WR/Athlete Joel Caleb announces his decision to attend Virginia Tech
Almost every February I get involved in what I politely refer to as a "debate" with someone (usually Brian) on the merits of recruiting rankings and if they actually matter.
I maintain that they do not. Simply look at the Notre Dame and Virginia Tech programs and that thinking seems to hold quite a bit of water.
Just like this year, the Irish routinely field top ten classes while the Hokies barely register in the top 25 in rankings produced by ESPN and other recruiting services.
Yet, almost without fail those rankings are flipped come the end of the college football season.
Just an aside to point out no one should get to high or too low based on the results of recruiting. Things will play themselves out on the field.
Virginia Tech is usually done receiving commitments far in advance of signing day, but this year there were several high profile recruits saving their decisions for the final day.
WR/Athlete Joel Caleb made his pledge to Tech official, choosing the Hokies over Ohio State and West Virginia.
At 6-3, 205 lbs. Caleb projects as an outstanding receiver for Tech quarterback Logan Thomas.
Despite missing two games due to a torn meniscus, Caleb still tallied over 1400 yards and 18 touchdowns his senior year at Clover Hill in Midlothian, VA.
Defensive end Ken Ekanem picks the Hokies at his high school in Clifton, VA.
The other big splash was made by defensive end Ken Ekanem who chose the Hokies over the Irish. The 6-3, 240-pound prospect from Centreville High School in Clifton, VA decided not to visit Notre Dame last week, thus ending his recruitment by the folks in South Bend.
Also of note to Irish fans still reading, Tech's January enrollee Donaldven Manning (pronounced Don-a-von) was also high on both program's list of prospects, taking visits to both schools last October.
Manning is thought to be one of the top cornerbacks in the country and appears poised to continue the run of Tech producing NFL corners.
It was certainly a successful recruiting class for both Virgina Tech and Notre Dame. I'll leave it to Brian to delve into the specifics of the Irish class as I know little about the players involved, aside from Les Miles' thoughts on Gunner Kiel.
1 comment:
Recruiting rankings are like points on whose line is it anyway...
It's nice to be in the 'top' but not necessary to field a successful program on the field. Look no further than Boise State for the penultimate example of that.
Agreed, VT often goes more 'under the radar' but still performs well nationally.
I'll get to the Irish later... definitely an 'ok' class but there were some disappointing misses (like the last minute departure of Greenberry to Houston).
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