I mentioned yesterday that we'll be seeing a decision from Buford (Ga.) 2023 quarterback Dylan Wittke today... sources in the Peach State have indicated that good news is on the way for the Hokies as this hot streak continues. I've put in my Rivals FutureCast:
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I know said hot streak may not be the most exciting for fans from a star perspective: Wittke is slated to be the seventh commit and seventh three-star prospect in the class (and just the second 5.6 three-star, the middle category within that ranking status). However, it is important to note some of the groundwork that's been laid - Landing kids from DeMatha and Buford give you ins at some of the most productive high schools in Maryland and Georgia, respectively. Those can pay off in the long term (and frankly, the current staff was put behind the eight-ball enough that getting a bunch of three-stars at this early stage is solid - it's better than the previous group would likely have done even before looking at the additional benefits of where these kids are from).
Getting the base of a class in early also allows the staff to hone in on top targets down the road. As I've mentioned here and regularly on ESPN Blacksburg: four-star prospects who are making decisions this early just aren't doing it in favor of a Virginia Tech team that's been down for a few years and has a new staff that needs to make new connections. There may be some exceptions to that (more in a second), but the big picture is if the Hokies want commitments at this point, they're more than likely going to be three-star guys. Four-stars making early decisions don't have the relationship time and proof-of-concept to pick Virginia Tech, and you'd
rather those guys wait than make an early - non-VT - decision.
That said, there have already been some misses, too. Not being in the top four for in-state LB Tony Rojas - after he's visited VT more than any school outside of Penn State, and the Hokies head coach is
his former lead recruiter at PSU - is really bad. Perception is important, and while picking up commitments helps perception, not even being in the running for a kid you probably should be
landing in the end is a major negative.
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As for the exceptions to "top prospects on track for early decisions" and "that decision ain't gonna be VT," I'm continuing to pick up positive vibes (and reports) that Life Christian Academy four-star corner Antonio Cotman is trending toward the Hokies. Given that he's also trending toward an earlier-than-expected decision, that'd be a good thing!
The prospect himself is a very easygoing (off the field, at least) personality. While he's enjoying the recruiting process, he's not one who's going to prolong it just for the sake of prolonging it. He's also a kid who wants to win at the next level, and a perception of team success at the next level may very well be the No. 2 most important criterion behind relationships. Downstream from that, he knows that his committing early and helping build a class (wherever he goes) is the way to maximize his success on the field in college.
The easygoing personality also means... how to put this the right way... there are a lot of different schools he could see himself being happy at over the course of his college career, and the differences between them aren't
that big a deal to him? Because of that, the influence of those around him is important, because they can sort of curate a recruiting experience that guides him in a certain direction (without telling him where to go - or where not to go). I don't intend to make it sound like he won't make his own decision, or that there's going to be any undue influence, to be very clear (as you can tell, I'm trying very hard to give a full picture of the situation). All that heavily-caveated stuff said: there are those around him, including former Hokie Roc Carmichael, who is the DB coach and recruiting coordinator at Life Christian Academy, whose preference is that he end up at VT. Cotman's dad has not explicitly said it to me, but in conversation I've gotten the impression that pops feels that way, as well.
The fact that Cotman is trending toward an earlier than expected decision at the same time a wave of Hokie positivity has come up - for now, I would read positive things into that.
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Closing with a bit of basketball: Mylyjael Poteat (yes, that name's gonna take a long time to get into the muscle memory) is an interesting land out of the Transfer Portal. Of course, beggars can't be choosers - and with VT losing two frontcourt players to the NBA and two more to the Transfer Portal, the Hokies are looking for whatever help is available.
He played at The Burlington School in North Carolina - which is a high-profile program not in that it produces a ton of talent, but that the school
takes on a lot of top players across the court. Despite playing against a wide range of ACC commits in his high school career, Poteat didn't even register with a Rivals profile before signing with Rice. During his two years in Houston, he didn't do a
ton to change that perception. He's a below-the-rim back-to-basket guy (which to be fair VT doesn't have and could potentially use) who only got a third of available minutes for a sub-.500 mid-major squad. That's not necessarily a game-changing commit. But it can be a piece.
And when you combine that piece with fellow Transfer Portal lands Grant Basile and John Camden (the latter of whom is a pure perimeter player, but whose 6-8 size probably has him defending PFs), you're starting to see the roster come together.
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