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   Welcome to TSLMail #161 - Friday, February 4, 2005    
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ACC Football Recruiting Rankings
by Chris James, TechSideline.com

Now that the dust has settled temporarily on the recruiting trails, football fans everywhere are left with nothing to do but while away the time from now until the start of spring practice. However, with the lull of the offseason just getting started, we can take a look at Virginia Tech's 2005 recruiting class and see that it was a success. The Virginia Tech coaching staff did an outstanding job in finding players that will fill positions of need.

With three-quarters of the starting secondary departing, Tech needed to sign some defensive backs in this class. The Hokies had great success in this area, signing the number one player in the state of Virginia, Victor "Macho" Harris. Harris is the headliner for this very strong class and is rated by all the scouting services as one of the top cornerbacks in the nation. Tech also landed defensive backs Dorian Porch and Stephan Virgil, from Georgia and North Carolina respectively. Cam Martin, a safety prospect from Danville, VA, rounds out the group. Martin was one of the top 15 prospects in the state of Virginia.

Other positions of need were offensive line and defensive line. Tech faired very well at these positions as well, signing enough offensive linemen to constitute an entire starting lineup. The headliner of the group is Antonio North, ranked #12 in Virginia by Techsideline.com. The Hokies also signed 5 defensive linemen, headed by defensive ends William Wall and Steven Friday.

The Hokies also match up very well with the recruiting classes that were signed by other ACC schools.

ACC Football Recruiting Rankings
(sorted by average ranking of Rivals.com and Scout.com)

Team

Rivals.com Scout.com Average

Florida St.

2 4 3

Miami

7 12 9.5

Virginia Tech

15 18 16.5

Virginia

19 15 17

Clemson

18 21 19.5

Maryland

17 25 21

NC State

27 23 25

Duke

46 31 38.5

North Carolina

44 34 39

Boston College

49 58 53.5

Georgia Tech

62 48 55

Wake Forest

65 60 62.5

Taking a look at the table above, we see that the only two schools that ranked ahead of Virginia Tech in both the Rivals.com and Scout.com rankings were Miami and Florida State. That's nothing new; the 'Canes and 'Noles can be found at the top of the recruiting rankings every year, but that hasn't stopped the Hokies from knocking off Miami 7 of the last 10 years. In fact, it is a little surprising that Miami is ranked outside the Top 10 by Scout.com.

While the rankings above show how highly regarded this VT recruiting class is, Tom Lemming of ESPN.com gives the Hokies even more respect. He ranks Tech's class 10th in the nation. As a comparison, Lemming ranks Florida State 9th in the nation, which is tops in the ACC. So according to Lemming, the Hokies and FSU were neck and neck in recruiting this year, with FSU barely beating the Hokies to the finish line.

Now let's take a closer look at the other ACC schools, in alphabetical order:

Boston College--The Eagles signed 16 players, 7 of which play on the offensive or defensive lines. The headliners of the class are Pat Sheil, an offensive lineman from Clifton, VA, and Andre Jones, a cornerback from Avon, CT. Sheil is ranked #5 in Virginia by Techsideline.com, and BC did an outstanding job in getting him away from the instate programs.

Clemson--Tommy Bowden put a very good class together at Clemson this year. At the top of the Tigers' list is running back James Davis from Atlanta. Davis is one of the top running backs in the nation, and chose Clemson over schools such as Virginia Tech, Tennessee and Alabama. The Tigers signed a total of 25 players.

Duke--You have to be impressed with the recruiting job that Ted Roof did this year. The best player in this class is Vince Oghobaase, a five-star defensive tackle from Texas. Oghobaase chose Duke over Miami and Oklahoma, an amazing coup by Roof. Other highly touted players include defensive ends Ayanga Okpokowuruk and Clifford Respress, as well as quarterback Marcus Jones.

Florida State--Simply put, the rich just got richer. Bobby Bowden pulled off yet another Signing Day coup and FSU signed one of the top classes in the nation yet again. The jewels of the class are running back Antone Smith, wide receiver Fred Rouse and defensive tackle Callahan Bright. All rank as one of the top players at their respective positions in the nation.

Georgia Tech--On paper, this is a fairly disappointing class for the Yellow Jackets. Their top recruit is probably 3-star quarterback Jonathon Garner from Daytona Beach, FL. This recruiting class ranks next to last in the ACC.

Maryland--Overall this is a very nice class put together by Ralph Friedgen. The headliner is defensive end Melvin Alaeze, considered by many to be the best defensive end prospect in the country. Tech fans are familiar with him, as he nearly chose the Hokies over the Terps. Maryland also put together a good class at wide receiver and defensive back.

