After "relentless" recruiting effort, J'Bril Glaze commits to the Hokies

Galen Scott got the good news first, 2017 defensive lineman J'Bril Glaze committed to Virginia Tech. And deservedly so. The Hokies' assistant head coach and safeties coach stayed in constant contact with Glaze since Tech offered in March. Scott also made the trek down to Tampa, Florida numerous times to visit the sunshine state product at his home and Jefferson HS.

"Coach Scott really was a relentless recruiter," Glaze told The Key Play. "Since they offered me, they haven't stopped recruiting me even through my commitment to USF."

Glaze committed to South Florida on August 1, but opened up his recruitment after former Bulls' head coach Willie Taggart accepted the same position at Oregon. Unlike many recruitments, Scott won over Glaze by not promising him a darn thing.

"One thing I really liked to hear from him was that he wasn't going to give me any handouts," Glaze said. "He wasn't telling me that I was going to come up and play right away. He was telling me that I was going to have to come up and work for whatever I earn."

Soon after Glaze delivered Scott his verbal, he spoke with an excited Justin Fuente by phone and confirmed his intentions.

"(Coach Fuente) told me that I would fit really good with the program up there, and with them graduating so many really good defensive lineman I would have some big shoes to fill, but my future could be bright there, as long as I wanted to come up and work hard," Glaze said.

Glaze's official visit to Tech on January 27 will be the first time he steps foot in Blacksburg. The product on the field sold itself.

"They're really on a roll right now," Glaze said. "They're playing great. They're playing some of the best football in college. What really caught my attention was throughout the season watching them play in (the ACC) and they ended up winning their division against teams like Miami, and the close game versus Pitt, and North Carolina. Then they go on to play Clemson for the championship, and they are down by, I believe 21, and they come back and lose by a touchdown, but it's Clemson. That's saying a lot.

"And a lot of people talk about the SEC, when they went into the Belk Bowl against an SEC team like Arkansas, a more power team, and ended up going down by 24, and coming back for 35 unanswered points, and what really impressed me the most was 6 sacks, 3 interceptions, and a forced fumble. That was crazy."

Even though Scott made sure to emphasize Tech's facilities and college life in Blacksburg, Glaze honed in on on-the-field results and academics over the glitz, glamour, and prestige typically associated with wooing a recruit.

"I try to look at from the standpoint of just football, and not look at the school names or anything that," Glaze said. "Focus on the football aspect. On top of that, it's a very great school academically."

The 6-3, 250 pounder started at defensive end for Jefferson, but could very well grow into a defensive tackle for the Hokies.

"They believe I am athletic enough to stay out on the edge, but at the end of the day it will be where I best fit," Glaze said.

"I'd rather be at end, but I know if I was moved to the inside, that I could really use my athleticism pass rushing," he added about potentially playing DT for the Hokies.

After all, sacks, hits, and getting after the passer combine for his passion in the trenches.

"When you're able to develop a lot of pass rush moves, it's almost equivalent to being a skill player."

247Sports rates Glaze as a 3-star recruit, and he picked the Hokies from 23 offers including Tennessee, Michigan State, South Carolina, Kentucky, Indiana, and Arizona. He previously scheduled official visits to Middle Tennessee State (1/13) and Iowa State (1/20), and may follow through on them, but Glaze doesn't believe either school will sway his Virginia Tech commitment.