The offensive line has probably been the weakest area of Virginia Tech�s recruiting in the last four years. Tech has lacked depth and basically needed to recruit an entire line. In particular, Tech needed true offensive tackles, instead of being forced to convert guards into tackles. Four of Tech�s projected offensive line starters for 2005 will be graduating, and many questions surround the remainder of the depth chart. The coaches are high on redshirt freshmen Nick Marshman (Right Tackle) and Ryan Shuman (Center), but highly recruited linemen Tripp Carroll (injuries) and Brandon Gore (conditioning) have yet to produce. Here are the offensive linemen that Tech offered last year:

Antonio North, from North Stafford HS, is an exceptional drive blocker with surprising agility for a big man. Tony is purely a guard and is excellent at pulling and trapping. North needs to develop better pass blocking technique and to use his hands better, but he is a talented lineman. He will likely need a year of coaching and in the strength and conditioning program, but he should have a good chance of making the two-deep as a redshirt freshman and eventually becoming a starter. Virginia Tech signed North over NC State, with Virginia and NC State also offering.

Brandon Holland attended nearby Northside HS in Roanoke before prepping a year at Hargrave Military. He is a talented offensive lineman with excellent footwork, long arms, and good mobility. In high school, Holland lacked conditioning and played inconsistently, but the year at Hargrave should be a big help in his development. He played defensive end and some tight end in high school, so last year in prep school was his first year on the offensive line. I didn�t see Hargrave play last year, but I�m sure Holland will still need some work on his technique and will likely need another year of strength training. As he gains strength, he should become more aggressive and confident. Holland will likely play guard, but with his wing span he could conceivably play tackle. The talent exists for Holland to become a starter at Tech in time; it just depends on how hard he is willing to work. In high school, Holland only received an offer from Clemson in addition to the one from Tech.

Robert Norris, from powerhouse DeMatha HS in Hyattsville, MD, possesses excellent size and mobility with very good strength. To date, he has not played up to his physical skills and needs to become more aggressive on the field. He didn�t start at DeMatha until his senior year, so he is still relatively inexperienced. Norris has the physical tools to dominate, but he seems to be thinking too much and hasn�t turned it loose yet. Norris has a great deal of potential and he has been extremely well-coached in high school, so I would expect him to contend for the two-deep after a redshirt year. His future is probably at guard, but he played tackle in high school and could be considered at right tackle. Norris signed with the Hokies over offers from Syracuse and Maryland.

Eric Davis, from West Springfield HS, is a huge tackle who flew under the radar for most of the recruiting year. He almost looks skinny at 6-7, 315 and appears to have the frame to play at 350. Davis is a raw prospect who needs to develop better footwork and agility, but as the saying goes, �you can�t coach size.� He appears to have a great attitude and willingness to work, so he could have the potential to see the field after a couple of years of coaching, strength training, and agility work. Davis received a late offer from the Hokies and almost immediately accepted. His only other D-1 offer was from Army.

Richard Graham, from St. Christopher�s Academy in Richmond, was a tight end/defensive end in high school, but he projects as an offensive lineman for Virginia Tech. He is a good athlete and also excels at basketball, but he lacks the speed for a D-1 tight end or defensive end. Graham will need to gain considerable size to play offensive line in college. He has the frame to get much larger and seems to have the competitive desire to succeed, so after two to three years in the weight room he should have the opportunity to play. Graham will likely get a look at left tackle given his height and agility. He was offered by Tech very late in the recruiting year and accepted in the final week over offers from Army and a number of Ivy League schools.

Eugene Monroe (Virginia), from Plainfield, NJ, was universally considered the top offensive line prospect in last year�s recruiting class. He has all of the tools � size/speed/strength/agility � to be an impact lineman in college. Monroe has excellent technique for a high school lineman and should be able to immediately see the field for Virginia. Monroe chose the Cavaliers in June last year over offers from Maryland, Miami, Rutgers, Boston College, Florida State, Penn State, Southern Cal, Iowa, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Tennessee, Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, LSU, Georgia, and virtually every other college in the country. Monroe considered Virginia Tech, but the Hokies were never seriously in the running for Monroe. He may see his initial action for UVA at guard, but tackle will be his future position after D�Brickashaw Ferguson and Brad Butler graduate next year.

