Talk about momentum. It was a heck of a week for Virginia Tech recruiting, as the Hokies hauled in four commitments for the Class of 2018. There’s plenty more that happened this past week, but let’s start with the good news.
Tech adds four to Class of 2018
Defensive back DJ Crossen kicked off the commitments on Thursday, announcing his decision at Dudley High School in Greensboro, N.C.
Crossen is a 3-star defender with an impressive offer list. After originally committing to North Carolina in the summer of 2016, Crossen reopened his recruitment in January. Since then, the Hokies were the top contender to land his services.
Crossen’s commitment gives Tech four commitments in the secondary, and spots are beginning to fill up. Even though the Hokies are taking 5-6 defensive backs in this class, there aren’t many spots remaining. Because of that, you could see more jump on board in the coming weeks.
Virginia Tech’s next commitment came on Saturday, as offensive lineman John Harris added himself to the group.
https://twitter.com/_JohnnyHarris_/status/873560954344288256
Harris might have been the best offensive lineman left on the board for Virginia Tech, other than Rasheed Walker. The 6-foot-4, 275-pound lineman from Hoschton, Ga. has been high on the Hokies from the beginning, and finally pulled the trigger. Oddly enough, Harris was not among the visitors this weekend, but called the coaches and committed anyway.
Harris is the only offensive lineman committed so far for the Class of 2018. There’s still work to be done there.
Also on Saturday, defensive end Eli Adams decided to commit.
I'm committed🦃‼️ #Gohokies pic.twitter.com/K19uxlwSJm
— E. (@eliadams33) June 10, 2017
Adams is an undersized defensive end that has great film. The 6-foot, 230-pound end doesn’t hold a large offer list, but did hold Power 5 offers from Maryland, NC State, Kansas State and South Carolina. Adams is the only defensive end committed at this point, and the Hokies are likely to add one more in this class.
Last, but certainly not least, defensive tackle Cam Goode announced his commitment to the Hokies on Sunday.
https://twitter.com/_YooCammm/status/873933005768847360
Goode has favored Virginia Tech since his visit on April 1. The Hokies have kept on him since that visit, and he committed this weekend.
Virginia Tech now has two defensive tackles committed for the Class of 2018 in Goode and Joe Kane. Depending on the recruit, the Hokies are likely done at this position.
To wrap things up, that’s four commitments in four days. Virginia Tech has struggled to close on kids previously in this cycle, but that wasn’t the case this weekend.
Thompson decommits from Virginia Tech
It wasn’t all positive news this week for Virginia Tech recruiting. Wide receiver Bryce Thompson announced his decision to decommit on Sunday.
— Zip (@thommybry) June 11, 2017
Thompson’s decommitment doesn’t come as a surprise. The 3-star prospect told TechSideline back in May that he was still looking around, and that he had thought about decommitting. Now, it seems he’s made it official.
Virginia Tech now has an opening at wide receiver. The Hokies are still hoping to take three wide receivers in the Class of 2018, and are recruiting Daniel George very hard. Depending on how things go, Tech could settle for two receivers and add elsewhere, but time will tell.
Virginia Tech recruiting hosts “elite” camp
Virginia Tech recruiting held an “elite” camp on Saturday, geared for Class of 2018 recruits that the Hokies are high on. Here are some of the recruits who visited on Saturday — wide receiver Tre Turner, defensive tackles Cam Goode and Joe Kane, offensive lineman Gabe Gonzalez, defensive end Eli Adams and running back Mataeo Durant.
Two of those recruits — Goode and Adams — committed this weekend. Turner and Kane were already committed and likely did some recruiting of their own, while Gonzalez and Durant are both high on the Hokies. Getting these kids on campus, and working with them on the field, is a smart move.
Virginia Tech also held a camp for recruits on Sunday, aimed at underclassmen and 2018 recruits who’ve yet to earn an offer. Two of the more notable names were running back Cole Beck and athlete Cam Cloud.
Beck is almost infamous at this point among the Tech fanbase. As a local recruit from Blacksburg High School, the Bruins’ star back has yet to earn an offer from Virginia Tech.
Beck put up a blazing 40-yard-dash time, running at 4.29 seconds. He also looked good in some of the drills he participated in, but looked less stellar in others. In all, Virginia Tech hasn’t reached a point where they’re comfortable extending an offer.
Cloud, a 2019 athlete from Northwest Guilford High School in Greensboro, N.C., is also looking for an offer. He’s been on Virginia Tech’s radar for a while now, and visited with his teammate Tre Turner this spring. He’s a name to watch as we get close to the beginning of the 2019 cycle.
Other recruits narrowing lists and headed elsewhere
Virginia Tech missed out on three recruits with offers, though it isn’t clear how high they were on Tech’s board. Defensive tackle Jamion Franklin committed to Notre Dame, while running backs Master Teague committed to Ohio State and Trent Pennix committed to NC State. The three are talented players, no doubt, but the Hokies are done at tackle and have other options in the backfield.
As for recruits who have begun to narrow things down, here’s a rundown of players who recently listed Tech in their top five.
Linebacker Alan Tisdale — NC State, Ole Miss, Louisville, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech
Tisdale can be considered a Tech-lean at this point. The Hokies are high on him, and would love to bring him into the fold.
Running back Caleb Steward — Duke, Purdue, South Florida, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech
Steward is one of the highest-rated backs left on Virginia Tech’s board, according to the coaches. He’s a solid recruit out of Florida, but doesn’t have a huge offer list so far. He visited South Florida over the weekend.
Defensive back Rayshad Williams — Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech is filling up at defensive back, and Williams may need to move quickly if he wants one of the remaining spots. Williams is a talented defensive back, but there are only so many seats left on the train.
Offensive lineman Blake Zubovic — Pittsburgh, Michigan State, Penn State, Maryland and Virginia Tech
Zubovic is a 6-foot-3, 305-pound lineman from Pennsylvania, and figures to favor Pittsburgh at the moment. Still, Tech is in the mix.
Defensive back Kalon Gervin — Oregon, Oklahoma, Michigan State, Louisville, Virginia Tech
Gervin is one of the most highly-rated prospects left for Tech, according to the recruiting services. The Tech coaches are also high on him, and would love to bring him into the fold quickly. They will face some stiff competition.
Three new scholarship offers
Perhaps the Virginia Tech coaches were too busy landing commitments this week, and they forgot to offer more recruits. All kidding aside, here are the new offers — Class of 2018 defensive back Jamar Johnson, Class of 2018 defensive tackle Bryson Williams and Class of 2019 athlete Jahad Carter.
Johnson is a 6-foot-2, 180-pound cornerback from Sarasota, Fla. He is currently unranked by Rivals and holds Power 5 offers from Iowa State, Purdue, Tech and Wake Forest.
Williams is a 3-star defensive tackle from Lincoln, Neb. The 6-foot-2, 290-pound lineman holds a few Power 5 offers, but doesn’t seem to be an elite recruit. Williams was offered before Cam Goode committed on Sunday, and his offer may no longer be committable.
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It’s hard to get too excited about the “early commitments” ’cause it’s about 8 months ’til signing day and a lot can happen re. “Thompson decommits from Virginia Tech”.
Enjoy the positives and forget the Negativity
Little more than 6 months before they can sign.
The early signing period will last 72 hours, beginning Dec. 20 and running through Dec. 22.