It comes with the territory; all receivers think they are deep ball threats that can take the top off a defense… but few truly match the description. At Woodgrove High School (Purcellville, VA), Connor Salmin (6-1, 190) is that guy.

A two-way player for the Wolverines, the stats on offense tell an exciting story: 1,107 yards receiving off 53 passes hauled in with 16 scores posted on the board in 10 games. And teams were doing all that they could to slow the Class of 2026 prospect down.

“At the start of the season I was getting some bump and run coverage, but then I was getting double and triple teamed,” Salmin said. “I got used to it as the season went on.”

The speed is a factor for defenses; 10.44 in the 100 and 21.18 in the 200.

Asked about playing both sports in college, Salmin replied, “That is something I would have to think about; we’ll see how this track season goes and if that will affect my overall decision. If coaches are recruiting me for track, that changes things. Football is my main sport. Football is my goal, and the sport that I love.”

Salmin added, “A lot of football coaches have said I can do both if that is an option, but I haven’t talked to any track coaches about offers.”

With 27 gridiron offers to choose from currently, that speed is a factor in Salmin’s recruitment.

“College coaches like my speed,” Salmin stated. “They like how I can take it over the top, they like my wingspan, and my catch radius when balls are not close to me. They also like that I have room for improvement given how new I am to playing receiver.”

Three programs have stayed on Salmin’s phone.

“Right now, Clemson, Penn State, and Notre Dame are reaching out the most,” Salmin shared. “I would say they are the top three reaching out the most. There are a lot of schools reaching out – Virginia Tech, UVA (Virginia), Ohio State, (Texas) A&M. There are a lot of schools reaching out, staying in touch, and checking in with me.”

Salmin listed the Saturday visits taken this fall, “I went to a lot of games. I went to A&M for the Notre Dame game, I went to Ohio State, Georgia, Clemson, Penn State, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, and North Carolina.”

Asked about his trips to Clemson, Penn State, and Notre Dame, Salmin broke down each visit.

Clemson: “It was awesome. I went to Clemson twice, early in the season for their NC State game; that was a big win. That was super awesome to see the team’s energy. I was there for a camp over the summer. When I went back, I got to see how coach (Tyler) Grisham (WR) coaches. I also got to see the players’ energy, and how they get along.

“I went back for the South Carolina game; that was a crazy environment. It is a rivalry game. That was a super close game that came down to one play. It was tough seeing a team lose, but it was good to see how the players and coaches reacted, and how they bounced back and are now in the playoffs.”

Penn State: “That was awesome. I was there for the Ohio State game. Both my parents were there with me; we spent time with the coaches and met with them. They had their game, but they still sat down and talked with us. They talked about the future, and they talked about the ways they would use me in the future. The energy is really good there.”

Notre Dame: “That was also a good visit. I was there for the Florida State game. That was a big win for them; that is another rivalry game. It was awesome to see how their coaches and players reacted after the win. I talked to a lot of the coaches there and spent time with them, which was awesome.”

Working around winter and spring track meets, the four-star will get back on the road in the New Year.

“I want to go back to the schools that have been reaching out,” Salmin said. “I will go anywhere that I have been invited. I will go to the places that are keeping the relationship going. We will see how everything goes.”

I hadn’t planned on getting into the recent tele-portaled Hokies just yet, but a few surprises have caught my attention. The overall number of entrants is sizable, especially considering so many are scholarship players (13). It is a new era where transfers are to be expected, but even in the new era the Hokies (so far) have more guys in the portal than just about every other ACC program.

But the quantity isn’t why I’m focused on the exits this year. This year is the first portal year where Tech has taken multiple big talent hits, with several likely starters for the upcoming season putting their names out there, and that catches my eye more than the numbers. As I write this late on Tuesday, 12/10, here are the most notable names to have entered:

Malachi Madison, DT

Madison was the first guy in the portal this year. He was part of a signing group that included Lemar Law, Gunner Givens, and Rashaud Pernell; it says something about that class that Madison might’ve been the most “successful” at DT for the Hokies. Madison seemed to be the most consistently disruptive of the group, at least in high school. All these recruits were pre-JC Price, which I’m guessing put them at a disadvantage, as the Hokies were going more for bigger guys who could overlap gaps, rather than ramrods to bust open plays. Madison finished with twelve snaps on the year; he saw action in a token appearance against Miami and a little more against Stanford.

…