Four-star flips to Virginia Tech
While the commitment flip is fairly regular in football recruiting, a flip like the one Chris Clarke pulled off on Thursday isn't regular in basketball.
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The No. 59 player in the class of 2015, the 6-foot-6 small forward from Virginia Beach (Va.) Cape Henry backed off of his one week old commitment to Tennessee to commit to Virginia Tech.
The Clarke family issued the following statement to Rivals.com:
"We've contemplated this decision. After his decision on Tennessee, further
communication with the family and discussion came to the opinion it would be
better for him and his goals and the family's situation to remain local. That's
why he's going to Virginia Tech."
A tough blow for Donnie Tyndall and the Volunteers, they lose their signature recruit while Buzz Williams adds his highest ranked player since taking over during the spring.
A four-star prospect, Clarke is all about energy and athleticism. He gets out in the open floor, he pressures opponents defensively and he crashes the glass. Clarke is always around and over the rim but he is also an outstanding passer and has improved as a ball handler because he gets to point B from point A without wasting dribbles or taking detours.
Per sources close to the recruitment, Clarke had been reconsidering his commitment for most of this week. Earlier on Thursday, a report surfaced on Bleacher Report that the NCAA is looking into potential infractions committed under Tyndall's watch. A source told Rivals.com that the news of a potential investigation into Tyndall at his last stop wasn't the reason for the flip, but it did help push the change along.
Now that Clarke is in the fold, Williams and his staff have a very promising looking three man recruiting class. He joins Rivals150 power forward Kerry Blackshear from Florida and three-star point guard Justin Robinson from Virginia in the Hokies 2015 recruiting class.
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