Signing Day capsule: Tahj Gary

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Running back No. 2 is in the fold: College Park (Ga.) Woodward Academy three-star Tahj Gary has officially signed with VT.

The 5-8, 210-pound bowling ball was subject of a hotly contested recruiting battle, but will take his power and-pass-catching to Blacksburg,.

Three-star, No. 80 player in Georgia and No. 44 running back nationally.

Appalachian State, Arkansas, Boston College, Cincinnati, East Carolina, FAU, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas State, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Memphis, Miami (Ohio), North Carolina, NC State, Oregon State, Pitt, Purdue, Rutgers, South Alabama, South Carolina, Troy, UCF, UTSA, Utah, West Virginia

Gary was long on the Hokies' radar, but his recruitment didn't really seem to pick up until after VT had added Keshawn King (and cooled on other running backs in the process). However, a re-evaluated need for tailbacks in the class and the fit he provides saw the staff turn the heat right back up. Gary's other finalists were North Carolina and South Carolina - and he visited the latter more than any other school, both before and after his commitment to Virginia Tech - but VT won out. South Carolina made an additional late push, but a broken leg during his high school season saw an official visit to Columbia canceled and the Gamecocks' interest fade.

Gary's measurements tell a lot of the story of his style of play: he's a bruiser who likes to get leverage under the opponents, and use his leg drive to run through their feeble attempts at arm tackles. He's not a make-you-miss sort of guy in the hole, but his vision allows him to set up defenders to only get a glancing blow at him, allowing him to shift his weight subtly enough to set up broken tackles. He doesn't have elite speed once he gets to the second level, but there also aren't a whole lot of players who are going to catch him from behind. He's a prototypical third-down back with a willingness to block for his quarterback and exceptional receiving skills (pass-catching and route-running are perhaps the best part of his game).

Woodward Academy finished 6-5. Gary had 120 carries for 1217 yards (10.1 per rush) and 13 touchdowns, and caught 26 passes for 516 yards (19.8 per reception) and another seven scores. He also returned six punts for 202 yards (33.7 per return) and two touchdowns. Plus this week's stats.