Virginia Tech gets on the OL Board with Georgia Guard John Harris

Offensive line recruiting has been pretty quiet so far for the Hokies. Mostly offers and the like going out. But this weekend Tech picked up its first OL commitment, and he’s a big interior lineman from Georgia. Meet John Harris.

Harris is a three star recruit. Though un-profiled by ESPN, he has a solid rank as a center by Scout- 7^th Center overall in the country. He’s a low three star on 247, and classified as a guard, while Rivals has him as a middle-of-the-pack three star at guard. Either way, he’s the first Hokies offensive line commitment, and the first from Georgia this year. Harris has been in the Hokies’ sights for years, with them being his second offer by 247’s record almost a year ago. His other offers include North Carolina, Louisville, Kentucky, Georgia Tech, Michigan State, Mississippi State, and Minnesota, and other teams.

I haven’t had the chance to sit down and review an offensive lineman’s tape this year, so let’s get started.

John Harris (Hoschton, GA. 6’-4.5”, 275lbs. Guard/Center)

Okay, so some of this is going to be a bit more difficult since he plays across the line in high school, especially at either tackle spot. He’s a pretty decent hand-fighter, and he shows a considerable amount of athleticism at getting to the second level. He’s got plenty of push, which we need, but I like the fact that he doesn’t seem to overly specialize in rush or pass blocking and can do both capably. I’d worry a bit about his tendency to let his hands get outside of the rusher- that’s what leads to holding calls. But he does a lot of slide blocking and down blocking at the same time, so he’s scheme versatile. I believe that yes, he’s going to be a guard at the next level despite the fact that he’s a tackle in high school. He’s not tall enough to be a college tackle but he’s athletic enough to be a pulling or zone guard. Yes, a three star prospect- transitioning from tackle to guard makes for some trepidation- but one worth the time in development.

Welcome to the Hokies, John! Keep the door open behind you. We have more coming…