A look at where we stand with recruiting after the Spring Game...

[bigesse16]

Rivals 250 is out. Kris Harley came in at #202.

Others of interest:

Nicholson - 101
Turner - 108
Hughes - 149
Terrell - 189
Holts - 199
Marshall - 250

We have offers out to 11 of the top 250, and one commit. Along with Grant, the ones I bolded are my predictions for who we will end up with.

Where do you think Nicholson and Terrell are going? I'm thinking UNC (DM) and WVU (DT) are our biggest competition with those two. I'd love to add those two guys with their speed, but definitely could see them go elsewhere. I think we've closed the gap, but maybe not enough.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

Where do you think Nicholson and Terrell are going? I'm thinking UNC (DM) and WVU (DT) are our biggest competition with those two. I'd love to add those two guys with their speed, but definitely could see them go elsewhere. I think we've closed the gap, but maybe not enough.

I agree that UNC is the team to beat for Nicholson but he is a fast riser. He went from being considered a "maybe" in the top 250 to being almost a top 100. I would not be surprised to see some big time schools, like Ohio State and Florida try and get in on him. UNC is known for over-extending their schollys. It will catch up with them at some point, and it may be this year. I think that the other, current, competition for hinm that we have is Clemson. I think that there is a legit shot to get him, with our ability to send defensive backs to the pros. The longer he holds out, the better shape we are in. If he sees Roc blow up this year and start to rise up the draft boards and Hosley emerge as the next big guy, it will look really good for us. I give us about a 25% chance of getting him though. I still see him in baby blue

Terrell, I think, we have a better shot with. WVU is high on his list, and it comes down to the two of us but with so many Virginia recruits getting into trouble and not succeeding at WVU, I think his parents (who like Beamer a lot) may steer him toward us. The sleeper in tere may be Pittsburgh. They have been really good at utiilizing receivers and making stars out of them. Also, they are the only Big East school that consistnently sends guys to the NFL and play a pro style offense. Depending on how their new QB looks, they may become a factor. I give us 50% chance on him.

I really want to lock down Turner and Holts. They could end up being 3 or 4 year starters for us along the O Line which is key. Marshall is coming, which tightens up the depth on our D line as well. Think about this, in two years we will have Acree, Hopkins, lil Hopkins, Tucker, Hamlette, Harley and potentially Marshall all in there. A few may conver to DE as well, but damn. The lines are where a team is built from so this makes me feel really good.

 

[bigesse16]

If Acree can fully recover from his injury and get his technique down, then our D-Line is in great shape. Maybe even if he doesn't. All those guys you've mentioned plus the DEs of Gayle, Collins, Perez-Means, McCray, and Taylor looks pretty damn good for us down the road.

Plus the O-Line with Holts and Turner (hopefully) with Arkema, Gibson, Shuman, Wang, Becton, Painter, Miller, and Via.

Maybe we'll finally see a day where depth and talent on both lines is no longer a problem.

 

[amszete]

Speaking of which....how is Acree doing? When is he expected to fully recover? The dude looks like a complete beast.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

Speaking of which....how is Acree doing? When is he expected to fully recover? The dude looks like a complete beast.

Everything that I have heard indicates he is good to go and may compete for playing time THIS fall.

 

[bigesse16]

Everything that I have heard indicates he is good to go and may compete for playing time THIS fall.

I'll be very surprised if he doesn't redshirt this fall. If he didn't get hurt last year and was able to work at FUMA to get him playing lower, then I'd say he'd have a chance based on physical presence, but he has a lot of work to do, even with a depleted line, IMO.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

I'll be very surprised if he doesn't redshirt this fall. If he didn't get hurt last year and was able to work at FUMA to get him playing lower, then I'd say he'd have a chance based on physical presence, but he has a lot of work to do, even with a depleted line, IMO.

I agree and although I do think we are a bit depleted at DT, I think very highly of the guys we have coming in. They seem to fit the molds perfectly. Big bruising gap stuffers like Hopkins, Tucker and Battle on one side, and quick, swim move, athletes like Graves, Hamlette and Jones on the other (Hamlette got moved inside). I think we will actually have a great D line this year and it will surprise some people.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

Cory Marshall should be committed to the Hokies in the next 2 weeks. If he goes elsewhere, I will chew my arm off (not really, but it is a very safe bet). I love that we build from the lines out. It was all O Line last year with Farris, Shuman, Arkema, Wang and Gibson, and so far the D line is filling in nicely this year with Harley and Marshall, along with 2010 signees Acree, Hopkins, McCray and Taylor.

Corey Marshall - Yahoo! Sports

 

[bigesse16]

Cory Marshall should be committed to the Hokies in the next 2 weeks. If he goes elsewhere, I will chew my arm off (not really, but it is a very safe bet). I love that we build from the lines out. It was all O Line last year with Farris, Shuman, Arkema, Wang and Gibson, and so far the D line is filling in nicely this year with Harley and Marshall, along with 2010 signees Acree, Hopkins, McCray and Taylor.

