Virginia Tech’s Pursuit of Clelin Ferrell

Oct 12, 2013; Blacksburg, VA, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers running back Isaac Bennett (34) gets stopped by Virginia Tech Hokies defensive end Dadi Nicolas (90) during the second quarter at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

The Virginia Tech Hokies have gotten off to a slow but solid start to recruiting for the Class of 2015 as the Hokies have four commits so far led by defensive back Mook Reynolds who is rising up recruiting boards and is a 3-star on ESPN and a 4-star on Rivals and 247 Sports. The Hokies have also gotten commits from 3-star CB DuWayne Johnson of Washington D.C., 3-star DL Harry Lewis of Hampton, Virginia, and 3-star DT Eric Whitehead of Indianapolis, Indiana.

Most of the talk surrounding the Hokies and recruiting has been there pursuit of two in-state players, DE Josh Sweat of Chesapeake, Virginia and DT Tim Settle of Manassas, Virginia. However, the state of Virginia is once again full of a lot of talented players that the Hokies will be targeting with the goal of keeping some of the top Virginia talents from leaving the state.

One of the top in-state targets not named Josh Sweat or Tim Settle is 4-star DE Clelin Ferrell of Richmond, Virginia.

Clelin Ferrell brings great height to the table at 6-5 but at 225 pounds, Ferrell does need to bulk up some to at least 240 to 250 which seems likely since he still has another year. Ferrell also has shown very good speed as 247 Sports lists him as having run a 4.70 40 yard dash which is very good also.

On the field, Clelin Ferrell has been very productive for Benedictine College Prep in Richmond as Ferrell was quite dominant last season with 60 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, and 11.5 sacks as provided by 247 Sports. Ferrell’s speed suggests that he already is a very good edge rusher that knows how to use his speed while also probably having some basic, traditonal finesse and power pass rush moves.

Oct 12, 2013; Blacksburg, VA, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies defensive coordinator Bud Foster stands on the sidelines during the second quarter against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

The rankings also show how Clelin Ferrell is one of the top defensive ends in all of college with all of the big three recruiting sites having him as a four-star prospect. Nationally, Ferrell is ranked as the 77th best prospect by Rivals, 85th by 247 Sports, and 101st by ESPN.

Ferrell is also the 5th best defensive end by Rivals, 8th best defensive end by 247 Sports, and 11th best defensive end by ESPN. Ferrell is also one of the best players in the state of Virginia with ESPN  having him as the 4th best player in Virginia while Rivals and 247 Sports both have him as the 5th best player in Virginia.

Right now, many see the Hokies as the frontrunner to get Clelin Ferrell as 247 Sports’s Crystal Ball has 9 predictions for him with all of those predictions having him going to the Hokies. The top competition for now seems like South Carolina with 247 Sports saying that Ferrell’s interest is warm in both the Hokies and the Gamecocks.

Of course, there are likely to be many twists and turns in this recruiting pursuit of Clelin Ferrell as Michigan recently had one of their coaches visit with Ferrell. However, the Hokies defintely seem to have a good shot of keeping Ferrell in-state and the announcement of a new indoor practice facility should definitely help those chances.

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