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Hokies Head Coach Hits Recruiting Trail

Justin Fuente and Co. show a different level of motivation on the recruiting trail.

By DavidKistler
Michael Shroyer-USA TODAY Sports

The winter "dead period" has ended and college football coaching staffs are moving across the country to visit the next crop of college football players. Virginia Tech's head coach Justin Fuente put an emphasis on recruiting when he took the job back in early December and making it clear that he and his staff would spend plenty of time evaluating and visiting talented young men. Although every college coach will give that same speech Fuente has made the recruiting process a point of emphasis and a necessary step in getting things turned around.

The Hokie staff will be traveling until signing day trying to gain the commitments of the players left on their board for 2016, but more importantly to build relationships with players, parents and coaches for the next 2-3 classes. The evaluation sessions over the last few weeks have run "10-12" hours long according to sources close to the program. This renewed energy is a welcome sight from the mediocre efforts the past few years with an aging head coach that did not make as many visits as he had in the past. While Frank and Co. worked hard they probably were not working with the same urgency that Fuente and his staff seem to be putting in.

One HUGE positive for the Hokies is the downgrade in negative recruiting by rivals battling for the same recruits. It was an uphill battle for Frank Beamer towards the end of his tenure because he could no longer promise players and parents that he would be coaching the Hokies for the entirety of their or their child's career in Blacksburg. With Fuente being 39 years old that type of negative recruiting probably won't be an issue for quite some time for Virginia Tech. It will now come down to identifying the "right" guys and selling Virginia Tech, which we as Hokies know should not be a hard sell. Blacksburg offers a first class educational institution, a family environment, world class facilities and great gameday traditions. I am looking forward to the future and believe that Fuente's staff will get it done because of how active they will be.

Go Hokies!

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