Corey Marshall - Yahoo! Sports

I'm not as confident with Marshall as I was a month ago, when I wasn't as confident two months ago haha. We should have pressured the kid to make a decision since he had us as a leader, but I'm not on the inside so who knows the kid's thought process and I respect his decision to take his time and check out schools. If he goes elsewhere, it won't speak well for the coaches.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

I'm not as confident with Marshall as I was a month ago, when I wasn't as confident two months ago haha. We should have pressured the kid to make a decision since he had us as a leader, but I'm not on the inside so who knows the kid's thought process and I respect his decision to take his time and check out schools. If he goes elsewhere, it won't speak well for the coaches.

He is coming to Blacksburg. On some level he flirted with other schools to get more exposure for some of his HS teammates. A lot of guys do that, so I have no problem with it, but I would be blown away if he does not committ to Tech. He is a defensive lineman. This is the place to be. I am more worried about Turner and Hughes now though.

 

[bigesse16]

He is coming to Blacksburg. On some level he flirted with other schools to get more exposure for some of his HS teammates. A lot of guys do that, so I have no problem with it, but I would be blown away if he does not committ to Tech. He is a defensive lineman. This is the place to be. I am more worried about Turner and Hughes now though.

Haha sorry for that rant, I agree with you. I'm just a little impatient with this one just because he seemed to be a Hokie lock from the beginning and those are guys I'd like to commit sooner rather than later.

Hughes I'm a little worried about. I saw Turner visited this past weekend, which has to bode well with our position. Hopefully he continues to visit us over the summer.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

Haha sorry for that rant, I agree with you. I'm just a little impatient with this one just because he seemed to be a Hokie lock from the beginning and those are guys I'd like to commit sooner rather than later.

Hughes I'm a little worried about. I saw Turner visited this past weekend, which has to bode well with our position. Hopefully he continues to visit us over the summer.

Ha, I didn't read it as a rant and I agree with you. This season we have a limited number of schollys to offer and are going after some huge named guys so our bubble will not come until later, unlike the past few years. The upside to this is that we may land some huge national guys like Holts, Hughes and Grant. The downside is that if they choose to go elsewhere, some other decent level players that may have come VT will have already fallen off the boat. Guys like Daquan Romero at UNC and his teammate Caleb Taylor intrigued me as backup plans but it looks like Taylor is headed to UVA so those two will be off the table. If we completely strike out on the big name guys, we may be forced to go after total sleepers or poach. I do not see Beamer as the poaching type, so I think it could hurt us. That being said, I have noticed a few more offers fgoing out now, so I feel a little bit better about. I will update my thoughts on where we stand with certain guys soon.

I do consider Watford and Marshall to be virtual locks however and they both should be on board soon. Vandyke only got a 3 star rating because of an injury. He will be a high (5.9 or 6.0) 4 star if he has a decent season. He is humongous.

 

[bigesse16]

Ha, I didn't read it as a rant and I agree with you. This season we have a limited number of schollys to offer and are going after some huge named guys so our bubble will not come until later, unlike the past few years. The upside to this is that we may land some huge national guys like Holts, Hughes and Grant. The downside is that if they choose to go elsewhere, some other decent level players that may have come VT will have already fallen off the boat. Guys like Daquan Romero at UNC and his teammate Caleb Taylor intrigued me as backup plans but it looks like Taylor is headed to UVA so those two will be off the table. If we completely strike out on the big name guys, we may be forced to go after total sleepers or poach. I do not see Beamer as the poaching type, so I think it could hurt us. That being said, I have noticed a few more offers fgoing out now, so I feel a little bit better about. I will update my thoughts on where we stand with certain guys soon.

I do consider Watford and Marshall to be virtual locks however and they both should be on board soon. Vandyke only got a 3 star rating because of an injury. He will be a high (5.9 or 6.0) 4 star if he has a decent season. He is humongous.

Completely agree about the effect of limited scholarships. It's been a while since we've had a situation like this, if ever. With us in on so many great players it's tough to not try to make everything as comfortable as possible so that they commit. Problem is that it might mean we have to wait and like you said, not take on some guys who would be solid players for us. With Taylor, I was hoping we'd give him a chance, especially since I don't see Stephone Anthony coming here (at least it seems we have work to do with him), and offer Taylor a spot. I don't know where they project Taylor to play, but I know they were looking Anthony to play at the whip, a position that needs some depth, so maybe they'd give Taylor a look. But it sounds like they want him to camp here to get a feel for his play, which may be too late if he decides to camp in July.

And I agree about Vandyke. He's a guy that I think we've found a big time player in the secondary. I think we'll hear more about him after his senior year.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

Completely agree about the effect of limited scholarships. It's been a while since we've had a situation like this, if ever. With us in on so many great players it's tough to not try to make everything as comfortable as possible so that they commit. Problem is that it might mean we have to wait and like you said, not take on some guys who would be solid players for us. With Taylor, I was hoping we'd give him a chance, especially since I don't see Stephone Anthony coming here (at least it seems we have work to do with him), and offer Taylor a spot. I don't know where they project Taylor to play, but I know they were looking Anthony to play at the whip, a position that needs some depth, so maybe they'd give Taylor a look. But it sounds like they want him to camp here to get a feel for his play, which may be too late if he decides to camp in July.