Miami--Yet another blue-chip filled class for the Miami Hurricanes. Their top recruit is arguably the top defensive back in the nation, Kenneth Phillips. Phillips hails from Miami, so the 'Canes obviously held the home field advantage for his services. Miami also landed Reginald Youngblood, one of the top offensive linemen in the nation.

North Carolina--The Tar Heels could have had a better class overall, but they finished fairly strong. They are bringing in a very good tailback prospect in Richie Rich, and quarterback Cameron Sexton had a nice list of offers.

NC State--Another good class brought to Raleigh by Chuck Amato. It is headlined by Toney Baker, a Virginia Tech target. Baker is one of the top tailbacks in the nation. The Wolfpack also bring in another highly touted tailback in Andre Brown. Amato also signed a talented a deep offensive line class.

Virginia--Al Groh managed to reel in another very good class to Charlottesville. The best player is offensive lineman Eugene Monroe, who is considered by many to be the top offensive lineman in the nation. Big time recruits Mikell Simpson, running back, and Mike Brown, defensive back, round out the class.

Wake Forest--Jim Grobe didn't exactly bring in a stable of All-Americans this year, but that is no different than any other year. Headliners of the class include cornerback Brandon Ghee, a Virginia Tech target, and tight end Ted Randolph.




Win an Actual VT Game Football, Signed by the Coaches and Players!

Brain Injury Services of SWVA and Brain Injury Services, Inc. in Northern Virginia are offering Hokie fans a chance to win a truly unique prize: a "game-winning" football signed by the Virginia Tech football coaching staff and players.

The football up for grabs is the football being carried by Cedric Humes in the picture above, during Cedric's game-clinching 37-yard TD run against Virginia this past season. The ball was taken from the field -- "It still has dirt on it," yours truly was recently told -- and later signed by Virginia Tech coaches and players.

The ball is now being raffled off. Only 600 raffle tickets are being sold, and each ticket costs $100. To make things even better, the cost of your raffle ticket is tax-deductible as a charitable donation to Brain Injury Services of SWVA and Brain Injury Services, Inc.

These two organizations are the only two case management programs serving kids with brain injuries in the state of Virginia. The services needed by brain injury survivors are scarce, and these two programs make a difference in people's lives. Proceeds from the raffle will be used to fund desperately-needed case managers at these two organizations.

Interested? Here are the details:

  • Prize: One Signed Game-Winning Virginia Tech football from the 2004 Virginia Tech/UVa football game.

  • Raffle Ticket Cost: $100

  • Drawing Date: April 16th 2005 (you do not need to be present to win)

  • Tax-Deductible Amount of Raffle Ticket Purchase: $100 (unless you win, of course!)

  • How to Purchase: Call or email Brain Injury Services Inc. of Northern Virginia (703-451-8881, email [email protected]) or The Jason Foundation in Radford, Virginia (540-633-2225, email [email protected]) for details on how to purchase a ticket. When you purchase a ticket, you'll receive a ticket stub and a receipt for tax purposes.

The Virginia Tech football program and head coach Frank Beamer (click the link to see a letter written by Beamer) are behind this effort to raise much-needed funds. Buy your ticket and get your chance at winning the football pictured above!

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   TechSideline.com Updates From the Past Week


2005 Recruiting Roundup
by Chris Horne and Will Stewart, 2/3/05, 2:30 pm
Led by an outstanding in-state haul where they landed four of the state’s top 7 prospects, Virginia Tech enjoyed what is considered to be one of, if not the best, classes ever. Tech’s 2005 class is rated #10 by Tom Lemming of ESPN.com, #15 by Rivals.com and #18 by Scout.com. The Hokies landed one 5-star, four 4-star, 14 3-star and five 2-star recruits.
Two TSL Pass articles:
2005 Recruiting Roundup, by Chris Horne
The 2005 Recruiting Class, by the Numbers, by Will Stewart

Another Signing Day Has Come and Gone
by Jim Alderson, 2/3/05, 11:20 am
The Silly Season of college football is completed for another year. Coaches praise their classes, recruiting junkies weauxf about the perceived high quality of their school’s class or despair about the lack thereof, and those who provide so-called insider information on the destinations of who they determine to be the top prospects quickly move on to rating the next class in the hopes that people will continue shelling out bucks to access it. And, best of all, in these days of instant information, people will only have to wait a mere 2-3 years to find out exactly how good was their school’s recruiting class.
in TSL Pass

