Welcome to Tunnel Talk, with the latest in the world of the Hokies and Hokie recruiting. We start with the team today.
The personnel
Hendon Hooker's unavailability for Saturday's game was not exactly a well-kept secret, but all indications are that he's closer to playing this week. Justin Fuente was even a little more transparent on the record that Hooker was expected in practice (of course, when a guy didn't play in the first game, "yep, he's practicing" is the only thing you can say to leave a little mystery as to whether he'll play).
The issue that kept Hooker out - and he's been out for a couple weeks - is not directly related to a positive COVID-19 test, and holding him out of practice has been more about the long-term health of the kid, rather than any contact-tracing and quarantining protocol. Obviously, Virginia Tech wants to be safe on both fronts, but it's still easy to see why the former feels a little more serious - and I'm trying to be very careful to not use the phrase "taken seriously by the program," because that implies that they aren't taking the coronavirus stuff seriously, and I don't want to do that. I just want to be very clear that they're looking out for Hooker in a way that's not lumped into a pile with other players, who are suffering (in some cases, asymptomatically not suffering) from the same thing together.
All that said, as of this morning, there was a lean toward Hooker being available (he's going through practice, if a little rusty). However, it's unlikely that we get much more than the faintest rumblings on a final determination in that regard until the dress list is released Saturday afternoon immediately before the game. Fortunately, the Hokies have two guys who have shown they can get the job done in a backup capacity, even if neither is to Hooker's level just yet.
Recruits perking up
I mentioned this on ESPN Blacksburg yesterday, but it's worth reiterating to underscore its importance: Virginia Tech did basically everything it could on the field Saturday to send its first message of the year to recruits in the 2021 class and beyond. Certainly, they could have put the game away a little earlier and rotated backups through sooner (though for long-term goals, building the chemistry among first-choice guys may have been better anyway), but that's about it. They'll have a chance to make a similar statement this weekend at Duke.
The first opportunity to really say something will be the following weekend, though: NC State and Duke are rarely competitors for recruits the way that North Carolina is. Either Virginia Tech can beat those two teams outright, or a recruit won't be swayed by a win-loss record or head-to-head game anyway.
UNC is a different beast. The Heels have been a little more of a hot name on the trail in recent years, and that's been ramped to another level since the arrival of the Mack Brown staff - despite middling results on the field last year. Guys like Diego Pounds (though he cooled on VT well before he warmed to the Heels), Kamarro Evans, or Dontavious Nash would certainly fit nicely in the class. However, just as importantly as maintaining a foothold on UNC's home turf, the Hokies would be well-served to send a message to their own home-state prospects that leaving the Commonwealth is a path to fewer wins, not more of them. Obviously UNC has only landed one truly high-profile player from Virginia, but Tony Grimes was indeed an incredibly high-profile guy. Showing future Tony Grimeses - the Heels have offered eight four-star or better prospects in the 2022 class from the Commonwealth, all of whom also hold Hokie offers - that staying in-state is the way to go? Well, that'll be almost as important in the long run as the win means on its own merits in the records.
Tevin White
Speaking of Class of 2022 players from in-state, and the messages that the Hokies' early play is sending... Stafford (Va.) North Stafford 2022 running back Tevin White is not among the guys that the Heels have offered, but he is one who took notice of VT's season-opening win.
The No. 151 overall prospect in the country is high on the Hokies, and VT will certainly make his trimmed list in a couple weeks. More winning will be very good for his recruitment (as will less winning for Penn State when the Big Ten kicks off in a few weeks). Obviously a first-hand connection to the program through 2021 commit Shawn Asbury will help in the long run, but his recruitment is going to be in large part about feeling like Virginia Tech is a place he can win as much as at Penn State.
Recruits on the coronavirus
Given the unprecedented nature of the world we're living in, it should come as no surprise that there's no consistent answer as to how prospects feel about return-to-play timelines for college conferences, or even Virginia Tech's recent team outbreak when it comes to recruits' opinions on how the global pandemic will affect their recruiting processes.
You could make an argument for the ACC and their brethren giving players what they want by providing an opportunity to see the field, but others will counter with "we're playing too, and waited to make sure it was safe." Most recruits are pretty understanding about VT's team outbreak being largely unavoidable in today's environment, but it has been used by other programs (including some within the ACC) to point out a lack of adequate protocols or measures. That hasn't stuck with most prospects, and they see it largely as mean-spirited in a way that will backfire as a negative recruiting tactic (fortunately for the Hokies). That programs like LSU and Clemson have had team-wide outbreaks and didn't bother to pause athletic activities makes the Hokies look a little more mainstream in terms of their dealing with the pandemic. Being anywhere within the mainstream will provide positives and negatives when it comes to recruiting.
This staff has done a good job selling its positives and minimizing the negative. They've directed the narrative enough that on-field play will be far, far more important than anything virus-related (except as it affects the on-field play).
