Part of the fun for us at FAST is to get an athlete when they are very young and then watch as they blossom. Christian Epling is the epitome of that very statement. Christian started training at FAST when he was just in the 6th grade. Initially coming in to build skill in lacrosse he soon fell in love with football. Christian played several positions but really found a knack as a long snapper and quickly moved up the ranks. Ending up ranked in the top 5 in the country Christian is now a bonafide 5 star recruit. Christian will now be playing for Virginia Tech on Saturdays and the FAST team couldn't be happier for him.
Owner of FAST Chris Bettis said "Watching Christian build speed, strength and skill at FAST has been a fun thing to watch. Seeing Christian have tons of opportunities open up for him because of his hard work is very satisfying and really shows the younger kids what can be achieved. Christian is an amazing role model and we are lucky to have him."
By Evan Norris | September 06 Sons of Saturday Article
The Hokies have just had a knack for recruiting special teams these past couple of years under Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends Coach James Shibest. This time, lightning strikes for the third time, with the Virginia Tech Staff pulling in another 5-Star special teams recruit. This go around, the commitment from 5-Star Long Snapper Christian Epling came for the Hokies. The Georgia native made the announcement that he would be committing to the Hokies on his social media accounts last Thursday night.
When last measured, Epling came in around 6-2 for height and weighing in at 180 pounds. He is currently ranked as the 10th best long snapper in the nation. And is ranked as the best long snapper out of his home state of Georgia.
According to his Kohls' Professional Camp Profile, his evaluation reads, "Epling followed up his strong charting session by winning the camp wide snapping competition against a stacked field. He has a long, athletic frame and ran an impressive 4.95 second 40-yard dash. The sky is the limit for Epling and has what it takes to play at a Division 1 level". It sounds like Epling has already established himself to be amongst the nation's best in terms of long snapping. And with arriving on campus, the ceiling should only raise higher for this 2022 commit.
Epling will join fellow 5-Star long snapper Oscar Shadley that is already on roster to get better alongside of going forward. Welcome Christian to the Hokie family as he becomes the 4th recruit out of Georgia for the Hokies in the class of 2022.