Virginia Tech Football Recruiting Overview

The first year under Justin Fuente was exciting and maddening. The Hokies earned a birth in the A.C.C. title game, and played their hearts out against Clemson. They also lost to Georgia Tech and Syracuse as double digit favorites. The great equalizer is talent, and the Hokies look to improve for 2017. Taking a gander around the interwebs, there is a big difference of opinion for #Statement17. #Statement17 is the hashtag the team uses for recruiting news and hype for the 2017 class. 247sports.com has the Hokies ranked at 27 nationally. If the Hokies land Devon Hunter, they will vault to 18. The four star safety is considered a Virginia Tech lean, but the minds of teenagers can be fickle. 24/7 considers two Virginia Tech recruits as 4* players: Silas Dzansi OL, and Tahj Capehart WR.

Those that are Gobbler Country regulars understand my beliefs on the star system, so I won’t bore you again. Interesting that 24/7 has Virginia Tech ranked 5th in the A.C.C.. They believe that Clemson, Florida State, Miami, and North Carolina have outperformed the Hokies thus far. That should change if we can snag Hunter, and there are a couple of other targets that could bolster the class. It becomes interesting when you check out Rivals.com .They put the Hokies at 33 nationally, and 8th in the A.C.C. . That’s a pretty big difference. In addition to the four teams ranked ahead of Virginia Tech in 24/7’s opinion, they give the nod to Pitt, Duke, and Louisville. It would be pretty disheartening if Virginia Tech can’t out recruit Duke.

The challenge for Justin Fuente is incredible. Nationally speaking, our number one ranked recruiter is Zohn Burden at #62. Torrian Gray, who left Virginia Tech last off season, is currently #35 at the University Of Florida. Hopefully Burden and Wiles can land Hunter. The Hokies are going against Alabama, Auburn, North Carolina, and a host of others. You hate to say that one particular commitment can make or break a class, but in this case, Hunter is it. Hunter tweeted out that his announcement would come on Christmas Eve, then he changed it. Remember when I said that teenagers are fickle?