2021 Virginia Tech Linebacker Target Jordan Poole is an SI All-American Candidate

Poole, who is down to Virginia Tech, South Carolina, and NC State, is expected to announce his commitment decision sometime in the near future

2021 4-star North Carolina linebacker Jordan Poole is an SI All-American candidate.

Poole, who was expected to announce his decision on July 1st between Virginia Tech, South Carolina, and NC State, postponed his announcement and is still evaluating his college of choice.

Virginia Tech and NC State appear to be the top two schools in the running currently, with South Carolina a clear notch below the Hokies and Wolfpack. While most were expecting a decision before the end of July, it is unknown when Poole will actually announce his commitment. 

However, Poole is looking to make a decision before his senior season of high school football, which means a decision should be coming in the near future.

Poole is the 18th-best player in the state of North Carolina for the 2021 recruiting class, per the 247Sports composite rankings.

Over the coming weeks, SI will unveil its preseason top 10 for each of 14 position groups. SI will unveil its initial top 99 ranking, the SI99, on August 24. This process began this past week, as the top 10 quarterbacks were unveiled by SI All-American. This week, SI All-American continued its series, as the top 10 offensive linemen were revealed.

The evaluation process will continue throughout the season “until the list of 1,000 contenders coalesces around just 25 young men who can say proudly they are the best of the best -- they are Sports Illustrated All-Americans,” said SI Director of Football Recruiting John Garcia, Jr.

The candidates will be narrowed to 250 in October and 99 in November, and will culminate with 25 first-team Sports Illustrated All-Americans saluted at SI’s annual Sportsperson of the Year banquet in New York in December.

Prospect: LB Jordan Poole

Projected Position: Linebacker

Status: SI All-American Candidate

Vitals: 6-foot, 225 pounds

School: Oakboro (N.C.) West Stanly

Schools of Interest: Virginia Tech, South Carolina and North Carolina State

Frame: Huge upper legs and hips. Solid upper body. College-ready frame.

Athleticism: Elite lower leg power. Can quickly change direction, despite being 225-pounds. Excellent balance. More quick than fast. Needs to improve open-field speed to be consistently effective versus college spread passing attacks.

Instincts: Fearless. Timely. Reads a run play and instantly takes off for the ball carrier. As a high school safety, he showed the ability to time hits to wide receivers that would dislodge the football. Outruns offensive linemen to the point of attack to make tackles.

Polish: Poole breaks down before making a tackle in the hole, and he explodes through the ball carrier. Will take on an offensive lineman in the hole like a pro. Good lateral pursuit during screens and sweeps.

Bottom Line: Poole is an old-school linebacker with enormous hitting power. He reads offensive linemen and commonly beats them to the ball carrier when they pull. Played safety in high school, so he understands coverage quite well.