With national signing day closing in, it is hard not to be impressed with the efforts ACC schools have made across the board.
At last check, eight schools are ranked in the ESPN Recruiting Nation Top 40 class rankings. Duke, featured at N0. 39, is poised to sign David Cutcliffe's best class. NC State and Louisville are putting together strong classes, along with usual Top 25 suspects Florida State, Clemson, Miami, North Carolina and Virginia Tech.
Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson is doing work, too. Though the Deacs are not in the rankings, Clawson is quietly putting together a solid class. ESPN 300 prospect Bowman Archibald spurned Miami despite signing a financial aid agreement with the school in August. As he explained when he switched his commitment last September, his on-campus visit impressed him. He is already enrolled at Wake Forest (though he just had surgery for a broken leg).
Another four-star prospect, quarterback Kyle Kearns out of California, committed over the weekend. Then Tuesday, the Deacs scored another big commitment from running back Rocky Reid, a former Tennessee commit.
All three committed after taking official visits. Perhaps that is not a coincidence.
If they visit they will come! Great day 4! The Deacons. #aWAKEning #GoDeacs
— Dave Clawson (@CoachClawson) January 27, 2015It also should not go unnoticed that Wake Forest has flipped players once committed to schools like Miami and Tennessee. The Deacs can clearly sell early playing time to a player like Reid, who joins a running back group in search of a standout. There also is no depth behind quarterback John Wolford, so coming to Wake to play quarterback should be appealing -- especially if Clawson's past history is taken into consideration.
Though Wake Forest went 3-9, this is a team that improved throughout the course of the season, that played with heart, energy and passion and never quit. Clawson has gotten the players on his roster to believe. Now he is getting recruits to believe as well.
More around the ACC:
Clemson safety Travis Blanks has suffered a setback in his rehab from a knee injury.
Duke has promoted Matt Guerreri to assistant coach.
Coveted defensive end Byron Cowart announced via Twitter he won't take an official visit to Florida State this weekend.
Georgia Tech got a commitment from running back Marcus Marshall, the younger brother of Georgia back Keith Marshall. Family Feud!
Miami is on fire ... for the 2016 class. Odds all five commitments end up signing with the Canes?
Pitt picked up a commitment from a receiver out of Texas.
Virginia Tech offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler told Mike Barber of The Richmond Times-Dispatch that he's hasn't spoken to anybody about the Central Michigan head coach opening. Barber also reports the Hokies won't have a Thursday night game in 2015.