The Importance of Second Place

High school recruiting is no longer winner take all

In case you missed it, about 21 hours after the game that wouldn’t end finally did in fact end, Chris Cole, the consensus #1 high school recruit in Virginia, committed to Georgia.

He made the right decision.

Source: X (Twitter), @Chris_Cole3

The 247 Composite ranks Cole as:

• #56 player in the nation

• #6 linebacker in the nation

• #1 player in Virginia

To give you some context, his 0.9697 composite rating puts Cole on par with Logan Thomas. The last time the Hokies landed such a highly rated defensive recruit was Kendall Fuller in 2013.

And he was a legacy (see: Vincent, Corey, and Kyle).

According to ESPN, there are 18 Hokies currently on NFL rosters, and 48 Georgia Bulldogs.

Not only does Georgia have more than twice as many players in the NFL as Virginia Tech, but the Bulldogs have a massive advantage when it comes to helping linebackers reach the next level.

Second Place Matters

While it would have helped the perception of the program, a Chris Cole commitment would not have changed the product on the field that much in the short term.