Athlete Terius Wheatley Commits to the Hokies

Call me somewhat interested in the movements of surprise crystal balls, but when the whole of the VTScoop 247sports team puts in predictions for the Hokies for a player, I pay attention. This time it was a quick flip in the cycle, as the predictions only started on the 7^th. But when you’re dealing with a recruit who doesn’t have another major college scholarship offer, things tend to move fast. On his official weekend visit, he committed to the Hokies. Currently, he’s only ranked by 247, and as a three star. He was ranked as a 2 star by Scout last year, and most sites don’t have much on him. But he’s being recruited as an all-purpose athlete, with position TBD. On a side note, he’s also the son of former NFL running back and first round pick Tyrone Wheatley, who is currently the running backs coach for the University of Michigan. His main recruiter was Zohn Burden.

I haven’t had much of a chance to check out his highlights, so this is my first impressions. Let’s check the tape.

Terius Wheatley (Ann Arbor, MI. 5’-11”, 200lbs. Athlete)

Underrated elite skill for a running back to have- balance. Wheatley’s got that. His build and his body stays stable and solid as he moves around, and he’s hard to tackle because of it. When you’ve got as good a control over his center of gravity as he does, it’s hard to get knocked out of position or over. I like that he’s coming from an offense that’s somewhat similar to what Fuente does or intends to do, as it might mean an easier transition to the Hokies’ offense. His speed isn’t what you’d call breakaway, but it’s quite good. I’m cautious of how he holds the ball, because while it’s not ‘loaf of bread’ style, he holds it away from his body and doesn’t do a great job of switching or arranging the ball, or choosing the right arm to hold it under. He does have experience with the running back dumpoffs and being a receiving back, and I believe he’s also got a good sense for the holes and where and when to cut upfield. There’s the potential for him to be a receiver or scatback, but we’ll see- the backfield is young and crowded, and now there’s potentially two of them in this recruiting class. He could end up at multiple places, but running back seems fine to me.

Welcome to HokieNation, Terius, and go Hokies.