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The Richmond Times-Dispatch broke the news today that wide receiver Robert Parker of Oscar C. Smith High School in Chesapeake, Virginia, has committed to the Hokies. Parker (6-1, 190) was ranked the "Sleeper of the Year" in-state by Doug Doughty of the Roanoke Times. He caught 25 passes for 384 yards and 5 TD's this season, plus he returned one kickoff and one punt return for touchdowns. Parker also played some free safety and outside linebacker, which is a strong safety in Oscar C. Smith's defensive scheme.

Parker was a late addition to the Hokies' recruiting list, and things happened very quickly. He visited Tech this past weekend, the Hokie coaches worked him out, liked what they saw, and made him a scholarship offer. He quickly accepted it, making him the 14th verbal commitment for Tech's 2002 recruiting class.

Parker was not available for comment, but we caught up with his coach, Bill Lyons.

"He's a make-things-happen player on the offensive side," Coach Lyons told us. "We would have liked to have gotten him the ball more than we did this year.

"He's a big wide receiver at 6-1, 190, and only about 7-8 percent body fat. Once he settles in to a good weight program, he's going to be a very strong, big wide receiver. 210 or 215 would probably be a good weight for him, and he may not be done growing. He's only 17 right now.

"Several schools recruited him. We had talked to a lot of schools starting in the middle of the season. He started playing very well in the middle of the year, and in his last five games, really was prolific. I got in touch with UNC, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, but because of the numbers crunch, most of the schools couldn't make a move. West Virginia, Elon, James Madison, and Tech all offered him."

On his visit to Tech, according to Lyons, Parker "felt comfortable, liked what he saw, and made the commitment there. I think he's going to do great things there. He's a super young man, very first class, very articulate youngster, and I think he'll be a good match for Tech."

Of Tech's 14 commitments, 12 are from Virginia and 2 from Florida. Find out more about Robert Parker by checking out his recruiting database entry at TechSideline.com. To view the Richmond Times-Dispatch commitment article, click here.

DB Demetrius Hodges Commits to Tech

This past weekend, defensive back Demetrius Hodges (5-10, 175, 4.5 forty) also committed to the Hokies (we apologize for not informing you of this earlier via TSLMail). The Hokies had been recruiting Hodges since last spring, but it only became widely known recently. Like Parker, Hodges visited Tech on January 18th and committed.

Hodges, a 5-10, 175-pound cornerback from West Palm Beach, Florida, runs a 4.5 forty and set the career interception record at his school, Cardinal Newman, with 18 picks. Hodges told Doug Doughty of the Roanoke Times that he had received offers from Purdue and Wisconsin early in the recruiting process, and he was also recruited by Central Florida and Florida Atlantic. He is Tech's 13th verbal commitment of the 2002 recruiting class, and the second from Florida (Antoine Rutherford is the other).

Find out more about Demetrius Hodges by checking out his recruiting database entry at TechSideline.com. To view the Roanoke Times commitment article, click here.