Welcome to Tunnel Talk, with some of the latest information inside the world of the Hokies!
2021 Slot receivers
Virginia Tech has a solid receiving room building up, even with the decommitment of Latrell Neville (who plans to make a second commitment July 4). Jaylen Jones is a nice inside/outside combo guy, while Nykelius Johnson provides some explosiveness from the slot (or could end up on defense). Running back pledge Chance Black has the versatility to be a bigger slot receiver, should the Hokies' continued monitoring of running backs look like it ultimately will net them another commitment at the position.
While the Hokies definitely still need an outside receiver in the class - I was sort of always a skeptic on Neville's ceiling, but he fit that big, burly possession guy that complements speedier players - the staff continues to keep in touch with slots... but in a way that's pretty indicative (from out perspective, not really the way the prospects see it) of an intention to keep them on the back-burner, not really ramp up the attention.
Baltimore St. Paul's three-star Kylen Austin picked up an early offer from the Hokies, and visited shortly before the emergency Dead Period descended. While he continues to hear from the coaches, the urgency of their recruitment of him has dialed way back. Visits to not only Blacksburg and Charlottesville, but also a number of Ivy League programs planned for the fall give an idea of where his priorities are (and where farther-flung Power-5 programs may evaluate his talent, as well).
Unranked Richmond-area receiver Devin Bailey is another interesting one. He sort of has the same inside-outside skillset as current commit Jones, but VT gave him his first offer in April (when quarantine was well under way) and he hasn't picked up much attention from other programs since - Division III Hampden-Sydney College is the only other to join, while VMI has started to reach out but hasn't granted him an offer yet. Bailey's only contact with VT to date has come from special teams grad assistant Jack Tyler, which again probably shows you where he slots in to the pecking order for the Hokies. This is more - for now, at least - the type of "throw 'em a bone" in-state attention that they hadn't been doing enough of while blanketing Texas with offers (a combination that really riled up some coaches in the state, as we've talked about extensively).
For the time being, it's worth keeping these guys in mind, but the likelihood that they turn into priorities probably depends upon VT being out of the mix for much more highly-regarded players down the road.
Dillon Spalding
In-state receiver Dillon Spalding picked West Virginia "over" Virginia Tech in the 2018 class, but it really wasn't the prospect's choice: the Hokies ran out of room at the position with Tre Turner and Darryle Simmons headlining the class. Spalding's preference would have been to end up a Hokie.
Well, after a winding road, he's going to be able to accomplish that goal. He left West Virginia after one season, and ended up at James Madison in the Spring of 2019. Unfortunately, a hip injury caused him to retire from football. He left the Dukes' football program after the spring sessions in 2019, and remained a student last Fall through the Spring.
Without the sport keeping him tied to Harrisonburg, he will transfer to Virginia Tech. He does intend to give the game another go, but he'll be a walk-on, rather than a scholarship player. Given his medical history, it would not surprise if playing the game doesn't ultimately work out for him, but I would expect him to remain involved in the program even if suiting up doesn't ultimately play out.
Tahj Bullock
Just a quick one here: I haven't yet reconnected with the Hokies' top quarterback option after he'd planned to visit Blacksburg over the weekend.
I would assume things went very well (as they so often do when prospects visit campus for the first time), but I can't state that from a place of knowledge just yet. The hesitance going into the visit (again, as seems to be the case pretty often) was for a kid from New York City to experience what is essentially a college campus surrounded by a fairly rural environment. That's not to say the expectations were low, just that players don't know how they're going to feel about it until they actually get a chance to experience it.
I'll work to catch up with him for a reaction in the next couple days here.
2021 Slot receivers
Virginia Tech has a solid receiving room building up, even with the decommitment of Latrell Neville (who plans to make a second commitment July 4). Jaylen Jones is a nice inside/outside combo guy, while Nykelius Johnson provides some explosiveness from the slot (or could end up on defense). Running back pledge Chance Black has the versatility to be a bigger slot receiver, should the Hokies' continued monitoring of running backs look like it ultimately will net them another commitment at the position.
While the Hokies definitely still need an outside receiver in the class - I was sort of always a skeptic on Neville's ceiling, but he fit that big, burly possession guy that complements speedier players - the staff continues to keep in touch with slots... but in a way that's pretty indicative (from out perspective, not really the way the prospects see it) of an intention to keep them on the back-burner, not really ramp up the attention.
Baltimore St. Paul's three-star Kylen Austin picked up an early offer from the Hokies, and visited shortly before the emergency Dead Period descended. While he continues to hear from the coaches, the urgency of their recruitment of him has dialed way back. Visits to not only Blacksburg and Charlottesville, but also a number of Ivy League programs planned for the fall give an idea of where his priorities are (and where farther-flung Power-5 programs may evaluate his talent, as well).
Unranked Richmond-area receiver Devin Bailey is another interesting one. He sort of has the same inside-outside skillset as current commit Jones, but VT gave him his first offer in April (when quarantine was well under way) and he hasn't picked up much attention from other programs since - Division III Hampden-Sydney College is the only other to join, while VMI has started to reach out but hasn't granted him an offer yet. Bailey's only contact with VT to date has come from special teams grad assistant Jack Tyler, which again probably shows you where he slots in to the pecking order for the Hokies. This is more - for now, at least - the type of "throw 'em a bone" in-state attention that they hadn't been doing enough of while blanketing Texas with offers (a combination that really riled up some coaches in the state, as we've talked about extensively).
For the time being, it's worth keeping these guys in mind, but the likelihood that they turn into priorities probably depends upon VT being out of the mix for much more highly-regarded players down the road.
Dillon Spalding
In-state receiver Dillon Spalding picked West Virginia "over" Virginia Tech in the 2018 class, but it really wasn't the prospect's choice: the Hokies ran out of room at the position with Tre Turner and Darryle Simmons headlining the class. Spalding's preference would have been to end up a Hokie.
Well, after a winding road, he's going to be able to accomplish that goal. He left West Virginia after one season, and ended up at James Madison in the Spring of 2019. Unfortunately, a hip injury caused him to retire from football. He left the Dukes' football program after the spring sessions in 2019, and remained a student last Fall through the Spring.
Without the sport keeping him tied to Harrisonburg, he will transfer to Virginia Tech. He does intend to give the game another go, but he'll be a walk-on, rather than a scholarship player. Given his medical history, it would not surprise if playing the game doesn't ultimately work out for him, but I would expect him to remain involved in the program even if suiting up doesn't ultimately play out.
Tahj Bullock
Just a quick one here: I haven't yet reconnected with the Hokies' top quarterback option after he'd planned to visit Blacksburg over the weekend.
I would assume things went very well (as they so often do when prospects visit campus for the first time), but I can't state that from a place of knowledge just yet. The hesitance going into the visit (again, as seems to be the case pretty often) was for a kid from New York City to experience what is essentially a college campus surrounded by a fairly rural environment. That's not to say the expectations were low, just that players don't know how they're going to feel about it until they actually get a chance to experience it.
I'll work to catch up with him for a reaction in the next couple days here.
