensive line) could be a tipping factor there.
Jean-Baptiste is certainly still a possibility for the Hokies, and not a bad one. My prediction at this point, though, based on the strength of the confidence in Columbus and Blacksburg, is that he ends up in Scarlet and Grey.
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The final prospect on the board here, and another making his decision tomorrow. However, Virginia Tech is behind the leader here.
"They have a bit of a connection that really helped VT get back into it through his former teammate [freshman linebacker Jaylen Griffin]," said a source in Georgia. "Still, Miami is the top school. Florida State is right there too - though he doesn't have the same rapport with the staff - because they turned up the heat by sending Willie Taggart himself on an in-home visit to get the recruitment going again."
If either of those schools has room for him, it seems he's more likely to end up at one of them than Virginia Tech. Miami doesn't have a ton of depth in the 2018 class at the position, but they're starting to fill up in sheer scholarship number terms. We shall see how that one plays out.
