Welcome to Tunnel Talk, where I run down the latest insider info in Hokies recruiting.
O-Line outlook
I've mentioned multiple times through this recruiting cycle that, despite some high-profile misses (West Virginia commit Wyatt Milum is an obvious one), the coaching staff feels very good about where it stands in offensive line recruiting. This should be a slightly larger class at the position group after just two signees - possibly three, pending the long-term landing position of defensive end signee Derrell Bailey Jr. - in 2020, and not exactly a star-studded group. Despite that, the staff is letting some guys fall by the wayside.
That's a choice they're making. Your mileage may vary as to whether that's the right choice, but when you see guys like Troy Everett and Jaden Lindsay committing to Appalachian State "over" Virginia Tech, I wouldn't sweat it: the staff is allowing that to happen because they feel good about where they stand elsewhere (or because they think those prospects will be available despite those commitments should the Hokies want to push later in the process).
A guy like Raleigh (N.C.) Leesville Road three-star tackle Andrew Canelas - who has the Hokies very high on his list despite not yet having the chance to make a trip to Blacksburg to see it in-person for himself - is one that VT knows could ultimately lay the groundwork for a group that's already off to a solid start with high-upside guard Danijel Miletic out of Germany.
Indeed, Canelas may not be on the verge of committing to Virginia Tech, but the first chance the 6-8, 310-pounder (and you'll note, that's the type of size the Hokies need to complement the more natural guard body types in recent classes) has to see town could go a long way toward telling the story of how this thing plays out. The expectation is that this outcome will be positive for VT, even if they're not a lock to land him. Others like fellow Carolina three-star Diego Pounds (who is more of the combo inside-outside guy we've seen in recent classes rather than the true tackle Canelas is) could help assuage VT fans' fears of a weaker class at the position, as well.
Of course, at this position as with most others, the staff also wants to leave a little room available in the class in case a strong Fall has them on the minds of highly-regarded prospects who wouldn't be particularly interested right now, as well.
Keli Lawson
In-state linebacker Keli Lawson has just a couple Power-5 offers, but they're from the two teams that might be the finalists in the end even if he had every offer a player could possibly want: in-state Virginia and Virginia Tech. The 6-4, 180-pounder is obviously far from a finished product, but has the frame to get much bigger by the time he arrives in college, and the ability to turn that added size into an impact player in college.
Attending Stephens City (Va.) Sherando, Lawson has grown up a VT fan and the Hokies are considered the overwhelming favorite over the Cavaliers. He's been a little coy about a decision timeframe, but at the very least, I wouldn't expect his recruitment to last too long past the end of the emergency Dead Period and his opportunity to see both top options in-person one more time.
He's a litttttle far outside the DC area to be the sort of guy who changes a narrative about whether the Hokies are "back" in the DMV, but having success that inches closer to the region certainly can't hurt. The perception of VT's interest in recruiting its home state and the DMV area (whether fair or not) has taken damage in recent years, and it'll take some time to chip away at that, and every effort helps.
Bullock update
My interview with three-star quarterback Tahj Bullock after his trip to Blacksburg this weekend shows a guy who's trying not to tip his hand when it comes to the endgame of his recruitment. However reading between the lines in some of what he told me is not such a difficult endeavor.
He wants to stick to a timeline of making a decision before his senior year of high school football begins, and even though we're technically in the midst of a Dead Period (which is why he could talk to the VT staff face-to-face during his time at Virginia Tech), he doesn't believe he has a need to see more schools when that period lifts.
Seeing VT in-person was the final step that allows him to be comfortable making a decision, and that swing through Blacksburg went extremely well. There are no guarantees in life, of course, but that reads very positively for the Orange and Maroon.
O-Line outlook
I've mentioned multiple times through this recruiting cycle that, despite some high-profile misses (West Virginia commit Wyatt Milum is an obvious one), the coaching staff feels very good about where it stands in offensive line recruiting. This should be a slightly larger class at the position group after just two signees - possibly three, pending the long-term landing position of defensive end signee Derrell Bailey Jr. - in 2020, and not exactly a star-studded group. Despite that, the staff is letting some guys fall by the wayside.
That's a choice they're making. Your mileage may vary as to whether that's the right choice, but when you see guys like Troy Everett and Jaden Lindsay committing to Appalachian State "over" Virginia Tech, I wouldn't sweat it: the staff is allowing that to happen because they feel good about where they stand elsewhere (or because they think those prospects will be available despite those commitments should the Hokies want to push later in the process).
A guy like Raleigh (N.C.) Leesville Road three-star tackle Andrew Canelas - who has the Hokies very high on his list despite not yet having the chance to make a trip to Blacksburg to see it in-person for himself - is one that VT knows could ultimately lay the groundwork for a group that's already off to a solid start with high-upside guard Danijel Miletic out of Germany.
Indeed, Canelas may not be on the verge of committing to Virginia Tech, but the first chance the 6-8, 310-pounder (and you'll note, that's the type of size the Hokies need to complement the more natural guard body types in recent classes) has to see town could go a long way toward telling the story of how this thing plays out. The expectation is that this outcome will be positive for VT, even if they're not a lock to land him. Others like fellow Carolina three-star Diego Pounds (who is more of the combo inside-outside guy we've seen in recent classes rather than the true tackle Canelas is) could help assuage VT fans' fears of a weaker class at the position, as well.
Of course, at this position as with most others, the staff also wants to leave a little room available in the class in case a strong Fall has them on the minds of highly-regarded prospects who wouldn't be particularly interested right now, as well.
Keli Lawson
In-state linebacker Keli Lawson has just a couple Power-5 offers, but they're from the two teams that might be the finalists in the end even if he had every offer a player could possibly want: in-state Virginia and Virginia Tech. The 6-4, 180-pounder is obviously far from a finished product, but has the frame to get much bigger by the time he arrives in college, and the ability to turn that added size into an impact player in college.
Attending Stephens City (Va.) Sherando, Lawson has grown up a VT fan and the Hokies are considered the overwhelming favorite over the Cavaliers. He's been a little coy about a decision timeframe, but at the very least, I wouldn't expect his recruitment to last too long past the end of the emergency Dead Period and his opportunity to see both top options in-person one more time.
He's a litttttle far outside the DC area to be the sort of guy who changes a narrative about whether the Hokies are "back" in the DMV, but having success that inches closer to the region certainly can't hurt. The perception of VT's interest in recruiting its home state and the DMV area (whether fair or not) has taken damage in recent years, and it'll take some time to chip away at that, and every effort helps.
Bullock update
My interview with three-star quarterback Tahj Bullock after his trip to Blacksburg this weekend shows a guy who's trying not to tip his hand when it comes to the endgame of his recruitment. However reading between the lines in some of what he told me is not such a difficult endeavor.
He wants to stick to a timeline of making a decision before his senior year of high school football begins, and even though we're technically in the midst of a Dead Period (which is why he could talk to the VT staff face-to-face during his time at Virginia Tech), he doesn't believe he has a need to see more schools when that period lifts.
Seeing VT in-person was the final step that allows him to be comfortable making a decision, and that swing through Blacksburg went extremely well. There are no guarantees in life, of course, but that reads very positively for the Orange and Maroon.
