Note from Will Stewart: The "rating the recruiting classes" series, one of our favorite offseason past times, returns! This is the seventh recruiting class we have rated, and here are links to the previous six articles:

Rating the 1990 Recruiting Class, 7/24/02
Rating the 1991 Recruiting Class, 8/29/02
Rating the 1992 Recruiting Class, 9/25/02
Rating the 1993 Recruiting Class, 12/31/02
Rating the 1994 Recruiting Class, 4/18/03
Rating the 1995 Recruiting Class, 7/22/04

For the uninitiated, I created a purely numerical system for rating past recruiting classes, and I am applying it to VT football recruiting classes from 1990 to the present (it requires that a class go through its redshirt-senior year before it can be fully evaluated). The rating system is explained in this article, and there are links that go into more detail. At the end of this article, a link is provided to an Excel file with the data I used.

In recent years, Virginia Tech has been known for their focus on in-state recruiting. Frank Beamer’s philosophy has been to establish close relationships with high school coaches throughout the state, and his long tenure in Blacksburg – and the longevity of his coaching staff – has allowed him to do just that. Beamer prefers to recruit through high school coaches that he trusts to give him accurate evaluations of talent, instead of recruiting in another region through coaches that he is not familiar with. Despite this preference, Beamer and staff went out of state to sign a total of 19 players in 1996, while only 9 members of the 28 player class hailed from Virginia.

Consider some of the other classes in the Beamer Bowl Era. In 1995, 10 of the 19 players signed came from Virginia. The 1999 class featured 13 Virginia players out of a 23 member class. The 2001 class saw 13 of 21 players from Virginia, etc. The only other class that compares to the 1996 class was the Class of 2000, in which only 7 of 21 players came from Virginia.

As far as ratings go, the Hokies didn’t do very well in 1996, at least by today’s standards. Tech got only two of the Top 10 players in the state as ranked by the Roanoke Times, and only eight of the entire Top 25. SuperPrep ranked the Tech class fifth out of an eight-team Big East Football Conference. The G&W Report was slightly more optimistic, ranking the Hokies fourth in the Big East. Either way, the Class of 1996 was considered to be middle-of-the-pack. Doug Doughty of the Roanoke Times gave the 1996 class an eight out of 10, but he was being generous.

Just like every class, the Class of 1996 contained high school stars that never panned out in college, as well as under appreciated players who defied the experts and had good college careers.

The headliner of the class was defensive lineman Robert Adams. Adams, who hailed from William Campbell High School in Naruna, VA, was the Roanoke Times #4 player in Virginia. He was a highly touted recruit who also considered offers from schools such as Tennessee, UVA and UNC. In the Hokie Huddler that covered the 1996 recruiting class, it was noted that some experts referred to him as the next Charles Haley. Not quite. Adams never even lettered for the Hokies, despite using all four years of his eligibility.

Meanwhile, Nick Sorensen was recruited by such "powers" as Vanderbilt and Air Force. After moving from quarterback to free safety to whip linebacker, Sorensen ended up in the NFL. He is still there today, and is the special teams captain for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

There were a few players in the Roanoke Times Top 25 that turned out to be outstanding college players and went on to star in the NFL. The #1 ranked player, Thomas Jones, signed with UVA. He had a great career and has recently been putting up good numbers in the NFL. Plaxico Burress, a wide receiver and #7 player in the state, went to Michigan State and developed into a top NFL wide receiver.

Here is the list of players that signed with Virginia Tech in the Class of 1996:

• QB (2): Dave Meyer, Nick Sorensen
• TB (2): Shyrone Stith, Cullen Hawkins
• WR (4): Cory Bird, Walter Ford, Greg Myers, Brian Remley
• OL (2): Jeff Dumbaugh, Josh Redding
• TE (0)
• DL (6): Robert Adams, Carl Bradley, Stan Brown, William Flowers, Anthony Lambo, Corey Storr
• LB (4): Manny Clemente, Jamie Forrest, Jeremy Kishbaugh, Sean Ruffing
• DB (7): Ike Charlton, Lorenzo Ferguson, Donald Harris, Tony Joe, Andre Kendrick, Anthony Midget, Phillip Summers
• PK (1): Shayne Graham

The Offense: The 1996 offensive class wasn’t strong in numbers, and it featured some players that never contributed at Tech. Three of the four wide receivers, Walter Ford, Greg Myers and Brian Remley, hardly played at all for the Hokies. Myers did letter for 2 years and Remley for 1, but they never found their way into the offensive rotation. The fourth wide receiver, Cory Bird, had a great career at Virginia Tech, but it came at rover instead of wide receiver.

It’s tough to complain about the quarterbacks, Dave Meyer and Sorensen, although neither developed into stars at Tech. Michael Vick came along in the Class of 1998, and the fates of Meyer and Sorensen were effectively sealed. Sorensen converted to defense, while Meyer spent his career as a solid backup to Al Clark and Vick. He was later signed by the Indianapolis Colts but did not make the team.

