Virginia Tech's on-again, off-again relationship with Harrisburg (Pa.) Bishop McDevitt 2023 offensive lineman Gabriel Arena could meet its conclusion - one way or the other - today. The three-star plans to announce a college commitment this afternoon:
Arena was offered under the previous staff and VT has long been his favorite, though despite repeated visits, it was unclear even under that group whether that offer would be committable when the day came. He's made a couple visits under the current staff, but has been pretty open that under the Pry (and Rudolph) administration, he does not yet have a committable offer.
The question then is what factor made the 6-4, 270-pounder feel ready to announce a commitment. Is it that he found a program good enough to not bother waiting for the Hokies anymore? Or that he got good news from the VT coaching staff that they were ready to accept a pledge? Sources on the Hokies' end are silent - which usually means that there was a change on their end (that they want to keep secret out of respect for the kid's announcement), but not always. Given that there are already two offensive linemen in the fold, you may think the staff is able to be more selective, not less so, but a dearth of high-end realistic options also means being willing to take guys early in the process with the confidence that Rudolph can coach them up (and an increased need with offseason attrition also means there are more "lottery ticket" spots without crowding out "sure thing" players down the road).
From the player's end, Arena has always been open with me, and when I asked him, the wink was practically visible through the phone when he said "just make sure you tune in at four." On the basis of tea leaves - I'll readily admit that sourcing has not been 100% forthcoming (yet) on either side of the equation - it does indeed feel like the Hokies could be bound for good news.
Arena was offered under the previous staff and VT has long been his favorite, though despite repeated visits, it was unclear even under that group whether that offer would be committable when the day came. He's made a couple visits under the current staff, but has been pretty open that under the Pry (and Rudolph) administration, he does not yet have a committable offer.
The question then is what factor made the 6-4, 270-pounder feel ready to announce a commitment. Is it that he found a program good enough to not bother waiting for the Hokies anymore? Or that he got good news from the VT coaching staff that they were ready to accept a pledge? Sources on the Hokies' end are silent - which usually means that there was a change on their end (that they want to keep secret out of respect for the kid's announcement), but not always. Given that there are already two offensive linemen in the fold, you may think the staff is able to be more selective, not less so, but a dearth of high-end realistic options also means being willing to take guys early in the process with the confidence that Rudolph can coach them up (and an increased need with offseason attrition also means there are more "lottery ticket" spots without crowding out "sure thing" players down the road).
From the player's end, Arena has always been open with me, and when I asked him, the wink was practically visible through the phone when he said "just make sure you tune in at four." On the basis of tea leaves - I'll readily admit that sourcing has not been 100% forthcoming (yet) on either side of the equation - it does indeed feel like the Hokies could be bound for good news.
