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Breaking Down VT's 2005 Recruiting Class: The Offensive Backfield (QB, RB, and FB)
by Phil Martin, 6/26/05

In my last three articles I provided a “macro” analysis of recent recruiting trends by looking at different criteria such as recruiting competition, the location of the recruits, and the positions being recruited. Now I'd like to take more of a “micro” view by analyzing the last recruiting class in depth. Each position will be evaluated as to the players offered and how heavily they were recruited. Based on this evaluation we can have an idea of whether Tech landed the recruits that were on the top of their recruiting board. Also, I will provide a subjective evaluation on how I see these players fitting into the team.


Quarterbacks

With two first-year quarterbacks, Sean Glennon and Cory Holt, on the team and an uncertain future with Marcus Vick, Tech needed to sign two quality quarterbacks in this class. The Hokies were looking for highly talented players that could potentially contribute early. Ideally, Tech wanted one pure quarterback and another athlete that could potentially be moved to another position if he did not develop as quickly as the other. Here are the quarterbacks that Tech offered last year:

Table 1 - Quarterbacks Offered by Virginia Tech (2005)

Name

St

Ht

Wt

40

Signed

Offers

1-4

5-9

10-19

20+

Ike Whitaker

MD

6-5

206

4.6

Virginia Tech

   

X

 

Greg Boone

VA

6-3

260

4.7

Virginia Tech

   

X

 

Antonio Bass

MI

6-1

200

4.4

Michigan

     

X

Jonathan Crompton

NC

6-3

207

4.9

Tennessee

   

X

 

Cameron Sexton

NC

6-1

175

4.4

North Carolina

   

X

 

Derrick Williams

MD

6-0

195

4.4

Penn State

     

X

Virginia Tech beat Maryland for both Ike Whitaker and Greg Boone, whom I believe were the top two QBs on Tech’s recruiting board.

VT QB Signees

Tech knew Ike Whitaker well from being in three camps and offered him after his sophomore year. Florida recruited him hard after attending their camp and Maryland made a late push, but Whitaker was basically Tech’s to lose based on the strong relationship he had developed with the coaching staff. He has all of the physical tools – excellent height (6-4.5), mobility, and arm strength – you look for in a quarterback and has uncanny accuracy in his passing. However, his greatest attribute may be his attitude and desire to succeed. His only discernible weakness is 3/4 arm delivery, but that has not limited him in making any of the necessary throws.

Prediction: I believe Whitaker is the top quarterback recruit in the ACC for this past year and should provide strong competition for Glennon and Holt in the future. I can easily see Whitaker being a two-year starter at QB for Tech.

Greg Boone from Chesapeake (Oscar Smith HS) is another phenomenal athlete with great competitive desire. The recruiting battle was tight with Maryland, who had a greater need at QB than Tech. The Tech coaches had to convince Greg that he would get a shot at quarterback, and he certainly has the physical tools to compete for the position. As a QB, Boone definitely has the talent with incredible size, mobility, and arm strength, but he needs to work on his throwing mechanics and increase his passing accuracy. As an athlete, there is no position on the field that he is not capable of playing given his size and athletic ability (except maybe CB). If quarterback does not work out, he would likely play defensive end or tight end.

Prediction: I see Boone playing QB for his first two years and, if he doesn’t break the two-deep by this time, moving to defensive end. I expect Boone to be an exceptional special teams player as a redshirt-freshman and his desire to contribute will lead to a position switch prior to his third year. Boone would likely be a two-year starter at defensive end or any other position he should decide to play.

Non-VT QB Signees

Tech made a good push for Antonio Bass and Cameron Sexton as well. Bass, from Jackson, MI, is one of the premier athletes in the last recruiting class but was very raw at quarterback. On film, he is the closest player to Michael Vick athletically that I have seen, but he has a long ways to go as a quarterback. In the end, his childhood favorite, Michigan, won out over rival Michigan State, but I seriously doubt Bass will ever take a snap at QB for the Wolverines. Look for him to be moved to DB or WR early in his career.

Sexton, despite exceptional speed, is considered a pure QB with excellent potential. He needs to gain some size in the weight room and develop in a passing offense, but he should be a contributor for North Carolina. The Heels beat Florida State and withstood a late push by Steve Spurrier at South Carolina to land Sexton.

Tech was never in the running for Jonathan Crompton, from Waynesville, NC – Tuscola HS, who is a prototypical drop-back quarterback. Crompton has good size and excellent arm strength, but he will need a little time to develop in a college passing offense. Despite wavering a couple of times, Tennessee landed Crompton over Georgia with Michigan, LSU, Miami, Florida State, and Southern Cal also offering.

Tech took a different approach in recruiting Derrick Williams, from Greenbelt, MD – Eleanor Roosevelt HS, who many regarded as the top recruit in the nation. While most sought Williams at wide receiver, Tech recruited him at his high school position, quarterback. The Hokies were never in serious consideration and Williams eventually signed with Penn State based on his strong relationship with the coaching staff from attending the Nittany Lions’ camp for five years. Penn State won this heated recruiting battle over Oklahoma, Florida, Tennessee, and Texas with virtually every school in the nation offering Williams. He will be an immediate impact player at WR for Joe Paterno.

QB Conclusion

I’m sure Tech would have been happy signing any two of the six quarterbacks offered, but I believe the Hokies landed the two QBs that were at the top of their list. Whitaker was probably the top pure QB and Boone the top jumbo athlete on the east coast. Virginia Tech certainly met their recruiting needs at quarterback this year. Statistically, looking at the offers, Tech’s QB recruiting would have a “won-loss percentage” of 88.2% which reflects on how well the Hokies did in landing two premier signal callers.


