Crossen commits today

At 2:30 this afternoon, the question will be answered: will Greensboro (N.C.) Dudley athlete DJ Crossen be a Tar Heel for the second time, or is VT his choice on the second go-round?

The 6-2, 190-pounder initially pledged to North Carolina last Summer, but decommitted in January. The No. 38 athlete prospect in the nation and No. 19 rising senior in North Carolina has narrowed his options to UNC and Virginia Tech, and will make his college choice public in a ceremony at his school this afternoon.

His initial commitment to North Carolina was to play wide receiver, but both schools seem to now prefer him on the defensive side of the ball. He plays both ways in high school - but shifted from a primarily offensive to a primarily defensive player during the course of his junior year. While he could be a safety, his length at the cornerback position has Virginia Tech most excited to try him on the edge first should he opt to join their program.

He visited Blacksburg multiple times last year before his initial commitment to North Carolina, returned in the Fall for a game when he was a Tar Heel pledge, and has been to a junior day and spring practice visit since re-opening things.

Crossen's high school quarterback, Hendon Hooker, enrolled at Virginia Tech in January after helping lead the Panthers to a 15-1 state championship season. The Hokies are considered the favorite because of Crossen's connections to Hooker, the rising tide of positive VT recruiting developments in the state, and the often-diminished chances that the same school lands a player twice when he re-opens his recruitment.

Crossen's primary recruiters for VT are safeties coach and area recruiter Galen Scott and cornerbacks position coach Brian Mitchell.