Coming out of a visit weekend that's heavy on commits, there are typically only a few interesting stories. There are certainly fewer interesting interviews from players who don't have any intrigue surrounding their recruitments.
"It was great," from John Love, and
"It went good" from Kyree Moyston... not exactly state secrets here.
However, the big development is first that the Hokies have shored up a couple of potentially-wobbly commitments.
Sources in Blacksburg indicate that Gunner Givens (getting a serious run from UNC) is going to end up sticking with the Hokies. There was some - legitimate, after multiple visits to Chapel Hill - fear that the Heels would have a real chance to flip him. He's extremely close friends with in-state five-star (and Carolina commit) Zach Rice, and there's an element to that program that has a 'sexier' vibe under Mack Brown, despite extremely disappointing results on the field. The strength that the new Hokie coaches have shown in pushing back - albeit with an unspoken assist from the family, which has always wanted him close to home - is a good sign for the future of recruiting here: closers gotta close.
Of course, it's long been the position of Hokie Haven that if Givens were to stick, so too would in-state running back Ramon Brown. The two have a friendship forged on the recruiting trail over the past few years, and their destinations aren't necessarily linked because they want to be a package deal so much as because each has a respect for the other on and off the field (and Brown sees a talented lineman as an important piece of his future success on the field, of course). Brown's signing details for Wednesday are still not set in stone, but by this point, it's settled that the team he'll be signing with is Virginia Tech.
The final commit that there was some question about was Reid Pulliam. He's long been sold on VT, of course (though he committed in November, I've shared that he gave me his commitment quotes well before that, back in September). And he hasn't personally expressed any shakiness in his recruitment. But when his teammate and friend D'Andre Martin was semi-unceremoniously dumped from the VT class, you want to keep a close eye on how relationships are being managed there. Feel free to breathe a sigh of relief, because both the Life Christian Academy and Pulliam ends of the VT relationship survived unscathed (assist to South Carolina, too, given that the Gamecocks pushed hard to flip Martin and saved the Hokies from having the tough conversation with him. VT got what it wanted and didn't have to look like the bad guy).
As for uncommitted players, Brody Meadows has not gotten back to me yet. This is odd, given that he and I have a long-standing relationship (remember, he visited Blacksburg a ton as an underclassman), and he's never been much of a pain to get ahold of. One of the recruiting rules of thumb there is either he's poised to flip and doesn't want to spill the beans, or he had a bad time at VT this weekend and doesn't want to be a bearer of bad news. Fortunately in this industry, the prospects aren't the only knowledgable party to the conversation, and I can confidently say based on other conversations that the former status, not the latter, is the one that applies here.
I actually haven't even been able to confirm that Meadows's teammate, Xay Bradshaw, also made it to Blacksburg. He's tentatively planning to wait until the traditional Signing Day to make his choice, so it may not be significant. If Meadows flips from Virginia, there's a major foot in the door to keep the recruitment cooking here as long as the Hokies want.
Another UVa commit is firmly in the Hokies' crosshairs, as I first reported a couple weeks ago. Keyshawn Burgos was in town (I believe for an unofficial visit, though the distinction is not important at this stage). We'll see how much headway Tony Elliott can make in the first few days of his tenure in Charlottesville, but he has ground to make up: I'm expecting a flip unless the circumstances change.
"It was great," from John Love, and
"It went good" from Kyree Moyston... not exactly state secrets here.
However, the big development is first that the Hokies have shored up a couple of potentially-wobbly commitments.
Sources in Blacksburg indicate that Gunner Givens (getting a serious run from UNC) is going to end up sticking with the Hokies. There was some - legitimate, after multiple visits to Chapel Hill - fear that the Heels would have a real chance to flip him. He's extremely close friends with in-state five-star (and Carolina commit) Zach Rice, and there's an element to that program that has a 'sexier' vibe under Mack Brown, despite extremely disappointing results on the field. The strength that the new Hokie coaches have shown in pushing back - albeit with an unspoken assist from the family, which has always wanted him close to home - is a good sign for the future of recruiting here: closers gotta close.
Of course, it's long been the position of Hokie Haven that if Givens were to stick, so too would in-state running back Ramon Brown. The two have a friendship forged on the recruiting trail over the past few years, and their destinations aren't necessarily linked because they want to be a package deal so much as because each has a respect for the other on and off the field (and Brown sees a talented lineman as an important piece of his future success on the field, of course). Brown's signing details for Wednesday are still not set in stone, but by this point, it's settled that the team he'll be signing with is Virginia Tech.
The final commit that there was some question about was Reid Pulliam. He's long been sold on VT, of course (though he committed in November, I've shared that he gave me his commitment quotes well before that, back in September). And he hasn't personally expressed any shakiness in his recruitment. But when his teammate and friend D'Andre Martin was semi-unceremoniously dumped from the VT class, you want to keep a close eye on how relationships are being managed there. Feel free to breathe a sigh of relief, because both the Life Christian Academy and Pulliam ends of the VT relationship survived unscathed (assist to South Carolina, too, given that the Gamecocks pushed hard to flip Martin and saved the Hokies from having the tough conversation with him. VT got what it wanted and didn't have to look like the bad guy).
As for uncommitted players, Brody Meadows has not gotten back to me yet. This is odd, given that he and I have a long-standing relationship (remember, he visited Blacksburg a ton as an underclassman), and he's never been much of a pain to get ahold of. One of the recruiting rules of thumb there is either he's poised to flip and doesn't want to spill the beans, or he had a bad time at VT this weekend and doesn't want to be a bearer of bad news. Fortunately in this industry, the prospects aren't the only knowledgable party to the conversation, and I can confidently say based on other conversations that the former status, not the latter, is the one that applies here.
I actually haven't even been able to confirm that Meadows's teammate, Xay Bradshaw, also made it to Blacksburg. He's tentatively planning to wait until the traditional Signing Day to make his choice, so it may not be significant. If Meadows flips from Virginia, there's a major foot in the door to keep the recruitment cooking here as long as the Hokies want.
Another UVa commit is firmly in the Hokies' crosshairs, as I first reported a couple weeks ago. Keyshawn Burgos was in town (I believe for an unofficial visit, though the distinction is not important at this stage). We'll see how much headway Tony Elliott can make in the first few days of his tenure in Charlottesville, but he has ground to make up: I'm expecting a flip unless the circumstances change.
