Georgia Tech went a quick 0-for-2 yesterday on the recruiting front, missing out on a couple of high-profile prospects who had previously occupied the top of the team's big board. These two prospects, Donavaughn Campbell and Romeo Finley, were a couple of four-stars who elected attend LSU and Miami, respectively, over Tech. While it's true that there is still ample opportunity to make tremendous improvements to the class (a number of other key targets will announce their decisions today), missing on both Finley and Campbell will be tough to overcome.
For me, the most frustrating part of the whole situation is as follows: Finley committed to Miami after supposedly having Tech in the lead for months and Campbell stuck with LSU despite a late surge from Tech. The staff essentially failed to close in two separate ways in just one day by not only allowing other schools into the fold for big recruits (i.e. Miami for Finley), but also failing to do enough to pull Campbell away from LSU. That thought really isn't phrased as clearly as I'd like, but I'm not entirely sure how else to say it. Paul Johnson and company simply missed on two huge recruits which happened to be on completely opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of their consideration of Tech. That is discouraging.
I don't think that anyone would be overly surprised to hear that Georgia Tech is now the first school in the country to employ virtual reality in its recruiting efforts. To be perfectly honest I really can't ascertain how virtual reality isn't already commonly used in recruiting efforts across the country. It's fine if you want to argue that using virtual reality is playing into a nerdy perception of whatever, but the simply truth is that everyone loves the concept. Who cares about perception when you have the opportunity to relive some of the best moments (okay, the only good moment) from the 2015 season? Not me! Hook up those glasses and watch the five stars roll in. Maybe Tech could even find a way to hook Campbell and Finley up with some low-key glasses that make them think they're playing at LSU and Miami while they are actually toiling away on The Flats. I won't tell if you don't either.
With things looking ominous for Tech's basketball season, it may be time to turn our focus fully to the upcoming baseball season on The Flats. College baseball is absolutely one of the most underrated sports out there; if you haven't given it a try then you're doing it wrong. To be perfectly honest, the opportunity to get to watch the likes of Kel Johnson play baseball is something to enjoy. The rising sophomore is a rare talent and has the potential to carry Tech to a very successful season.
What has to happen today for Tech's 2016 recruiting class to be considered a success?