A weekend in Virginia Tech recruiting that should bear fruit, another [State]2VT movement, and more in the latest Tunnel Talk.
Isi Etute
I've made it no secret that, as Virginia Beach (Va.) Cox 2021 linebacker Isi Etute's scheduled college commitment approaches, the Hokies are expected to land his commitment.
I've mentioned in previous Tunnel Talks that he's someone the staff values more than his current two-star rating, and it's easy to see why: they've made careers out of taking slightly undersized players and bulking them up to compete at the Power-5 level. Now listed at 6-2... suddenly that feels a lot more possible than his previous 6-1 listing? Long story short there, we all - myself included - care a bit more about measurements perhaps than we should (at least at certain positions). That's particularly true for a guy I haven't seen in person.
Etute's commitment will come at some point tomorrow: he's still nailing down the details. I don't expect NC State or West Virginia (the other nominal finalists) to put up much of a fight.
Cali2VT
After the weekend commitment of DJ Harvey, the staff is putting out a ton of offers in Southern California. We saw similar trends in the past, when they blanketed Texas in the aftermath of commitments from Dematrius Davis, and then of Alec Bryant, and then of Latrell Neville, etc. etc. They have a plan to strike when the iron's hot, so to speak, and capitalize on a little publicity in the region when casting a wider offer net.
Of course, the fact that the #TX2VT movement seems to have been largely (not entirely, but largely) ineffective can also give some hesitation about how well an attempt to repeat the feat in California will go. That's fair - Blacksburg certainly isn't any easier to get to by car from Los Angeles than it is from Houston - but there's reason to believe that it can be a little more successful in the long-term, rather than just for some hot-burning pub that flames out just as quickly.
For one thing, as I mentioned on ESPN Blacksburg earlier this week, California kids have always showed a greater willingness to leave home than have Texas kids. There aren't as many multi-generational ties to the home state (it's no coincidence that one of the Texans VT still seems to have a really good shot with is a recent transplant from the Midwest). They're more like players from Florida (and increasingly Georgia) or the Northeast in that regard: plane travel to visit family across the country has been a part of their lives forever, whereas that's less true in the midlands, where players are more likely to live in the same town as extended family.
Another factor that may make it more successful? While the #TX2VT movement was largely built upon a cult-of-personality around Dematrius Davis - and thus took a major blow when he decommitted - the #Cali2VT idea has a basis in relationships with coaches in the area. Those coaches are naturally going to have dozens of players end up at various colleges around the country, and are less of an all-or-nothing connection for VT.
I still have a hard time seeing the Hokies expand into new geographic areas (with any sort of consistency, at least: cherry-picking here and there is always possible) until the success on the field in the form of division or even conference championships looks like a consistent occurrence. But that time appears to be basically here, fingers crossed.
Earl Miller
As I noted when he delayed a commitment timeline scheduled for this weekend, I wouldn't read too much into VT's chances with Florida DT Earl Miller. They'll have as good a shot as they want, when it's all said and done. If anything, his delay indicates that the staff wants to make sure they don't fill up at the position too early.
If they were to push for a pledge from Miller (rather than... well, basically the opposite, from a timeline perspective), they'd be as much in the mix as they want.
As always, thanks for reading. Feel free to share your thoughts in this thread or on The Gobbler.
Isi Etute
I've made it no secret that, as Virginia Beach (Va.) Cox 2021 linebacker Isi Etute's scheduled college commitment approaches, the Hokies are expected to land his commitment.
I've mentioned in previous Tunnel Talks that he's someone the staff values more than his current two-star rating, and it's easy to see why: they've made careers out of taking slightly undersized players and bulking them up to compete at the Power-5 level. Now listed at 6-2... suddenly that feels a lot more possible than his previous 6-1 listing? Long story short there, we all - myself included - care a bit more about measurements perhaps than we should (at least at certain positions). That's particularly true for a guy I haven't seen in person.
Etute's commitment will come at some point tomorrow: he's still nailing down the details. I don't expect NC State or West Virginia (the other nominal finalists) to put up much of a fight.
Cali2VT
After the weekend commitment of DJ Harvey, the staff is putting out a ton of offers in Southern California. We saw similar trends in the past, when they blanketed Texas in the aftermath of commitments from Dematrius Davis, and then of Alec Bryant, and then of Latrell Neville, etc. etc. They have a plan to strike when the iron's hot, so to speak, and capitalize on a little publicity in the region when casting a wider offer net.
Of course, the fact that the #TX2VT movement seems to have been largely (not entirely, but largely) ineffective can also give some hesitation about how well an attempt to repeat the feat in California will go. That's fair - Blacksburg certainly isn't any easier to get to by car from Los Angeles than it is from Houston - but there's reason to believe that it can be a little more successful in the long-term, rather than just for some hot-burning pub that flames out just as quickly.
For one thing, as I mentioned on ESPN Blacksburg earlier this week, California kids have always showed a greater willingness to leave home than have Texas kids. There aren't as many multi-generational ties to the home state (it's no coincidence that one of the Texans VT still seems to have a really good shot with is a recent transplant from the Midwest). They're more like players from Florida (and increasingly Georgia) or the Northeast in that regard: plane travel to visit family across the country has been a part of their lives forever, whereas that's less true in the midlands, where players are more likely to live in the same town as extended family.
Another factor that may make it more successful? While the #TX2VT movement was largely built upon a cult-of-personality around Dematrius Davis - and thus took a major blow when he decommitted - the #Cali2VT idea has a basis in relationships with coaches in the area. Those coaches are naturally going to have dozens of players end up at various colleges around the country, and are less of an all-or-nothing connection for VT.
I still have a hard time seeing the Hokies expand into new geographic areas (with any sort of consistency, at least: cherry-picking here and there is always possible) until the success on the field in the form of division or even conference championships looks like a consistent occurrence. But that time appears to be basically here, fingers crossed.
Earl Miller
As I noted when he delayed a commitment timeline scheduled for this weekend, I wouldn't read too much into VT's chances with Florida DT Earl Miller. They'll have as good a shot as they want, when it's all said and done. If anything, his delay indicates that the staff wants to make sure they don't fill up at the position too early.
If they were to push for a pledge from Miller (rather than... well, basically the opposite, from a timeline perspective), they'd be as much in the mix as they want.
As always, thanks for reading. Feel free to share your thoughts in this thread or on The Gobbler.