Running Backs

Tech was looking for at least one elite running back prospect in this class since only two underclass tailbacks are currently in the system – Brandon Ore and George Bell. Uncertainty existed with regards to Bell’s knee so running back was a priority position for the Hokies. Tech would have liked to have had two RBs in this class, but one blue-chip back was imperative. Here are the running backs that Tech offered last year:

Table 2 - Running Backs Offered by Virginia Tech (2005)

Name

St

Ht

Wt

40

Signed

Offers

1-4

5-9

10-19

20+

Toney Baker

NC

5-10

220

4.5

N.C. State

   

X

 

Elan Lewis

VA

5-8

215

4.6

Virginia Tech

   

X

 

Montario Hardesty

NC

6-0

198

4.5

Tennessee

   

X

 

James Davis

GA

5-11

205

4.6

Clemson

   

X

 

T.J. Pitts

GA

5-11

190

4.5

Memphis

 

X

   

VT RB Signees

Tech signed the top running back in Virginia in three-time all-state Elan Lewis from one of the top high school programs in the state – Phoebus HS in Hampton. Lewis is a power back with incredible leg strength and exceptional vision. While not a flashy runner, Lewis is the type of back that will get the extra yard and is impossible to arm tackle. He has good all-around skills with good hands and a willingness to block. Speed is the only attribute that keeps Lewis from being considered one of the top backs in the country. Tech won the recruiting battle for Lewis over offers by Virginia, Maryland, Tennessee, and Ohio State.

Prediction: Lewis will likely redshirt as a freshman due to Tech’s depth at tailback (Humes and Imoh are seniors), but he should compete for the two-deep in his second year. Elan Lewis is a competitor and I would be surprised if he doesn’t see a lot of action at tailback in his career at Tech.

Non-VT RB Signees

When looking for the physical skills required at running back, you don’t have to look any farther than Toney Baker, from Jamestown, NC – Ragsdale HS. He has excellent size, exceptional strength (over 400 in the bench press), and great speed. Baker is a power runner who can break the long run if he gets free. He is not overly elusive and his vision is average, but his physical tools are incredible. Baker wanted to play locally and reduced his recruiting list to five schools early in the process with N.C. State winning the recruiting battle over Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and North Carolina. Baker will likely play early for the Wolfpack but I would not see a dramatic improvement in his play through his college career since he already possesses the physical traits you need as a college running back.

Another running back from North Carolina, Montario Hardesty from New Bern HS, may have the most potential of the backs that Tech offered last year. He is exceptionally fast and athletic and could play a number of positions in college including cornerback, safety, or wide receiver in addition to running back. Hardesty is currently an “outside” runner and needs to gain strength to run between the tackles. He also runs fairly upright and will need to lower his pad level in college. However, he is elusive and capable of breaking big plays at any time. Hardesty was a Tennessee lean throughout most of the recruiting year, but he wavered after his official visit to Knoxville because his mother did not want to travel that far to see him play (8 hour drive). He committed to North Carolina but then changed his mind in the last week and signed with Tennessee instead. The Hokies probably finished third for Hardesty who also had offers from Notre Dame, Ohio State, Florida State, Auburn, Alabama, and Virginia. He should have a good career at Tennessee. He might get moved to the secondary early due to needs there but he certainly could have a good future at RB as well.

The other Virginia Tech offers for running backs were to a pair from Georgia – James Davis and T.J. Pitts. James Davis, from Atlanta – Frederick Douglass HS, is another power back with very good size, speed, and strength. While not exceptional in one particular area, he has no discernible weakness either. Davis is just a solid all-around back who was a bit of an enigma as a recruit. He actually committed to the Hokies on his official visit, but he still wanted to take his other visits so Tech did not consider him truly “committed.” He then appeared to favor every school after his official visit and Tech became impatient with his indecisiveness. In the end, he committed to Clemson over Alabama and Tech with additional offers from Florida, LSU, Tennessee, Ohio State, Georgia, and Auburn. Davis should be a solid contributor for the Tigers.

T.J. Pitts, from Gainesville, GA – North Hill HS, is a talented runner that was not as heavily recruited due to qualification concerns. UVA and Tech were his leaders through most of the recruiting year, but he had contingent offers from both schools based on his academic status. Tech backed off late in the fall after Davis “committed” and UVA focused on recruiting another RB, Mikell Simpson. Pitts received a qualifying test score in January but UVA still had concerns in admitting him and wanted him to prep. In the mean time, Memphis entered the picture, along with Mississippi State and North Carolina, and Pitts selected the Tigers. Don’t be surprised if you hear Pitts' name again because he is a back with a great deal of potential.

RB Conclusion

Tech needed to sign one of the elite running backs that were offered and landed Elan Lewis, so the coaching staff has to be happy with this position. The Hokies would like to have landed another top back, but came up a bit short for Baker, Hardesty, and Davis. Losing Davis after receiving a “commitment” on his official visit especially hurts, but I believe the Tech staff would have really liked to sign Hardesty due to his versatility. Statistically, Tech rated 69.2% in the “win-loss percentage” based on offers, so the Hokies scored well based on this method as well.


Fullbacks

Virginia Tech only offered one fullback and got the player they wanted – Kenny Jefferson from DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, MD. He is an excellent athlete, but what sets him apart is his devastating blocking ability. Jefferson can make all of the various blocks required of a fullback and he is a good ball carrier and receiver as well. He was also an outstanding linebacker at DeMatha, but his future at Tech is at fullback. He is an exceptional wrestler as well, so the football coaches may have to keep him from Coach Brands.

Prediction: Jefferson should play as a true freshman and even has the potential to break into the starting lineup. He was also offered by Penn State and Syracuse, but the Hokies were in the lead early. Jefferson gets my vote as the offensive sleeper of the year from this recruiting class.

In the next article, we'll look at wide receivers and tight ends.

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