VT's 2008 recruiting class

here's my personal take on our recruiting class this year

we came in and had pressing needs at WR and LB, and to a lesser extent DE and DT

here's what VT wanted to sign before the recruiting season began

QB (1)
RB (2)
WR (4)
TE (1)
OL (3)
DE (2-3)
DT (2)
LB (4)
CB (3)
FS (1)
SS (1)

so with that said, here goes:

Quarterback: needs (1), landed (1, maybe 2)...Grade C

Joseph "Ju Ju" Clayton - 6'2 200, solid quarterback prospect, not someone who will be expected to play right away, as a matter of fact, he will not come in til the end of Fall Semester of next year...VT needed another QB on the roster for when Glennon and Holt graduate and they got it in Clayton...he is a guy who will probably be a career backup but a solid one at that...after him comes Kevin Newsome who is very high on VT's list for next year and vice versa

Marcus Davis - 6'6 225, started playing QB his Sr year and showed some flashes and will get his first look at QB like Kam Chancellor, but his future looks MUCH MUCH brighter as a WR or H-Back...ran a 4.45 40 at a Nike combine over the summer and at that height and weight he could also grow into a good DE

Running Back: needs (2), landed (2)...Grade A-

Ryan Williams - 5'11 200, U.S. Army All-American, #4 RB in the nation...scouts at the All-American practices compare his running style to Cadillac Williams...has great vision and finds holes quick and makes his cuts quick...he'll play in the fall right away

Tony Gregory - 6'1 190, lightning fast back out of Va Beach...he won't run over you like Williams but he has the same burst that Williams does, he will have to prep but will be at VT in '09

Wide Receiver: needs (4), landed (7)...Grade A

Dyrell Roberts - 6'3 195, this kid is a playmaker, played RB in high school and ran for 2,000 yds as a senior in 11 games...excellent speed, great hands, he will play right away

D.J. Coles - 6'4 210, another playmaker, very dangerous with the ball, Single A 100m sprinting champion as well...will have to prep but will see immediate time when he gets on campus

Randall Dunn - 6'3 217, big strong WR in the mold of Josh Morgan, about .2 of a second faster than Josh at the same stage and much more raw...just began playing football halfway through his Junior year, used to be a basketball player only

Jarrett Boykin - 6'3 205, another big strong receiver who is very athletic, out of Butler HS in NC...catches with his hands instead of his body...also does a good job of staying on his feet after contact

Ben Barber - 5'11 195, brother of former VT free safety, Willie Pile...very strong but not as fast as the other prospects, good hands, but will probably move to the defensive side of the ball to FS where his brother played

Austin Fuller - 6'2 195, doesn't have blazing speed, but isn't slow...has the best hands out of all the WR prospects, has a frame to let him add 20-25 lbs without a problem...that's why the VT staff thinks he might be better suited at Rover or Whip LB, with his great instincts

Derrick McCoy - 6'3 220, he had been slotted at WR throughout the process but put on 20 lbs of muscle during the season and now the staff sees him as a probable LB, fast and athletic, he should be good at either position

Tight End: needs (1), landed (1)...grade B-

Eric Martin - 6'3 240, think John Kinzer, plays the same way and even looks the same way, if he starts leaping over Maryland players we might need to check birth certificates

Offensive Line - needs (3), landed (3)...grade B+

Vincent Painter - 6'6 317, very big, very agile...can play either OT, OG or DT...he will stick with the OL though as he is one of the top OL in the nation ad was preseason #1 overall in the state in 2007

Michael Via - 6'6 280, needs to add some strength but his footwork is great and he got a lot of praise at the NC-SC Shrine Bowl, even getting a bump in the rankings from rivals, he is top 15 overall in NC

Nick Becton - 6'7 330, another kid who got high praise at the Shrine Bowl...needs to learn to play with his pads low, but may start out at DT for VT, but his future is bright on the OL


there's the offense ill do the defense after my 2nd round of classes

it wont matter

you still wont win anything

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BlueWahooChambor</div><div class="ubbcode-body">it wont matter

you still wont win anything </div></div>

As long as VT gives the Canes their yearly ass whipping it will make the lack of winning anything else besides the ACC Title easier to stomach.

it's been a while cause i forgot about it...but here's the defensive recruiting breakdown

