Welcome to INSIDE The Tunnel, running through some items of interest on the recruiting trail for the Hokies.
Adam Friedman mentioned it in his Three-Point Stance this morning, and I'm told it's worth keeping an eye on three-star DB commit Dante Lovett.
n.rivals.com
The Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha standout has seen some other ACC programs hop in with offers, and the reality of a worse-than expected season is that you're going to have to fight hard to hold onto commits if other programs want them. Lovett's parents are definitely sold on Virginia Tech, but they also won't force the kid to stick if he ultimately decides that he wants to look around (and it's worth noting that he hasn't said anything definitive yet, but a smoke-then-fire logic process is a fairly easy one to follow here).
As for that fight to hold onto a guy, it'll be interesting to see how much effort the Hokies pour into his recruitment if it suddenly becomes competitive. *The following is not from Virginia Tech's staff*, but some around the region are not convinced he's a guy that a program fighting uphill battles on the recruiting front can afford to shift a bunch of resources toward. He's certainly a very nice player, and the perception and politics of holding onto a guy from DeMatha are important, as well. But "a very nice player" when you have to tend to the other guys in your class (as well as finishing it strong)... most simply put, let's hope his parents and Dante himself don't bother straying. That would surprise coaching staffs at Georgia Tech and Pitt (though less surprising would be looking around a bit and still sticking with VT).
For now, the combination of medium-low likelihood for a flip and the idea that he's not irreplaceable have me watching this one on back-burner only.
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Sticking with the theme of commits, let's pivot to a bit of rankings discussion. Since Ishmael Findlayter didn't have much game film before this year (and didn't go to many major camps to get evaluated), he was something of a mystery. He's had a decent year for Mississauga (Ont.) Clarkson North, and that will see him end up with a ranking in the three-star range when the Rivals marks are updated. Even a low three-star (5.5) would see his ranking bump VT up a few spots to No. 40 nationally, for what it's worth.
A big senior year for Radford (Va.) wide receiver/athlete Marcell Baylor will also see him reevaluated. I haven't asked where exactly his rating will end up, but I would be pleasantly surprised if he reached four-star status. His film is tough to evaluate for the same reason a number of players from the region (and other similar regions) are tough to evaluate: when he shows blazing speed, is it that he's moving so fast, or that the competition he's facing is just that much slower? And when he finally goes against comparable athletes, does he have the broad skillset to still find success, because "run past them" won't be an option?
Those are inherently unknowable unless and until he goes against comparable athletes, so even if he doesn't move up as much as we'd like to see, that simply means a chance to ultimately outperform his recruiting rankings.
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As for closing out the class with new commits, obviously the Hokies have (at long last!) moved on a junior college defensive tackle, as seems to be not only reasonable but bordering on necessary. Most of the other WR/DB targets (the other primary need after DT) are a bit more of a mystery - or you could fairly say there aren't tons of good vibes around them.
It's easy to see that recent safety offer Tyler Scott is unlikely to seriously consider the Orange and Maroon, while the feeling in Blacksburg is that a guy like Brandyn Hillman - even though the Hokies became his first FBS offer in September, and he'd visited before that - seems to be intent on taking his closest look at programs that are having a better on-field year in 2022. Some of the guys still nominally on the recruiting board are not serious targets at this time, either (part of why the staff is casting the net a bit wider).
One guy with whom I think there's a decent shot is Minnesota decommit Tyler Brown. The Greenville (S.C.) three-star was offered concurrently with the end of his Gophers pledge, and visited Blacksburg for the Miami game. He's planning to return for his official visit this weekend, and it's plain to see that VT has made an impression on him. As with many kids around the region though, the Hokies have to battle the negative recruiting done by other programs. With kids from Upstate South Carolina, you also have to build a hefty lead before Clemson comes calling, because if the Tigers do, they can pretty quickly swipe away even guys who have made verbal commitments. Brown has made no secret that he covets a Clemson offer, so if VT wants to land - and hold - him, getting it done quickly is an important first step (and probably not the last). More to come on Brown after his visit.
As always, thanks for visiting Hokie Haven. Please feel free to discuss the contents of this piece in the thread, but do not share outside The Gobbler.
