Unzipping a black jacket to reveal a maroon Virginia Tech t-shirt, Kendall Fuller announced this afternoon that he will sign with the Hokies next February. The 5'11", 190-pound cornerback, a product of nationally recognized Good Counsel (Olney, MD), revealed his choice in the second half of today's Champion Gridiron Kings championship game. He decided on Tech over ACC-rival Clemson this Thursday, telling an ESPN reporter he had a "gut feeling."
Considered one of the top overall prospects in the class of 2013, Fuller is ranked a 5-star prospect by Rivals.com, Scout.com and 247Sports.com. ESPN.com rates him as a 4-star recruit. Fuller is rated the no. 3 rising senior prospect in the nation by Rivals.com, and he is in the top 21 nationally by all four national recruiting outlets.
By choosing Virginia Tech, Kendall is following the same path as older brothers Vincent, Corey and Kyle. Should he take the field as a true freshman, Kendall would have the opportunity to play alongside Kyle in Bud Foster's defensive backfield.
Tech's gridiron tradition -- Vincent went on to the NFL and Kyle is a first-team all-ACC selection heading into his junior year -- factored into the star prospect's decision.
"Maybe not so much Vincent because Kendall was too young, but the players after Vincent, and then Kyle and Corey, Kendall saw the development and how Virginia Tech prepares players to play at the next level," Vincent Fuller Sr. told TechSideline.com shortly after Kendall's announcement. "Vincent graduated. Kyle and Corey are on their way to graduate. Kendall saw what happened with them, and he felt it would happen to him too."
A proud Vincent Sr. and his wife, Nina, are pleased with their youngest son's college choice.
"We have an extremely great relationship with the staff," Mr. Fuller said. "Twelve years now. There was a little break after Vincent, but we were still in contact because they recruited Corey and then Kyle. We have a great relationship with the coaches. We like the university. It's a stable football program. It's a family oriented place. We're definitely comfortable with Kendall's decision."
Virginia Tech now has 15 commitments in the class of 2013. Five of those commits are projected at least initially for the defensive backfield, including Charles Clark Jr. (likely safety), Brandon Facyson (cornerback), Holland Fisher (safety/linebacker), Cequan Jefferson (cornerback) and Anthony Shegog (safety).
2013 Season Roster Breakdown, Cornerback
Including Fuller, Virginia Tech's cornerback depth chart for the 2013 season now looks like this:
SR - Antone Exum, Kyle Fuller
RFR/SOPH - Donaldven Manning, Davion Tookes, Donovan Riley
FR - Brandon Facyson, Kendall Fuller , Cequan Jefferson
Fuller's commitment is huge on several fronts. He has the ability to play immediately, thus solidifying the depth chart next season. Beyond next season, Fuller has the potential to be Tech's next great shutdown cornerback. And further, Kendall has a good feel for the game and perhaps could have the same versatility in college that his brothers Vincent and Kyle demonstrated.