Signing Day capsule: Dax Hollifield

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Virginia Tech officially has the long-awaited commitment - and signing - of Rivals250 linebacker Dax Hollifield.

The 6-2, 225-pounder is the third linebacker in the class.

Four-star, No. 180 overall nationally, No. 9 player in North Carolina, No. 6 inside linebacker nationally.

Clemson, North Carolina, Stanford, Alabama, Auburn, Duke, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Louisville, Maryland, NC State, Notre Dame, Penn State, South Carolina, Virginia, Wake Forest

There was a time when it looked like Hollifield would be the first member of VT's Class of 2018, rather than one of the last. He was a frequent visitor to campus during the Summer of 2016, the 2016 football season, the Spring of 2017, and so on. However, at some point, the vibe switched to one of "he's been here so many times, and hasn't committed, is there something he's looking for that isn't there?"

A fall official visit to Florida State didn't gain much traction with him, but the combination of top academics and football at Stanford attracted his attention. So too did the family favorite, North Carolina, and renewed interest from his childhood favorite, Clemson (even though he had burned Tigers memorabilia on a social media video when VT played Clemson in the 2016 ACC Championship Game). After multiple visits to each, though, he circled back around, and picked the school he had felt most comfortable with from the beginning.

Hollifield is the sideline-to-sideline linebacker that is so important in the style of defense Virginia Tech wants to play, and against the types of offenses the Hokies will face. He is at his best coming forward against the run or blitzing up the middle to get to the quarterback, but has the lateral range to make plays outside the tackles (including in space against very agile players). He hits very hard, has a great motor to chase plays down from the backside, and even has a playmaking flair with forced fumbles. He's a little less comfortable dropping into coverage (though more than the average high school 'backer), and will have to work on that aspect of his game to excel in college.

Hollifield made a team-leading 150 total tackles, 32 of them for loss with 6.5 sacks. He broke up one pass, forced two fumbles (recovering one) and blocked a punt. He even moonlighted on offense where he caught one pass for five yards. The Shelby Golden Lions finished 12-3 with a loss in the 2AA state semifinals.