Virginia Tech’s 2012 recruiting class is complete. Tech signed 26 players on Signing Day, to go along with the two who were already enrolled this semester.
As a quick recap from Signing Day, the Hokies did get signatures from Joel Caleb and Ken Ekanem , but they lost Lynchburg defensive tackle Korren Kirven to Alabama. Florida linebacker Jawand Blue was offered a scholarship at the 11th hour by Miami, and he went on to decommit from Virginia Tech and sign with the Hurricanes.
Virginia Tech signed eight 4-star recruits, according to TSL’s rankings, their most ever. The previous high was six 4-star recruits in 2010. These recruits are:
Richmond WR Joel Caleb
Richmond LB Deon Clarke
Chesapeake RB J.C. Coleman
Danville RB/LB Trey Edmunds
Centreville DE Ken Ekanem
Pennsylvania RB Drew Harris
Georgia DE Jarontay Jones
Florida CB Donaldven Manning
The Hokies got some heavy-hitters from the Commonwealth.
Caleb is the #3 player in the state of Virginia, and he will play wide receiver for the Hokies. He will be in contention for early playing time this season with the loss of Danny Coale and Jarrett Boykin. Even if he doesn’t play this year, he should be primed for 2013. Tech beat out finalists Ohio State and West Virginia for his services, and he also had offers from Georgia, Florida State, Florida, Oklahoma and many other major programs.
Ken Ekanem is #4 in the state, and could have easily been #1 had he not torn his ACL in the state playoffs. At 6-3, 245 he is already one of the biggest defensive ends Virginia Tech has recruited. The Hokies beat Notre Dame, Oregon, UNC, Pitt, Michigan State and others.
J.C. Coleman , who is #5 in the state, is a running back and arguably the top playmaker in Virginia. Though he’s undersized at 5-7, he has major big-play ability. Coleman is enrolled this semester at Virginia Tech, and he will compete for early playing time.
Trey Edmunds , at #8 in Virginia, is Virginia Tech’s first Parade All-American since Darren Evans and Tyrod Taylor in 2007. He put up huge numbers at Dan River High School, and could play running back or linebacker for the Hokies.
Deon Clarke , #9 in Virginia, is an extremely athletic linebacker from Richmond. He had a Miami offer, among others. He is a big-time playmaker on the defensive side of the ball, and he’s expected to play the backer position for Tech. His athleticism reminds the coaching staff of Xavier Adibi.
Two of Virginia Tech’s youngest coaches made their mark by going out-of-state to sign some highly-touted players.
Jarontay Jones is a 4-star defensive end from the state of Georgia who was recruited by Torrian Gray. His commitment was somewhat of a surprise this past summer. From deep in the heart of SEC country, Jones held offers from Clemson, Auburn, Florida State, Michigan, Florida, South Carolina and LSU.
Gray also pulled in Donaldven Manning from Miami, FL. The cornerback was Tech’s first commitment of the 2012 class, and he enrolled this semester with J.C. Coleman . Manning had a huge offer list, including Auburn, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Miami, Florida and Alabama.
Shane Beamer went up to the Philadelphia suburbs and signed 4-star tailback Drew Harris , who had offers from Penn State, Florida State, Miami, Georgia and South Carolina. Harris is a big back (6-2, 205) who could possibly compete for early playing time.
As usual, the Hokies pulled in their share of 3-star recruits, including defensive tackle Alston Smith, the son of NFL Hall-of-Famer and former Virginia Tech All-American Bruce Smith. Joining him is the underrated Nigel Williams, a player from Richmond who could end up at defensive end or defensive tackle for the Hokies.
Cornerback Davion Tookes , safety Donovan Riley , running back Chris Mangus and linebacker Devin Vandyke also headline what turned out to be a very successful class for Virginia Tech, on paper. Click here to view a list of all the signees. (Note that you can click on the column headings to sort the list in various ways.)
For more detailed coverage on what is arguably the best class in school history, look into a subscription to TSL Pass. Click here to find out more, and note that we offer discounted student subscriptions.
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I delight in, cause I found exactly what I was looking for. You have ended my 4 day lengthy hunt! God Bless you man. Have a great day. Bye
A couple of observations….
When looking at the offer lists some of these guys had it is clear this group has both quality and quantity. I think we really raised our game.
Second, watching some of the theatrics surrounding signing day as shown on ESPN and then reflecting on the announcements by Caleb and Ekanem, I am all the more happy about the character and other qualities of this class. I think they will make us proud.
Chris, according to you own database we signed NINE 4 star players in 1996, one more than in this class.
Wow, we signed these guys Saturday and I didn’t know about it until today. I would have sworn signing day was a Wednesday!
This has been fixed, thanks.
Fixed which way? Which is correct?
Way to go Tech. Coaches are to be commended for their hard work, the fight for the kids with grades and desire to work hard is more difficult every year.