Cory Zirbel (Michigan), from Murray, KY, appeared on Tech�s recruiting radar late in the year when he made a surprise official visit for the Virginia game. He was considered a heavy Michigan lean after attending the Wolverines� camp, but decided to take a look at some other schools, such as Miami, Oklahoma, and Ohio State as well as Tech. He also had offers from Alabama, Florida State, Tennessee, Arkansas, LSU, and a number of other schools. Zirbel is a big, tough kid with excellent technique. He dominated the camp circuit and repeatedly was named by defensive linemen as the toughest player to go up against. Zirbel will likely see action early for Michigan on their always tough offensive line.

Jared Gaither (Maryland) is an athletic freak, measuring 6-9, 330 and running a 4.75 40 at the Hargrave combine. Gaither, originally from Greenbelt, MD � Eleanor Roosevelt HS and prepping a year at Hargrave Military Academy, has only played football his senior year in high school and last year at prep school. He was a basketball player with considerable D-1 interest when he decided to give football a try. Obviously, he is a phenomenal athlete for his size and he soon determined that his future was brighter on the gridiron. Gaither signed with Maryland in February, 2004 but he failed to qualify and was placed at Hargrave by the Terps. However, he began to waver on his commitment and decided to take some other official visits to Florida and Penn State. He was scheduled to make a visit to Virginia Tech, but weather cancelled his trip. Tech was in the running due to his friendship with the three Tech-bound Hargrave players last year. In the end, Gaither stuck with his commitment to Maryland and he could potentially be an outstanding player for the Terps. He is still learning to play tackle, but after a year in the system it will be hard to keep a player with his talent off the field.

Justin Schifano (Michigan), from Webster, NY � Schroeder HS, is a tough, talented offensive lineman who committed very early to Michigan in 2004. Although he played tackle in high school, he projects as a guard for the Wolverines. He is not as athletic as some lineman, but he compensates for a lack of athletic skills by being very tough and aggressive. Schifano chose Michigan over offers from Miami, Syracuse, Boston College, and West Virginia. I�m not certain that he received a written offer from Tech, but the Hokies were reported to have verbally offered him after his junior year and he certainly would have fit a need for the Hokies.

Dennis Landolt (Penn State), from Delran, NJ � Holy Cross HS, is a tough and athletic lineman that received considerable interest after some excellent summer camps. He is a versatile lineman that could play anywhere across the offensive line and even had some interest at defensive tackle. His older brother played defensive line for West Virginia a few years back. Landolt came down to Virginia Tech and Penn State and selected the Nittany Lions in a close battle. He also received offers from Rutgers, West Virginia, Michigan State, Boston College, Virginia, Iowa, and several more. After a year in the weight room, Landolt should see the field for Penn State, probably at guard.

Pat Sheil (Boston College), from Centreville HS in northern Virginia, was generally regarded as the top offensive lineman in the state. Last year was his first playing offensive tackle and he experienced the normal growing pains. Previously, he played defensive tackle and he potentially could play that position in college, though he lacks some of the desired speed and quickness. Sheil gained his status as Virginia�s top offensive lineman due to his outstanding performance in drills at the high school combines. He has excellent footwork and uses his hands well, but Sheil still needs to develop better technique. As he receives more coaching and gains size in the weight room, he should develop into a fine college lineman. Boston College signed Sheil last summer after a heated battle with UVA and Tech. Both the Hokies and Wahoos were reported as leaders for Sheil at one time, but he went with his father�s favorite college in the end. Sheil also received offers Georgia, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Miami, Florida, Maryland, and several others.

Brian Roche (Louisville), from powerhouse Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey, had an interesting recruiting journey. He first tried to commit to UVA in the early summer, but the Cavaliers were running out of scholarships and already had filled their offensive line slots (except for one they were saving for Sheil), so the offer was no longer available. Later in the summer, Roche committed to the local school, Rutgers, but when the Scarlet Knights got off to a shaky start, he decided to re-open his recruiting. Ultimately, he joined two of his teammates and signed with Louisville after receiving a late push from Notre Dame, Florida, NC State, and Michigan State. Roche reportedly received offers from Miami, Michigan, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Texas, Alabama, Southern Cal, Stanford, and many others. Roche is a solid prospect with good size, speed, and agility and he shows excellent technique. While not an exceptional athlete, he should be an early contributor for the Cardinals in their move to the Big East. Roche will likely play guard in college, but he could play anywhere along the offensive line.

