I   don’t   get   caught   up   in   recruiting   rankings   very   much.    I   pay   more   attention   to   whether   or   not   the   Hokies   get   a   good   amount   of   their   “A”   list   players.    It   doesn’t   matter   to   me   what   that   guy   is   ranked   by   the   national   publications.    If   the   coaching   staff   makes   him   a   priority   from   day   one,   then   that’s   good   enough   for   me.

That   said,   the   rankings   do   give   us   a   feel   for   who   the   top   recruiting   battles   will   revolve   around.    This   is   a   list   of   the   top   15   propsects   in   the   state   of   Virginia,   from   averaging   the   rankings   of   VirginiaPreps.com   and   247Sports.

#1     href=’/player/Da’Shawn-Hand-3406/’>   Da’Shawn Hand   ,   DE:   #1   by   VirginiaPreps,   #1   by   247Sports,   and   consensus   #1   prospect   in   America.    Hand   is   the   top   priority   for   Virginia   Tech   in   the   2014   class.    He   has   a   final   five   of   Tech,   Michigan,   Alabama,   South   Carolina   and   Florida.    Ultimately   I   think   this   one   will   come   down   to   the   Hokies   and   the   Wolverines.    Hand   has   plenty   of   time   to   decide,   but   if   tomorrow   were   Signing   Day,   I   think   he’d   stay   in-state.    Tech   is   trying   to   get   him   down   for   the   Spring   Game,   which   would   be   his   fourth   visit   to   Blacksburg.

#2     href=’/player/Quin-Blanding-3202/’>   Quin Blanding   ,   S:   #2   by   VirginiaPreps,   #2   by   247Sports.    Blanding   has   committed   to   UVA.

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