Sting Factor: Tyas Martin's decommitment from Hokies
Every time 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.
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THE SITUATION
Virginia Tech was putting together an outstanding recruiting class with four-stars from Texas along with a commitment from three-star defensive tackle Tyas Martin, the top-rated player in the state of Arkansas.
Coach Justin Fuente and his staff were building what could have been a special class, but then four-star quarterback Dematrius Davis backed off his pledge and has since committed to Auburn. Four-star receiver Latrell Neville followed shortly after and decommitted from the Hokies.
In the last few days, Martin also decided to not stay committed to Virginia Tech, another blow to the recruiting class that now finds itself ranked second-to-last in the ACC with a conference-low 11 pledges.
There is still hope for Virginia Tech, since many in-state prospects remain on the board and the Hokies still have a lot of top targets out there. But losing Davis, Neville and now Martin as an anchor on that defensive line has been a challenge.
Landing top talent from Texas and Arkansas is rare for Virginia Tech, but it was nice for the Hokies while it lasted.
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LOCAL REACTION
“Martin’s decommitment will have ripple effects that extend beyond just the defensive tackle position or even the 2021 class. In a way, it represents the difficulty for the Hokies in expanding their recruiting footprint, at least until the team is re-established as a national contender. After losing two pledges from Texas earlier in the spring, Arkansas looked like a less competitive recruiting atmosphere as well as one where the staff had more recent connections from Fuente’s time at Memphis.
“Does the decommitment inspire the coaches to focus closer to home and abandon or de-emphasize what had been a major push into the Midlands? There’s an element of not wanting to look like a group of quitters there, but in terms of strictly replacing Martin’s commitment at the position, there are actually upgrades closer to home and there could be long-term benefits in prioritizing those players.
“Until one of those players commits, losing Martin will hurt. In the longer term, though, it may not prove to be that significant of a loss.” - Tim Sullivan, HokieHaven.com
Sting Factor: 4
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NATIONAL REACTION
“Virginia Tech is trying to recruit more nationally and get into states such as Texas and Arkansas, but it is actually backfiring on the Hokies. Martin can be replaced, but the national perception of the Hokies took another hit with this one.”
Sting Factor: 6