The latest in the world of Virginia Tech recruiting.
Donovan McMillon
Three-star Pittsburgh-area safety Donovan McMillon continues to keep a low profile as his commitment approaches this weekend.
McMillon is nominally down to a top five of Florida, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas A&M, and the Hokies, but it's widely expected to be a Florida/VT battle. Thanks to his staying quiet this week, picking between those two from an analyst's perspective... well, there's not a ton more to know today than there was a couple days ago.
Sources with VT continue to feel like they're right in it, though the level of confidence probably isn't what I'd expect if they knew they were going to get him (and this is generally a confident group). That confidence level also hasn't grown over the course of the week, and if anything, has diminished just a bit. Meanwhile, our sources in other places around the country - including experts in the region, as well as the boots on the ground in Gainesville - continue to believe he's a future Gator.
As I said in a recent Tunnel Talk, I doubt I'll have enough confidence in a pick to submit my FutureCast before McMillon's commitment. But if I were forced to put one in, I'd lean UF for now.
Wide receivers
A little bit of context on the recent commitment of Tennessee three-star (a guy I feel is underrated, as I've consistently said in the past couple days) wideout Tray Curry: he's a kid that everyone thought was bound for the University of Tennessee as recently as the weekend. That includes the UT staff, since... well, they'd been given indications that he'd be making a public commitment to the Vols sooner or later.
When a player with that type of close tie to a given school clarifies that he's not committed to anyone:
... you may as well read that as a silent decommitment.
Things turned in favor of VT quickly (or at least the part that anyone outside of Curry's brain could observe turned quickly - you can assume he'd been privately feeling the Hokies for quite a bit longer). The staff did a good job with early identification, and with staying on a guy when it didn't look like they'd have a great chance to reel him in as his offer list expanded.
What does it mean for other receivers going forward? The staff is telling other outside receivers that there's room for at least one more of them, though I think it's fair to read that as knowing that "best-available" with one of those spots that doesn't need to be filled at a specific position... will probably end up going to a wide receiver prospect. (I hope that sentence makes sense? I can't figure out a better way to phrase it even though I feel like the point I'm trying to make shouldn't be that complicated, ha). If another outside receiver ends up in the class, the positional flexibility of others - Nyke Johnson can theoretically be a DB, Chance Black can be a pure running back rather than a slot hybrid, Jaylen Jones can be a bigger slot guy, etc. etc. - gives plenty of options as to how to arrange things.
In terms of pure outside guys, I would say there are two standing out in terms of a talent/attainability combination: legacy Jayden Thomas and Connecticut three-star Skyler Bell. VT should get a strong indication of its staying power in Thomas's recruitment when he releases his top five tomorrow. The grandson of former Hokies QB/RB Phil Rogers has been high on VT, and if they make the final five, there's a strong chance they end up the final one when the time comes. As for Bell... he's never visited Virginia Tech, and hopes to make a reasonably early decision. With programs like Iowa and Rutgers much more... long-term... in his recruitment, I have a hard time seeing VT win out unless he extends long enough to take his first trip to campus.
Of course, as stated above, I think another outside receiver is more a luxury given the extra scholarship slots that are for best-available players, so if the Hokies don't land one of those guys (or another prospect, either one that they value more than the industry does at this point, or someone that they make a late run at later), it's not worth sweating.
In the 804
After the 757 edition of the GAME Academy camp a couple weeks back didn't provide many warm fuzzies about the Hokies' ability to immediately turn around recruiting results in that region, I'll be very intrigued to get a feel for the vibe in the Richmond area this weekend.
VT has done a little better in the 804 (though I wouldn't say they've knocked it out of the park), despite some high-profile misses. Some top remaining 2021 targets - namely defensive lineman Kelvin Gilliam - hail from the capital region, and given VT's increased recent success in the Northern part of the state, a little more bleed down the I-95 corridor could follow logically.
Stay tuned to get updates and intel from some of that talent base this Saturday.
