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Take Two: How will No. 2 prospect Darnell Wright's recruitment shake out?

CLASS OF 2019 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position | Team

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Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling a handful of issues in the college football landscape. Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and an expert from the Rivals.com network.

MEET THE 2019 CLASS: PQB | DTQB | APB | RB | WR | TE | OL | SDE | DT | DE | OLB

THE STORYLINE

Darnell Wright has moved to No. 2 in the country, a five-star offensive tackle from Huntington, W.V., the highest ranking anyone has earned from that state in the Rivals.com era dating back to the early 2000s.

Sandwiched between Big Ten country, SEC country and ACC country is Wright, a 6-foot-6, 275-pound phenom who is both massive and athletic and coveted by nearly every national power.

Tennessee has been trying to land him, but with a coaching change things have been started over with the Volunteers to some extent. Virginia Tech is squarely in the mix. So are national powers like Ohio State, Alabama and others because in-state loyalty, and maybe not even regional loyalty, will play a tremendous part in Wright’s recruitment.

After an impressive performance last summer at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge, Wright really emerged on the radar as a top national recruit who could pick wherever he wanted to play college football. As he continues to develop, the Huntington prospect could start entering that “special” category.

What does the future hold for the best recruit the Mountaineer state has ever produced?

FIRST TAKE: ADAM FRIEDMAN, RIVALS.COM MID-ATLANTIC ANALYST

“Wright is such a gifted prospect and he is still far from hitting his ceiling. His quickness and sense of timing are probably his best qualities right now and we love his aggressiveness. Wright is the type of player that plays until the echo of the whistle and wears down the defensive lineman across from him. His long arms and strong punch keeps defensive ends out of the backfield and that quickness helps him make sure defensive ends aren’t able to counter back to his inside.

“Tennessee was in a great spot with Wright prior to the coaching change because he was so familiar with the coaches. The Vols took a step back but are still major contenders for Wright and their place in his recruitment will get stronger as those relationships develop. Virginia Tech is the other school to keep an eye on for Wright. The Hokies have capitalized on their momentum and should be a strong player in Wright’s recruitment until the end.

"Expect him to take closer looks at Ohio State, Georgia, Alabama, and many others before all is said and done.”

SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, RIVALS.COM NATIONAL RECRUITING DIRECTOR

“What makes him so special is he’s athletic, he’s long, he’s aggressive and he has really good feet. Wright is more athletic than some of the top tackles from last year such as Cade Mays or Jackson Carman. He's more angular than those guys, so he's more of a natural tackle. Nick Petit-Frere is raw and still filling out, but he had tremendous athleticism at tackle.

“He’s just starting to hit his stride as a prospect. We saw him at the Five-Star Challenge last year as an underclassman. He did very well on his own against some top, top competition and he’s just going to get better. It’s not a great year at tackle and he’s clearly the best one.

"As far as recruiting, Tennessee could have been considered the favorite but the coaching change could mix things up. Virginia Tech, Alabama and others will definitely be in there as well.”

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