And I agree about Vandyke. He's a guy that I think we've found a big time player in the secondary. I think we'll hear more about him after his senior year.

Anthony just listed his teams in this order:
1. Florida
2. Clemson


3. Virginia tech




4. NC State
5. UNC
6. UGA

I have heard the talk about him being a Whip as well but I do not see it with his size. He is 6'3 and 220 pounds now. I would expect him to fill out to close to 240-245. That is awfully big for a Whip. Nick Dew was brought in as a future Whip, and Dominique Patterson will be working out there as well, so I think the depth issue may end when those two guys get in. I see him more as a Backer. We are deep at that spot with Chase Williams and tariq Edwards there but they will both play this season and be at least 2 years ahead of Anthony on the clock. I still do not think that he will come here, but if he does, I do not see him at Whip, but hell, I am not a talent evaluator, I just play one on here, ha ha.

Vandyke looks a lot like Aaron Rouse and Kam Chancellor on tape. I will take that!

 

[bigesse16]

Anthony just listed his teams in this order:
1. Florida
2. Clemson


3. Virginia tech




4. NC State
5. UNC
6. UGA

I have heard the talk about him being a Whip as well but I do not see it with his size. He is 6'3 and 220 pounds now. I would expect him to fill out to close to 240-245. That is awfully big for a Whip. Nick Dew was brought in as a future Whip, and Dominique Patterson will be working out there as well, so I think the depth issue may end when those two guys get in. I see him more as a Backer. We are deep at that spot with Chase Williams and tariq Edwards there but they will both play this season and be at least 2 years ahead of Anthony on the clock. I still do not think that he will come here, but if he does, I do not see him at Whip, but hell, I am not a talent evaluator, I just play one on here, ha ha.

Vandyke looks a lot like Aaron Rouse and Kam Chancellor on tape. I will take that!

Yeah it puzzled me to why they wanted Anthony at Whip with his size, but that's what I read and am sure you read too. I thought a guy like Caleb Taylor might fit nicely into the Whip position, but like you said, we're starting to get some young talent there so its not a concern.

 

[bigesse16]

I'm curious as to what you make of this.

Funderburk, the 6'3" wide receiver prospect out of Oscar Smith High School in Virginia, looks to be favoring Alabama and Virginia Tech at the moment. Florida, North Carolina, Clemson, and Penn State all seem to be in it as well.

Monday Mailbag | June 7th

Granted, it's one guys opinion, but if we're up there with Alabama for Funderburk, then I feel pretty good. Although he is clearly enamored with 'Bama for great reasons, they have a ton of WR from the past few recruiting classes, and even this year, so I'm not sure how that bodes for him. I've heard it won't have any effect, but I would have to think that the chance to get early playing time at VT would be very attractive compared to Alabama.

I'd love to get an elite WR for this class and I'm probably just getting my hopes up for QF, but just wanted to see what you recruiting gurus have to say. It'll probably be tough with all the powers recruiting him and us having difficulty with OS kids, so we'll see.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

I'm curious as to what you make of this.



Monday Mailbag | June 7th

Granted, it's one guys opinion, but if we're up there with Alabama for Funderburk, then I feel pretty good. Although he is clearly enamored with 'Bama for great reasons, they have a ton of WR from the past few recruiting classes, and even this year, so I'm not sure how that bodes for him. I've heard it won't have any effect, but I would have to think that the chance to get early playing time at VT would be very attractive compared to Alabama.

I'd love to get an elite WR for this class and I'm probably just getting my hopes up for QF, but just wanted to see what you recruiting gurus have to say. It'll probably be tough with all the powers recruiting him and us having difficulty with OS kids, so we'll see.

Good read!

Funderburke would be a pleasant surprise for sure. He is built like an Eric Moulds type and would make a devastating slot and red zone guy. I like our depth at receiver right now. Coles will likely reshirt this year, and we still have Fuller and barber as red shirt freshman this coming year. That being said, we are a bit thin past that so a receiver or two would be nice and QF is a gem.

 

[hokiehighsuperfly]

Good read!

Funderburke would be a pleasant surprise for sure. He is built like an Eric Moulds type and would make a devastating slot and red zone guy. I like our depth at receiver right now. Coles will likely reshirt this year, and we still have Fuller and barber as red shirt freshman this coming year. That being said, we are a bit thin past that so a receiver or two would be nice and QF is a gem.

I hadn't heard that Coles was planning on redshirting, I'm surprised with him being one of our premier receivers that he is considering this.

 

[bigesse16]

I hadn't heard that Coles was planning on redshirting, I'm surprised with him being one of our premier receivers that he is considering this.

There's definitely talk to RS him because of all the top heavy depth. His role next year won't change much from last year, as he'll get in mostly on special teams. It's a waste and a RS will space out the WR we have because once that 2008 class is gone, he'll have ample playing time with Boyce, Davis and the guys that Forty_Six mentioned. It would be smart on his part to do it, even though he's ready from a physical and mental standpoint.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

I hadn't heard that Coles was planning on redshirting, I'm surprised with him being one of our premier receivers that he is considering this.

DJ Coles, not Danny Coale.