In a recruiting cycle where the Hokies must corral a good number of quality defensive ends, the 2014-2105 campaign has not been very good thus far. The news didn't get any better today when four-star (Rivals) defensive end Darius "Dee" Fullwood from Olney, MD chose to play his college ball for the Kentucky Wildcats over the Hokies, Maryland, Duke and Ohio State. We're not talking about basketball either.
IM PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT I WILL BE COMMITING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY‼️ ⚪️ #BBN #TrulyBlessed pic.twitter.com/ayvkmsmjjA
— Dee Fullwood (@realdeewood) June 28, 2014
Fullwood, a 6'4" 240lb strong-side defensive end attended Good Counsel High School and is a former teammate of current Hokies CB Kendall Fuller. Fuller's success as a freshman this past season and the Hokies glaring need for bodies at defensive end was apparently not enough to convince Fullwood from choosing Virginia Tech over the "mighty" SEC program in Lexington, KY.
Was a #Hokies DE target for 2015 RT @brandoncparker Good Counsel DL Darius Fullwood commits to Kentucky https://t.co/TOxChYgM2q
— Andy Bitter (@AndyBitterVT) June 28, 2014
With the exception of Hampton, VA's Harry Lewis (three star, Rivals) who committed to VT back in late April, Tech has not secured any defensive end targets, even suffering a decomit from four star (Rivals) Michael Barnett (Dorchester, SC) back in February, only to see him commit to the Florida State Seminoles two weeks ago. The Hokies also lost out on a head to head battle for Richmond DE in four star Clelin Ferrell earlier this month.
I could even go as far as to say Lewis will probably be converted to defensive tackle before all is said and done. He currently is listed at 6'0" and 260lbs, that is prototypical DT size and i'm sure he'll add another 20-30 lbs once he gets into Coach Gentry's weight training program.
I wish I knew, coach. We all do.
This is the time of the year where the Tech coaching staff starts to gain momentum and earns a bevvy of commitments. That hasn't happened quite yet, and perhaps some of us (including me) are being impatient. Tech hosts another summer camp on July 14th, so let's hope that yields some good news.
WHO ELSE IS STILL OUT THERE?
The biggest prize in this years recruiting class and probably in the nation is #1 overall defensive end in five star Josh Sweat from Oscar Smith High School (Chesapeake, VA). Currently, he is thought of as a VT favorite, but we all know to take that with a grain of salt, and some yet unsubstantiated rumors are abound that he might have difficulty earning the grades to gain admittance without first going to prep school. But as it stands, Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon, Tennessee, and Texas A&M seem to have his attention at this point (247Sports).
Four star (Rivals) DE Darrell Taylor from Hopewell, VA currently has VT in his top four schools but will have to fend off interest from Ohio State when it's all said and done. One key factor the Hokies have in their favor is 2014 recruit Tabyus Taylor is a cousin of Darrell's. We all know the family connection is strong in Blacksburg and this one looks good for the Orange and Maroon.
Trevon Hill, a three star DE from Salem High School (Virginia Beach, VA) is also another in-state talent that the Hokies need to secure. Not only is Hill a stud, he also hails from the 757 in which Tech is trying to recapture.
OTHER RECRUITING UPDATES:
In more gloomy news, arguably the Hokies best commit for the class of 2015 in four-star (Rivals) CB Mook Reynolds from Greensboro, NC is apparently looking around. Reynolds has recently picked up offers from Georgia, Notre Dame, Michigan, North Carolina, Duke, and Tennessee. His status continues to rise as his performances at various camps and 7 on 7 tournaments have raised eyebrows. The committed Reynolds says he is an "8 out of 10" in his vow to the Hokies. Check out the update here from Georgia's SBNation site Dawgsports.
We'll be back with more leading into the Hokies next big camp. Thanks for checking in with us here at Gobbler Country!