Defensive End: needs (2-3) landed (4)...Grade B+

Bruce Taylor - 6'3 245, right now he is a MLB prospect but the staff sees him as a Bruce Smith/Corey Moore type of DE...he will have the frame of Bruce Smith with the speed off the edge like Corey Moore, he has a chance to be a very very good one

Leon Mackey - 6'5 265, a big DE who is very agile and plays his gaps well which is key in Tech's defense, he could wind up at DT if he fills out more, but will start out as a DE

Isaiah Hamlette - 6'5 255, another big DE who will play the STUD position for VT, he sheds blocks well and has a good motor, he will redshirt but should be in the two deep by his r-So. year

Joe Jones - 6'3 240, all you can really say about this kid when watchin his film is how quick he gets off the ball, i've watched film of a lot of prospects and no one does it like him...i think the idea is to get him to 270 and move him to DT, but if he develops like he should it would make this DE class go from a B+ to an A- easily


Defensive Tackle: needs (2) landed (2)...Grade C+

Antoine Hopkins - 6'1 280, good motor, been compared favorably to John Graves who will start at DT this year...also has a younger brother who is a Soph. and was all-state in AAA

Dwight Tucker - 6'2 280, big guy who is agile and pursues the ball well...played some safety and linebacker in high school at 240lbs until he gained 40lbs his Sr. year and moved to the D-Line


Linebacker - needs (4) landed (4)...grade A-

Quillie Odom - 6'2 220, he will play the spot that Xavier Adibi played and he will be in the 2-deep right away, very fast but doesn't shed blocks well, but that should be fixed after a couple years in the weight room

Allen Stephens - 6'1 240, will play Mike LB and will have the luxury of redshirting with Brett Warren, Barquell Rivers and another recruit, Lyndell Gibson, all ahead of him...he reminds a lot of people of Vegas Robinson who was the MLB before Vince Hall

Jake Johnson - 6'3 245, very big and very fast...he runs through ball carriers and looks a lot like AJ Hawk with the long hair and rivals.com made the comparison of the two during the camp circuit last summer, he can play either Mike LB or Backer like Quillie Odom

Lyndell Gibson - 5'11 235, short in stature but has a nose for the ball...his film looks very much like Vince Hall's when he came out of HS, and they were the same height too, although Hall weighed less at the same point


Cornerbacks: needs (3) landed (2)...Grade B

Lorenzo Williams - 6'2 205, committed to VT early in the summer and the Carolina schools tried to jump on later but it was too late...plays LB in high schools and tackles well, could be moved to Rover or Whip but with the need at CB he will stay there

Eddie Whitley - 6'1 195, played CB for the nation's best defensive backfield in Butler HS out of North Carolina...tore his ACL and didn't play his Sr. season, slid from a 4-star recruit to 3-star because of it...but he will be a very good prospect if he stays healthy...this CB class could have been an A- but VT pulled the scholarship of Cameron Demps after he got in a fight at his high school

Free Safety: needs (1) landed (2)...Grade B

Jeron Gouveia - 6'2 200, father played LB for the Redskins, he may get to around 220lbs and move to whip or Rover depending on how the other Free Safeties develop...has good instincts and tackles well, had 2 INT's in the state title game

Peter Rose - 6'1 190, VA state AA offensive POY, played QB for Amherst with fellow recruit Derrick McCoy...he could play on the offensive side of the ball at WR, but with the number of WR's VT picked up he will likely stay at FS or CB


Rover (Strong Safety): needs (1) landed (1)...Grade B+

Xavier Boyce - 6'4 205, big safety who can run, played some QB in HS as well...could also play WR and towards the end VT recruited him as a WR, but who knows how that will shake out with the numbers VT has...if some of the WR's pan out he will stay on the defensive side of the ball b/c you can't have his athleticism on the sidelines


overall the class was a very good class for VT...filled every position of need except CB, but that will be a focus for 2009...with the numbers that VT took this year and since VT only graduates 14 total next year, right now VT only has 10 scholarships to give for 2009 so they should be done with recruiting by December, much like the last 2 years...VT will not renew the scholarships of some kids who aren't producing and the number will probably jump to 15 by the end of the recruiting year

a couple prospects are gonna have to prep:
DJ Coles
Tony Gregory
Lyndell Gibson
Derrick McCoy

and a couple are going to greyshirt:
Ju Ju Clayton
Ben Barber

overall grade: A-