The drama surrounding the recruitment of Rivals250 linebacker Dax Hollifield escalated over the last two weeks after an official visit to Stanford, a number of in-home visits, and plenty of family discussions. Stanford, Virginia Tech, Clemson, and North Carolina were all leaders at some point in Hollifield’s recruitment but it boiled down to Virginia Tech and Clemson. During a ceremony at his school in Shelby, N.C., Hollifield announced that he will play college football at Virginia Tech.
ACCORDING TO HIS COACH…
“Dax set the state record playing in 63 games,” said Shelby head coach Lance Ware. “I think our record with him was 57-6. What he brings to the table is leadership, first and foremost. He makes the people around him better. As a coach, there just aren’t many of those guys out there. That’s what makes him so attractive to all these schools. On top of his ability to play, he’s just such a dynamic leader and hard worker. The guy that Dax plays like that jumps out to me is Luke Kuechly. Their approach is similar and so is what they do for their team and how they lead being so vocal.
“I think he’s grown mentally as far as understanding concepts, where everybody is supposed to be, and getting everybody lined up,” he said. “He’s the quarterback of the defense and it takes a lot of the pressure off the other guys and lets them play fast. He does a lot of the thinking for them. That part is what I’ve really seen grown. He’s gotten stronger, faster, and all that but he’s continually improving and thrives on competing. Even in practice he’s an animal out there. He loves contact and just wants to get every rep he can.
“I just think the willingness to compete in everything he does, whether it is in the classroom, on the basketball court, or on the track running hurdles is what makes him special,” said Ware. “He’s worked to improve in all those areas. That willingness and drive inside of him to be the best at whatever he does is what separates him.”
WHY IT’S BIG FOR VIRGINIA TECH…
The Hokies were all over Hollifield from day one and pulled out the stops to get him. The coaches fought to stand out early on when it seemed like the in-state schools were in the best shape and they fought off many major programs when they started offering last offseason. Defensive coordinator Bud Foster deserves a lot of credit for earning the endorsement of a lot of people in Hollifield’s camp and that ultimately tipped the scales in Virginia Tech’s favor. Look for Hollifield to be a major contributor early in his career and fill a position of need for the Hokies.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE PROGRAMS THAT MISSED OUT…
Hollifield was really feeling the pressure as Signing Day got closer and closer. Clemson was the next closest team to getting his commitment. After offering Hollifield early on, the Tigers focused on other targets and there was too much ground for them to make up in the last month. Hollifield’s decision hurts North Carolina as they try to rebound from an underwhelming 2017 campaign. Not getting a major in-state target that was very high on the Tar Heels is a blow that North Carolina can’t allow to happen often. Hollifield was all but signed with Stanford back in December but things can change quickly and drastically in the recruiting world. With quality targets in the 2018 virtually non-existent, Stanford, Clemson, and North Carolina will be targeting big time linebackers in the 2019 class to fill their needs at the position.
