Recent recruiting news (good and bad) has made Virginia Tech’s signing of 4-star linebackers Dax Hollifield and Keshon Artis seem like distant memories.  I’d like to take a look at these two guys because of how important they might be to Tech’s future success, since there’s a good chance one or the other will be starting at the most important spot on the field in the next few years.

I’ll begin with Dax Hollifield. For family reasons, I spend a good bit of time in Dax’s home base of Cleveland County, so I’ve been able to follow his last two seasons a little bit. The county itself is about as far west as people are willing to live while still commuting into Charlotte. Shelby High is a mid-sized school with between 800 and 900 students enrolled per year.

Let’s start with a look at his junior highlight tape from a 16-0 season where the team won its fourth-straight state title (while never trailing once during the season.)

There are a few ow-wee hits you’ll find right off the bat, as well as the following plays, which I like for more technical reasons.

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