Continuing our breakdowns of the recruiting area for the Hokies. I'll be breaking down where VT stands in the states it recruits, plus DC and the northeast, since the Hokies are only up there sporadically.
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Most Recent Offers:
OL Carter Warren, Passaci County Tech (NJ), 2017 -- Searels
Top targets:
DT Rashan Gary, Paramus Catholic (NJ), five stars, No. 6 in Rivals100, No. 1 DT, No. 1 in NJ -- Brown
WR Ahmir Mitchell, Cedar Creek (NJ), four stars, No. 51 in Rivals100, No. 8 WR, No. 3 in NJ -- Brown
TE Jovani Haskins, Bergenfield (NJ), four stars, No. 27 ATH, No. 11 in NJ -- Brown
DT Fred Hansard, Hun (NJ), four stars, No. 78 in 2017 Rivals100, No. 5 DT -- Brown
LB Drew Singleton, Paramus Catholic (NJ), No. 144 in 2017 Rivals250, No. 9 OLB -- Brown
OL Cesar Ruiz, Camden (NJ), four stars, No. 156 in 2017 Rivals250, No. 3 center -- Searels/Brown
DT Corey Bolds, Paramus Catholic (NJ), three stars, 2017, No. 20 DT -- Brown
Recent Rivals Stories On VT NJ Targets:
Gary from UGASports.com, July 10: http://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1781768
Gary from Rivals.com, July 7: http://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1780903
Mitchell from Rivals.com, June 28: http://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1778607
Ruiz from The Wolverine.com, June 27: https://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1778561
Hansard from BlueWhiteIllustrated.com, June 22: https://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1777112
Hansard from ScarletNation.com, June 24: http://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1777685
Overview:
Overall, Virginia Tech has a very strong presence in the Garden State. But of late, the bigger targets have gone elsewhere. DE Ron Johnson and WR Brad Hawkins both committed to Michigan, which has cleaned up in the state, after the two made visits there. OL Will Fries went to Penn State, while DE Quayshon Alexander pledged to Nebraska.
The best chance the Hokies have to strike in the state for 2016 is with Haskins. At first, Haskins seemed very much linked to his cousin, Rivals100 QB Dwayne Haskins. But even though Dwayne committed to Maryland this spring, Jovani has been higher on other schools. And for now, it looks like the top two for Jovani Haskins are Rutgers and Virginia Tech. He was in Blacksburg for the Hokies' spring game in April and of all the prospects they're after in New Jersey, Haskins seems to be most receptive. Virginia Tech is pushing for him to visit for the July 25 cookout, but hasn't gotten a confirmation from him. It could happen, but the likeliest at this point is that Haskins visits for an official early in the fall. Rutgers will be tough to overcome, but Haskins seems intrigued by what the Hokies have done with Bucky Hodges and Ryan Malleck, who happens to be a Jersey guy himself.
VT is technically still in it for Mitchell and Gary, but both appear to have moved on from Virginia Tech. Gary has at least visited, once, for the first junior day in February, but Mitchell never did. Mitchell looks like he has Michigan and Notre Dame as his unofficial top two. Gary, meanwhile, looks to have Michigan and Ohio State on top, with others like Georgia, lurking.
There are a few in-state that the Hokies could go after for 2016, like Kelvin Harmon, who visited June 14 for camp, or even three-star WR Donald Stewart, who was on the same visit as Gary, but it looks as though VT isn't as high on either. That said, it looks like Virginia Tech is turning most of its attention in New Jersey to the 2017 class.
Ruiz would be the prize, as it's tough to find a center as skilled as he is. But the two to really keep an eye on are Bolds and Singleton, from Paramus Catholic. The Hokies have tried to get in there, like with Gary and while there hasn't been much success past Billy Ray Mitchell in 2014, the staff and nearly every player there have been receptive. It's a matter of staying diligent and getting them to make visits as much as possible. This is a group who likes to take visits together, so you'll see likely a handful at least at a time if they do visit.
Rivals national team analysis:
"The big one in 2016 is Ahmir Mitchell. He's their main target in the class in the state. Jovani Haskins is a big-time guy and they need big-time wide receivers and tight ends. The Hokies have made a big impression on him. I think they're in his top two or three schools right now. I know they were in his top four, but I think they're closer to the top of his list right now. It's same kind of competitors with Mitchell and Haskins, Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame. Michigan more so for Michigan, but the same competitors.
In 2017, they have have a lot of offers out. You look at Fred Hansard, their top target right now. But I like their early offer to three-star lineman Carter Warren. He's a developmental guy, about 6'6" and 265 pounds. he needs to develop his body, but he has that athleticism, that nasty streak that you want in an offensive lineman and Tech is certainly a program that can develop linemen. They've offered a few other linemen, like four-star Cesar Ruiz, the center. He's a great player, a lot of room to develop even more, but he's already far on his development right now.
Noah DeHond is on a little bit of a hot streak right now with offers and he's absolutely massive, 6'6" and 325 pounds. Pretty athletic, but needs to develop his body more, turn weight into good weight. the other two offers, Corey Bolds and Drew Singleton out of Paramus Catholic, Michigan leads early. There's little doubt and some think he could commit to Michigan in the near future. Bolds will take more visits. There's a few guys in 2018 that VT has shown interest in, like quarterback Allan Walters. Also, keep an eye on Artur Sitkowski and the next big receiver could be Justin Shorter from South Brunswick. I really liked him. "
-- Rivals.com mid-Atlantic analyst Adam Friedman
Social Media:
As always, what's posted here, STAYS HERE. Don't de-value your own subscription by giving away information to others who don't pay like you do. It's also a violation of our terms of service and will result in the termination of your subscription.
