Is this Virginia Tech’s best class ever? On paper, the answer is no, as Tech’s 2005 class was rated higher nationally by Rivals.com. However, from top to bottom, this class is rock solid. Focusing on those top, top gets like U.S. Army All-American Ryan Williams and offensive tackle Vinston Painter is easy to do, but what is most striking to me is how solid this class looks throughout.

Stone Bridge (Ashburn, VA) rover Jeron Gouveia and Green Run (Virginia Beach, VA) defensive end Joe Jones only have 2-star ratings, but I feel both have potential to be impact players for the Hokies. Gouveia, a 6-2, 180-pound prospect, is the Washington Post all-metro Defensive Player of the Year. He knows how to play the game, and I think Rover could be a terrific fit for him. There are knocks on his speed and how much size he can add in college, but it is not out of the realm to figure that he can be a significant contributor.

Jones has the look of a traditional Virginia Tech defensive end. At 6-3, 245 pounds, he shows nice quickness off the ball. He used that quickness to rack up 17 sacks in his senior season. He flew under the radar after not being a starter at a high school in Tennessee his junior year, but the potential is there and he looks like a very good fit for the Virginia Tech defensive end position.

The bottom line is this. Having players such as Gouveia and Jones as the lowest rated players in the class speaks to the level of talent throughout the class. And it speaks very favorably.

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