Tuesday, August 3, 2010

recruiting board update

Been in need of one of these for a while, and the first official decommitment of the class makes it the right time. Space in the class is still tight, but there's still plenty of intrigue left in the recruiting season as the coaches begin to really focus their efforts on some of the top players left on the wish list. As always, the board can be found here. Updates:

- Added OT Tim Cwalina to orange. Surprise, we have a commitment you never heard of, and for the first time for Mike London in this class, we venture past VA and MD to get it done. Cwalina is from Pittsburgh, though, which is still very much the happy hunting ground.

- Moved S Matt Bailey from orange to decommitted maroon. What was brewing for months and probably was official in Bailey's mind a little while ago is now official to the rest of the world.

- Added TE Rory Anderson to blue.

- Added LB Sean Duggan to yellow.

- Moved Darius Jennings from red to yellow and changed his position to WR, which is what the coaches want him for.

- Removed WR Curt "Spiffy" Evans (top 5 without UVA) and DE Zach Wood (SMU commit.) Both were in the red section anyway.

An interesting note that should put a smile on your face: Former board denizen Michael Cole committed to VT this past week, and Jake Goins will probably do so shortly. Why should VT commits make you happy? Because owing to limited space in the class, both were originially offered grayshirts at VT, meaning Tech wanted them to delay their enrollment and count in the 2012 class instead. I hate the practice and I'm glad UVA doesn't do it, but that's not the point. Neither Goins nor Cole have grayshirt offers any more; they'll be in the '11 class at Tech (and I really don't think it's coincidence that word gets out that Goins' offer is now for regular enrollment and now he's about ready to commit. He'd already be a Hokie, I think, if not for the grayshirt offer, no matter how much he says it doesn't affect his decision.)

Anyway, why the change of heart on the grayshirts? Two reasons. One, London is putting a fright into Beamer. Certain players that might once have been auto-Hokies are making googly-eyes toward Charlottesville all of a sudden. (ahemWatford.) Two, VT is missing out on a lot of their higher priorities. They didn't get Landon Turner, I don't think they'll get Travis Hughes or Demetrious Nicholson, Kyshoen Jarrett dropped them, and I'll tell you this too: Curtis Grant will be a Hoo before he's a Hokie.

Part of this will be due to class size - ours may top 25 and VT's won't be more than 20 - but I tell you what, UVA will have a top-five class in the ACC by February, and VT won't.

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