4-Star Defensive End Jalen Dalton Commits to North Carolina Over Virginia Tech

The Virginia Tech Hokies have not had a great season on the field but have the potential to put together one of their best recruiting classes ever. Virginia Tech has a lot of depth in their class but is starting to build some star power with 4-star OT Austin Clark joining 4-star CB Mook Reynolds and the rest of the Virginia Tech commits recently.

Unfortunately, the Hokies were not able to add another big commit

4-star defensive end Jalen Dalton of West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, North Carolina announced at his high school today that he has committed to the North Carolina Tar Heels. This is a tough loss for the Hokies and a big win for the Tar Heels who have kept one of the top players in North Carolina in that state.

Dalton was one of the top prospects in the state of North Carolina but the Hokies had put themselves in a position where Dalton had almost become a must-get for Virginia Tech. North Carolina was able to get the guy they had to get at the end as the Hokies apparently lost a lot of momentum.

Virginia Tech started off November in a strong manner on the recruiting trail with 4-star offensive tackle Austin Clark flipping his commitment from South Carolina to the Hokies. However, the Dalton loss is a disappointing one and you have to wonder if the two-thirds to three-fourths full stadium for Virginia Tech-Boston College had an impact, especially since this was Dalton’s official visit.

However, that should not be a complete excuse and this is the latest disappointing loss for Frank Beamer and the Hokies on the recruiting trail. The loss of Dalton has put even more pressure on Virginia Tech to get Josh Sweat with a loss potentially doing damage towards Beamer’s job security depending on how this season ends.

The Hokies need depth at defensive end though Trevon Hill seems like a guy who could compete with Seth Dooley for backup defensive end spots. Melvin Keihn also just made the transition this fall to defensive end full time and is a guy that could take off this spring and become the third defensive end by the end of Spring Practice.

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However, there is no denying that the Hokies’ failure to get Jalen Dalton is disappointing and unacceptable given the position they were in. The Hokies have suffered too many losses when going after top recruits from Virginia and North Carolina with this loss just being the latest.

Josh Sweat is a must-get for Frank Beamer or his job security will continue to get weaker. The loss of Dalton is big and will make Babcock watch the situation of Beamer’s recruiting even more. This loss on the recruiting trail could end up causing a domino effect.

However, that can all change if Virginia Tech can seal the deal with some big recruits including Sweat, Tim Settle, Garrett Taylor, and Emanuel McGirt. We are entering a couple of wild months in Blacksburg that could have a big impact on the future of Virginia Tech football.