Hokies pushed by U.Va., UNC for in-state elite

BLACKSBURG

One set of numbers says that Virginia Tech has dominated Virginia and North Carolina and been a superior football program to both in the past six seasons.

Another set of stats tells a surprising tale: The Cavaliers and Tar Heels have each plucked key prospects from the Hokies and are so far out-recruiting Tech in the Class of 2011.

Since joining the ACC in 2004, the Hokies have won at least 10 games every season, won three league titles, along with the Chick-fil-A, Gator and Orange bowls. In that same span, North Carolina has gone 30-39 and lost 5 of 6 games against Tech. Virginia is 37-36 the last six years, also without a win over the rival Hokies.

But none of that seems to matter on the recruiting trail this year.

North Carolina has landed as many of the top 15 recruits in Virginia (two), according to rivals.com, as has Virginia Tech. The Cavaliers have landed twice as many.

The Tar Heels just beat out Tech for the top offensive lineman in the state only a few weeks after swaying the top lineman in Indiana away from Tech. UNC also recently beat out the Hokies for the No. 2 quarterback in North Carolina - and it could get worse for Tech. The Heels are expected to be among the final choices for at least three more of the top five prospects in Virginia.

The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are taking advantage of the limited number of scholarships Tech has available for this class - between 12 and 15. Under new coach Mike London, who has vowed to take back the state, U.Va. has snatched up several talented in-state prospects the Hokies didn't have room to offer - and also won a few head-to-head battles with Tech.

So far, Virginia has landed verbal commitments from 12 of Rivals' top 30 in-state recruits, compared to just three for the Hokies. But despite its struggles the last few weeks, Tech has already landed a handful of top prospects and remains among the leaders for all four of the state's best uncommitted recruits.

Here's a mid-summer look at how the Hokies and Cavaliers have fared so far and which players are must-gets for each program between now and national signing day next February.

VIRGINIA

Big pick-ups

ATH Brandon Phelps, 4-star recruit from Maryland. He's rated the No. 3 player in his state, No. 20 athlete in the country and No. 180 overall prospect by Rivals. He spurned offers from the likes of Alabama, LSU, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame and Ohio State.

ATH Clifton Richardson, 4-star recruit from Menchville High. He's rated the No. 6 player in Virginia, No. 27 athlete in the country and No. 232 overall prospect. He picked the Cavs over a host of schools, including Tech.

QB David Watford, 3-star recruit from Hampton High. Rated the No. 2 QB and No. 18 overall prospect in Virginia, he picked the Cavaliers over West Virginia and Tech. He would be the first Crabber to sign with U.Va. in a decade.

Big let-downs

DT Corey Marshall, 4-star recruit from Dinwiddie. Right after an episode of the Cavaliers' "Building of a Program" series aired on Comcast SportsNet, Marshall appeared live on the same station and picked the rival Hokies over Virginia.

LB Daquan Romero, 3-star recruit from Phoebus High. Rated the No. 15 prospect in Virginia and No. 29 weak-side DE in the country, Romero looked like he might come to the Cavs in a package deal with teammate Caleb Taylor. After declaring Virginia a co-leader for his services in late spring, Romero picked UNC in May.

QB Kevin Hogan, 3-star recruit from Washington, D.C. The No. 5 player in D.C. and the No. 12 pro-style QB in the country had the Cavaliers among his top four in mid-June before picking Stanford. Losing Hogan stings less, though, now that Watford is in the fold.

In-state roll call

From Rivals' list of the top 30 players in Virginia, the Cavaliers have commitments from: No. 6 Clifton Richardson (ATH), No. 9 David Dean (DT), No. 13 Anthony Harris (DB), No. 14 Rob Burns (DE), No. 18 David Watford (QB), No. 19 Kameron Mack (DB), No. 21 Thompson Brown (DE), No. 22 Caleb Taylor (LB), No. 26 Ross Burbank (OL) and No. 27 Diamonte Bailey (DE).

Big fish on the hook

While the Cavaliers' class is nearly full, they would likely make room for any of the top four uncommitted players in the state - although at the moment, they aren't considered favorites to land any. Five-star LB Curtis Grant is likely their best hope, but they're battling the Hokies and the entire SEC.

Current grade | B+

The Cavaliers' approach so far has been downright Hokie-like. They've stockpiled solid players from around the state and sprinkled in elite recruits who could be difference-makers. Six of their commitments are from D.C. or Maryland, which is another great (and nearby) place for a new coach to build a pipeline.

Best-case grade in February | A

Given the program's three losing seasons in the last four, it would be a coup if London lands nearly half the top 30 state prospects and somehow tops it off with one or two of the top five undecided players. That still wouldn't rank the Cavs' class especially high nationally, but fans would be thrilled by such a haul.

VIRGINIA TECH

Big pick-ups

DT Kris Harley, 4-star recruit from Indianapolis. He's rated the No. 2 player in Indiana, No. 19 defensive tackle and

No. 202 overall prospect nationally by Rivals. He picked the Hokies over offers including Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Stanford and USC.

DT Corey Marshall, 4-star recruit from Dinwiddie. He's rated the No. 7 player in Virginia, No. 21 strong-side end in the country (he was recruited as a tackle by Tech) and No. 250 overall prospect. He scared Hokies fans during his live TV announcement, saying U.Va. had the prettiest girls, but ultimately picked Tech over Michigan, Tennessee, West Virginia and the Cavaliers.

CB Adeboye Aromire, 3-star recruit from Washington, D.C. He's rated the No. 31 CB in the country and could be the next in a long line of top Tech defensive backs. His pledge to the Hokies over Illinois, Maryland, North Carolina and West Virginia was something of an upset.

Big let-downs

OT Kiaro Holts, 4-star recruit from Indianapolis. He's rated Indiana's No. 1 player and No. 20 tackle in the country and was thought to be on the verge of joining teammate Kris Harley and former teammate Darren Evans in Blacksburg. In a surprise, he picked UNC.

OT Landon Turner, 4-star recruit from Harrisonburg. He's rated the No. 3 player in the state and No. 13 tackle in the country and was widely thought to be leaning toward the Hokies. He, too, surprised Tech by becoming the second elite lineman in a month to choose the Tar Heels instead.

ATH Clifton Richardson, 4-star recruit from Menchville High. The Hokies don't like losing top Peninsula District talent to their rivals, and they hadn't done that much recently - before Richardson became the first of three highly rated players from that area to pick U.Va.

In-state roll call

From Rivals' list of the top 30 players in Virginia, the Hokies have commitments from No. 7 Corey Marshall (DL), No. 10 Ronny Vandyke (DB) and No. 30 Chris Hall (TE).

Big fish on the hook

Tech figures to be finalists for many of the top uncommitted players in the state: No. 1 Curtis Grant (LB), No. 2 Demetrious Nicholson (CB), No. 4 Travis Hughes (LB), No. 5 Dominique Terrell (AHT), No. 16 Lafonte Thourogood (QB) and No. 29 Michael Cole (DB).

Current grade | B-

The Hokies have only seven pledges so far, only three from in-state players. And while there's excitement over landing a pair of elite recruits on the defensive line, surely there's concern over losing multiple prospects to UNC and U.Va.

Best-case grade in February | A-

Tech is still in the mix to land its top QB target, two of the top linebackers in the country, a star cornerback and a dynamic playmaker (Terrell) who could be a star on either (or both) sides of the ball. If the Hokies lure the bulk of those prospects, this class will be a success. Even so, not landing an elite offensive lineman will continue to sting.