ACC Football Recruiting Update

By: Mike McDaniel | Associate Editor

With the college football season in full swing, there are as many stories on the field as there are off of it on the recruiting trail. With countless prospective athletes taking their official visits on campuses across the ACC, the recruiting grind continues for many teams looking to fill their 2017 class and beyond. Here’s the latest news on the recruiting trail around the ACC.
 
Clemson Lands 4-Star LB Justin Foster
 

The Clemson Tigers went into the state of North Carolina to land their latest prized recruit in 6’3″, 250 lbs. linebacker Justin Foster. Foster, who is a member of the class of 2017, is ranked as the 71st overall recruit in the country according to ESPN, while being listed as the 84th overall recruit in the nation on Rivals.

The Shelby, North Carolina product is the first recruit to commit to the Tigers in nearly two months. However, Dabo Swinney’s Tigers, who already have one of the top defensive units in the country, have now added their sixth defensive recruit of the 2017 class, and their 14th recruit overall. The Tigers are expected to once again have one of the Top 10 classes in the entire country, and nabbing Foster should help to continue to further solidify Brent Venables’ linebacking corps for years to come.
 

Virginia Pushing Hard for 2018 3-Star OL Wyatt Blake
 
According to Rivals, Virginia is among a handful of schools showing early heavy interest in 3-star offensive lineman Wyatt Blake.


The 6’4″, 270 lbs. lineman certainly fits the mold of a Bronco Mendenhall recruit on the offensive line, with great size on the interior for a high school junior. He has lined up at both guard and tackle this season for Crystal Lake Central High School (Illinois), and could be a welcomed addition in a couple of years to a UVa offensive line that is evolving under a new power rushing scheme with Mendenhall.
 

Former VT commit TyJuan Garbutt Receives Heavy Interest From Pittsburgh
 
Virginia Tech believed that they had their next star at defensive end in 2017 4-star, Fredericksburg, Virginia product, TyJuan Garbutt, when he committed to the Hokies late last year. However, after Garbutt decommitted from the Hokies back in July, he has received interest from another ACC school, the Pittsburgh Panthers. Garbutt was on campus at Pitt for their 42-39 victory over Penn State on September 10th, and has raved about the program ever since.

Outside of the obvious interest from Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech, it is also of note that the Florida Gators have shown interest in Garbutt. This is significant because Florida’s defensive backs coach Torrian Gray, who held the same position under Frank Beamer’s staff last season, was the primary recruiter of Garbutt when he originally committed to the Hokies at the end of last season. With Garbutt now considering the Gators, it is all the more clear that Torrian Gray’s recruiting prowess still extends from his new home in Gainesville to his old stomping grounds in suburban Virginia.
 

5-Star OL Walker Little to Visit Florida State
 

2017 5-star offensive lineman Walker Little is slated to make an official visit to the campus of Florida State for their match-up against Clemson on October 29th.

The Houston, Texas product is a prized prospect for several big-time programs across the country, including Texas, Texas A&M, and Georgia. Florida State appears to be the only ACC school that Little is giving serious consideration to at the present time. It has been rumored that Texas A&M is the leader in the clubhouse at this point, with the Seminoles looking to perhaps make some noise in snagging the out-of-state product from his stomping grounds in the state of Texas.

With junior left tackle Roderick Johnson a likely candidate to leave early for the NFL, as well as senior left guard Kareem Are playing in his final campaign in Tallahassee, the Seminoles will have some holes to fill on that side of the line, with Little being as good a candidate as any to fill the hole at tackle on quarterback Deondre Francois’ blindside. Only time will tell if Little considers a Florida State a serious landing spot, but for now the ‘Noles will continue pushing to fill-out their depth on the offensive line over the next couple of classes.

 
 
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