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Official visit "raised Virginia Tech's stock" says 5-star K.J. Henry

K.J. Henry
K.J. Henry

The regional recruiting rivalry between Virginia Tech and North Carolina is as heated as ever and one of the best from the Tar Heel state was in Blacksburg for his official visit over the weekend to watch the Hokies dismantle North Carolina. Five-star K.J. Henry made the trip from Clemmons (N.C.) West Forsyth and the Hokies did not disappoint.

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IN HIS OWN WORDS…

“I think this definitely raised Virginia Tech’s stock,” Henry said. “Talking to coach Fuente and the other coaches, the big pitch for me was that they are on the come up and they are starting to make strides as a program. They’ve been doing this without many big name four- or five-star guys. They’ve been developing guys. It makes you think about what they could possibly do If they started getting those high caliber guys in and being able to develop those guys. It just speaks volumes to their program and what they do with those players. Once you take a step back really think about it, it’s really the truth. That definitely appeals to me. Being one of those top tier guys they see, I could become a leader on and off the field there.

“I think this visit really puts Virginia Tech into the top group,” he said. “Before the visit, this was a school I definitely liked but I didn’t think too hard on whether I really saw myself playing there. Having those types of talks with the coaches this weekend and getting to hang with a lot of North Carolina guys, they’re definitely in the conversation now and so this is something I’m going to have to go back and take some more time to think about. They definitely put their best foot forward.

“It was a great weekend,” said Henry. “One of the big things for me at Virginia Tech is that they have a lot of guys from North Carolina that are already committed or are very interested. Spending an entire weekend with those guys and getting to pick their brains to see what it could be if I’m there with them. It was definitely fun.

“I got up there Friday night,” he said. “The next morning we got our stuff together, had a nice little breakfast, and the showed us the dorms and the living situations for their players. We met up with all the other players on unofficial visits and got into that game day mood. We had a meal, saw all the coaches getting ready for the game. We got a good feel for a football Saturday.

“The coaches were glad that I was back because it has been a while since I had been there,” Henry said. “They were telling me about what they were going to do in the game and they lived up to their word. They handled their business in a big way.

“The players love what they are doing,” he said. “They play a lot of guys. It’s not like high school where you get 50 or 60 reps. This is a fast game and they use a lot of fresh bodies. I got to see how they use a lot of different packages and their guys are very versatile. These guys can play a lot of different positions and can drop of into coverage. It’s definitely appealing to me.

“Once you get to college all the rankings and stuff go away,” said Henry. “You are going to have to grind every day. They make it fun and something you want to do so on Saturdays you can go out and destroy other teams.

“Virginia Tech is so family oriented and everybody knows everybody,” he said. “It was like picking up where they left off with my family. Everybody had a great time. My little brother loves being around football. They wined and dined my mom and my sister. They all had a good weekend. When you teat my family right it makes me happy too.

“I’m going to Clemson for my official visit this weekend,” henry said. “They are playing Georgia Tech. I’ve seen Clemson so many times so I guess I’m looking for consistency. I’ve been high on Clemson since day one. Everybody knows that. They are still showing us a lot of love. On the field I guess I want to see the guys do what they normally do. They ball out every weekend. It’s going to be technique football this weekend against that option offense. It’s another time when I get to go hang out with these guys and that’s always good.”

RIVALS’ REACTION

Virginia Tech hasn’t gotten a lot of love from the media when people talk about Henry’s recruited but for a while the Hokies have been a major threat to perceived top contenders Clemson and Georgia. There is clearly a level of comfort Henry has in Blacksburg and his familiarity with the players only builds on that comfort. Virginia Tech shouldn’t be considered a dark horse here anymore.

Henry has already taken an official visit to Georgia and an unofficial visit to Clemson this season. With the Tigers getting Henry back on campus this weekend, Clemson could really secure the inside track in his recruitment. In addition to Clemson, Georgia, and Virginia Tech, South Carolina and Alabama will also get official visits before commits. Henry remains on schedule to graduate early and sign at high school on December 20th.

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