On Wednesday, we profiled 4-star wide receiver Daniel George, a taller option on the outside for Virginia Tech in the Class of 2018. Today, we’ll take a look at another potential offensive weapon for the Hokies in running back Marcus Caldwell.
Caldwell is a 3-star running back out of Clemmons, NC. He plays for West Forsyth High School and is teammates with KJ Henry, another Virginia Tech target. Caldwell is listed at 6-foot-1, 180-pounds and is a top-25 player in the state of North Carolina, according to the 247Sports Composite ranking.
So far, Caldwell has seven scholarship offers. His most notable are East Carolina, Louisville, North Carolina and Tennessee, as well as Virginia Tech. Caldwell received an offer from the Hokies over the summer of 2016 and has been on their radar since.
“My coach texted me to say they had offered me. I was pretty shocked that they had offered me,” Caldwell said. “They had been coming to the school to talk to me and stuff and they finally offered me.”
Caldwell says his lead recruiter is Defensive Line Coach Charley Wiles, who often recruits North Carolina, as well as other out-of-state areas.
“He always texts me, we stay in contact very often,” Caldwell said. “We’ve just built a great relationship.”
The Hokies are recruiting Caldwell as a running back, though he could easily play wide receiver as well. Caldwell does several things for West Forsyth, even playing a little quarterback.
“I think it’s my versatility,” Caldwell said of his defining skill. “I can play many different positions, and just go anywhere on the field and be the best player that I can be each and every play.”
One of the things Caldwell excels at is making plays in space. Whether it’s catching a short pass, running a jet sweep or taking a handoff to the outside, Caldwell is good at stretching the defense and then hitting the hole. He’s very agile, making him hard to bring down in one-on-one situations. Caldwell flashes good hands too, making plays all over the field as a receiver.
The only thing I don’t see when watching Caldwell’s highlights are a defined position. Because Caldwell is so versatile, he does several different things on the field, and never one thing more so than the other. According to MaxPreps, Caldwell only carried the ball 55 times last season for 323 yards and four touchdowns. He caught 19 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns. I’m not sure if Caldwell is a better fit for running back or as a slot receiver, or as someone who could do both.
Caldwell says that he’s visited with Running Backs Coach Zohn Burden and sees himself as a good fit for the Tech offense.
“We looked it over, we watched the scheme they run and stuff like that,” Caldwell said. ‘I really think I’d fit well with them. It’s similar to what we run in high school.”
No matter where Caldwell plays, he should make an impact. However, if Virginia Tech wants to bring Caldwell into the fold, they’ll have to beat out those aforementioned schools. Even though Caldwell doesn’t have a list of final schools as of now, he said his visits to Virginia Tech so far have definitely put them in contention.
“The campus is very good, also the facilities,” Caldwell said. “I got to learn more about the academics and that really impressed me. Just how they do things at Virginia Tech, I really like it a lot.”
Caldwell said he plans on visiting for a practice once the Hokies begin spring ball. If not, he said he definitely plans on visiting over the summer.
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It seems like Tennessee offers every football player. I guess their recruiting philosophy is, cast a huge net and you’ll eventually catch something.
Go Hokies
Ut Prosim
Lots of non-committable offers…..