Tech did a fine job at tailback, signing Shyrone Stith and Cullen Hawkins. Stith had a very good career, left the Hokies early after his redshirt junior season in 1999, and played a few seasons in the NFL. Hawkins began the 1998 season as a starter, but a broken foot suffered in the Miami game paved the way for Jarrett Ferguson to become a long-time starter. Hawkins rebounded from his injury and proved to be a very capable backup to Ferguson in 1999 and 2000.

Along the offensive front, the Hokies hit .500, as Jeff Dumbaugh never played, but Josh Redding became a 3 year starter.

The Defense: This class could have been a disaster for the Hokies. Of the six defensive linemen that Tech signed, only Carl Bradley made a significant impact at the position. Bradley was a two-year starter and four-year letterman who was a big factor in the defensive success of the Hokies in 1998 and 1999. Anthony Lambo played in 1997 as a defensive tackle, but was switched to offensive line beginning in 1998 where he had a good career.

Linebacker was a total disaster for Tech, on and off the field. The four players listed above combined for a total of just two letters during their Tech careers, one each by Jamie Forrest and Sean Ruffing. Jeremy Kishbaugh was rated the #2 player in the state of Pennsylvania by SuperPrep and was renowned as a player of unparalleled intensity, but he suffered a knee injury his senior year in high school and never enrolled at Tech. Manny Clemente quit the team some time in 1998-99 and was part of the three-player cocaine-trafficking bust that netted Derrius Monroe and Jermaine Hinckson back in late 1999/early 2000.

Three other members of this class, Nick Sorensen, Lorenzo Ferguson and Phillip Summers, eventually moved to whip linebacker and did a nice job. However, the original group of linebackers in the Class of 1996 left a lot to be desired.

The defensive back position saved the 1996 defensive class from being a total train wreck. Anthony Midget and Ike Charlton were both starting corners and were drafted by the NFL. Phillip Summers was never a starter, but proved to be a capable backup. Lorenzo Ferguson was a talented player who moved to whip linebacker as a sophomore and became the starter. Unfortunately, he was kicked off the team following the 1998 season for off-field issues (primarily stealing and forging checks). Andre Kendrick never played in the defensive backfield for the Hokies. Instead, he served as the ultra-solid backup to Shyrone Stith and Lee Suggs.

It is tough to complain about a class that produces four NFL draftees (Stith, Bird, Midget, and Charlton), as well as two other players who signed free agent deals in the NFL and are still playing (Sorensen and Shayne Graham). There was some good talent in this class, and a few players who played a big role on Tech’s 1999 National Runner-up team.

A grand total of 9 players from the 1996 recruiting class started for that 1999 team. Lorenzo Ferguson would have been the 10th at whip linebacker had he not gotten kicked off the team. Another player who was a big part of that 1999 team was Andre Kendrick. Although he didn’t start, Kendrick still rushed for 645 yards as Stith’s backup, and his 6.3 yards per carry in 1999 is still a Tech season record.

On the other hand, the wide receiver group was a disappointing part of the 1996 class. Cory Bird moved to defense, while Ford, Myers and Remley never contributed offensively. Also, think back to 1999 and 2000 when the Hokies had very little wide receiver depth. Ricky Hall could not play in the National Championship game in 1999 because of an injury, and while Andre Davis played a great game, Vick had few other targets. Fast forward to 2000 when Davis went down with an injury. Emmett Johnson did a decent job as the #1 guy, but was never as reliable as Davis. Depth at wide receiver was a problem for the Hokies in 1999 and 2000, and that could have been solved with better receivers in the 1996 class.

The Hokies are also very lucky that they didn’t suffer from a lack of depth at linebacker and defensive line in 1999 and 2000. Of the ten players that the Hokies signed at those positions in 1996, only Carl Bradley was a significant contributor on the defensive side of the ball. The Hokies dodged a bullet when walk-on John Engelberger developed into an All-American, and they decided to pick up a 215 pound junior college transfer named Corey Moore.

Note: the recruit ranking system was introduced in the TSL Extra, our old monthly publication that is no longer produced, in issue #21 (July 24, 2002). To learn how it works and how points are awarded, see the Inside the Numbers article from that issue.

In an effort to numerically rate the "success" of a recruiting class, both as individuals and as a team, I created a detailed point system that awards points for individual accomplishments and team accomplishments. I created a large table of "accomplishments" that players and recruiting classes could achieve, and then awarded points to players and classes that achieved those objectives.

Individual players, for example, can earn varsity letters, set records, become All-Americans, and get drafted by the NFL. Recruiting classes can win games, go to bowls, and obtain Top 25 rankings.

Here is a list of how many points are awarded for what accomplishments, both individual and team:

Individual accomplishments: letter earned (1 point); season starter (2 points); VT season stat leader (2); VT game (5), season (7) or career (10) record held; All-American (10); First-team AA (15); Consensus AA (20), Unanimous AA (25); national award (20); Heisman finalist (30); All-Big East 2nd (3) or 1st (5) Team; BE Player of the Year (10); BE season stats leader (5); BE game (6), season (8), or career (11) record held; BE academic honor roll (2); drafted by the NFL (3-10 points).

