National Signing Day 2018: Top 10 diamonds in the rough
Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster has a similar track record to Muschamp when it comes to finding under-the-radar players and developing them into college stars and pro prospects. For example, Terrell and Tremaine Edmunds were both considered three-star prospects coming out of high school. Both recently opted to forego their senior seasons to enter the NFL Draft, and Tremaine is a virtual lock to be selected in the first round.
And, fortunately for Foster, Virginia Tech has elevated its recruiting game since Justin Fuente settled in on campus. Frank Beamer’s coaching staff did not recruit a Top 25 class after 2013, and the Hokies fell to No. 42 nationally and No. 8 in the ACC in the 247Sports class rankings during the 2016 transition year. However, just a few days before Signing Day, Virginia Tech ranks 22nd in the country and fourth in the conference.
Among the players who could make an early impact are 6-foot-4, four-star receiver Tret Turner, who is one of nine early enrollees. Four more four-star prospects will join in the spring, including defensive backs Jeremy Webb and Chamarri Conner. However, Jermaine Waller, a three-star recruit from Maryland, will already have a head start on the competition.
Waller, a 6-foot-2, 170-pound corner, is already on campus and will go through spring practice – an important note given the potential early playing time up for grabs after the Hokies lost two senior corners to graduation, as well as Edmunds. Ranked No. 911 nationally, and 81st among high school cornerbacks, Waller has an intriguing frame that should allow him to cover the ACC’s biggest wideouts.