Most Recent Offers:
OL Carter Warren, Passaci County Tech (NJ), 2017 -- Searels
Top targets:
DT Rashan Gary, Paramus Catholic (NJ), five stars, No. 6 in Rivals100, No. 1 DT, No. 1 in NJ -- Brown
WR Ahmir Mitchell, Cedar Creek (NJ), four stars, No. 51 in Rivals100, No. 8 WR, No. 3 in NJ -- Brown
TE Jovani Haskins, Bergenfield (NJ), four stars, No. 27 ATH, No. 11 in NJ -- Brown
DT Fred Hansard, Hun (NJ), four stars, No. 78 in 2017 Rivals100, No. 5 DT -- Brown
LB Drew Singleton, Paramus Catholic (NJ), No. 144 in 2017 Rivals250, No. 9 OLB -- Brown
OL Cesar Ruiz, Camden (NJ), four stars, No. 156 in 2017 Rivals250, No. 3 center -- Searels/Brown
DT Corey Bolds, Paramus Catholic (NJ), three stars, 2017, No. 20 DT -- Brown
Recent Rivals Stories On VT NJ Targets:
Gary from UGASports.com, July 10: http://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1781768
Gary from Rivals.com, July 7: http://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1780903
Mitchell from Rivals.com, June 28: http://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1778607
Ruiz from The Wolverine.com, June 27: https://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1778561
Hansard from BlueWhiteIllustrated.com, June 22: https://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1777112
Hansard from ScarletNation.com, June 24: http://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1777685
Overview:
Overall, Virginia Tech has a very strong presence in the Garden State. But of late, the bigger targets have gone elsewhere. DE Ron Johnson and WR Brad Hawkins both committed to Michigan, which has cleaned up in the state, after the two made visits there. OL Will Fries went to Penn State, while DE Quayshon Alexander pledged to Nebraska.
The best chance the Hokies have to strike in the state for 2016 is with Haskins. At first, Haskins seemed very much linked to his cousin, Rivals100 QB Dwayne Haskins. But even though Dwayne committed to Maryland this spring, Jovani has been higher on other schools. And for now, it looks like the top two for Jovani Haskins are Rutgers and Virginia Tech. He was in Blacksburg for the Hokies' spring game in April and of all the prospects they're after in New Jersey, Haskins seems to be most receptive. Virginia Tech is pushing for him to visit for the July 25 cookout, but hasn't gotten a confirmation from him. It could happen, but the likeliest at this point is that Haskins visits for an official early in the fall. Rutgers will be tough to overcome, but Haskins seems intrigued by what the Hokies have done with Bucky Hodges and Ryan Malleck, who happens to be a Jersey guy himself.
VT is technically still in it for Mitchell and Gary, but both appear to have moved on from Virginia Tech. Gary has at least visited, once, for the first junior day in February, but Mitchell never did. Mitchell looks like he has Michigan and Notre Dame as his unofficial top two. Gary, meanwhile, looks to have Michigan and Ohio State on top, with others like Georgia, lurking.
There are a few in-state that the Hokies could go after for 2016, like Kelvin Harmon, who visited June 14 for camp, or even three-star WR Donald Stewart, who was on the same visit as Gary, but it looks as though VT isn't as high on either. That said, it looks like Virginia Tech is turning most of its attention in New Jersey to the 2017 class.
Ruiz would be the prize, as it's tough to find a center as skilled as he is. But the two to really keep an eye on are Bolds and Singleton, from Paramus Catholic. The Hokies have tried to get in there, like with Gary and while there hasn't been much success past Billy Ray Mitchell in 2014, the staff and nearly every player there have been receptive. It's a matter of staying diligent and getting them to make visits as much as possible. This is a group who likes to take visits together, so you'll see likely a handful at least at a time if they do visit.
Rivals national team analysis:
"The big one in 2016 is Ahmir Mitchell. He's their main target in the class in the state. Jovani Haskins is a big-time guy and they need big-time wide receivers and tight ends. The Hokies have made a big impression on him. I think they're in his top two or three schools right now. I know they were in his top four, but I think they're closer to the top of his list right now. It's same kind of competitors with Mitchell and Haskins, Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame. Michigan more so for Michigan, but the same competitors.
In 2017, they have have a lot of offers out. You look at Fred Hansard, their top target right now. But I like their early offer to three-star lineman Carter Warren. He's a developmental guy, about 6'6" and 265 pounds. he needs to develop his body, but he has that athleticism, that nasty streak that you want in an offensive lineman and Tech is certainly a program that can develop linemen. They've offered a few other linemen, like four-star Cesar Ruiz, the center. He's a great player, a lot of room to develop even more, but he's already far on his development right now.
Noah DeHond is on a little bit of a hot streak right now with offers and he's absolutely massive, 6'6" and 325 pounds. Pretty athletic, but needs to develop his body more, turn weight into good weight. the other two offers, Corey Bolds and Drew Singleton out of Paramus Catholic, Michigan leads early. There's little doubt and some think he could commit to Michigan in the near future. Bolds will take more visits. There's a few guys in 2018 that VT has shown interest in, like quarterback Allan Walters. Also, keep an eye on Artur Sitkowski and the next big receiver could be Justin Shorter from South Brunswick. I really liked him. "
-- Rivals.com mid-Atlantic analyst Adam Friedman
Social Media:
