Georgia Athlete James Graham Commits to the Hokies

So, last year, the Hokies received a commitment from tight end Lecitus Smith. Smith was from Fitzgerald, Georgia, and had a quarterback that has grown in profile since. Today, that quarterback committed to the hokies. Offered over a year ago after a camp performance, James Graham is the latest member of the quite-close-to-being-full Class of 2018. Recruited by Coach Shibest, Graham is the 22^nd commitment, and the second from the state of Georgia after John Harris. He’s of mixed 3 and 4 star ranking. Scout/247 has him as a three star, but ESPN and Rivals both have him as a four star add. The Hokies did beat out an impressive roster of schools for his services. He’s been offered by Miami, Alabama, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State, Georgia, NC State, Michigan, West Virginia, and Mississippi State among others.

Alright, well, let’s get to it. TAPE TIME.

James Graham (Fitzgerald, GA. 6’-1”, 180lbs. Athlete)

This isn’t actually to denigrate his quarterbacking skills- which I think are interesting enough. But the kid is almost too athletic to play the position for what he can potentially offer elsewhere. If he stayed as he is, he looks like a Tyrod Taylor type of althete- maybe with a bit more size and less speed, but he’s definitely shifty and actually has a sense of touch and passing ability that many other hyper-athletic quarterbacks lack. He’s fast, but not super-fast, and I appreciate that he shows highlight of his passing AND running skills (by the by, this is Junior tape, so take it for what it’s worth.) I like the float and spiral he puts on the ball, and he seems to be pretty well in command of his offense. I actually think one of his better talents is ball placement, as he’s actually okay at where he puts the ball in terms of letting his receivers run into and through the catch- could be a little tighter I suppose, but it’s actually quite advanced for high school level. He’s also got a pretty big arm and isn’t afraid of unleashing deep. My big dismay is that he’s not showing any of his cornerback film in this video, even though it’s listed positionally.

What are they going to do with him? Well, with his athleticism, I could see something akin to what the Steelers did with Antwaan Randle El in the pros, which is lining him up at all sorts of things- mostly at receiver but some at quarterback and running other varities of plays with him. It’ll be REALLY interesting to see what might happen if he and 2017 recruit Caleb Farley can be on the field together, as you then have two former high school quarterbacks on the field at once (which, granted, Tech’s former staff had a history of trying and it didn’t work out altogether too well but for one STERLING success).

Either way, welcome to the Hokies, James!