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 Johncarlo Valentin, Imhotep Inst. Charter (Pa.), four stars -- Searels/Brown
ATH Lamont Wade, Clairton (Pa.), four stars, Rivals100 to watch for 2017 -- Loeffler
OL Josh Lugg, North Allegheny (Pa.), four stars (2017 -- Searels/Loeffler
DE Damion Barber, Harrisburg (Pa.), three stars (2017) -- Loeffler
Top targets:
RB Miles Sanders, Woodland Hills (Pa.), four stars, No. 53 in Rivals100 -- Loeffler -- PENN ST COMMIT
Safety Damar Hamlin, Central Catholic (Pa.), four stars, No. 109 in Rivals250 -- Loeffler/Gray
OL Johncarlo Valentin, Imhotep Inst. Charter (Pa.), four stars -- Searels/Brown
ATH Khaleke Hudson, McKeesport (Pa.), three stars, No. 39 ATH, No. 8 in PA -- Loeffler
ATH Paris Ford, Seton LaSalle (Pa.), four stars, Rivals100 to watch for 2017 -- Loeffler
Recent Rivals Stories On VT PA Targets:
Valentin from GamecockCentral.com, May 23: http://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1768696
Hamlin from Rivals.com, May 14: http://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1766254
Hudson from BadgerBlitz.com, May 6: https://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1763866
Ford from TheWolverine.com, May 27: http://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1769693
Overview:
The top candidate in the state over the spring has really emerged as Hamlin. And he's important to note because he also has some serious interest in the Hokies. Hamlin has said he'll be announcing a list of finalists in June, which is sure to include Virginia Tech, after he hopefully gets more offers. Alabama, Florida State and Oregon are among those who have flirted with him, but the top contenders appear to be Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Penn State and Clemson. He'll need to visit Blacksburg for the Hokies to feel good about him, though no date has been set right now.
The other guy to really watch in the state is Sanders. He's been committed to Penn State since last July, but this is partly a result of committing so early: he wants to take official visits. And one he's really discussed taking one to is VT. The bad news is this could be a lot like Kevin Toliver II last year, a guy committed somewhere for a long time, looks around, then stays put. Toliver stuck with LSU. The main two Sanders has mentioned are VT and Pittsburgh. So nothing to be excited about, but one to watch.
Valentin has also emerged as an offensive line candidate. The Hokies got in a little late with him and are in much better shape with other linemen. But Valentin hasn't named any favorites or hinted at any decision. He has 16 offers and counting, though, so Virginia Tech will need to step it up if it wants to get serious about him.
The area of the state to really watch is western Pennsylvania, around Pittsburgh. Especially since the Panthers are in the same division as the Hokies, this makes sense, but offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler has made a lot of in-roads in the area, especially in 2017. You'll see a lot more offers go out in this area. Lugg and Ford are the two to watch most right now, but there's a bevy of guys who Virginia Tech is also monitoring.
Rivals national team analysis:
"Pennsylvania is a state that Virginia Tech is doing a lot better in. They got Shai McKenzie out of western Pennsylvania and that's where much of Virginia Tech's focus has been. You don't have to look far to find their footprint. Miles Sanders has said that if he takes three official visits, Virginia Tech could be one of them. That's a clear sign that the Hokies are doing well up there.
They're showing some interest in some younger guys who are just coming on the scene, like the Jackson twins (James Jackson & Tim Jackson) from Alderdice, as well as Brashear with defensive back Therran Coleman. I know they're showing interest in him as well. Those guys are tied up with a big training group, so they're worth paying attention to. They're on guys like Damar Hamlin and Khaleke Hudson, but they've also tried to get into the Philadelphia area and eastern Pennsylvania. Karamo Dioubate, the Rivals250 D-end has an offer. Valentin is emerging and has an offer, as well as Naseir Upshur.
Virginia Tech has tried to make its presence felt in Pennsylvania. It's difficult with Penn State doing a good job there and powers like Ohio State doing what it needs to do. But the Hokies are making their presence felt."
