stevetheking asked a good question on the message boards on Thursday: where would VT’s top out-of-state recruits rank among the Virginia top-10/top-30?

I answered him in the thread, but rather than doing a full-fledged Q&A today, I thought I would make that question into an article.  Where would I rank Virginia Tech’s top out-of-state recruits if they were in the state of Virginia?

First of all, let’s get this out of the way.  I really don’t like ranking players across different positions.  How do I know whether Da’Shawn Hand or Quin Blanding should be ranked higher?  They are both 5-star recruits and they have the same offer lists.  Same for Andrew Brown, technically, though I don’t view him in quite the same light as Hand or Blanding.

Also, when I rank players, I can’t help but rank them based on how I believe they would fit in the Virginia Tech system.  I don’t know that Derrick Nnadi will make a better pro or has as high a ceiling as Andrew Brown, but I do think he’s a better fit for the defensive tackle position at Virginia Tech.  Since it’s important that the Hokies recruit guys who are the best fit for their system, should I rank Nnadi higher than Brown?  I don’t know.  It’s tough.

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