Chris DeGeare (Wake Forest), from Kernersville, NC � Robert B. Glenn HS, is a thickly-built guard prospect with surprising mobility. He has the size and strength to drive defensive tackles off the line but also can trap effectively. DeGeare needs to lose a few pounds, but he is capable of playing early in his career. He shows good technique and should enjoy a productive career at Wake Forest. DeGeare chose the local school over offers from Virginia Tech, Tennessee, Clemson, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Duke.

Julian Williams (NC State), from New Bern, NC, is an athletic lineman with the potential to play any position on the offensive line. He comes from an excellent high school program and should adjust easily to college. Williams needs to become more aggressive and physical in his play, but he has the tools to succeed at the next level. NC State led for Williams throughout the year and signed him over Virginia Tech, East Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina, Maryland, and a late offer from Notre Dame.

Another lineman from North Carolina, Curtis Crouch (NC State), has excellent size and all of the physical tools to become an excellent college tackle. Crouch, from Fayetteville � E.E. Smith HS, also hails from a very good high school program, but, like Julian Williams, needs to become more physical and aggressive on the field. Crouch selected NC State over offers from Oklahoma, Virginia Tech, Clemson, East Carolina, and an early offer from Virginia.

Jon Walko (WVU), from Germantown, MD � Seneca Valley HS, possesses very good size and toughness. He is an aggressive lineman that is an effective run blocker, but he needs to work on his agility and pass blocking technique. Walko will need some work in a strength and conditioning program, but he has the toughness and desire to succeed. He should fit in well at West Virginia which produces a lot of tough, hard-nosed linemen. Walko chose the Mountaineers over Virginia Tech with other offers from Clemson, Syracuse, Purdue, Marshall, and Kent State.

Garrett Reynolds (UNC), from Knoxville, TN � Carter HS, is a tall, rangy lineman with the potential to gain a great deal of size. An excellent student, Reynolds is aggressive and shows decent technique, but he will need a couple of years in the weight room before he will be strong enough to see the field. North Carolina signed Reynolds over the Hokies with other offers coming from Nebraska, Northwestern, Clemson, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, and Middle Tennessee State. The local Vols never showed much interest in Reynolds.

Pat Slebonick (Virginia), a teammate of Antonio North�s at North Stafford HS, is a solid tackle with some toughness, decent size, and good technique. He lacks the quickness and agility to play on the interior line, so right tackle is probably his best position. Slebonick is most effective in run blocking and shows a lot of competitive desire. He may have a tough time breaking into the starting lineup at UVA with Eugene Monroe and Branden Albert ahead of him, but he is a smart, tough lineman who should help provide depth. Virginia signed Slebonick over offers from VT, NC State, and West Virginia.

Tech met the need to recruit an entire offensive line with two tackles (Davis and Graham) and three interior linemen (North, Holland, and Norris). However, the Hokies failed to land any of their top offensive tackle prospects, finishing second for a number of players, such as Dennis Landolt, Pat Sheil, Julian Williams, Jon Walko, and Garrett Reynolds. Unquestionably, Eric Davis and Richard Graham were �fallback� recruits, though both have a great deal of potential. In the interior line, Tech signed a solid guard prospect in Antonio North and two players with excellent potential in Brandon Holland and Robert Norris.

Overall, Tech can�t be satisfied with their offensive line recruiting because the Hokies came close on so many top prospects. Statistically, the �won-loss percentage� for Tech�s offensive line recruiting was 38.1%. In this case, I believe that accurately assesses the recruiting class in which the end result was below average.

As a final note on the offensive line recruiting, I should mention one aspect of offensive line play that is often overlooked. In talking to pro scouts, two positions have been identified in which intelligence is a key factor for success. Obviously, quarterbacks must possess good decision making ability, but, somewhat surprisingly, the offensive line requires above average intelligence in quickly reading defenses and picking up blitzes and stunts. The reason I mention this point is that Tech recruited three outstanding students � Robert Norris, Eric Davis, and Richard Graham � on the offensive line, which is another positive attribute in their favor.

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