One day after Virginia Tech received a commitment from a three-star wide receiver from Florida, the Hokies have received another Sunshine State commitment, according to Rivals.
Wedley Estime, a three-star defensive end from Atlantic High School in Delray Beach, Fla., committed to the Hokies late Tuesday on the eve of National Signing Day. Estime is the 22nd commitment for 2011 for Virginia Tech, including two who have already enrolled in school.
He is the fifth defensive end to commit to the Hokies for the class of 2011, joining Dewayne Alford, Corey Marshall, Matt Roth and Justin Taylor, who is one of the two Class of 2011 members who is already on campus.
If Estime's high school sounds familiar, it should. It's the same one that has produced Mark Leal, Jayron Hosley, David Clowney and Brandon Flowers. It's a school the Hokies have turned into a pipeline for incoming talent.
I've actually been impressed with how well Tech has recruited the state of Florida this year. Estime is the third commitment from there for the Hokies this year, which is a lot compared to previous years. Tech's current recruiting cycle has seen it reach down into Florida for more talent than it has in recent years. However, if you go back into the late 90s you'd find the Hokies got players from there frequently.
The commitment from Estime was the good recruiting news for the Hokies Tuesday. The bad news came in the form of reports that three-star wide receiver Robert Lockhart, who committed last night, and three-star quarterback Lafonte Thourogood might be re-thinking their pledge to the Hokies.
Doug Doughty of the Roanoke Times writes Lockhart notified the coaches he's having second thoughts about his commitment and Thourogood recently made an on-campus visit to Vanderbilt, where former West Virginia assistant Chris Beatty is currently on staff.
UPDATE: A teammate of Estime's, a two-star defensive tackle named Luther Maddy, has also committed to the Hokies according to various reports. Kyle Tucker from the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot talked to their coach at Atlantic:
Brooks said he watched VT's D-line practice during Orange Bowl preparations in Florida. "They don't have two like these two."
Kyle Tucker
kyletuckerVP