Keshawn Lawrence trims to nine, Virginia Tech makes the cut

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Nashville (Tenn.) Ensworth 2020 athlete Keshawn Lawrence has only nine schools remaining out of over a dozen offers. Virginia Tech is one.

Lawrence includes Auburn, Clemson, Florida, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, and Tennessee along with the Hokies on his finalists list. Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, Purdue, and hometown Vanderbilt are among the programs that have offered, but are no longer in the running.

The 6-2, 186-pounder could play wide receiver or defensive back at the next level, and probably projects best at Virginia Tech has a Cam Phillips-style slot receiver with size or a long-lean corner with the athleticism to run with receivers in man coverage. While SEC schools and Clemson are considered the favorites, Virginia Tech staying in the hunt is certainly not a bad thing.

VT also has a potential connection: Lawrence's Ensworth teammate Tyler Baron is the younger brother of former Hokies defensive tackle Woody Baron, and has visited Blacksburg on multiple past occasions. The next trip could include a number of friends and teammates, providing VT with a chance to impress a broader group of players from the area.

The No. 72 overall prospect and No. 4 "athlete" nationally, Lawrence is also the No. 3 rising senior in the state of Tennessee. Though much of Virginia Tech's coaching staff came to VT from Memphis (and safeties coach Tyrone Nix previously coached at various locations in the Southeast, including Ole Miss and Middle Tennessee), the recruiting efforts in the Volunteers State have paid off only occasionally.