Welcome to Tunnel Talk, with the latest in the world of Hokies recruiting.
Kenji Christian
Pinson (Ala.) Valley 2021 running back Kenji Christian is still on-track to make his commitment early this afternoon, and it remains an Ole Miss v. Virginia Tech battle. I've had my Rivals FutureCast locked on the Hokies for a few weeks now, and I don't anticipate changing that pick before his pledge.
Christian could still surprise and go with the Rebels, but I'd say VT is a fairly safe pick right now.
So where would the 6-2, 190-pounder fit into the class? VT already boasts a couple running backs in Chance Black and Malachi Thomas, but both have different skillsets to each other - and from what Christian has on offer. He's a well-rounded, power-but-speedy player - more similar to a finished version of Black (who will likely stay a little more slender to be a multi-position threat) than Thomas, who's a slightly undersized power grinder.
While the staff hasn't explicitly brought it up, I do wonder if Christian's athleticism and framew could see him end up on the defensive side of the ball, should he end up a Hokie. The coaches have been less adamant about landing another safety and passed on an additional linebacker (after losing Donovan McMillon to Florida and Jordan Poole to NC State at those respective positions). A guy who could grow into either of those spots could be intriguing, even if the first choice is running back.
That's just me musing, though: while these coaches - and the Hokie staffs over the longer course of time - have willing to move athletic players to other positions (almost always offense-to-defense) to maximize their potential, that's probably a question for further down the road if Christian picks VT today.
Defensive line
While there hasn't been a ton of recent movement (even the emergency Dead Period doesn't hold a candle to the recruiting slowdown that takes place when a team enters fall camp), the staff options on the defensive line continue to become a little bit clearer as time drags on. The weekend's update to the hotboard really underscored where things stand.
Tyleik Williams, (maybe) Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, and Devin Lee are the legit options at pure defensive tackle, while Robert Jackson is essentially the lone remaining option at that DE/DT tweener role. There aren't really any pure pass-rushers on offer, and if the Hokies still want to add one (if they don't think they can develop that extra gear off the line from the existing commits), it'll probably be a new target, rather than a re-emergence of a previous prospect whose VT interest has fallen by the wayside. With a 2020 season delayed until Spring 2021 in many states, getting new evals in may be a difficult task.
Should VT seal the deal on the two players they're in best position with - Williams and Jackson - and add them to a DE group that includes Mattheus Carroll and Cole Nelson, that's a pretty good group, even if it's not going to be a game-changer from a star rating perspective. Add a true pass-rusher, even if it's a guy from another position rather than an every-down rusher (I think Keli Lawson's future could be as that Tremaine Edmunds rusher, and although he's 60-plus pounds away, even a hand-in-dirt DE role could be his future), and this is exactly the type of group the staff needed.
It'll be a little bit developmental, but with underclassmen contributing now (and not losing a year of eligibility even if they play in 2020), there's time to let those players get up to their potential.
2022 in-state
The recent release of the Rivals250 for the rising junior class didn't give a ton of warm fuzzies about where the Hokies stand with in-state talent in 2022. Of the four Virginians making the top 100, VT is little more than a fringe team for a few of them.
Rice has previously visited VT, including for a junior day this Winter, but seems more focused on national programs (this will be a theme), and those that have recent history of major on-field success.
Similarly, Murphy has his eyes on the Alabamas, Clemsons, and Ohio States of the world. Even though Virginia Tech has improved its standing among Northern Virginia prospects, national powers have an advantage here.
Givens is an elite local prospect - something that's not particularly common in Southwest Virginia - and the staff's inability to remain atop his mind is, quite frankly, an exemplar of the ways in which they've seemed to lose this state: not keeping the expected level of attention, not making the right political moves (VT did a poor job keeping a few other Lord Botetourt players on the hook, including Troy Everett who wanted to commit but ended up at Appalachian State when VT wasn't an option for him despite a recent offer), and so on. Fortunately, that doesn't mean their pursuit is over, and there's plenty of time to take the right approach going forward. We shall see if that comes to fruition.
At this point, I would call the Hokies a tentative favorite for Holloway. Locking up a player like him would go a long way toward changing the narrative in the Commonwealth.
Kenji Christian
Pinson (Ala.) Valley 2021 running back Kenji Christian is still on-track to make his commitment early this afternoon, and it remains an Ole Miss v. Virginia Tech battle. I've had my Rivals FutureCast locked on the Hokies for a few weeks now, and I don't anticipate changing that pick before his pledge.
Christian could still surprise and go with the Rebels, but I'd say VT is a fairly safe pick right now.
So where would the 6-2, 190-pounder fit into the class? VT already boasts a couple running backs in Chance Black and Malachi Thomas, but both have different skillsets to each other - and from what Christian has on offer. He's a well-rounded, power-but-speedy player - more similar to a finished version of Black (who will likely stay a little more slender to be a multi-position threat) than Thomas, who's a slightly undersized power grinder.
While the staff hasn't explicitly brought it up, I do wonder if Christian's athleticism and framew could see him end up on the defensive side of the ball, should he end up a Hokie. The coaches have been less adamant about landing another safety and passed on an additional linebacker (after losing Donovan McMillon to Florida and Jordan Poole to NC State at those respective positions). A guy who could grow into either of those spots could be intriguing, even if the first choice is running back.
That's just me musing, though: while these coaches - and the Hokie staffs over the longer course of time - have willing to move athletic players to other positions (almost always offense-to-defense) to maximize their potential, that's probably a question for further down the road if Christian picks VT today.
Defensive line
While there hasn't been a ton of recent movement (even the emergency Dead Period doesn't hold a candle to the recruiting slowdown that takes place when a team enters fall camp), the staff options on the defensive line continue to become a little bit clearer as time drags on. The weekend's update to the hotboard really underscored where things stand.
Tyleik Williams, (maybe) Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, and Devin Lee are the legit options at pure defensive tackle, while Robert Jackson is essentially the lone remaining option at that DE/DT tweener role. There aren't really any pure pass-rushers on offer, and if the Hokies still want to add one (if they don't think they can develop that extra gear off the line from the existing commits), it'll probably be a new target, rather than a re-emergence of a previous prospect whose VT interest has fallen by the wayside. With a 2020 season delayed until Spring 2021 in many states, getting new evals in may be a difficult task.
Should VT seal the deal on the two players they're in best position with - Williams and Jackson - and add them to a DE group that includes Mattheus Carroll and Cole Nelson, that's a pretty good group, even if it's not going to be a game-changer from a star rating perspective. Add a true pass-rusher, even if it's a guy from another position rather than an every-down rusher (I think Keli Lawson's future could be as that Tremaine Edmunds rusher, and although he's 60-plus pounds away, even a hand-in-dirt DE role could be his future), and this is exactly the type of group the staff needed.
It'll be a little bit developmental, but with underclassmen contributing now (and not losing a year of eligibility even if they play in 2020), there's time to let those players get up to their potential.
2022 in-state
The recent release of the Rivals250 for the rising junior class didn't give a ton of warm fuzzies about where the Hokies stand with in-state talent in 2022. Of the four Virginians making the top 100, VT is little more than a fringe team for a few of them.
Rice has previously visited VT, including for a junior day this Winter, but seems more focused on national programs (this will be a theme), and those that have recent history of major on-field success.
Similarly, Murphy has his eyes on the Alabamas, Clemsons, and Ohio States of the world. Even though Virginia Tech has improved its standing among Northern Virginia prospects, national powers have an advantage here.
Givens is an elite local prospect - something that's not particularly common in Southwest Virginia - and the staff's inability to remain atop his mind is, quite frankly, an exemplar of the ways in which they've seemed to lose this state: not keeping the expected level of attention, not making the right political moves (VT did a poor job keeping a few other Lord Botetourt players on the hook, including Troy Everett who wanted to commit but ended up at Appalachian State when VT wasn't an option for him despite a recent offer), and so on. Fortunately, that doesn't mean their pursuit is over, and there's plenty of time to take the right approach going forward. We shall see if that comes to fruition.
At this point, I would call the Hokies a tentative favorite for Holloway. Locking up a player like him would go a long way toward changing the narrative in the Commonwealth.