Sorry for the delay here - there were some voice recorder issues (don't worry, all is recovered, except it'll have to just be Cliff's Notes versions for just these interviews with the audio lost) - but a few notable updates from the Rivals Five-Star Challenge Friday and Saturday...
Starting with Woodbridge (Va.) C.D. Hylton running back Ricky Slade. His early commitment to Penn State was the furthest thing from a surprise, but the expectation was that other schools wouldn't give up on the four-star. That is especially true of Virginia Tech, a school with some past success (and still some solid connections) at the school.
"I haven't been up there in a while, but it's a great school," Slade said. "It's just not somewhere I wanted to play at - it's kind of too close to home, and I wanted to play in the Big Ten, obviously.
"I'll never hear from the coaches. I think I'm off the board from the coaches' standpoint, but the fans... I guess they still think I'm there."
It certainly hadn't been a recruitment that we've covered the day-to-day on since his pledge (and he was removed from the HokieHaven.com offensive hotboard a few editions ago), but at this point, barring something major changing at Penn State, VT doesn't seem interested in even trying to get back into this one.
Things were a little more positive with a couple men in the trenches. First, Waldorf (Md.) North Pointe four-star offensive tackle
Rasheed Walker. This has been a recruitment that VT is sticking in despite a lack of many recent updates for the 6-6, 300-pounder. Just because there hasn't been a whole lot to talk about doesn't mean that things have cooled down much.
Walker says he remains in contact with his primary recruiters from Virginia Tech (area recruiter Galen Scott and position recruiter Vance Vice as much as coaches from any other school. Despite that, he maintains no favorites among his top six - though Penn State and Maryland are thought to lead North Carolina, Ohio State, Rutgers, and the Hokies. He will take official visits to all but Maryland, thanks to proximity and therefore the ease of the unofficial visit there, and won't be making any more cuts until after that time.
The other trench standout with keen interest in VT?
Rick Sandidge.
The four-star out of Concord (N.C.) High hasn't narrowed things down quite as much - he has a top 11 list - but the Florida schools are thought to lead the way for him. The NCAA's rule changes to allow text messages between coaches and prospects has made it easy for Sandidge to maintain a really strong relationship with his Hokie recruiter, tight ends and special teams coordinator James Shibest, which is helping keep VT right in that next tier of schools.
Sandidge agonized over his cut to 11 programs (he had to eliminate some power programs like Penn State and Tennessee just to get to where he is), and is unsure how he's going to cut it down even further, much less make a decision. He's trying to determine a process for which among the 11 will get official visits, and he's a long, long way from coming to his final commitment.
When VT isn't seen as the favorite, the less close to a decision a prospect is, the better, so that's probably a positive update from the Hokies' perspective for Sandidge. It'll be interesting to see if the staff wants to walk a tightrope of holding out for him, or is willing to fill up on the DL before he's ready to make a decision.
Stay tuned for more updates from the Five-Star Challenge.
