The Hokies might not have extended anymore offers for football last week, but it was still a busy and important week for the program. Virginia Tech recruiting added another member to the Class of 2018, got some good news on another target, and saw other targets go elsewhere.
Here is the latest in Virginia Tech recruiting.
Chatman commits to Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech added another commitment late Friday night in athete Armani Chatman.
#ExitLight18 #HokieNation 🐔 I'm staying home‼️ Let's work ✊🏾 #RipDonGotti 🙏🏾🕊 pic.twitter.com/HFOFtHFKOe
— Armani Chatman (@iamarmani9) June 24, 2017
Chatman is a 5-foot-11, 175-pound recruit from Bishop Sullivan High School in Virginia Beach, Va., one of the most important schools in the state. Chatman is rated as a 4-star recruit by Rivals and a 3-star recruit by 247Sports, and held a few reported Power 5 offers.
While Chatman doesn’t have a huge offer list, he’s a talented recruit from an important school in the state of Virginia. He’s the first commitment for the Hokies from the Commonwealth in a class that’s come almost exclusively from out of the state, which has been a sticking point with some fans.
Chatman is also versatile enough to play wide receiver or defensive back, giving Virginia Tech some options. At wide receiver, the Hokies get a potential slot receiver to replace Bryce Thompson, who recently decommitted. At defensive back, Chatman brings speed and toughness as a cornerback. Because of his commitment, both positions are very tight right now with numbers.
McFadden narrows list to four
Virginia Tech has struggled a bit on the offensive line front in this cycle, but received some good news in regards to Jordan McFadden. The 3-star recruit dropped a top-4 list yesterday, including Tech, Duke, Rutgers and Michigan State.
The 6-foot-4, 280-pound offensive lineman from Dorman High School in Roebuck, S.C. is one of the best offensive linemen left on Virginia Tech’s board. The Hokies have recruited him hard, and seem to hold a slight lead over Duke. A commitment from McFadden would go a long way in adding depth and talent to this offensive line class.
Tech targets headed elsewhere
Three of Virginia Tech’s targets committed elsewhere this week.
Defensive back Tanner Ingle — Tennessee
Running back Anthony Grant — Tennessee
Offensive lineman Gabe Gonzalez — NC State
Once Virginia Tech began to fill up at defensive back, it became clear that Tanner Ingle was unlikely to commit to the Hokies. Tech is saving a spot for Kalon Gervin, a 4-star recruit who is high on the Hokies, and already holds commitments from several defensive backs. Tennessee will get a good player in Ingle.
Tennessee also scooped up Anthony Grant, a 3-star running back from Buford, Ga. Grant was the highest-rated running back left on the board for the Hokies, but Tech never really had a good chance. Grant was offered late during the spring evaluation and by that point, Tennessee had already done most of what they needed. Now, Virginia Tech will move on to guys like Caleb Steward and Mataeo Durant.
Virginia Tech was high on Gonzalez’ list, but not high enough. The Hokies had recruited Gonzalez for a while, but didn’t issue a scholarship offer until May 24. It seems as if the Hokies were somewhat late to the party on Gonzalez as well. Of the remaining offensive linemen, Gonzalez was one of Virginia Tech’s best chances. The coaching staff will likely continue to evaluate other options through the summer and into the coming season.
Tisdale announcing on July 1
Virginia Tech may receive more good news on July 1, as 4-star linebacker Alan Tisdale tweeted last week that he’ll announce his decision on that date.
https://twitter.com/alan_tisdale/status/877672042736308224
Tisdale is one of three linebackers the Hokies are recruiting heavily, with Keshon Artis and Dax Hollifield being the other two. Tisdale likely translates to the backer spot in Bud Foster’s defensive scheme, should he commit. The 6-foot-3, 208-pound recruit has several Power 5 offers and has announced a top-5 of Tech, Ole Miss, Louisville, Notre Dame and NC State.
Also, if you’re interested, Bryce Thompson will be committing to a school on July 30. The recent Hokies decommit has been trending towards South Carolina since reopening his recruitment on June 11. Thompson is very unlikely to recommit to the Hokies.
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Who has Tisdale rated as a 4 star? Not 247.
When it comes to football recruiting, Tennessee has had VT’s number ever since the well
known Civil War !!!
Chatman is ripped. Hope he plays as good as he looks.
Ahh, you mean in the flexed, folded arms pushing up the biceps from underneath pose? He’s young with low body fat but I wouldn’t call him ripped exactly. He’ll get there though