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.
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:
RB Abdul Adams, Woodson (DC), three stars, No. 8 in DC -- Burden -- MICHIGAN ST COMMIT
Top targets:
OL Jauan Williams, Archbishop Carroll (DC), four stars, No. 102 in Rivals250 -- Searels
OL Richard Merritt, Archbishop Carroll (DC), four stars, No. 4 in DC -- Searels
LB Kyle Taylor, Gonzaga (DC), three stars, No. 5 in DC -- Burden
LB Aaron Hansford, St John's College Prep (DC), three stars, No. 7 in DC --- Burden
CB Deon Jones, Archbishop Carroll (DC), four stars, Rivals100 to watch for 2017 -- Burden
Recent Rivals Stories On VT DC Targets:
Williams from InsideTheGators.com, May 2: https://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1762816
Williams from HokieHaven.com, April 30: http://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1762096
Merritt from HokieHaven.com, April 29: http://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1761792
Overview:
The nation's capital has and continues to be a vital area for Virginia Tech, in part because there's a huge fan base in the DMV. The Hokies continue to be in good shape here, despite losing a few key targets already, most notably teammates Devante Brooks and Terrell Hall. Both visited Blacksburg last fall, but both had established great relationships with former assistant coach Aaron Moorehead. Brooks committed to Tennessee the same weekend Moorehead left for Texas A&M, while Hall went to Ohio State in March.
Moorehead has to be given a ton of credit for the inroads he made in DC for Virginia Tech. He played a big part in getting Woodson cornerback DuWayne Johnson to sign this year. But Moorehead's replacement, Zohn Burden, has also fared well so far. Johnson's teammate, Adams, just got an offer, right after he committed to Michigan State at the end of last month. Adams has yet to visit since getting that offer, so he'll need to for the Hokies to pull a flip. But it's a real possibility in large part because of the Johnson connection.
The guys to really watch, though, are teammates Merritt and Williams, Merritt especially. Both visited Virginia Tech for its spring game in April and gave positive reviews. But the general thought, even from talking to him, is that Williams is looking more SEC, or possibly staying home at Maryland or going to Penn State. Merritt, meanwhile, has been a bit more open to the Hokies and a bit higher. Assistant Stacy Searels continues to recruit both very hard, but the more realistic shot here is Merritt.
Their younger teammate, Jones, also visited for the spring game. His reviews were also very positive. But with Jones, there's more time. He'll likely be ranked higher and recruited harder than Williams or Merritt, though, so the Hokies need to work Jones harder. For now, Clemson looks to be the favorite with Jones, so there's work to do.
Virginia Tech also has offers out to Hansford and Taylor. While Taylor has been extremely quiet, Hansford has some interest. St John's is a school Moorehead got in extremely well with. It's still uncertain if the Hokies remain in that good a shape at the school overall, which has produced a ton of talent of late.. There's a possibility Brooks could re-open his recruitment and opt to stay a little closer to home after tearing his ACL last month for a second time. But right now, he's pretty solid with the Vols.
Rivals national team analysis:
"They've had a presence in DC for a while. It hasn't been super effective, though, overall, other than the kids over at HD Woodson. There's a strong tie to DuWayne Johnson and those guys. Some of these other guys they've offered, they were one of the top schools for Devante Brooks and that recruitment might not be over. There might be a chance for Virginia Tech to get back in there. The Hokies did a good job with Terrell Hall and were certainly one of his top schools before he committed.
Guys like Richard Meritt, Jauan Williams, they've done their homework and worked hard at recruiting them. Aaron Hansford is another guy they've offered and he's quietly going about his business. He hasn't spoken out a lot about his recruitment, but the way VT has been able to get in there, I'd be surprised if the Hokies weren't in play for 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:
RB Abdul Adams, Woodson (DC), three stars, No. 8 in DC -- Burden -- MICHIGAN ST COMMIT
Top targets:
OL Jauan Williams, Archbishop Carroll (DC), four stars, No. 102 in Rivals250 -- Searels
OL Richard Merritt, Archbishop Carroll (DC), four stars, No. 4 in DC -- Searels
LB Kyle Taylor, Gonzaga (DC), three stars, No. 5 in DC -- Burden
LB Aaron Hansford, St John's College Prep (DC), three stars, No. 7 in DC --- Burden
CB Deon Jones, Archbishop Carroll (DC), four stars, Rivals100 to watch for 2017 -- Burden
Recent Rivals Stories On VT DC Targets:
Williams from InsideTheGators.com, May 2: https://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1762816
Williams from HokieHaven.com, April 30: http://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1762096
Merritt from HokieHaven.com, April 29: http://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1761792
Overview:
The nation's capital has and continues to be a vital area for Virginia Tech, in part because there's a huge fan base in the DMV. The Hokies continue to be in good shape here, despite losing a few key targets already, most notably teammates Devante Brooks and Terrell Hall. Both visited Blacksburg last fall, but both had established great relationships with former assistant coach Aaron Moorehead. Brooks committed to Tennessee the same weekend Moorehead left for Texas A&M, while Hall went to Ohio State in March.
Moorehead has to be given a ton of credit for the inroads he made in DC for Virginia Tech. He played a big part in getting Woodson cornerback DuWayne Johnson to sign this year. But Moorehead's replacement, Zohn Burden, has also fared well so far. Johnson's teammate, Adams, just got an offer, right after he committed to Michigan State at the end of last month. Adams has yet to visit since getting that offer, so he'll need to for the Hokies to pull a flip. But it's a real possibility in large part because of the Johnson connection.
The guys to really watch, though, are teammates Merritt and Williams, Merritt especially. Both visited Virginia Tech for its spring game in April and gave positive reviews. But the general thought, even from talking to him, is that Williams is looking more SEC, or possibly staying home at Maryland or going to Penn State. Merritt, meanwhile, has been a bit more open to the Hokies and a bit higher. Assistant Stacy Searels continues to recruit both very hard, but the more realistic shot here is Merritt.
Their younger teammate, Jones, also visited for the spring game. His reviews were also very positive. But with Jones, there's more time. He'll likely be ranked higher and recruited harder than Williams or Merritt, though, so the Hokies need to work Jones harder. For now, Clemson looks to be the favorite with Jones, so there's work to do.
Virginia Tech also has offers out to Hansford and Taylor. While Taylor has been extremely quiet, Hansford has some interest. St John's is a school Moorehead got in extremely well with. It's still uncertain if the Hokies remain in that good a shape at the school overall, which has produced a ton of talent of late.. There's a possibility Brooks could re-open his recruitment and opt to stay a little closer to home after tearing his ACL last month for a second time. But right now, he's pretty solid with the Vols.
Rivals national team analysis:
"They've had a presence in DC for a while. It hasn't been super effective, though, overall, other than the kids over at HD Woodson. There's a strong tie to DuWayne Johnson and those guys. Some of these other guys they've offered, they were one of the top schools for Devante Brooks and that recruitment might not be over. There might be a chance for Virginia Tech to get back in there. The Hokies did a good job with Terrell Hall and were certainly one of his top schools before he committed.
Guys like Richard Meritt, Jauan Williams, they've done their homework and worked hard at recruiting them. Aaron Hansford is another guy they've offered and he's quietly going about his business. He hasn't spoken out a lot about his recruitment, but the way VT has been able to get in there, I'd be surprised if the Hokies weren't in play for him."
-- Rivals.com mid-Atlantic analyst Adam Friedman
Social Media:
