Drake Deiuliis makes Tight End #2 for the Hokies

Deiuliis is a prospect that I've heard for a few months running now. A North Carolina native, Deiuliis has offers from Duke, Boston College, Minnesota, South Carolina, and Wake Forest, along with ours. That's obviously an eclectic bunch- three smaller, more academic minded teams from the ACC, a Big 10 team from way up north, and an SEC team. He's rated in an odd place in all boards- Rivals has him as a two star recruit, 247 has him at a near-four-star grade, Scout has him as a solid three star, and ESPN doesn't even have a profile on him, let alone a ranking. He's the 8^th commitment to Virginia Tech, and the 4^th offensive recruit to commit. He's joining Dalton Keene at tight end. We recruited none last year, and that likely closes out that part of the class if both stay committed.

Drake Deiuliis (Charolette, NC. 215lbs, 6'-6". Tight End)

Deiuliis's scholarship comes from going up and getting it. That's his best skill. He's actually a solid-ish runner- not overly fast, not overly maneuverable, but he is definitely a downhill guy. But right now he's a wideout/QB. That frame's not going to play at tight end right away, of course. He's pretty skinny for a tight end. He's going to have to put on 30lbs of muscle to hit the field at minimum. You can argue that between the two prospects, Keene is more built to play the position now, Deiuliis has the more natural skillset. But he's yet another convert project from the general issue ‘do-it-all-athletic-kid' prototype that's pervasive in high school sports. I can see where you can get a tight end out of it, sure. It'll take time- which we probably have with Chris Durkin, Chris Cunningham, Xavier Burke, and of course (at least this year) Bucky Hodges. I'm perfectly fine with having two tight ends that need some work. Size is something easy to put on, athleticism and skills (running for Keene, hands for Deiuliis) are harder to teach.

Welcome to the class of 2017, Drake, we're glad to have you on board!