— Tim Settle (@tim_settle) February 4, 2015
(Pictured above is Tim Settle, signing his letter of intent with Virginia Tech.)
VT’s 2015 Class, By The Numbers
Rankings
Rivals, ESPN and 247Sports have Virginia Tech’s class in the Top 30 nationally. I am not including Scout at this point because they have not updated VT’s commit list to reflect Zachariah Hoyt’s signing. Also of note, Scout is the only one of the three national recruiting outlets that does not include Xavier Burke and Tyrell Smith.
Rivals ranks Virginia Tech’s class at no. 24 in the nation and no. 3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. ESPN has the class ranked no. 25 in the nation and no. 5 in the ACC, while 247Sports has the class ranked no. 29 in the nation and no. 5 in the ACC.
In terms of 2015 player rankings, Rivals has eight players with a 4-star ranking (Jahque Alleyne, Austin Clark, Tremaine Edmunds, Darius Fullwood, Dwayne Lawson, Deshawn McClease, Yosuah Nijman and Tim Settle).
ESPN ranks Settle as a 5-star and no. 19 overall prospect in the nation, has Virginia Tech with six 4-star recruits (Xavier Burke, Clark, Trevon Hill, Lawson, Nijman and Mook Reynolds), 16 3-star recruits and one unrated prospect.
247Sports has six of Tech’s recruits with a 4-star ranking (Clark, Hill, Lawson, Nijman, Reynolds and Settle) and the rest with a 3-star ranking.
Location (By Hometown)
State by state, the recruit breakdown is as follows...
Virginia – 10
Florida – 4
North Carolina - 3
Indiana – 2
New Jersey – 2
D.C. - 1
Georgia – 1
Maryland - 1
Position
Position by position, the class breakdown is as follows (per what is listed on HokieSports.com)...
QB – 1
RB - 1
OL – 5
TE – 2
DE – 3
DL – 4
OLB - 1
LB - 1
CB – 2
S - 3
ATH - 1
CLASS OF 2015 STORYLINES
ANOTHER HIGHLY REGARDED CLASS
Virginia Tech reeled in a Top 30 recruiting class according to Rivals, ESPN and 247Sports. By comparison, here is how Virginia Tech fared in its previous four classes according to 247Sports and Rivals.
2011 – 33 (247), 33 (Rivals)
2012 – 22 (247), 22 (Rivals)
2013 – 17 (247), 23 (Rivals)
2014 – 22 (247), 25 (Rivals)
After eight straight seasons of double-digit wins, Virginia Tech has gone 7-6, 8-5, and 7-6 the past three seasons. Still, the Hokies have performed very consistently on the recruiting trail. The past four classes have been in the Top 30 nationally by top national recruiting outlets Rivals and 247Sports. Going by Rivals, Tech has four straight Top 25 classes.
VT BUILDS IN THE TRENCHES
Virginia Tech added five offensive line prospects into the program, headlined by 4-star in-state tackle Austin Clark, who is already enrolled. Tyrell Smith, who signed with the Hokies last year, enrolled last month as well after a postgraduate semester. Tech also added athletic Florida native Mike Arnold and sleeper prospect D’Andre Plantin, who has exactly one year of offensive line experience from the high school level but has good size and is also a good athlete. Center Zachariah Hoyt joined the group on Signing Day. He plans on enrolling in January of 2016. Don’t forget about Yosuah Nijman as well. He wants to play defense and will start out there, but if that doesn’t work he has an excellent combination of size and athletic ability to play on the offensive line in college.
Definitely a solid haul for the Hokies led in my mind by Clark and Arnold, who I think could be on the field in a year or two. If Nijman moves over to offense, mark this class down as a potentially outstanding one for the offensive line in the years to come.
On the defensive side of the ball, Tech can’t do much better than they did at defensive tackle, assuming of course Tim Settle qualifies. Tech's defense has had some really good defensive tackles, but they haven’t had many with Settle’s size and athletic ability. If he puts it all together, Settle has NFL potential.
"I don't know if we've had a kid as big and physical and athletic as Tim," Bud Foster said on National Signing Day.
Fellow tackles Harry Lewis and Eric Whitehead were guys Tech targeted early. When it comes to defense, you have to figure the staff knows what they need/want, so for those guys to garner early offers is significant. Nijman could be a tackle or an end. I’d guess he starts off on the edge for Tech. He’s big but he is a lean 275 pounds and he’s a good athlete. With defensive end being a need, I think the coaches will give him a look there first.
Defensive end was Tech’s biggest need heading into the 2015 class. The coaches landed three guys they targeted early on in Darius Fullwood, Houshun Gaines and Trevon Hill. Of the three, assuming there are no snags with admissions, I think Hill has the best chance to play right away. The 6’4”, 220-pound prospect was dominant at times at Salem, though he did have a bit of the injury bug. He could really blossom once he gets bigger and stronger, but I do think he could play right away.
While the staff has to be happy with getting three targets they offered early in the process, they have to be slightly disappointed with what the class could have been. Virginia Tech was a top contender with three in-state stars – 5-star Josh Sweat (FSU), 4-star Clelin Ferrell (Clemson) and 4-star Darrell Taylor (Tennessee) – but missed on all three. Tech also was in the final two for UNC-bound standout Jalen Dalton, a North Carolina native.
