Virginia Tech Receives Major Prediction to Beat Out Pair of SEC Schools For Elite Offensive Lineman

While Virginia Tech suffered a setback in recruiting last week when four-star wide receiver Carnell Warren de-committed, they have picked up a little bit of momentum on the recruiting trail with the commitments of a pair of three-star defensive linemen Kamren Johnson and Kamdon Gillespie. There could be more good news on the way for the Hokies too.

Virginia Tech hosted three-star offensive lineman Malcolm Gaston on an official visit on the weekend of June 6th and shortly after, he picked up a 247Sports Crystal Ball to land with Virginia Tech, beating out the two big competitors, Georgia and Florida. Now, crystal ball predictions can always be wrong, but this could show that the Hokies are trending in the right direction for one of the top prospects on the board.

Why is this such a big deal? Gaston would be the highest-rated player committed to the program and they would be going into the state of South Carolina to get him. Gaston (6'5 345 LBS) plays at North Augusta High School in North Augusta (SC) and has offers from Georgia, Florida, Florida State, and North Carolina, among others. He will reportedly take an official visit to Georgia this weekend.

According to the 247Sports Composite, Gaston is the No. 514 player in the country, the No. 46 IOL in the country, and the No. 10 player in the state of South Carolina. To go into SEC territory and get an offensive lineman that other programs want would be a nice get for head coach Brent Pry.

Here is the scouting report on Gaston courtesy of 247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins:

"Beefy interior projection that’s going to need to get the body right, but one that has put some encouraging stretches of play on tape. Patient with the hands and frequently balanced in pass protection. Doesn’t create as much movement on down blocks as expected given the weight, but proper pad level and continued technical development should make him much more effective in the run game. Naturally powerful upper half can cause issues for opponents as he’s quick to wipe them out of the way when he gets a solid latch. Not one that covers a ton of turf, but has proven to be effective in tight quarters. Spent much of junior campaign working at left guard and best route to playing time on Saturdays is going to be in the middle as he’s the type of big body that can cave A and B gaps. Must buy into the process and trim down in the coming years, but has a chance to eventually emerge as a starter in a power-based scheme."

Keep an eye out on this recruitment and where Gaston ends up. Virginia Tech seems to have the momentum here, but anything can happen in recruiting.

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