Hokies Grab Ninth Commitment Of 2014 Class

Gallo, a 6'2"-6'3" 275-280 lb. center/offensive guard prospect is rated as a 3-star prospect and the No. 7 center nationally and the No. 23 plater in Pennsylvania according to 247Sports. Unfortunately, among Rivals, Scout and ESPN, Gallo is not rated or ranked. But as is often the case with Virginia Tech offers/commitments, once recruiting sites and opposing teams become aware of an unheralded recruit, he seems to jump up recruiting boards and gain more offers.

Gallo was unrated by the recruiting services when he committed to VT. Now he's the No. 7 center by 247 Sports. Hmmm ....

— Andy Bitter (@AndyBitterVT) May 29, 2013

According to 247Sports, Gallo committed to the Hokies over offers from Buffalo, Massachusetts, Temple and Villanova after visiting this past weekend. Gallo's primary recruiter was offensive line coach Jeff Grimes.

Now let's get down to Gallo's tape:

Gallo has good drive (something the Tech offensive linemen lacked in 2012). He gets his hat on a man and drives him out of the play. He is able to successfully hold his blocks. He is used quite often as a pulling guard (he is alternated between center and guard in the offensive portion of this highlight tape). Unfortunately, he rarely gets second-level to take on another block, simply giving up on the play once his guy is taken care of. On special teams, he blocked several field goals (so that's why Beamer offered him!). I am actually more impressed with Gallo as a defensive lineman from this first tape. He shows the necessary explosion/persistence to get into the backfield, and is agile enough to run quarterbacks down on the roll, though this is more about his understanding of angles and making them work for him. He reads the play well and attacks like a lurking viper when he identifies the ball-carrier. So his aggressiveness stands out on defense where it does not on the offensive side of the ball.

In his second highlight tape, Gallo is much more imposing and physically dominant on the offensive line. He is getting second-level with some regularity, and on one play, makes two key blocks 10-20 yards downfield. I am much more comfortable with him as an offensive lineman after this second video. He should fire the guy who did the first one for him if he wants to be an OL. The strange thing is that these highlight tapes are apparently from the same season, his junior year (last year). To think that he is that different of a player in one highlight tape than another suggests that he might take plays off, or lose intensity throughout a game. The player I see offensively in video No. 2 says no, but the one in No. 1 can't really argue there.

All-in-all, it's always good to see the Hokies pick up an offensive lineman, considering how little success they've had in that department over the past couple of years. I think with a little bit of work and some ass-chewing, Gallo could potentially become a solid contributor on the Tech line in the future.

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