A STATEMENT WIN

Obviously, the big story last week was Virginia Tech going on the road and defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes. Tech’s success speaks for itself, but after eight straight double-digit win seasons and either winning or finishing second in the ACC in six of those years, Frank Beamer’s program went 7-6 in 2012 and 8-5 in 2013. Last Saturday night, on ESPN in a primetime matchup against a Top 10 program, the Hokies captured a statement win that excited the fans and recruits alike.

Ohio State was an opportunity for Virginia Tech to show it can defeat top programs on a national stage. Granted the rest of the season has yet to play out, but the Hokies took advantage of last Saturday’s opportunity, and there is no better way to sell the program to recruits than to get big wins on a big stage.

“It definitely was a great impact win,” said Salem (Virginia Beach, VA) senior defensive end Trevon Hill, a Tech commit. “This class, the 2015 class, especially the defensive players, got to see how great the defense is under coach Bud Foster. He runs a great defense. The game plan worked to perfection. I’m pretty sure [the other recruits] saw the same thing I saw.”

Jalen Elliott, a class of 2016 target out of L.C. Bird (Chesterfield, VA), took note of the win as well. Elliott, a defensive back, received a scholarship offer from Tech in July of this year.

“It’s a huge win for anybody to win against a top 10 school in the nation,” Elliott said. “For me, I could see being in the program and that I could potentially play in a big game like that. It’s amazing for me to think about that. As far as the rest of the season, we’ll see, but that was a statement.”

On hand in Columbus to watch Tech’s victory were top class of 2015 in-state targets Josh Sweat and Matthew Burrell. Both were making their official visits at Ohio State.

The 6’5”, 240-pound Sweat, whose athletic prowess has drawn comparisons to Houston Texans rookie Jadeveon Clowney, is Tech’s top overall target in this class. Virginia Tech was thought to be in good shape before, and you have to think the win over the Buckeyes -- especially the defensive performance -- improved Tech’s chances with the consensus 5-star player.

Burrell, an offensive lineman out of Hylton (Woodbridge, VA), took an unofficial to Tech to see the William & Mary game. Once thought to be out of the running for the 6’5”, 290-pound prospect, Tech once again appears to be a serious contender. (Incidentally, Burrell tweeted that he rated the Ohio State visit an “8”, adding that it would have been a “10” if the Buckeyes got the victory.)

MORE REACTION TO VT DEFEATING OSU

For Trevon Hill, the win was not surprising.

“I was not too much surprised,” Hill said. “I knew we were going to win. It was just a matter of how much. We dominated the line of scrimmage. I knew we couldn’t let Ohio State get in the red zone. William & Mary had too many chances. The defense didn’t allow Ohio State to do that.”

Here are some notable Twitter reactions from recruits this past Saturday...

Northern Guilford (Greensboro, N.C.) class of 2015 corner Mook Reynolds, a VT commit...

Lawrence Central (Indianapolis, IN) class of 2015 defensive tackle Eric Whitehead, a VT commit...