As I write this, Virginia Tech has seven football commitments, and most of
them share common characteristics: they don't have a lot of offers and aren't
well-known around recruiting circles, some of them weren't even listed as Tech
targets before they surprisingly verbaled, and many of them verbaled after
receiving an offer from Tech's one-day football camp. The early commitments and
the success of Tech's one-day camp illuminate some interesting recruiting
strategies being put in play by the Virginia Tech coaches.
In
the old days (when Jim Cavanaugh was young), recruiting was a quiet,
behind-the-scenes science, followed only by a handful of zealots and a small
group of recruiting analysts. Recruits' names weren't well-known to the general
fan base, outside of their high school area. Commitments weren't reported as
they occurred, and the names were released on signing day.