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Virginia Tech Recruiting Snapshot: Week of 9/9

I spend some time checking in on how the season is going so far for some of the recruits in the class of 2017.

By BlueLoneWolf
Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

Alright, ladies and gents, it's high school football season just as much as it is professional and college football season. It's time to check in on the current Hokie class, but I'm handling it a bit differently this year; I'd welcome feedback for future columns. Instead of simply doing a continuing list of scores and such for all the Hokie Recruits out there (mostly due to the somewhat unreliable nature of the score reporting), I'll be giving you the ongoing storylines of the recruiting season, and trying to give you some overviews and highlights as to who's doing well and how the class is shaping up. First, let's talk about the quarterback of this class, North Carolina native Hendon Hooker, who's been lighting the world on fire down there, so much so that he's landed a magazine cover.

Coverage

QB Hendon Hooker, Greensboro, NC. 6'-4", 204lbs.

Hooker's one of the better rated recruits in this class, and for good reason. A 4 star on 247 and a 3 star everywhere else, Hooker's been putting up gonzo numbers. He's the leading athlete on the North Carolina fall issue of EASI magazine.

Now, he's gotten into a little trouble, wherein he was ejected from a game for throwing a punch, but it was overturned by the North Carolina High School Athletics Association.

In the three games he's played so far, Hooker has blasted his competition. The dual threat quarterback went 11-14 for 144 and a TD, and ran for 8-85-3 in a blasting of Winston Salem Carver. He then proceeded to help Dudley flatten Ragsdale, 58-7. Hooker passed for four touchdowns and ran for his fifth TD.

In the game where Hooker was ejected, Dudley went on to win 32-6.

Early reports Friday night have Dudley beating Hillside 32-26, and Hooker appears to have thrown a Pick-6, but he also threw at least 2 touchdowns.

However, Hooker's not the only North Carolina player to be setting the world ablaze. We've got a track speedster and a football player all in one, as Caleb Farley seems to want to leave everyone in his dust.

Track Meet

ATH Caleb Farley, Maiden, NC. 6'-3", 180lbs.

A consensus 3 star, Farley is likely to be a wide receiver or defensive back at Virginia Tech, so we have to take his skills with a small grain of salt- it's part of what is holding his rating down. But he's still a blazer. In his first game of the season, Maiden roasted Fred T. Foard, with Farley taking off for 12-193-4 TDs, and going 3-4 for 37 yards and 1 TD in the air.

News wasn't as great next week, though, as Maiden had their head caved in with Farley bobbling a snap and fumbling on a sack. He went 12-21 through the air and totaled 218 passing and 146 rushing yards, but only had two rushing touchdowns and a passing touchdown in the 49-20 stomping.

His highlight tapes are private, but Farley rips off long runs on the regular. It'll be interesting to see him in the role of a wide receiver rather than a quarterback. It seems that Maiden bounced back with a 43-10 win over St. Stephens. He blasted the Indians with a kick return touchdown, three rushing touchdowns, and a passing touchdown. He's a playmaker of all varieties.

So what about the torchbearers in the Old Dominion? Well, let's turn to Tahj Capehart, the recruit with the highest ranking in the class.

Good Reception

WR Tahj Capehart, Virignia Beach, VA. 5'-10", 178lbs.

Consensus 4-star Capehart plays for budding local powerhouse Bishop Sullivan, who have two wins on the books, one against Liberty Christian, and another against Bishop Ireton. They play Saturday night against Gilman. On the season so far, Capehart, at least, from what I can tell, has scored one touchdown...I assume he's contributed more, but because high school statistics can be hard to come by, I can't give any more details. Their last game was Saturday night against Gilman, which they won 50-7. I can't get any details as to how Capehart did.

Elswhere in Hokie Commit land, let's at least check in on a defensive recruit this time. Oh, say, Jaylen Griffin.

Coverage, Ctd.

Jaylen Griffin, Rome, GA. 6'-2", 217lbs.

Griffin was another magazine cover player back in August. In terms of play, his team is currently 1-2. It's next to impossible to get defensive status unless they're explicitly mentioned. In fact, the frequently mentioned Griffin in the following articles is his brother.

Rome/Harrison

Rome/Drew

Rome/Kell

That's it for today, Hokie Fans, next time I look back I'll give you an update on other players in the class.

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