The Hokies could have gone from a good defensive end haul to a truly special one if some of those decisions would have gone their way.
HOKIES SNEAK IN A TOP QB
It was known that, if a top quarterback target wanted to come on board, Virginia Tech would take him. The Hokies, though, missed on some of the early known targets. All of a sudden, Florida signal caller Dwayne Lawson, who committed to Miami last spring, took an official visit to Virginia Tech the weekend of the Virginia game. Just over a month later, he committed.
The 6’6”, 205-pound Lawson, a dual-threat quarterback, has high upside and looks like a tremendous get, particularly after a season in which Virginia Tech’s quarterback position came under scrutiny. It doesn’t hurt that the Hokies flipped him from division rival Miami.
Nice job by Tech in getting a top talent later in the process.
DBU
Virginia Tech’s success in developing defensive backs has been evident for some time, but it is really gaining traction on the recruiting trail. Being able to show that you have put players in the pros and, most importantly, that those players have been successful, is huge. The Hokies signed another impressive defensive backs group this year, including Mook Reynolds and DuWayne Johnson, who committed shortly after Signing Day last year. Here is what Reynolds and Johnson said around the time of their commitments…
Reynolds - “The brand of DBU… I feel like that’s the best school to go to. I know I can thrive and get the proper coaching. I know I can be a successful athlete there.”
Johnson - “[Gray] played a big role for me, looking at all the defensive backs he has coached. He has some good defensive backs on his resume. Coach Gray said what separates those guys who make it is you gotta be strong mentally. He’ll be hard on me at times, but I have to focus in and work hard. Coaches at other schools have just said I’d have the chance to play early, which is good too, but Coach Gray is saying he’s going to be hard on me sometimes if I make a mistake. I’m pretty much used to coaches like that. My father is like that as a coach.”
This year, Tech already has one of the more coveted class of 2016 defensive backs in the fold. Here is what Wise (Upper Marlboro, MD) junior corner Myles Wolfolk said regarding his commitment to the Hokies.
“Coach Gray, the defensive backs coach, has a history of putting defensive backs in the NFL. Not just any defensive backs, either. Those defensive backs are doing well. Kam Chancellor in the Super Bowl,” Wolfolk said.
Recruits are recognizing the success defensive backs are having at Virginia Tech and beyond. This is and will continue to be important as the Hokies look to continue the “DBU” tradition.
STARS and SLEEPERS
On offense, my star is quarterback Dwayne Lawson and my sleeper is Coleman Fox.
Lawson has size and a good arm, but what took me by surprise while watching him play in the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl was his speed. His first run, he looked like he was shot out of a cannon. Virginia Tech traditionally has done very well with dual-threat quarterbacks. If the 6’6” Lawson can pick up the playbook and be a consistent passer, he has the ability to see the field early. To red-shirt or not to red-shirt is an interesting question here. Obviously, much depends on how he adjusts. If he adapts quickly and Brewer and other QBs struggle, he just might play as a true freshman. Whenever he takes the field, though, he appears to be that dual-threat that the Hokies have done so well with over the years.
Fox fits the mold of a less heralded but super-productive high school player that plays with a lot of heart and determination. I see the Hokies using him in the backfield and as a slot receiver, and I think he could be a Sam Rogers-type that plays with smarts, determination, heart, and is a productive player. Maybe he won’t be a superstar, but I think he will be an effective player. D’Andre Plantin was considered here as well. The Georgia native seems to have a lot of potential on the offensive line. May take some time, but he could be a name to remember in a year or two.
Defensively, my star is Mook Reynolds and my sleeper is Carson Lydon.
Mook fits the bill as a typical Tech cornerback. Tough, physical, and of course he can cover. Given that Kendall Fuller may move on to the NFL after next season, Donovan Riley will be a senior next year and Chuck Clark will be a junior, plus the unknown of if Brandon Facyson can return to the form he showed his freshman year, Reynolds may be called upon to make an impact early on in his career. Early enrollment will help him prepare for early playing time, as he’ll go through practice this spring and will get eight months in Tech weight program.
Another early enrollee, Carson Lydon was a big-time playmaker on defense and special teams at East Lake (Tarpon Springs, FL) the past two seasons. He recorded 93 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions his senior season. He had 18 tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown in the 2014 7A regional final. Lydon blocked three punts as well. A determined player who quite simply makes a ton of plays.
Chris Coleman’s Stars and Sleepers
Offense stud: Dwayne Lawson. Lawson possesses a big arm and very good running ability. He has a great frame, and from what I can tell he also has a good head on his shoulders. He has a very high ceiling, and I believe he is the top overall recruit in the 2015 class.
Offense sleeper: D’Andre Plantin. Plantin didn’t start playing offensive line until his senior year, which explains why nobody had ever heard of him until October or November. He looks the part, and he has the physical tools, though he needs major work with his technique.
Defensive stud: Tim Settle. Settle is big, strong, and has plenty of athletic ability for a guy his size. He has a lot of ability, if he can control his weight and get qualified.
Defensive sleeper: Carson Lydon. In my opinion, Lydon is the best pure football player in this recruiting class. He has the right mentality to play linebacker in Bud’s defense.