Saturday afternoon reminded me of July 31, 2006. In case you don't remember, that was a huge recruiting day (and month) for the Hokies (and also a very nice month for TSL subscriptions, naturally).
July 6: Blake DeChristopher
July 8: Kwamaine Battle, Andrew Lanier, Patrick Terry
July 9: Chris Drager
July 14: Danny Coale
July 15: William Alvarez, Josh Oglesby, Darren Evans
July 21: Tyrod Taylor
July 25: Justin Young
July 26: Davon Morgan
July 27: Kyle Nunn
July 28: Jaymes Brooks
July 31: Khalil Latif, Rhett Ellison, Alonzo Tweedy, Courtney Prince
That's a total of 18 players in one month. Two of those players (Kyle Nunn and Rhett Ellison) eventually decommited, but everyone else stayed true to the Hokies, and many of them went on to be good players. Any month that includes commits from guys like Tyrod Taylor, Danny Coale, Blake DeChristopher, Darren Evans and Davon Morgan is a good month.
On July 31, 2006, the Hokies picked up four commitments. As far as I can tell, that was the record number of commits in one day…until this past Saturday, July 23, 2016. Four prospects officially announced their verbal commitment to Virginia Tech while attending the "Blacksburg Bash" on Saturday.
2018 ATH Bryce Thompson
2017 WR Sean Savoy
2017 OL Aiden Brown
2017 LB Jaylen Griffin
That officially ties July 31, 2006. However, in reality Saturday set their new record. Virginia Tech also received one other commitment from a visiting prospect. We know he wants to hold off and make his announcement on a specific date. Here's what Zohn Burden tweeted on Saturday afternoon…
14 ‼️ days ???#STATEment17 ? https://t.co/0wdSo3qXIK
— Zohn Burden (@CoachBurdenVT) July 24, 2016
14 days from July 23 is August 6, which is the day Jordan Williams (who is being recruited by Burden) is set to make his decision. It's not Williams, though. He visited Clemson over the weekend, and all signs indicate that he'll be a Clemson Tiger. He certainly wouldn't call up Virginia Tech and commit to the Hokies while on a visit to Clemson. So assuming the prospect in question is not Williams, who could it be?
Another assumption I'll make is that the prospect is a Burden recruit, since he seemed especially excited. With that in mind, here are a couple of other possibilities…
S Devon Hunter: Hunter is arguably the #1 prospect in the state of Virginia. He's publicly stated that Virginia Tech is his leader. He visited Auburn this past week, however, and it's unlikely that he would have called the Tech staff and committed while on his visit to Auburn.
WR Tahj Capehart: The Bishop Sullivan wide receiver was reportedly going to visit Blacksburg over the weekend. Bishop Sullivan had a contingent in Blacksburg this weekend, including defensive backs coach Steve Evans. Tech has been recruiting Capehart very hard. He was originally going to wait until the beginning of his senior season to announce, but it wouldn't surprise me if he did it sooner.
I think it's probably Capehart. That's my best guess, but remember it's nothing better than a guess. I know a commitment happened…I just don't know who it was from. I'm guessing Capehart simply because Devon Hunter and Jordan Williams were visiting other schools over the weekend.
No matter who the fifth verbal is, Saturday represents Virginia Tech's most successful day on the recruiting trail since the last day of July in 2006. That's 10 years worth of recruiting. That's a big deal. Aiden Brown doesn't have any other Power 5 offers at this point, but Sean Savoy and Jaylen Griffin certainly do. Bryce Thompson is a 2018 prospect, and he didn't have to commit this early. The Tech staff must have been doing something right over the weekend to make him decide to do so.
2018 ATH Bryce Thompson: Thompson is a good athlete who has played quarterback for Dutch Fork High School in South Carolina. He took two visits to Blacksburg in the span of a week, which obviously shows that his interest in Tech is legit. He'll add offers over the next year, so this recruitment could be just getting started, but Special Teams Coordinator James Shibest is off to a good start for 2018.
2017 WR Sean Savoy: As far as I can tell, Sean Savoy is being recruited by Virginia Tech as a slot receiver. I also like him as a cornerback very much. The Hokies went head-to-head with Maryland, Penn State, Miami and others for the Washington, DC. native. Chalk one up for Wide Receivers Coach Holmon Wiggins.
2017 LB Jaylen Griffin: Griffin had originally committed to California, but it has been obvious for some time that Virginia Tech would be his eventual landing spot. He is projected to play the backer position for Bud Foster. The backer plays inside and outside linebacker on the short side of the field, and that's what Griffin does quite a bit in his high school's scheme. He's a good fit.
OL Aiden Brown: Tech was Brown's first Power 5 offer, but a quick glance at his film shows a player with a mean streak, good technique, strong hands and quick feet. He plays tackle in high school, but he'll move inside to guard or center at Virginia Tech.
That's now 14 commitments for the 2017 class, or 15 if you count the silent verbal. Original projections had this class on the smaller side, but that was always a poor projection. The Hokies lack depth, and they need to make up for it by shoving as many good players into the program as possible. You don't do that by signing small classes.
As I see it, the Hokies are done at quarterback, tight end and linebacker. Here are the ideal numbers for each remaining spot….
RB: One more. Jalen Holston will likely be Tech's only running back in this class. He'll visit next weekend, and hopefully he pulls the trigger.
WR: One more. If Capehart is the silent verbal, then the Hokies could be finished with wide receiver recruiting.
OL: 2-3 more. I think Tech will sign a total of three or four offensive linemen in this class. I'd prefer four.
DE: Two more. TyJuan Garbutt visited this past weekend. The staff is trying to get him back in the fold, and they would like to add another end to complement him.
DT: 1-2 more. I think Tech was originally going to sign one defensive tackle in this class, the decision of Harry Lewis to transfer could push that number up to two. They offered 2017 Bethel High School (Hampton, VA) defensive tackle Janaz Jordan after a strong showing at camp on Saturday. I really want Tech to land Xach Gill of North Carolina. He was scheduled to visit Blacksburg this past weekend.
DB: 2-3 more. I really don't know how many committed prospects the Hokies consider wide receivers right now. Khalil Pimpleton and Hezekiah Grimsley are definite receivers, but other "athletes" in the class are Malik Willis, Caleb Farley and Sean Savoy. If Capehart commits, that could be six wideouts. One or two of those guys could join Davante Smith in the secondary, so my guess of 2-3 more defensive backs is purely speculative.
That's anywhere from nine to 12 more players in the 2017 class, so there is obviously a lot of recruiting to do between now and the first Wednesday of February.