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Hey guys, I caught up with one of UC's visitors last weekend for the spring game, Oscar Smith (Va.) three-star cornerback Jahmari DeLoatch. It was his first time in Clifton and it seems to have made a massive difference in his recruitment.
I interviewed DeLoatch last week for another story, before his UC visit, and it seemed like he was very pro Virginia Tech. I even made my FutureCast for him with the Hokies. He'd already set an official visit there, immediately after he unofficially visited VT for a spring practice. I had to get him to talk about other schools, as I always do, to get as accurate a representation of his recruitment as possible. That seems to have changed a bit.
Now, after he went to UC, DeLoatch instantly set an official visit to Clifton on June 14. DeLoatch visited with his dad and he told me they loved the campus, love how close it is to downtown and spent a lot of time down there as well. "I was kinda surprised," is what DeLoatch told me about the visit. He said he liked seeing all the construction and progress being made on campus, with the new facilities coming. The other thing DeLoatch told me is he loved, for how big UC is, how close all the buildings and everything on campus seemed. That was a BIG plus for him.
DeLoatch also really likes assistant coach Kerry Coombs and defensive coordinator Tyson Veidt. He told me he loves Coombs' history of working with players, putting guys in the NFL and also his personality and energy. "And he sugarcoats nothing," DeLoatch said. "He'll give it to you straight-forward."
On Tuesday, DeLoatch visited Vanderbilt, which was his final visit of the spring. That seems to have gone well, but he's unsure of an official visit there. That, plus how quickly he scheduled one to UC after the spring game, leads me to think this is neck and neck between UC and Virginia Tech. I'm leaving my FutureCast for now, but this one is probably 55/45 in favor of VT at this point. I think the Bearcats have vastly closed the gap here.
Official visit to Virginia Tech June 7-8, which will be his first. UC is the next weekend, followed by Wake Forest June 21. The Deacons are the darkhorse here. Odds are low, but I wouldn't rule them out, since he has an official set there.
Full story coming.
Hey guys, I caught up with one of UC's visitors last weekend for the spring game, Oscar Smith (Va.) three-star cornerback Jahmari DeLoatch. It was his first time in Clifton and it seems to have made a massive difference in his recruitment.
Now, after he went to UC, DeLoatch instantly set an official visit to Clifton on June 14. DeLoatch visited with his dad and he told me they loved the campus, love how close it is to downtown and spent a lot of time down there as well. "I was kinda surprised," is what DeLoatch told me about the visit. He said he liked seeing all the construction and progress being made on campus, with the new facilities coming. The other thing DeLoatch told me is he loved, for how big UC is, how close all the buildings and everything on campus seemed. That was a BIG plus for him.
DeLoatch also really likes assistant coach Kerry Coombs and defensive coordinator Tyson Veidt. He told me he loves Coombs' history of working with players, putting guys in the NFL and also his personality and energy. "And he sugarcoats nothing," DeLoatch said. "He'll give it to you straight-forward."
On Tuesday, DeLoatch visited Vanderbilt, which was his final visit of the spring. That seems to have gone well, but he's unsure of an official visit there. That, plus how quickly he scheduled one to UC after the spring game, leads me to think this is neck and neck between UC and Virginia Tech. I'm leaving my FutureCast for now, but this one is probably 55/45 in favor of VT at this point. I think the Bearcats have vastly closed the gap here.
Official visit to Virginia Tech June 7-8, which will be his first. UC is the next weekend, followed by Wake Forest June 21. The Deacons are the darkhorse here. Odds are low, but I wouldn't rule them out, since he has an official set there.
Full story coming.