Surging Hokies Continue to Impress
by Will Stewart, TechSideline.com, 2/3/05, 12:40 am
Confessions of a webmaster: Throughout the Signing Day hysteria Wednesday, my heart raced and pounded, but it wasn't because of the ongoing recruiting drama, server crashes, and high levels of traffic on the site. It was because the Hokie men's basketball team was facing a critical road game at Miami. There, it's heresy, but I said it: I was more hyped up over basketball than recruiting.
in TSL Pass

Hokies Grab Big Road Win at Miami, 73-63
by Chris James, TechSideline.com, 2/2/05, 11:35 pm
Coral Gables, FL -- The Virginia Tech Hokies overcame a 6 point second half deficit to defeat the Miami Hurricanes 73-63 in a critical ACC matchup on the road Wednesday night. The win improves the Hokies to 12-7 overall and 5-3 in ACC play. Miami falls to 13-7 overall and 4-5 in the ACC. Sophomore guard Zabian Dowdell continued his outstanding play, scoring a career-high 23 points for Tech. Carlos Dixon added 17. Robert Hite led Miami with 17 points.
in Men's Basketball

Hokies Sign 24 Recruits to Letters of Intent
by Will Stewart, TechSideline.com, 2/2/05, 4:15 pm
Out of VT's 2005 recruiting class of 25 players, 24 of them sent national letters of intent (LOIs) into the Hokie football office today, but VT lost one of their top recruits when 4-star tight end Jonathan Hannah from Hope Mills, NC decommitted and signed with South Carolina instead. Despite the loss of Hannah to the Gamecocks and SC coach Steve Spurrier, the 24-man class represents another strong entry in VT recruiting history, particularly in-state. The class is headlined by 5-star recruit Victor "Macho" Harris (right).
in News and Notes

Game Preview: Virginia Tech at Miami
by Chris James, TechSideline.com, 2/1/05, 2:00 pm
* Includes roster card in PDF format *
The Virginia Tech Hokies will look to get back to their winning ways when they travel to Coral Gables for a crucial ACC matchup against the Miami Hurricanes. Tech is coming off a 100-65 loss against the Duke Blue Devils in Cameron Indoor Stadium, while the Hurricanes fell 94-82 at Wake Forest on Saturday.
in Men's Basketball

A Gym Rat's Notebook: Run DGC
by Elijah Kyle, 2/1/05, 12:10 pm
They might not have quite the games of Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond or Chris Mullin, when they balled with the Golden State Warriors of the NBA, nor perhaps have the rap sensibilities of their almost musical namesakes. But Virginia Tech sophomores Zabian Dowdell, Jamon Gordon, and Coleman Collins share several things in common, chief among them the fact that they are starting to make a whole lot of experts look pretty silly right about now.
in TSL Pass

Advance Auto Parts Hokie Hotline Notes for 1/31/05
by Phil Noftsinger, 1/31/05, 11:30 pm
Tonight’s show was broadcast live from Attitudes Bar in The Holiday Inn Blacksburg. Coach Seth Greenberg joined Bill Roth in analyzing the loss to Duke as well as the upcoming road game against a surprising Miami team. The main topic on tonight’s show was the atmosphere in Cameron Indoor stadium and the officiating of the game. Although Greenberg couldn’t comment on the officiating in this medium, many fans did express their support for the coach’s strong support of his team after questionable foul calls.
in Hotline Notes

Blue Devils, Referees Make Short Work of Hokies, 100-65
by Stefan Adams, TechSideline.com, 1/30/05, 11:55 pm
Durham, NC - One reason the Virginia Tech men's basketball team has been able to surprise many basketball followers around the country with its recent five-game win streak is because the Hokie starters have been contributing from start to finish. However, that was not the case in the Hokies' 100-65 loss to the No. 2 Duke Blue Devils Sunday night, in which the Hokies were whistled for 22 fouls in the first half, forcing VT's backups to play significant minutes. VT was called for 33 fouls in the game, and two Hokies fouled out.
in Men's Basketball

Game Preview: Virginia Tech at #2 Duke
by Will Stewart, TechSideline.com, 1/29/05, 4:00 pm
* Includes roster card in PDF format *
It has been a fun two weeks for the Hokies, who have notched four ACC wins in the last 14 days, but now they head into one of the most feared venues in college sports, Cameron Indoor Stadium, to take on one of the most storied programs in college basketball, the Duke Blue Devils. Hokie fans will be glued to their TV sets Sunday night to watch a Virginia Tech team that has made great strides take the measure of themselves against one the toughest opponents they'll face the rest of the season.
in Men's Basketball

 
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