I know I'm more optimistic than most on this board, but I think for those paying attention our recruiting is going well to very well lately. We'll know a lot more in a month, but recently the news has been good. Here are some quick thoughts.

Malcolm Jones looks like a good find for the recruiting staff, going from unranked to high 3 star. He has good size already as a safety with room to grow. If we hold on to him I think he'll look like a steal in a couple of years.

Highland Springs defensive lineman Rashaud Pernell will announce on the 4th of July and appears to be strongly favoring Virginia Tech. He is a Virginia product with a good offer list. The kind we want to keep in state. He's also tall and of the mold we are looking for in the new scheme.

The new coaches, J.C. Price and Jack Tyler, seem to be strong recruiters based on early results. Tyler recruited Xavier Simmons, the highest rated commit so far. J.C. Price is a relentless recruiter who really knows the neighborhood.

In general I sense a lot of enthusiasm and unity from the staff and team. Obviously I could be wrong and a lot could change between now and September. But I don't sense that this is a team without direction or good leadership. In fact, I think the opposite is true.

Again, I know this is a somewhat contrary view here, and I know we are all rooting for the Hokies regardless of our opinions. But I'm excited by what I've seen so far, and am cautiously optimistic that more good news is on the horizon.