Cole Beck is one of the most talented football players to come out of Southwest Virginia in the past decade with a strong offer list loaded with major programs like Virginia Tech, Louisville, and Mississippi State. Beck has been one of the most talked about recruits by Virginia Tech fans due to the fact that he plays for local Blacksburg High School, a place that hasn't had this talented of a football player in a long time.
Over the summer, Beck released a top 5 that included Louisville, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Virginia, and East Carolina. However, his recruitment changed on August 5th when the Hokies decided to offer him.
Recently, Cole Beck released his top 3 as he closes in on making a decision.
https://twitter.com/ColetonBeck/status/908355221319012352
Virginia Tech, North Carolina, and Pittsburgh made the top 3 for Blacksburg star Cole Beck. When we asked Beck why each of these schools made the cut, this is what he had to say.
- Virginia Tech: "The opportunity to stay home, and do both football and track."
- Pittsburgh: "The coaching staff for sure."
- North Carolina: "The opportunity to possibly play early."
Beck told us that Pittsburgh is currently recruiting him the hardest though he also mentioned that Virginia Tech "has been right there with them recently." The Hokies have made Beck one of their top priorities since offering and the Blacksburg star is noticing.
Cole Beck has emerged as the second best recruit in Southwest Virginia and one of the top 20 recruits in the state of Virginia. Beck is ranked tenth in the state of Virginia by 247 Sports, 16th by the 247 Sports Composite, and 17th by Rivals. Beck is also ranked as the 10th best all-purpose back by 247 Sports and 15th best by the 247 Sports Composite.
Beck's offer list exploded over the spring and has plenty of quality schools including Virginia Tech, Louisville, Mississippi State, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Virginia, Boston College, East Carolina, Temple, UCF, and more.
Beck told us that he will visit Virginia Tech this weekend on an unofficial visit. This visit could be critical as Beck told us he is hoping to make a decision "soon" though it remains to be seen if he'll wait to take some official visits before making a decision.
Currently, our prediction is in favor of Virginia Tech in part due to the hometown presence that is unique in their recruitment of Beck. There have been very few recruits that have come out of Blacksburg or the surrounding towns, but the few that have usually end up at VT when the Hokies choose to offer.
Beck has grown up around Virginia Tech football and getting to play a high level of college football in his hometown is clearly peaking his interest. However, it's not a sure thing that Beck will end up a Hokie especially with Pittsburgh making a strong impression.
Beck's praise of Pittsburgh's coaching staff is encouraging news for the Panthers. Pitt has had Beck as a top priority for months and see Beck as an ideal fit in their system. At a time when coaching relationships are quite valuable, Pittsburgh has done a great job of building a relationship that has given themselves a great shot at Beck.
North Carolina has received a visit from Beck, but the Tar Heels are the underdogs among this trio. However, the enticement of being able to play early has helped keep the Tar Heels in the hunt, and means that they can't be ruled out yet.
Virginia Tech has emerged as the favorite for Cole Beck, but they still have a lot of work to do with Pittsburgh making a large push for him and North Carolina still lurking. For now, we're sticking with our prediction of Beck to Virginia Tech, but that isn't a sure thing.
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