Talented 2024 DL Kendal Howard out of nearby Daleville, VA was among the notable visitors on campus for Virginia Tech's Big Dawg Junior Day this past Mondsy night when the Hokies men's basketball team beat Duke in a 78-75 thriller.
It was also a thrilling visit for Howard as he told us the visit was "amazing to say the least" and had this to say about why that was the case.
"For one, the game was amazing, they treated my guest with the upmost respect and (head) coach (Brent) Pry took time to speak with me for a while. I'm very appreciative to say the least," Howard said.
So what did Howard do during his visit to Blacksburg?
"We played some Madden in the players lounge. Then we ate, played some ping pong, and I talked to coach (JC) Price for about 20 minutes it felt like, I really love the coaching staff at VT. Then eventually, we went out to the game," Howard said.
So how did Howard's conversation with JC Price go?
"It was great. I always enjoy talking to coach Price. He’s very knowledgeable in his field of work, and I feel like he could teach me a lot at my position," Howard said.
Junior Day visits also differ a lot from the normal gameday visits during the season or even a lot of other larger junior days that are intentionally broader. So was there anything unique about this visit from Howard's perspective?
"Definitely, I felt like them allowing us to be in the players lounge definitely helped us meet the other recruits; allowing us to create relationships with our possible future teammates," Howard said.
So how did this visit impact his recruitment and where VT stands in it?
"I had an amazing time and they set a high bar, but everyone knows how I feel about VT, enough said," Howard said.
Looking ahead, Howard has visits to Wake Forest and JMU this upcoming weekend. However, it's clear that the Hokies have set a high bar in Kendal Howard's recruitment with Tech in a great spot at this point in his recruitment.
If I had to make a prediction today, I would take the Hokies based on what I've seen to date and the work VT has put in building a pipeline out of his high school Lord Botetourt with guys like Jesse Hanson, Gunner Givens, and Hunter Mclain.