The personnel
Hendon Hooker's unavailability for Saturday's game was not exactly a well-kept secret, but all indications are that he's closer to playing this week. Justin Fuente was even a little more transparent on the record that Hooker was expected in practice (of course, when a guy didn't play in the first game, "yep, he's practicing" is the only thing you can say to leave a little mystery as to whether he'll play).
The issue that kept Hooker out - and he's been out for a couple weeks - is not directly related to a positive COVID-19 test, and holding him out of practice has been more about the long-term health of the kid, rather than any contact-tracing and quarantining protocol. Obviously, Virginia Tech wants to be safe on both fronts, but it's still easy to see why the former feels a little more serious - and I'm trying to be very careful to not use the phrase "taken seriously by the program," because that implies that they aren't taking the coronavirus stuff seriously, and I don't want to do that. I just want to be very clear that they're looking out for Hooker in a way that's not lumped into a pile with other players, who are suffering (in some cases, asymptomatically not suffering) from the same thing together.
All that said, as of this morning, there was a lean toward Hooker being available (he's going through practice, if a little rusty). However, it's unlikely that we get much more than the faintest rumblings on a final determination in that regard until the dress list is released Saturday afternoon immediately before the game. Fortunately, the Hokies have two guys who have shown they can get the job done in a backup capacity, even if neither is to Hooker's level just yet.
Recruits perking up
I mentioned this on ESPN Blacksburg yesterday, but it's worth reiterating to underscore its importance: Virginia Tech did basically everything it could on the field Saturday to send its first message of the year to recruits in the 2021 class and beyond. Certainly, they could have put the game away a little earlier and rotated backups through sooner (though for long-term goals, building the chemistry among first-choice guys may have been better anyway), but that's about it. They'll have a chance to make a similar statement this weekend at Duke.
The first opportunity to really say something will be the following weekend, though: NC State and Duke are rarely competitors for recruits the way that North Carolina is. Either Virginia Tech can beat those two teams outright, or a recruit won't be swayed by a win-loss record or head-to-head game anyway.
UNC is a different beast. The Heels have been a little more of a hot name on the trail in recent years, and that's been ramped to another level since the arrival of the Mack Brown staff - despite middling results on the field last year. Guys like Diego Pounds (though he cooled on VT well before he warmed to the Heels), Kamarro Evans, or Dontavious Nash would certainly fit nicely in the class. However, just as importantly as maintaining a foothold on UNC's home turf, the Hokies would be well-served to send a message to their own home-state prospects that leaving the Commonwealth is a path to fewer wins, not more of them. Obviously UNC has only landed one truly high-profile player from Virginia, but Tony Grimes was indeed an incredibly high-profile guy. Showing future Tony Grimeses - the Heels have offered eight four-star or better prospects in the 2022 class from the Commonwealth, all of whom also hold Hokie offers - that staying in-state is the way to go? Well, that'll be almost as important in the long run as the win means on its own merits in the records.
Tevin White
Speaking of Class of 2022 players from in-state, and the messages that the Hokies' early play is sending... Stafford (Va.) North Stafford 2022 running back Tevin White is not among the guys that the Heels have offered, but he is one who took notice of VT's season-opening win.
The No. 151 overall prospect in the country is high on the Hokies, and VT will certainly make his trimmed list in a couple weeks. More winning will be very good for his recruitment (as will less winning for Penn State when the Big Ten kicks off in a few weeks). Obviously a first-hand connection to the program through 2021 commit Shawn Asbury will help in the long run, but his recruitment is going to be in large part about feeling like Virginia Tech is a place he can win as much as at Penn State.
Recruits on the coronavirus
Given the unprecedented nature of the world we're living in, it should come as no surprise that there's no consistent answer as to how prospects feel about return-to-play timelines for college conferences, or even Virginia Tech's recent team outbreak when it comes to recruits' opinions on how the global pandemic will affect their recruiting processes.
You could make an argument for the ACC and their brethren giving players what they want by providing an opportunity to see the field, but others will counter with "we're playing too, and waited to make sure it was safe." Most recruits are pretty understanding about VT's team outbreak being largely unavoidable in today's environment, but it has been used by other programs (including some within the ACC) to point out a lack of adequate protocols or measures. That hasn't stuck with most prospects, and they see it largely as mean-spirited in a way that will backfire as a negative recruiting tactic (fortunately for the Hokies). That programs like LSU and Clemson have had team-wide outbreaks and didn't bother to pause athletic activities makes the Hokies look a little more mainstream in terms of their dealing with the pandemic. Being anywhere within the mainstream will provide positives and negatives when it comes to recruiting.
This staff has done a good job selling its positives and minimizing the negative. They've directed the narrative enough that on-field play will be far, far more important than anything virus-related (except as it affects the on-field play).