Sting Factor: Misun Kelley backs off Virginia Tech pledge
When a major program loses a key recruit, Rivals.com takes a look at how big of a blow it is to the respective school, analyzing it from a local and national level. To quantify the “sting” of each decommitment, we assign a score from one to 10, with one being no big deal and 10 being a catastrophic hit.
*****
MORE STING FACTOR: Zechariah Owens backs off pledge to Clemson
CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals100
TRANSFER PORTAL: Stories/coverage | Message board
*****
THE STORYLINE
Misun Kelley’s commitment to Virginia Tech lasted about a month.
The three-star cornerback from Central (S.C.) D.W. Daniel picked the Hokies over Louisville and many others in September right before taking a trip to Blacksburg, and it was definitely a major win for coach Brent Pry and his staff.
However, it was short-lived. The reason? Probably because Clemson offered, and now the Tigers have to be considered the frontrunner in his recruitment.
History is definitely on Clemson’s side. More than a dozen players from Kelley's high school have matriculated down the road to play football for the Tigers and Kelley could certainly be one of the next.
It’s probably no coincidence that on the same day Kelley received his offer from Clemson he decided to back off his short-lived pledge to Virginia Tech.
The three-star is the lone decommitment so far in the Hokies’ class that ranks No. 10 in the ACC.
*****
LOCAL REACTION
Kelley is a player that the Virginia Tech staff felt it got out ahead of the curve on, and the staff members were excited to grab his commitment. The fact that the three-star seems to be trending toward Clemson is a double-whammy - not only is that a fellow ACC team, but if the Hokies want to get back to their historic level of performance they need to land guys who are good enough to have the Tigers as a legitimate option.
Add in that this is some of the first off-field bad news of the Brent Pry era (which has started with plenty on the field), and it carries a little more weight. - Tim Sullivan, HokieHaven.com
Sting Factor: 8
*****
NATIONAL REACTION
A player of Kelley’s ability would have been huge in Virginia Tech’s recruiting class, and he probably would have stayed committed if not for the Clemson offer. In that, it’s understandable why he backed off his pledge to the Hokies and could very easily end up playing for the Tigers. It’s basically a rite of passage for players from that high school to go down the road to Clemson and make a name for themselves there.
While it’s not fantastic news for Virginia Tech, it is at least understandable. Losing Kelley - or any other prospects - for a different reason might not be as easy to swallow. The Hokies need a spark in recruiting and that usually comes from a spark on the field. That could be tough sledding for a few weeks here, but Virginia Tech does close with some winnable games and that could lead into hope for the Early Signing Period. - Adam Gorney, Rivals national recruiting director
Sting Factor: 6