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 Tech
Close to Finishing 2010 Class
by Chris Coleman, TechSideline.com, TSLMail #410 December 4, 2009 The recruiting calendar gets pushed back further each year. The Hokies spend the summer getting commitments for most of their upcoming recruiting class, and this past summer was no different. Now Tech is focused on filling out the class with a few key players. The Hokies have just three remaining targets on their board. With 18 commitments already on the board, Tech could sign all three of these remaining targets, or none of them.
Virginia Tech stopped recruiting wide receiver Brandon Coleman of Maryland to focus on Laurence Gibson, an offensive tackle prospect from Hargrave Military Academy. Gibson is originally from Arizona. He has already visited Auburn and Boston College, and he has offers from both schools. Gibson also has offers from Ole Miss, Clemson, the Hokies, and a few others. Kareem Martin is a North Carolina native who has narrowed his list to five ACC schools: Virginia Tech, Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech and UNC, in no particular order. Martin is an athletic edge rusher at defensive end. Josh Furman is the most highly-touted prospect still on the board for the Hokies. Furman is a very impressive athlete and student, and he projects as a whip linebacker at Virginia Tech. He has narrowed his choices to Tech and the Michigan Wolverines, and he will announce his decision on December 19. All three of those prospects would be impressive additions to an already solid recruiting class, which is headlined by three four-star recruits. Brookville defensive end Zack McCray is ranked #4 in the state of Virginia, Fork Union offensive tackle Mark Shuman is ranked #5 and Fork Union defensive tackle Nick Acree ranked #8. Nine other members of the class are also from the state of Virginia: LB Brian Laiti (#11), LB/S Nick Dew (#13), LB Chase Williams (#14), DT Derrick Hopkins (#17), OL Caleb Farris (#20), LB Tahrick Peak (#23), OL Matt Arkema (#24) and LB Dominique Patterson (#29). Six commitments come from outside of Virginia's borders: quarterback Mark Leal (FL), quarterback Ricardo Young (DC), TE Jerome Lewis (NY), DE Justin Taylor (NC), CB Detrick Bonner (GA) and CB/S Kyle Fuller (MD). Fuller is the brother of former Virginia Tech defensive back Vincent Fuller, who now plays for the Tennessee Titans. This is a solid recruiting class for Virginia Tech. However, they were only able to pull in three of the top 10 prospects in the state of Virginia. Highly-touted players such as QB Philip Sims (Alabama), WR Justin Hunter (LSU), DT Evan Hailes (PSU), LB Travis Williams (Miami), LB Aramide Olaniyan (UCLA) and OL Russell Bodine (UNC) all decided to go out-of-state. In the early going, Virginia Tech looks well-positioned for most of the highly-touted recruits in the state of Virginia for the 2011 class. The top player in the state will likely be LB Curtis Grant, and Tech will have to battle with some of the top programs in the country to get him. Other top prospects include DE/DT Corey Marshall, ATH Dominique Terrell, OL Landon Turner, DB Ronny Vandyke, QB Lafonte Thourogood and ATH Clifton Richardson, among others. The Hokies are a major player in the recruitment of all of those prospects, though it's still early. With so few targets remaining for the 2010 class, the Hokies can also focus their attention on getting a head start on the 2011 recruiting class. Signing Day is just two months away, and we'll have more on Tech's recruiting haul then. Use TSL for your Holiday Shopping! Looking for the perfect gift for Virginia Tech fans for the Holidays? Look no further than a Gift Subscription to TSL Pass! Buy your loved ones the gift that keeps on giving all year long by clicking here! If you're looking for Virginia Tech merchandise, check out TSL sponsor CampusEmporium.com. CampusEmporium.com has everything from jerseys, furniture, tailgating items and much more! Remember to help out TSL by by clicking on the links to CampusEmporium.com on our website. In order for TSL to receive credit for a purchase you make at CampusEmporium.com, please go to their site by clicking on a TechSideline.com link to their store.You can get to CampusEmporium.com from TSL by clicking one of our many links to their store: our regular Featured Item box, one of their display ads (banner, box, skyscraper, or text ad), the green Campus Emporium button on every page of our site, a featured item in TSLMail, or click on their logo on our Sponsor's Page.
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Senior
standout Kyle Fuller missed Mount St. Joseph's (Baltimore,
MD) final seven games of the 2009 season, only able to watch from
the sideline as his team finished with a 2-8 record. The 6-0,
165-pound Virginia Tech cornerback recruit received some good news
yesterday, though, learning that he will be able to play in the Crab
Bowl on December 19th.
With
college football seasons coming to an end, high school juniors can
expect recruiting to pick up. This has been true for Menchville
(Newport News) athlete Clifton Richardson and Dinwiddie defensive
lineman Corey Marshall, who are considered two of the top
juniors in the state of Virginia.
It
was a surreal environment in Scott Stadium on Saturday evening. The
game was no longer in doubt as a close battle early transformed into
a little bit of chippiness and a lot of frustration. By that point,
a near 50/50 split in the stands had become dominated by Hokies -
same as the game on the field. As the clock ticked off its final
seconds, my eyes were on UVa's soon-to-be-ex coach Al Groh.
In
a little over a month, Chase Williams will officially be a
Hokie. The 6-3, 240-pound linebacker prospect out of Loudoun County
High School (Leesburg, VA) had planned on enrolling in January, but
the realization that he will soon become a college student has
recently started to set in.
Iowa
City, IA - Malcolm Delaney paced four Virginia Tech players in
double figures, as the Hokies went on the road and beat Iowa 70-64
in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Tuesday night. Tech improved to 5-1
with the win, while Iowa dropped to 2-5.
When
Al Groh took the head coaching job at Virginia in the last days of
the year 2000, the Hokies were still playing catch-up to the
Cavaliers in many ways. As 2009 winds down and Groh makes his exit,
the Hokies have clearly not only caught the Cavaliers, but have
passed them by. When Virginia makes a new coaching hire some time in
the coming weeks, the battle for in-state supremacy will begin anew,
and Virginia Tech needs to prepare for the challenges that will be
made by Virginia's next head coach.
Mark
Leal enjoyed a stellar career at Atlantic High School (Delray
Beach, FL), finishing as the school's career passing yardage leader
with 5,087 yards and tying the career mark for touchdowns with 49.
Former Bowling Green star signal caller Omar Jacobs, who was the
previous holder of those two records, has served as Atlantic's
quarterbacks coach the past two seasons and has certainly helped
Leal's development.
In
some ways, what happened Saturday has become run-of-the-mill. The
Hokies defeated the Cavaliers for the tenth time in the last 11
games, and they did it in convincing fashion, once they got cranked
up. That wasn't new. But about 24 hours later, Virginia dismissed
their coach, Al Groh. That's anything but run-of-the-mill. Virginia
has only had two different coaches in the last 28 seasons, and when
they hire a new one, this rivalry will shift and redefine itself yet
again.
Nine
Virginia Tech players were honored by the ACC on Monday for their
play during the 2009 football season. Four Hokies were named First
Team All-ACC, and five others were Second Team All-ACC.
It
was a rough week for the ACC's divisional champions. Clemson and
Georgia Tech were beaten by two middle of the pack SEC teams, which
takes a lot of the air out of next Saturday's ACC Championship Game.