Based on the thread title, you know there are only three options here (with most of VT's 2022 class signed, only a handful remain committed and unsigned), so I won't beat around the bush: Seabrook (S.C.) Whale Branch offensive lineman Xavier Chaplin is the one to keep an eye on.
The three-star held off from signing during the December signing period largely because he hasn't had a chance to get to know the new Hokie coaching staff (and hasn't seen enough of Blacksburg, either), but he'll also make sure he goes through due diligence with other options. That means an official visit to Michigan Jan. 14, the first weekend after the Dead Period that surrounds the New Year. The Wolverines have ramped up their pursuit of him in the past couple weeks, and believe they have a real shot.
Of course, The Hokies have a major new sales pitch for players up front, in the form of a coach who's put as many OL into the League as anybody in recent years. The hire of Joe Rudolph may not be an immediate game-changer for offensive line recruiting, but you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who'd move the needle more than him. The expectation is that Chaplin sees Blacksburg one of the following two weekends, and if that trip goes well, there's confidence that his long-standing pledge to Virginia Tech will combine with the positive factors surrounding the dawn of the Pry era to keep him in the fold. It's nonetheless going to be difficult to compete with a program that just made the College Football playoff.
My opinion on the matter, before he takes any visits (and it's worth noting that there's also one more weekend available to potentially look at a third option), is that Chaplin sticks with the Orange and Maroon. But it's certainly not a done deal yet.
The three-star held off from signing during the December signing period largely because he hasn't had a chance to get to know the new Hokie coaching staff (and hasn't seen enough of Blacksburg, either), but he'll also make sure he goes through due diligence with other options. That means an official visit to Michigan Jan. 14, the first weekend after the Dead Period that surrounds the New Year. The Wolverines have ramped up their pursuit of him in the past couple weeks, and believe they have a real shot.
Of course, The Hokies have a major new sales pitch for players up front, in the form of a coach who's put as many OL into the League as anybody in recent years. The hire of Joe Rudolph may not be an immediate game-changer for offensive line recruiting, but you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who'd move the needle more than him. The expectation is that Chaplin sees Blacksburg one of the following two weekends, and if that trip goes well, there's confidence that his long-standing pledge to Virginia Tech will combine with the positive factors surrounding the dawn of the Pry era to keep him in the fold. It's nonetheless going to be difficult to compete with a program that just made the College Football playoff.
My opinion on the matter, before he takes any visits (and it's worth noting that there's also one more weekend available to potentially look at a third option), is that Chaplin sticks with the Orange and Maroon. But it's certainly not a done deal yet.
