Virginia Tech Football Recruiting Notes 7/4/20

Happy Independence Day! We hope you're staying healthy and safe during this day, and will act responsibly, looking out for your neighbors. Before we get into today's Virginia Tech football recruiting updates, just a quick thought that has been on my mind in recent weeks surrounds this line in the Constitution.

"In Order To Form a More Perfect Union"

Recent events have shown us that we still have a long way to grow as a country and that our foundation, while being far from perfect or without hypocrisy, gave us this ideal to seek to make America the best we can today, and then make it better tomorrow. Foundational to American greatness is that we know we still can do so much better and then we go and do that. We listen, learn, and go make America better even when it requires us to get uncomfortable.

So yes, we are blessed beyond belief to live in America, but that blessing will go away if we don't realize that a founding principle of our nation is to continually make this country a more perfect union every single day. We must continue to work to maintain and improve that for those who are blessed and fight to make sure it is a blessing for those who it isn't or doubt that it is.

Soap box over, on to the latest recruiting updates.

3* ATH T.J. Lewis

Three-star athlete T.J. Lewis is down to five schools with Virginia Tech being among those making the cut.

Lewis is an intriguing athlete who has the versatility to play either quarterback or move to another position at the collegiate level. Given that the Hokies already have Tahj Bullock on board, Tech could still recruit Lewis with the opportunity to start out at QB but also the vision to potentially move him to a position like wide receiver where his size would be a major plus from day one.

Based on 247 Sports, it appears that Louisville and UCF may be two of the frontrunners here with it being unclear how heavily the Hokies are pursuing the talented athlete from Georgia. Additionally, Georgia Tech could be a serious in-state threat while Georgia Southern looks like the longshot team.

Lewis remains a name to keep an eye on as the Hokies look to strengthen their 2021 class.

3* DT Earl Miller

After releasing and confirming a decision date of July 12th earlier this week, Earl Miller has decided to postpone his decision date as he confirmed to us as well.

I still like Virginia Tech's position with Miller as he told us that the Hokies are "at the top" of his recruitment along with Boston College, Pittsburgh (who hasn't offered), and Florida Atlantic. The Eagles look like the biggest challenge at the moment though an offer from Pitt would likely make them a more serious contender.

Miller is an intriguing defensive tackle prospect who has spent time both at end and tackle during high school, similar to pair of current VT defensive tackles from Florida in Mario Kendricks and Norell Pollard. Additionally, the Hokies have also had some success finding talented defensive linemen from Delray Beach, FL with previous stars from there for VT including Luther Maddy and Dadi Nicolas.

Tech is right there in the hunt for Miller but for now, his recruitment is going to slow down some.

3* WR Cameron Bonner

Virginia Tech has stayed in contact with three-star WR Cameron Bonner out of Houston, Texas with WRs coach Jafar Williams leading the charge for the Hokies at the moment.

Bonner told us that he hears from Williams weekly with the two building a solid bond so far with Bonner saying he's "really comfortable to talk to." Additionally, Bonner told us that Wisconsin, Illinois, Pittsburgh, and Louisiana Tech are among those pushing the hardest for Bonner, who has also added some Pac-12 offers from Arizona and Washington State this week.

Looking ahead, Bonner told us that he is currently looking to make a decision sometime in "late July to early August" with the Badgers and Fighting Illini feeling like the frontrunners at the moment. However, the Hokies could become a more serious threat if they turn up the heat more in his recruitment.

Keep an eye on Bonner as the Hokies look to add a couple more wide receivers to join Jaylen Jones in their 2021 class.

4* DE Landyn Watson

Four-star DE Landyn Watson told us that Virginia Tech is among those standing out and also recruiting him the hardest currently along with TCU, Florida State, Arkansas, Arizona State, and California. He added that the Hokies are standing out for him because both his parents and Landyn himself like Virginia Tech.

Watson hears from Virginia Tech "every week" with defensive line coach Darryl Tapp and recruiting assistant Beau Davidson taking the lead for the Hokies in Watson's recruitment currently.

Watson is a name that hasn't been talked about as much as a Virginia Tech target recently, but it appears clear that the Hokies are still staying involved in his recruitment even if they slowed down their pursuit in some ways. Meanwhile, Florida State offered Watson earlier this week and already appears to be a major player in his recruitment while in-state TCU and nearby Arkansas both continue to be serious contenders for him.

Tech is still in contention for Landyn Watson, but it remains to be seen if the Hokies try to turn the heat again or focus even moreso on other defensive end targets first.