Unzipping a black jacket to reveal a maroon Virginia Tech t-shirt, Kendall Fuller announced this afternoon that he will sign with the Hokies next February. The 5’11”, 190-pound cornerback, a product of nationally recognized Good Counsel (Olney, MD), revealed his choice in the second half of today’s Champion Gridiron Kings championship game. He decided on Tech over ACC-rival Clemson this Thursday, telling an ESPN reporter he had a “gut feeling.”
Considered one of the top overall prospects in the class of 2013, Fuller is ranked a 5-star prospect by Rivals.com, Scout.com and 247Sports.com. ESPN.com rates him as a 4-star recruit. Fuller is rated the no. 3 rising senior prospect in the nation by Rivals.com, and he is in the top 21 nationally by all four national recruiting outlets.
By choosing Virginia Tech, Kendall is following the same path as older brothers Vincent, Corey and Kyle. Should he take the field as a true freshman, Kendall would have the opportunity to play alongside Kyle in Bud Foster’s defensive backfield.
Tech’s gridiron tradition — Vincent went on to the NFL and Kyle is a first-team all-ACC selection heading into his junior year — factored into the star prospect’s decision.
“Maybe not so much Vincent because Kendall was too young, but the players after Vincent, and then Kyle and Corey, Kendall saw the development and how Virginia Tech prepares players to play at the next level,” Vincent Fuller Sr. told TechSideline.com shortly after Kendall’s announcement. “Vincent graduated. Kyle and Corey are on their way to graduate. Kendall saw what happened with them, and he felt it would happen to him too.”
A proud Vincent Sr. and his wife, Nina, are pleased with their youngest son’s college choice.
“We have an extremely great relationship with the staff,” Mr. Fuller said. “Twelve years now. There was a little break after Vincent, but we were still in contact because they recruited Corey and then Kyle. We have a great relationship with the coaches. We like the university. It’s a stable football program. It’s a family oriented place. We’re definitely comfortable with Kendall’s decision.”
Virginia Tech now has 15 commitments in the class of 2013. Five of those commits are projected at least initially for the defensive backfield, including Charles Clark Jr. (likely safety), Brandon Facyson (cornerback), Holland Fisher (safety/linebacker), Cequan Jefferson (cornerback) and Anthony Shegog (safety).
2013 Season Roster Breakdown, Cornerback
Including Fuller, Virginia Tech’s cornerback depth chart for the 2013 season now looks like this:
SR – Antone Exum, Kyle Fuller
RFR/SOPH – Donaldven Manning, Davion Tookes, Donovan Riley
FR – Brandon Facyson, Kendall Fuller , Cequan Jefferson
Fuller’s commitment is huge on several fronts. He has the ability to play immediately, thus solidifying the depth chart next season. Beyond next season, Fuller has the potential to be Tech’s next great shutdown cornerback. And further, Kendall has a good feel for the game and perhaps could have the same versatility in college that his brothers Vincent and Kyle demonstrated.
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What other recruits do you see Mr. Fuller having an impact on recruiting…..this year and next?
As far as this year, there aren’t many spots left, but Kendall’s commitment can’t hurt with a player like a Derrick Green, who plans to go all the way to Signing Day. As far as the future, Tech’s defensive back tradition just continues to grow, so I expect the recruiting success will continue there. And perhaps Fuller will help the Hokies with some Good Counsel prospects down the road.
Just another day at the office for ole DBU. Welcome to Hokie Nation, Kendall!
Four brothers – all play for the same school and the same HC.
Gotta be a first. Gotta be unique. Anybody know?
Notre Dame had the Four Horsemen. The Chinese had The Five Chinese Brothers. 🙂
So we have the Four Fullers but can’t match the Chinese?
Bummer!
great pickup needed him hope this pursuades holland to stay part of hokie nation
How is it that a player Rivals calls the # 3 rising senior in the country is only a 4-star according to ESPN? Does ESPN only reward one guy 5-star status in the country?
Who cares? Let’s not fight a battle we don’t need to win
True.. who cares. I guess I get tired of ESPN. ESPN knows better than everyone. (sarcasm…). I just Fuller is # 5 CB on their list. Wow.. #3 in the country by the general authority on recruiting, to # 5 at the position.
We all know this kid is a stud and our staff would have recruited him hard even if dumb, ole ESPN had him as a 1 star.
Great Pick-up for VT , Now it’s time for Kendall to do some heavy recruiting for his class and fill it up with some more Heavy weights. GO Hokies
Great pickup, great news for sure. A real testament to how the coaching staff, support staff, and university as a whole walk the walk.
Full(er) House!
If he turns out to be half as good as his brother Kyle, whom I consider to be the best player on this team, he’ll be a great addition.
I knew he’d be a Hokie when he said he wanted to go to a place that would make him a better person.
Looks like Frank brushed the Fullers! Great job!
You should be ashamed of that pun.
Sweet! VT doesn’t rebuild VT reloads 😉
This is good news. Had Clemson gotten him it would have been very worrisome concerning future head to head recruiting battles.