Donovan McMillon
Three-star Pittsburgh-area safety Donovan McMillon continues to keep a low profile as his commitment approaches this weekend.
McMillon is nominally down to a top five of Florida, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas A&M, and the Hokies, but it's widely expected to be a Florida/VT battle. Thanks to his staying quiet this week, picking between those two from an analyst's perspective... well, there's not a ton more to know today than there was a couple days ago.
Sources with VT continue to feel like they're right in it, though the level of confidence probably isn't what I'd expect if they knew they were going to get him (and this is generally a confident group). That confidence level also hasn't grown over the course of the week, and if anything, has diminished just a bit. Meanwhile, our sources in other places around the country - including experts in the region, as well as the boots on the ground in Gainesville - continue to believe he's a future Gator.
As I said in a recent Tunnel Talk, I doubt I'll have enough confidence in a pick to submit my FutureCast before McMillon's commitment. But if I were forced to put one in, I'd lean UF for now.
Wide receivers
A little bit of context on the recent commitment of Tennessee three-star (a guy I feel is underrated, as I've consistently said in the past couple days) wideout Tray Curry: he's a kid that everyone thought was bound for the University of Tennessee as recently as the weekend. That includes the UT staff, since... well, they'd been given indications that he'd be making a public commitment to the Vols sooner or later.
When a player with that type of close tie to a given school clarifies that he's not committed to anyone:
... you may as well read that as a silent decommitment.
Things turned in favor of VT quickly (or at least the part that anyone outside of Curry's brain could observe turned quickly - you can assume he'd been privately feeling the Hokies for quite a bit longer). The staff did a good job with early identification, and with staying on a guy when it didn't look like they'd have a great chance to reel him in as his offer list expanded.
What does it mean for other receivers going forward? The staff is telling other outside receivers that there's room for at least one more of them, though I think it's fair to read that as knowing that "best-available" with one of those spots that doesn't need to be filled at a specific position... will probably end up going to a wide receiver prospect. (I hope that sentence makes sense? I can't figure out a better way to phrase it even though I feel like the point I'm trying to make shouldn't be that complicated, ha). If another outside receiver ends up in the class, the positional flexibility of others - Nyke Johnson can theoretically be a DB, Chance Black can be a pure running back rather than a slot hybrid, Jaylen Jones can be a bigger slot guy, etc. etc. - gives plenty of options as to how to arrange things.
In terms of pure outside guys, I would say there are two standing out in terms of a talent/attainability combination: legacy Jayden Thomas and Connecticut three-star Skyler Bell. VT should get a strong indication of its staying power in Thomas's recruitment when he releases his top five tomorrow. The grandson of former Hokies QB/RB Phil Rogers has been high on VT, and if they make the final five, there's a strong chance they end up the final one when the time comes. As for Bell... he's never visited Virginia Tech, and hopes to make a reasonably early decision. With programs like Iowa and Rutgers much more... long-term... in his recruitment, I have a hard time seeing VT win out unless he extends long enough to take his first trip to campus.
Of course, as stated above, I think another outside receiver is more a luxury given the extra scholarship slots that are for best-available players, so if the Hokies don't land one of those guys (or another prospect, either one that they value more than the industry does at this point, or someone that they make a late run at later), it's not worth sweating.
In the 804
After the 757 edition of the GAME Academy camp a couple weeks back didn't provide many warm fuzzies about the Hokies' ability to immediately turn around recruiting results in that region, I'll be very intrigued to get a feel for the vibe in the Richmond area this weekend.
VT has done a little better in the 804 (though I wouldn't say they've knocked it out of the park), despite some high-profile misses. Some top remaining 2021 targets - namely defensive lineman Kelvin Gilliam - hail from the capital region, and given VT's increased recent success in the Northern part of the state, a little more bleed down the I-95 corridor could follow logically.
Stay tuned to get updates and intel from some of that talent base this Saturday.
