Today, Virginia Tech's coaching staff made its final in-school visit at Stafford (Va.) North Stafford prior to five-star running back Devyn Ford's commitment tomorrow afternoon.
The staff at the high school was welcoming - and Ford was cordial - but there simply wasn't enough to overcome the total package that Ford sees at Penn State. Barring a major change (or perhaps an attempt to surprise the VT staff - extremely rare, but it's happened in high-profile recruitments in the past), he'll be donning a Nittany Lions hat in his 4 p.m. ceremony.
That said, the offers the staff has been sending out to running backs in recent days certainly make more sense. Whether they were contingencies in case the staff couldn't seal the deal today, or handed out knowing that the sales job was too tall a mountain to climb, there are other options out there. The Hokies are giving an impression that there's little lost by not landing Ford, but there's no doubting that this is a serious blow. An in-state five-star at what is likely the position of biggest need in the class... that's a guy you've gotta land. You certainly don't want to lose him to a school that was an afterthought until very recently (though it's easy to forget that VT itself was close to that status until his visit back in February).
The Hokies will land another running back in this class - and maybe even a good one, with a rapidly-expanding recruiting board at the position in the wake of the expected bad news from Ford - and there's some talent on the roster already, even if it hasn't been able to prove itself just yet. Still, if the Hokies want to be in position to compete regularly in BCS bowl games, and challenge regularly for five-star talent, there's something to be said for getting that first guy to set the tone.
If Penn State has a really tough time adjusting to the loss of offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead (a possibility - James Franklin's offenses in State College were pathetic before Moorhead's arrival), and PSU slides back in a big way this year, maybe VT can regain late traction. At the same time, if it was close enough to happen.... nothing's forcing Ford to make his choice this early. Maybe an offensive renaissance in the run game (the pass game has already been great under Justin Fuente) can help push that door open a crack.
I wouldn't count on it, though, and VT will definitely be taking a long look at other options going forward.
The staff at the high school was welcoming - and Ford was cordial - but there simply wasn't enough to overcome the total package that Ford sees at Penn State. Barring a major change (or perhaps an attempt to surprise the VT staff - extremely rare, but it's happened in high-profile recruitments in the past), he'll be donning a Nittany Lions hat in his 4 p.m. ceremony.
That said, the offers the staff has been sending out to running backs in recent days certainly make more sense. Whether they were contingencies in case the staff couldn't seal the deal today, or handed out knowing that the sales job was too tall a mountain to climb, there are other options out there. The Hokies are giving an impression that there's little lost by not landing Ford, but there's no doubting that this is a serious blow. An in-state five-star at what is likely the position of biggest need in the class... that's a guy you've gotta land. You certainly don't want to lose him to a school that was an afterthought until very recently (though it's easy to forget that VT itself was close to that status until his visit back in February).
The Hokies will land another running back in this class - and maybe even a good one, with a rapidly-expanding recruiting board at the position in the wake of the expected bad news from Ford - and there's some talent on the roster already, even if it hasn't been able to prove itself just yet. Still, if the Hokies want to be in position to compete regularly in BCS bowl games, and challenge regularly for five-star talent, there's something to be said for getting that first guy to set the tone.
If Penn State has a really tough time adjusting to the loss of offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead (a possibility - James Franklin's offenses in State College were pathetic before Moorhead's arrival), and PSU slides back in a big way this year, maybe VT can regain late traction. At the same time, if it was close enough to happen.... nothing's forcing Ford to make his choice this early. Maybe an offensive renaissance in the run game (the pass game has already been great under Justin Fuente) can help push that door open a crack.
I wouldn't count on it, though, and VT will definitely be taking a long look at other options going forward.
