Virginia Tech 2014 Recruiting Target List

[VTscores]

Trinity Christian head coach Verlon Dorminey told The Courier-Journal on Saturday that Ford would probably end up at Virginia Tech, which has also invited him to join the basketball team as a walk-on.

Isaiah Ford Selects Virginia Tech | The Key Play

I think that was ALWAYS part of the deal.

 

[Castanza]

Solid class but if we are going to take that next step we can't continue to miss on top VA players.

 

[757Hokie83]

I think that was ALWAYS part of the deal.

yeah I know, I just hope JJ doesn't get him hurt!

 

[Hokie200proof]

Not to be cynical on what's supposed to be a fun and happy day... but...

All in all, the 2014 recruiting class will close with some very familiar story lines...

1. Highest ranked recruit(s) in the state went elsewhere
2. VT continues to help scout the South for SEC/Florida schools
3. Presumed "ours to lose" guys were "lost"
4. Some big names, seemingly natural fits for VT, ended up elsewhere
5. Alabama can, and will, have anyone they want from VA
6. We'll all find reasons to like our class and reasons to not like the kids who went elsewhere

Did I get it all? Seems like some of these cliches are just a constant for any program, but some of them are really getting old.

 

[Castanza]

When is Ford expected to sign? Rivals has him listed as un signed.

 

[Hokie200proof]

When is Ford expected to sign? Rivals has him listed as un signed.

I was just on hokiesports and they have him as signed, at 2:30 or so. I'd believe them more than rivals.

 

[vtfan15]

When is Ford expected to sign? Rivals has him listed as un signed.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Local &amp; national media crowd Isaiah Ford as he revealed his school selection (Virginia Tech). <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23NationalSigningDay&amp;src=hash">#NationalSigningDay</a> <a href="http://t.co/URY8zfJAqo">pic.twitter.com/URY8zfJAqo</a></p>&mdash; Trinity Christian (@TCAJAX) <a href="https://twitter.com/TCAJAX/statuses/431182021080010752">February 5, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[HoHumHokie]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Local &amp; national media crowd Isaiah Ford as he revealed his school selection (Virginia Tech). <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23NationalSigningDay&amp;src=hash">#NationalSigningDay</a> <a href="http://t.co/URY8zfJAqo">pic.twitter.com/URY8zfJAqo</a></p>&mdash; Trinity Christian (@TCAJAX) <a href="https://twitter.com/TCAJAX/statuses/431182021080010752">February 5, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Wait....is that a Louisvillle hat he's wearing?

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

Not to be cynical on what's supposed to be a fun and happy day... but...

All in all, the 2014 recruiting class will close with some very familiar story lines...

1. Highest ranked recruit(s) in the state went elsewhere
2. VT continues to help scout the South for SEC/Florida schools
3. Presumed "ours to lose" guys were "lost"
4. Some big names, seemingly natural fits for VT, ended up elsewhere
5. Alabama can, and will, have anyone they want from VA
6. We'll all find reasons to like our class and reasons to not like the kids who went elsewhere

Did I get it all? Seems like some of these cliches are just a constant for any program, but some of them are really getting old.

5. Holland Fisher and Vinnie Mihota disagree. They went 110% after them.

As I said earlier: this is probably our best class ever when it comes to big time players at positions at need but it could have been so much more.

 

[Obrian84]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Local &amp; national media crowd Isaiah Ford as he revealed his school selection (Virginia Tech). <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23NationalSigningDay&amp;src=hash">#NationalSigningDay</a> <a href="http://t.co/URY8zfJAqo">pic.twitter.com/URY8zfJAqo</a></p>&mdash; Trinity Christian (@TCAJAX) <a href="https://twitter.com/TCAJAX/statuses/431182021080010752">February 5, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Is that a young Aaron Rodgers in the Green Bay Hat?

 

[hokiegrad]

[*]Alabama can, and will, have anyone they want from VA

they missed on Blanding, Brown, and Holmes just like we did. All had Bama offers. Mihota did as well.

 

[Hokie200proof]

5. Holland Fisher and Vinnie Mihota disagree. They went 110% after them.

As I said earlier: this is probably our best class ever when it comes to big time players at positions at need but it could have been so much more.

I guess that's the feeling/prevailing thought I always have at the end of Signing Day. I keep expecting us to break through, sign ten 4 and 5 star guys, but we never do. Even the one or two "heavy lean" 5 star guys eventually flip.

Not altogether unexpected, so not altogether disappointing. Just... wish it was different.

 

[VTscores]

All in all, we can't complain.

Consensus top 30 ranked class, and some great offensive players.

Is the recruiting perfect? No. But VT was in the running with top programs for some awfully good players, and pulled in some awfully good ones. While we'd like to win the star game, VT has a lot of talent on the team.

Can they do better? I'd like to see them do better in state. Hate to see so many of the top 10 players go elsewhere.

You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you just might find...

...you get what you need.

 

[ckhokie]

All in all, we can't complain.

Consensus top 30 ranked class, and some great offensive players.

Is the recruiting perfect? No. But VT was in the running with top programs for some awfully good players, and pulled in some awfully good ones. While we'd like to win the star game, VT has a lot of talent on the team.

We all want a National Championship. The majority of us, as fans expect to compete for, if not win a Conference title every year. That doesn't happen, when 'the best recruiting class in school history' is still one ranked in the upper 20s. We can complain until there isn't room for improvement - which their most definitely is. We can disagree with recruiting rankings all we want, but the fact is, that the schools that are winning NCs all happen to regularly land in the top 10 or top 5 in recruiting classes (prior to winning NCs).