-- 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 Johncarlo Valentin, Imhotep Inst. Charter (Pa.), four stars -- Searels/Brown
ATH Lamont Wade, Clairton (Pa.), four stars, Rivals100 to watch for 2017 -- Loeffler
OL Josh Lugg, North Allegheny (Pa.), four stars (2017 -- Searels/Loeffler
DE Damion Barber, Harrisburg (Pa.), three stars (2017) -- Loeffler
Top targets:
RB Miles Sanders, Woodland Hills (Pa.), four stars, No. 53 in Rivals100 -- Loeffler -- PENN ST COMMIT
Safety Damar Hamlin, Central Catholic (Pa.), four stars, No. 109 in Rivals250 -- Loeffler/Gray
OL Johncarlo Valentin, Imhotep Inst. Charter (Pa.), four stars -- Searels/Brown
ATH Khaleke Hudson, McKeesport (Pa.), three stars, No. 39 ATH, No. 8 in PA -- Loeffler
ATH Paris Ford, Seton LaSalle (Pa.), four stars, Rivals100 to watch for 2017 -- Loeffler
Recent Rivals Stories On VT PA Targets:
Valentin from GamecockCentral.com, May 23: http://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1768696
Hamlin from Rivals.com, May 14: http://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1766254
Hudson from BadgerBlitz.com, May 6: https://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1763866
Ford from TheWolverine.com, May 27: http://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1769693
Overview:
The top candidate in the state over the spring has really emerged as Hamlin. And he's important to note because he also has some serious interest in the Hokies. Hamlin has said he'll be announcing a list of finalists in June, which is sure to include Virginia Tech, after he hopefully gets more offers. Alabama, Florida State and Oregon are among those who have flirted with him, but the top contenders appear to be Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Penn State and Clemson. He'll need to visit Blacksburg for the Hokies to feel good about him, though no date has been set right now.
The other guy to really watch in the state is Sanders. He's been committed to Penn State since last July, but this is partly a result of committing so early: he wants to take official visits. And one he's really discussed taking one to is VT. The bad news is this could be a lot like Kevin Toliver II last year, a guy committed somewhere for a long time, looks around, then stays put. Toliver stuck with LSU. The main two Sanders has mentioned are VT and Pittsburgh. So nothing to be excited about, but one to watch.
Valentin has also emerged as an offensive line candidate. The Hokies got in a little late with him and are in much better shape with other linemen. But Valentin hasn't named any favorites or hinted at any decision. He has 16 offers and counting, though, so Virginia Tech will need to step it up if it wants to get serious about him.
The area of the state to really watch is western Pennsylvania, around Pittsburgh. Especially since the Panthers are in the same division as the Hokies, this makes sense, but offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler has made a lot of in-roads in the area, especially in 2017. You'll see a lot more offers go out in this area. Lugg and Ford are the two to watch most right now, but there's a bevy of guys who Virginia Tech is also monitoring.
Rivals national team analysis:
"Pennsylvania is a state that Virginia Tech is doing a lot better in. They got Shai McKenzie out of western Pennsylvania and that's where much of Virginia Tech's focus has been. You don't have to look far to find their footprint. Miles Sanders has said that if he takes three official visits, Virginia Tech could be one of them. That's a clear sign that the Hokies are doing well up there.
They're showing some interest in some younger guys who are just coming on the scene, like the Jackson twins (James Jackson & Tim Jackson) from Alderdice, as well as Brashear with defensive back Therran Coleman. I know they're showing interest in him as well. Those guys are tied up with a big training group, so they're worth paying attention to. They're on guys like Damar Hamlin and Khaleke Hudson, but they've also tried to get into the Philadelphia area and eastern Pennsylvania. Karamo Dioubate, the Rivals250 D-end has an offer. Valentin is emerging and has an offer, as well as Naseir Upshur.
Virginia Tech has tried to make its presence felt in Pennsylvania. It's difficult with Penn State doing a good job there and powers like Ohio State doing what it needs to do. But the Hokies are making their presence felt."
-- Rivals.com mid-Atlantic analyst Adam Friedman
Social Media:
