In-state receiver Jaylen Jones is ready to end things: his commitment will come this evening at 7:00 p.m.
Jones narrowed his list to a group of five finalists a month ago, with Boston College, East Carolina, Pitt, and Wake Forest accompanying the Hokies on that slate. During that time period, Virginia Tech was comfortably ahead of the pack. In fact, if not for a re-thinking brought about by the coronavirus and resulting emergency Dead Period, the plan was in place to pledge to VT by the end of April.
That obviously didn't happen, but now that a choice is upon us, there's no reason to believe the Hokies have done anything but remain at the top of his list.
The realistic list is sounding much shorter, in fact, with Pittsburgh looking like the only other "hat on the table" (to use a term that would make sense in a normal circumstance, but not so much with everyone staying away from press conference-type events). I can't confirm for certain that the other three programs are officially out of the mix, but this looks like a Hokies-Panthers battle.
The VT coaching staff hasn't gotten official word that they're going to be the choice this evening, but confidence is strong in Blacksburg that he'll be a Hokie. Our sources in Pittsburgh indicate that the Pitt coaching staff has no such confidence. Those rumblings are never a guarantee, of course, but they're a positive sign (and I submitted a FutureCast pick in VT's favor). I would anticipate that this evening's announcement sees him follow through on the original plan to become a Hokie.
The product of Richmond (Va.) Thomas Jefferson is an inside-outside combo receiver - sort of like a Hezekiah Grimsley-type, to name a recent Hokie of the style (though Grimsley couldn't find a role on the outside when the talent level both there and at his original slot position passed him by). That is to say: he's a very different type of receiver from Latrell Neville, and I wouldn't read him as a replacement for Neville. VT has irons in the fire on that front just in case Neville follows Dematrius Davis in decommitting (legacy Jayden Thomas is that big, strong style of receiver, for example), but should Jones become a Hokie this evening, don't interpret that as any negative sign about Neville. They're largely unrelated, recruited for different roles within the same position group.
Stay tuned at 7 this evening, where I'll have full coverage should Jones choose to don Orange and Maroon.
Jones narrowed his list to a group of five finalists a month ago, with Boston College, East Carolina, Pitt, and Wake Forest accompanying the Hokies on that slate. During that time period, Virginia Tech was comfortably ahead of the pack. In fact, if not for a re-thinking brought about by the coronavirus and resulting emergency Dead Period, the plan was in place to pledge to VT by the end of April.
That obviously didn't happen, but now that a choice is upon us, there's no reason to believe the Hokies have done anything but remain at the top of his list.
The realistic list is sounding much shorter, in fact, with Pittsburgh looking like the only other "hat on the table" (to use a term that would make sense in a normal circumstance, but not so much with everyone staying away from press conference-type events). I can't confirm for certain that the other three programs are officially out of the mix, but this looks like a Hokies-Panthers battle.
The VT coaching staff hasn't gotten official word that they're going to be the choice this evening, but confidence is strong in Blacksburg that he'll be a Hokie. Our sources in Pittsburgh indicate that the Pitt coaching staff has no such confidence. Those rumblings are never a guarantee, of course, but they're a positive sign (and I submitted a FutureCast pick in VT's favor). I would anticipate that this evening's announcement sees him follow through on the original plan to become a Hokie.
The product of Richmond (Va.) Thomas Jefferson is an inside-outside combo receiver - sort of like a Hezekiah Grimsley-type, to name a recent Hokie of the style (though Grimsley couldn't find a role on the outside when the talent level both there and at his original slot position passed him by). That is to say: he's a very different type of receiver from Latrell Neville, and I wouldn't read him as a replacement for Neville. VT has irons in the fire on that front just in case Neville follows Dematrius Davis in decommitting (legacy Jayden Thomas is that big, strong style of receiver, for example), but should Jones become a Hokie this evening, don't interpret that as any negative sign about Neville. They're largely unrelated, recruited for different roles within the same position group.
Stay tuned at 7 this evening, where I'll have full coverage should Jones choose to don Orange and Maroon.
