College Football

4-Star Hokies Target Devon Hunter Sets Decision Date

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 9:32 p.m. ET

Fansided, Mike McDaniel/FanSided via Fighting Gobbler

2017 4-Star safety Devon Hunter has set his decision date, and the Hokies remain firmly in the mix for one of the nation’s top prospects.

The Virginia Tech Hokies have been firmly in the mix for one of the top safeties in the Class of 2017 for quite some time, and now it appears that he is coming close to making a decision on where he will play college football.

2017 4-Star safety Devon Hunter out of Indian River High School in Chesapeake, Virginia, will announce his intentions on January 20th of where he will play college football.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT ????????‼ pic.twitter.com/K1q7GICUOe

— 7️⃣ Hunter (@devonhunter11) January 11, 2017

As displayed in the tweet, the Hokies remain firmly in the mix for Hunter, which would only further bolster one of the top secondaries in the ACC heading into next season. The Hokies lose safety Chuck Clark, but return the rest of their playmakers in the defensive backfield, including Mook Reynolds, Adonis Alexander, Brandon Facyson, Greg Stroman, and Terrell Edmunds.

If he chooses Virginia Tech, Devon Hunter would be a strong candidate for early playing time even with the returning starters, as Bud Foster has never been afraid to throw talented players into the fire (see the 2015-16 season for starters).

The Hokies have long been rumored by many of the top recruiting sites as being one of the leading candidates to land Hunter, although Hunter still has outstanding official visits that could sway him to one of the other schools on his list.

One intriguing storyline of many to watch in the days leading up to Hunter’s decision on the 20th, is how Florida defensive backs coach Torrian Gray, a former Hokies assistant under Frank Beamer, may play into a possible decision for Hunter to choose the Gators.

More from Fighting Gobbler

Florida is a team to watch because of Gray’s deep ties to the Tidewater area of Virginia that go back a number of years from his days in Blacksburg, and it will be interesting to see whether or not he can poach the safety away from a potential commitment to Virginia Tech. The emergence of Gray as Hunter’s primary recruiter during the home stretch of his recruitment could end up paying dividends for Jim McElwain’s squad if Hunter decides to leave the state of Virginia.

Of course, Florida is not the only school in the mix. Auburn is making a very strong push for Hunter as well, and it appears that Alabama, fresh off of a National Championship loss to Clemson, is making a late run at the 4-Star safety.

North Carolina and Ole Miss remain interesting choices as well, but one would have to think that Hunter is warmer on the other more prominent options on his list, which should lead to a heated race to the finish for one of the top safety prospects in the country,

Stay with Fighting Gobbler for the latest on the Hokies’ pursuit of Hunter, as we will have you covered on the latest leading up to the decision date on January 20th, as well as the instant reaction once a decision is made.