Class achievements: Wins (2 points per win); conference win (2); win over Virginia (5) or Miami (5); BE Champions (25); Top 25 (10) or Top 10 (15) finish; play in (15) or win (10) minor bowl; play in (25) or win (25) BCS bowl; play in championship game (50).

Note that the reasons for this ranking system, and its strengths and shortcomings, were talked about in detail in TSL Extra issue #21. See the article explaining the ranking system at this link.

As we do for each of these articles, here's a walk-through with Tyronne Drakeford, a key member of the 1990 recruiting class. Here are his accomplishments:

• Lettered, 1990-93 (4 points, 1 for each letter)
• Started, 1991-93 (6 points, 2 for each season)
• Led VT in interceptions, 1991-93 (12 points, 4 points for each season)
• All-Big East 2nd team, 1991 (3 points)
• All-Big East 1st team, 1992-93 (10 points, 5 for each season)
• Led Big East in interceptions, 1992 (5 points)
• Drafted in the second round, 1994 (9 points)

Total points for Tyronne Drakeford: 49

Here's the entire 1996 recruiting class, and how many points each player scored in the TSL Pass system:

Shayne Graham (K, 213 points): With 213 points, Shayne Graham is easily the top player of the 1996 class when using this formula, and easily the top player we have ranked so far. Graham lettered all four years at Tech and is the all-time leading scorer in Virginia Tech history with 371 points. Those 371 points are also a Big East record. He is tied with Chris Kinzer for the Tech season record of field goals made with 22 in 1998. Graham attempted 93 field goals in his career and made 68 of them, both of which are Virginia Tech and Big East records. Graham was named 1st Team All-Big East in all four seasons that he played at Virginia Tech.

Anthony Midget (CB, 46 points): Midget earns the number two spot after a great senior season that saw him named 3rd Team All-American by The Sporting News, as well as1st Team All-Big East. Midget led the Hokies in interceptions with four, including three against Miami. He shares the Virginia Tech and Big East records for most interceptions in a game with three. He was a four-year letterman and two-year starter, and was drafted in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons.

Ike Charlton (CB, 39 points): Charlton ranks third on the 1996 list despite leaving Tech one year early for the NFL. He was a three-year letterman, two-year starter, and was picked in the 2nd Round of the 2000 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks. Charlton also shares the Virginia Tech and Big East records for most interceptions in a game with three, which came against West Virginia in 1998. He led the Big East in fumble recoveries in 1999 with three, all coming against Miami.

Cory Bird (ROV, 21 points): Cory Bird doesn’t hold any Virginia Tech or Big East records, but he certainly goes down as one of the best rovers in Tech history. Bird was a four-year letterman and three-year starter for the Hokies. He was named 2nd Team All-Big East in 2000, and was drafted in the 3rd Round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts.

Shyrone Stith (TB, 18 points): Like Ike Charlton, Stith could be higher on this list had he chosen to remain at Tech for his senior season. Stith was considered a top prospect by some when leaving Tech, but instead was picked in the 7th Round of the 2000 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Stith led the Hokies in rushing in 1999 and was named 1st Team All-Big East.

In terms of team accomplishments, the 1996 recruiting class wins points for what the team accomplished during the 1997-2000 seasons, when the class would have been redshirt freshmen – redshirt seniors. The accomplishments are:

The total recruiting class points of 789 are the most so far, by a wide margin – the 1992 recruiting class had 563 points. But because this class was so large (28 players), the average points per player (28.2) is only third best among the seven recruiting classes that we have rated thus far.

So far, with seven classes in the books, here's how they stack up against each other:

Thanks to Shayne Graham's ridiculous point total of 213, the 1996 class ekes out a victory over the 1990 class in the Individual Points category – points garnered by individual achievements, not team achievements – 417 to 415.

The number of Team Points jumped significantly between the 1991 and 1992 classes, but has held pretty steady since then, and the 1996 class is similar to previous classes in Team Points.

Here are some interesting points about this class:

• The 1996 class set new marks for four-year lettermen (10) and, unfortunately, "busts" (13). It's an interesting class with very little middle ground – of the 28 players, 23 were either four-year contributors or flameouts.
  
  
• The 1996 class produced just six season stats leaders, and three of those were Shayne Graham leading in points scored (1997-1999).

Seven classes into our rankings now, here is our top ten list. From this class, Shayne Graham blows away the competition, with his basket full of VT records and Big East records. Anthony Midget also squeaks in with 46 points. Torrian Gray (38 points), Dwayne Thomas (37), and Ken Oxendine (37) were all bumped out.

After all this time, the 1990 class, the first one we reviewed, still have four top-ten entries. We see some heavyweights (Graham, Cornell Brown, Jim Druckenmiller) and a few surprises (Jimmy Kibble and Anthony Midget).

See you next installment, when we rate the 1997 recruiting class, which included some super-sleepers (Andre Davis and Ben Taylor), one highly-rated bust (Tyrone Robertson) and a couple of defensive tackles (David Pugh and Chad Beasley) that would help anchor the defensive line for years.

To download an MS Excel 97 spreadsheet containing all of the data and formulas that I have used here, go here:

http://subscription.techsideline.com/tslpass/2005/1996RecruitingClass.xls