Virginia Tech Signing Day capsule 2021: Isi Etute

The 757 has long been an important source of talent for Virginia Tech. Linebacker Isi Etute will bring Tidewater flair to Blacksburg from Virginia Beach (Va.) Cox.

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5.4 two-star. Unranked nationally, at his position, or within the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Appalachian State, Boston College, East Carolina, James Madison, Kent State, Liberty, Marshall, NC State, Old Dominion, Temple, Toledo, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Wake Forest, West Virginia

Etute had a handful of Power-5 offers among his suitors early in the process. Virginia Tech offered, and was immediately vaulted into a final three with NC State and West Virginia within days. Boston College - a program that has succeeded with developmental LB prospects like him over time - had previously been considered the favorite.

With that final three in place, he named a commitment date just a couple weeks later. His pledge to Virginia Tech was a foregone conclusion by that point. He made the choice, and stuck with it until signing.

Etute's intelligence and body control make him a solid prospect for the Hokies, and show that there's some upside for him in the long run. He appears to not have unlocked his athletic potential.

However, what he's shown so far is not a positive outlier for the position, and given that he's on the smaller side for it, as well, there's going to be a lot of development necessary before he can see the field. Some of that development has already happened in the nine months since the end of his junior year, of course, but it will continue to be a long-term deal.

Whenever he can get up to 235 pounds or so, his ability to see the game and use that intelligence to be a right-place right-time guy should get him onto the field. In some ways, he's reminiscent of a more stretched-out version of current starting linebacker Rayshard Ashby - whose lack of size and pure athleticism haven't prevented him from being one of the country's best linebackers.

He will skip his senior year (spring football) to enroll in Blacksburg.

Etute was the leading tackler for his Cox team as a junior, making 70 total stops (more than 20 higher than the second-leading tackler). He added 6.0 tackles for loss, including a solo sack on the year, playing multiple roles on the defense. He also made four interceptions and broke up 10 passes, while forcing one fumble and recovering two balls on the turf. On offense, he was his team's leading receiver with 242 yards and four touchdowns.

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