Signing Day capsule: Doug Nester

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Virginia Tech's highest-ranked 2019 signee publicly committed just this morning: Huntington (W.Va.) Spring Valley lineman Doug Nester.

Four-star, No. 156 overall prospect and No. 8 offensive guard nationally. No. 2 player in West Virginia.

Ohio State (previously committed), Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Louisville, Marshall, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia

Nester made a very early commitment to Ohio State, prior to the beginning of his junior year of high school. For much of that process, he remained steadfast with the Buckeyes. However, he visited other programs on occasion, more with the "I don't want to miss the opportunity to go through the recruiting process" quote than "these schools actually have a chance to flip me" kind. He made it to Blacksburg for the Hokies' spring game, and then again for a game this Fall. VT continued their vigorous pursuit, and when Urban Meyer was forced to retire at OSU, the door was wide open. Nester, who had intended to enroll in Columbus just a few days later, seemed to shift his focus to Penn State and Virginia Tech. He took his official visit last weekend, and pulled the trigger while in town, going public with it late last night to his local newspaper. Ultimately, it was the distance from home that saw VT beat out Penn State.

Nester is a physically talented offensive lineman, already with college-ready size, and the athleticism to match it. He has the height and length to potentially play offensive tackle in college, but his hard-nosed mentality and overall strength may make his long-term best fit the interior of the line at guard, where that mobility can see him be a devastating blocker on pulls. He is the sort of nasty player who blocks to the whistle, and his ability to play with good leverage means he's often burying the opponent across the line from him. Like every high schooler, he's going to have to refine his technique to be successful in college, but all the tools to contribute early are there.

Spring Valley went 14-1 and lost in the AAA state championship game. Nester did not record individual stats (as is typical for an offensive lineman), but was named co-MVP of the all-state team.