Adam Friedman mentioned it in his Three-Point Stance this morning, and I'm told it's worth keeping an eye on three-star DB commit Dante Lovett.
Dante Lovett SOPHOMORE Cornerback Virginia Tech
Dante Lovett - Cornerback for Virginia Tech on HokieHaven
The Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha standout has seen some other ACC programs hop in with offers, and the reality of a worse-than expected season is that you're going to have to fight hard to hold onto commits if other programs want them. Lovett's parents are definitely sold on Virginia Tech, but they also won't force the kid to stick if he ultimately decides that he wants to look around (and it's worth noting that he hasn't said anything definitive yet, but a smoke-then-fire logic process is a fairly easy one to follow here).
As for that fight to hold onto a guy, it'll be interesting to see how much effort the Hokies pour into his recruitment if it suddenly becomes competitive. *The following is not from Virginia Tech's staff*, but some around the region are not convinced he's a guy that a program fighting uphill battles on the recruiting front can afford to shift a bunch of resources toward. He's certainly a very nice player, and the perception and politics of holding onto a guy from DeMatha are important, as well. But "a very nice player" when you have to tend to the other guys in your class (as well as finishing it strong)... most simply put, let's hope his parents and Dante himself don't bother straying. That would surprise coaching staffs at Georgia Tech and Pitt (though less surprising would be looking around a bit and still sticking with VT).
For now, the combination of medium-low likelihood for a flip and the idea that he's not irreplaceable have me watching this one on back-burner only.
---
Sticking with the theme of commits, let's pivot to a bit of rankings discussion. Since Ishmael Findlayter didn't have much game film before this year (and didn't go to many major camps to get evaluated), he was something of a mystery. He's had a decent year for Mississauga (Ont.) Clarkson North, and that will see him end up with a ranking in the three-star range when the Rivals marks are updated. Even a low three-star (5.5) would see his ranking bump VT up a few spots to No. 40 nationally, for what it's worth.
A big senior year for Radford (Va.) wide receiver/athlete Marcell Baylor will also see him reevaluated. I haven't asked where exactly his rating will end up, but I would be pleasantly surprised if he reached four-star status. His film is tough to evaluate for the same reason a number of players from the region (and other similar regions) are tough to evaluate: when he shows blazing speed, is it that he's moving so fast, or that the competition he's facing is just that much slower? And when he finally goes against comparable athletes, does he have the broad skillset to still find success, because "run past them" won't be an option?
Those are inherently unknowable unless and until he goes against comparable athletes, so even if he doesn't move up as much as we'd like to see, that simply means a chance to ultimately outperform his recruiting rankings.
---
As for closing out the class with new commits, obviously the Hokies have (at long last!) moved on a junior college defensive tackle, as seems to be not only reasonable but bordering on necessary. Most of the other WR/DB targets (the other primary need after DT) are a bit more of a mystery - or you could fairly say there aren't tons of good vibes around them.
It's easy to see that recent safety offer Tyler Scott is unlikely to seriously consider the Orange and Maroon, while the feeling in Blacksburg is that a guy like Brandyn Hillman - even though the Hokies became his first FBS offer in September, and he'd visited before that - seems to be intent on taking his closest look at programs that are having a better on-field year in 2022. Some of the guys still nominally on the recruiting board are not serious targets at this time, either (part of why the staff is casting the net a bit wider).
One guy with whom I think there's a decent shot is Minnesota decommit Tyler Brown. The Greenville (S.C.) three-star was offered concurrently with the end of his Gophers pledge, and visited Blacksburg for the Miami game. He's planning to return for his official visit this weekend, and it's plain to see that VT has made an impression on him. As with many kids around the region though, the Hokies have to battle the negative recruiting done by other programs. With kids from Upstate South Carolina, you also have to build a hefty lead before Clemson comes calling, because if the Tigers do, they can pretty quickly swipe away even guys who have made verbal commitments. Brown has made no secret that he covets a Clemson offer, so if VT wants to land - and hold - him, getting it done quickly is an important first step (and probably not the last). More to come on Brown after his visit.
As always, thanks for visiting Hokie Haven. Please feel free to discuss the contents of this piece in the thread, but do not share outside The Gobbler.
