Virginia Tech Football Recruiting Notes 7/22/20

Photo Credit: Harley Taylor

Check out the latest Virginia Tech football recruiting notes as the Hokies make the cut for one of the best 2021 defensive tackles and extend a pair of new offers in the 2021 and 2022 classes.

4* DT Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins

Four-star defensive tackle Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins released an updated top 6 with Virginia Tech making the cut.

The Hokies were joined by Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and in-state South Carolina in a group that reflects the caliber of player that Ingram-Dawkins is.

After not making previous lists for Ingram-Dawkins, it's clear that the Hokies stayed in the fight with new defensive line coaches Darryl Tapp and Bill Teerlinck, along with Tech's area recruiter for South Carolina, James Shibest, all likely making a difference to get the Hokies in contention.

There's no doubt that the Hokies have an uphill battle on their hands especially with teams like UNC, South Carolina, and Georgia being considered frontrunners for a while now. However, the fact that the Hokies even made the cut shows that they are starting to gain some significant traction with Ingram-Dawkins.

Additionally, Tech has recruited well in the Palmetto State in the past with that history having the potential to be very valuable here.

Keep an eye on the Hokies as they emerge as a potential contender for elite DT Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins.

3* CB Maxwell Hairston

Virginia Tech extended an interesting defensive back offer last night to three-star CB Maxwell Hairston from Michigan.

Hairston has seen his recruitment take off this month as he has received offers from Kentucky, Minnesota, Purdue, and Washington State in addition to a VT offer.

His offer surge seems related to an impressive performance at a recent camp in the Midwest where Hairston was chosen as the top defensive back according to 247 Sports. We could see a few more recruits like Hairston see their recruitments take off in the coming weeks now that we're starting to see some mid-summer camps that are giving players opportunities that they would normally have during the spring and early summer.

The timing also makes this offer interesting with the Hokies missing out on three-star safety Donovan McMillon over the weekend. With Tech also heavily pursuing four-star CB Markevious Brown, it's clear that the Hokies are looking to add a sixth defensive back and leaning towards it being a cornerback.

While Tech does have three cornerbacks; one of those commits, Shawn Asbury II, may be a better fit as a nickelback or safety rather than CB. Given Asbury's versatility that leans towards safety or nickelback, looking to add another cornerback to round out the class seems like a reasonable idea.

Given the surge in offers for Hairston, he doesn't seem near a decision at this point with more seeming likely to come given the Power 5 attention he's receiving. We'll have more on Maxwell Hairston soon.

2022 4* QB Steven Angeli

Hairston wasn't the only recruit to receive an offer yesterday evening as the Hokies also offered 2022 four-star QB Steven Angeli out of New Jersey powerhouse Bergen Catholic.

Angeli received the offer from Virginia Tech's offensive coordinator and QBs coach Brad Cornelsen with Cornelsen likely to take on a lead role in VT's recruitment of Angeli.

The Hokies have prioritized New Jersey throughout Justin Fuente's tenure with the Hokies regularly hosting satellite camps in the Garden State and consistently spot recruiting there. Tech also has recruiting momentum in New Jersey especially in the 2021 cycle as they currently hold Garden State commitments from 3* QB Tahj Bullock and 3* DB Jalen Hoyle.

One unique connection that could help the Hokies with Angeli (and other Bergen Catholic players) is the fact that Tech assistant Zach Sparber is a former assistant at Bergen. Angeli told us that does have a positive impact on his view of the Hokies along with the past tenures of Bergen alumni who played for the Hokies.

We will have more on Tech offering Steven Angeli in the near future.