As others have pointed out, there is no secret that VA has football talent, and the big boys will continue to poach it, even more so than they do, if VT does not address their repeated shortcomings.

 

[ShockwaveVT]

I guess that's the feeling/prevailing thought I always have at the end of Signing Day. I keep expecting us to break through, sign ten 4 and 5 star guys, but we never do. Even the one or two "heavy lean" 5 star guys eventually flip.

Not altogether unexpected, so not altogether disappointing. Just... wish it was different.

I think you're letting Harrison & Nnadi's decision spoil your impression of our class. Nnadi was a loss certainly, but we picked up Bronson who will play DT for us. And Ford is 100% the WR that Harrison is, but not as much of a jackass.

Then when you step back and look over who is enrolling at VT in 2014, this is one of our best classes ever. Granted, I'm including Reid, Fisher and Pfaff which inflates the #'s a bit, but basically we are enrolling more than a complete starting lineup. And as for 4-stars... we signed/enrolled 16 players who received a 4-star grade from either Rivals, 247 or ESPN. (13 if you don't count Reid/Fisher/Pfaff, but I do) That includes...
3 QB - Durkin, Ford, McMillian
3 RB - McKenizie, Williams, Reid
2 WR - Phillips, Ford
1 TE - Burke
1 OL - Pfaff
2 LB - Minor, Keihn
1 DE - Mihota
1 DT - Walker
2 DB - Fisher, Reavis

This class is pretty close to our best ever.

 

[HoHumHokie]

I think you're letting Harrison & Nnadi's decision spoil your impression of our class. Nnadi was a loss certainly, but we picked up Bronson who will play DT for us. And Ford is 100% the WR that Harrison is, but not as much of a jackass.

Then when you step back and look over who is enrolling at VT in 2014, this is one of our best classes ever. Granted, I'm including Reid, Fisher and Pfaff which inflates the #'s a bit, but basically we are enrolling more than a complete starting lineup. And as for 4-stars... we signed/enrolled 16 players who received a 4-star grade from either Rivals, 247 or ESPN. (13 if you don't count Reid/Fisher/Pfaff, but I do) That includes...
3 QB - Durkin, Ford, McMillian
3 RB - McKenizie, Williams, Reid
2 WR - Phillips, Ford
1 TE - Burke
1 OL - Pfaff
2 LB - Minor, Keihn
1 DE - Mihota
1 DT - Walker
2 DB - Fisher, Reavis

This class is pretty close to our best ever.

Shockwave, thanks for bringing some sanity. There is a lot of sour grapes due to VT's poor showing in the top 10 of VA and recruiting the 757. But we got a lot of good talent from several other states this year. Now if we can get back on top in VA and still attack the northeast, VT will be in good shape moving forward.

 

[wildturkey]

The class is a nice haul. It addressed some specific needs and managed to get some upper echelon talent as well. It's certainly a boost over what's happened in recent years. If we're grading on a 10/10 scale, I'd say its an 8.9 to 9.

However, it could have been a 10 and the reasons are the ones we've had for a few years now. VA is loaded with talent. It's the reason (imo) Beamer built VT into what it is; he recognized the hotbed VA is before many others. But the secret has been out for 5 to 8 years now and all the big boys are recruiting VA like they do TX, FL, OH, etc. Yet we never adjusted to that step up in competition up until this year. The goal is to be a national level team. Look at the recruiting rankings and you'll see to do that, you need top level talent. We won't net them all, or maybe not even the majority of them, but we need more than we're getting now. It just hurts more this year because an abundant of that consensus national level talent was in our backyard and we whiffed on a lot of them. I like the direction Moorehead, Loeffler, etc seem to be going but there's still work to be done. It is imperative that the 2015 cycle snags more of that top level talent, especially in state.

 

[Whatsupppppppp]

Hand was looking for the limelight, and was never really enamored with Blacksburg. He wanted to be on a natty winning team.

Holmes rather disliked the burg, and wanted a winner.

Nnadi felt he was too good for us, and fell into the same glam and glitter trap, looking for a ring. He will regret his decision years from now.

Blanding, Brown, etc etc were lost from the git. Thanks Carson.

If we want to compete with the bamas and noles, we need to do two things

1) overachieve one year and finish in the top three or better, and look dominating doing it. get some shine on the program.

2) Send three finger Vinnie to have a chat with the godfather and the homeless car living coach. Those guys are killing us. Vinnie, take the town car.

We have a great foundation coming along in this class, and if we can repeat a couple more years recruiting like this,, and finding the gems, I think we can overachieve a little, perhaps beat the noles in the conference championship game, and play close or win in the playoffs. Then,, guys like Nnadi, and Harrison wont be as quick to jump, and maybe a Hand or Holmes is happy with some VT glam.

 

[NickVT10]

Based on 247 rankings, we have 4* players at QB, RB, WR , OL if you count Pfaff, LB, DE, DT, DB. It is a really good class. We can look at every single class and say what could have been. We missed a lot of instate talent this year but that is because this year's instate talent was national level elite. We are going to miss those guys sometimes. Nnadi was an unfortunate thing. Brown and Blanding are a whole different issue that is bad but not exactly fixable by the staff.

We pulled key talent from B1G country in pretty large numbers for the first time that I can recall. Recruiting this year has been better than it has in years. Next year will be even better. Keep your heads up guys

 

[HoHumHokie]

I guess Muschamp called Ford the minute Ermon Lane decommitted.