Photo courtesy of Old Dominion athletics
As spring ball begins at Old Dominion, the program looks towards the near future and the 2021 season.
But a lot remains on the horizon — particularly in recruiting.
On Thursday, ODU offered Forest Park (Woodbridge, Va.) defensive end Gilbert Tongrongou. The 2022 recruit received his first offer from Boston College not too long ago. ODU has its advantages for the big man out of the commonwealth.
“ODU is an overall good program and is at home so I know that’s a plus for my mom,” Tongrongou said. “They were fired up about my tape and (head coach Ricky Rahne) got straight to the point and offered.”
2024 wide receiver Keylen Adams, out of Green Run (Va Beach, Va.), picked up an offer from the Monarchs before even stepping on the field in high school. Adams looks to be one of the top recruits for the 2024 class in the commonwealth.
“I feel like they are building something,” Adams said. “A lot of people didn’t expect them to get the number of commits that they did. I feel like they can do something this season.”
Adams’ teammate, offensive and defensive lineman Molik Mason is also generating interest from the Monarchs. Those two aren’t alone. Xavier Davis, a quarterback from the 2022 class, is another player from Green Run interesting to Rahne and staff.
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“I’ve been familiar with ODU since I was young,” Davis said. “They’ve always been on my mind and I think it would be a really good school for me.”
Another 2024 recruit, defensive back Asaad Brown out of Portsmouth Christian (Portsmouth, Va.) played a full season in the fall with the Patriots. Brown impressed on both sides of the ball, but will be focusing on defensive back.
Wide receiver Ali Jennings recently announced his intent to transfer to ODU from West Virginia. Jennings is out of Highland Springs (Richmond, Va.) and was part of the Springers’ four consecutive state championships. Jennings has a total of 240 yards and two scores in two seasons in Morgantown.
According to 247Sports, Jennings was a three-star recruit coming out of Highland Springs.
Based on the current progression with COVID-19, many sources expect restrictions to be lifted and for visits to resume. If that does come to fruition, watch for ODU coaches to be busy and for Norfolk to be hosting a lot of potential future Monarchs.
The NCAA recently extended the dead period until May 31, meaning coaches cannot see kids in person and there are no visits right now. That however, hasn’t stopped the recruiting wheels from turning for Rahne and his ODU staff.