Virginia Tech is a hot name with a couple of prospects who are (or at least have been) committed elsewhere.
We start with Ashland (Va.) Patrick Henry two-star safety Kaleb Smith. He committed to Wake Forest over the Summer, but has been keeping his options open a bit. Recently, he changed his Twitter bio to remove any reference to the Demon Deacons, and instead added "VT commit." That seems meaningful, yes?
Smith hasn't responded to multiple requests for comment, nor have sources on the VT side of things been forthcoming (which can mean different things in different situations: this situation is one where it probably means something is up). Our sources in Winston-Salem indicate that the Wake coaches do consider him a non-commit, and they believe that he'll be a preferred walk-on in Blacksburg. We'll keep pursuing official word from Smith himself, but if it comes to fruition, stealing a kid who had a scholarship offer to a fellow ACC school - without having to use a scholarship - is a big deal.
The other is a second in-state player committed to a Power-5 school: South Carolina commit Jesus Gibbs. A two-star offensive lineman out of Potomac (Va.) Dumfries, he took an unofficial visit to Blacksburg for the Duke game, and interest from VT's end is ramping up in a major way.
The 6-4, 280-pounder knows that the Hokies need offensive linemen, and while he hasn't picked up an official scholarship offer yet, he may be willing to jump on one the instant it becomes official. Like DC St. John's three-star Josh Jefferson, he's waiting on the opportunity to arise. With Jordan McFadden taking his official visit last week (and all going very well there - the Hokies still need to wait out his Clemson official, though) and solid commits in John Harris and post-grad Christian Darrisaw, with a potential pledge from tackle Luke Tenuta on the way, both these guys are probably waiting to see if McFadden jumps ship to get the full and committable offer.
Jefferson has long looked like the next man up, but Gibbs throws a wrench into the works (and as an SEC commit he naturally holds a more impressive offer list than Jefferson). VT isn't done looking at NC State commit Gabe Gonzalez either, but the Wolfpack's strong season likely helps solidify him there.
Stay tuned for further developments.
We start with Ashland (Va.) Patrick Henry two-star safety Kaleb Smith. He committed to Wake Forest over the Summer, but has been keeping his options open a bit. Recently, he changed his Twitter bio to remove any reference to the Demon Deacons, and instead added "VT commit." That seems meaningful, yes?
Smith hasn't responded to multiple requests for comment, nor have sources on the VT side of things been forthcoming (which can mean different things in different situations: this situation is one where it probably means something is up). Our sources in Winston-Salem indicate that the Wake coaches do consider him a non-commit, and they believe that he'll be a preferred walk-on in Blacksburg. We'll keep pursuing official word from Smith himself, but if it comes to fruition, stealing a kid who had a scholarship offer to a fellow ACC school - without having to use a scholarship - is a big deal.
The other is a second in-state player committed to a Power-5 school: South Carolina commit Jesus Gibbs. A two-star offensive lineman out of Potomac (Va.) Dumfries, he took an unofficial visit to Blacksburg for the Duke game, and interest from VT's end is ramping up in a major way.
The 6-4, 280-pounder knows that the Hokies need offensive linemen, and while he hasn't picked up an official scholarship offer yet, he may be willing to jump on one the instant it becomes official. Like DC St. John's three-star Josh Jefferson, he's waiting on the opportunity to arise. With Jordan McFadden taking his official visit last week (and all going very well there - the Hokies still need to wait out his Clemson official, though) and solid commits in John Harris and post-grad Christian Darrisaw, with a potential pledge from tackle Luke Tenuta on the way, both these guys are probably waiting to see if McFadden jumps ship to get the full and committable offer.
Jefferson has long looked like the next man up, but Gibbs throws a wrench into the works (and as an SEC commit he naturally holds a more impressive offer list than Jefferson). VT isn't done looking at NC State commit Gabe Gonzalez either, but the Wolfpack's strong season likely helps solidify him there.
Stay tuned for further developments.
