Team Recruiting Countdown: No. 22 Virginia Tech Hokies

No. 22 Virginia Tech Hokies (ACC No. 4)

2008 Haul: 31 signees, 1 Athlon Consensus 100
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Scouting Report:

Wide receiver was most likely the top priority for the Hokies in 2008 as Frank Beamer saw his top two targets – Eddie Royal and Josh Morgan – depart. Whether the person throwing the football is Sean Glennon or Tyrod Taylor, he should have a deep group of possible targets. The Hokies landed six wide receivers in this class as well as a few athletes that could develop into offensive weapons. D.J. Coles (Goochland, Va.), Austin Fuller (Richlands, Va.) and Derrick McCoy (Amherst, Va.) add needed depth. Two athletes, however, might end up as the best wideout prospects – Dyrell Roberts (Smithfield, Va.) and Marcus Davis (Virginia Beach, Va.) are going to be two very big, physical targets for the Hokies.

Offensive line was also an area of concern. The Hokies added three promising youngsters to their O-line corp. Nick Benton (Wilmington, N.C.) and Vinston Painter (Norfolk, Va.) have massive frames and are likely the future bookend tackles for Frank Beamer and Co.

With the departure of Vince Hall and Xavier Adibi, depth in the linebacking corps was a must. Longtime Hokie defensive coordinator Bud Foster certainly has some options after signing five linebackers in this class. The group is headlined by Bruce Taylor (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) and Quillie Odom (Chatham, Va.). Taylor is very raw but has the size and potential to be a solid inside linebacker. Odom is more prepared to play today, however, and has more physical ability.

The state of Virginia has always been a very talented football state and 2008 was no exception. The Hokies took advantage and landed 24 prospects from home. That is the definition of protecting your borders.

The top prep program in the nation is Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va.. Beamer and staff did a nice job of scouring the prep ranks for three prospects. Linebacker Quillie Odom, athlete Kendrick Pressley and defensive end Leon Mackey all are headed to Blacksburg from the Chatham institution.

Top Prospect: Ryan Williams – RB – Manassas, Va. (5-10, 195) AC100 No. 38

This Steve Slaton clone has a well-rounded game. This comparison comes from Williams’ surprising power for a 195-pound runner. He is not afraid to initiate contact and runs behind his pads. He also has, like Slaton, home run-threat ability. He can make defenders look silly in the open field. His quick, short-space bursts and acceleration are top flight. He uses a short, choppy running style to get to the corner and go the distance.

Williams will also be a major threat in the passing game. He is very confident in a pass-catching role and will really put pressure on linebackers assigned to cover him man-to-man. He has the ability to get vertical and stretch defenses even from out of the backfield.

His burst was on display in San Antonio at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, where Williams showed nice open-field quickness. He outran some top-level prospects.

Best of the Rest:

Vinston Painter – OT – Norfolk, Va. (6-5, 300)
D.J. Coles – WR – Goochland, Va. (6-4, 200)
Bruce Taylor – LB – Myrtle Beach, S.C. (6-3, 230)
Nick Becton – OT – Wilmington, N.C. (6-6, 290)
Lorenzo Williams – CB – Fayetteville, N.C. (6-2, 195)

Sleeper: Marcus Davis – ATH – Virginia Beach, Va. (6-4, 220)

Davis may end up at safety or the Bud Foster coined ‘rover’ position but he clearly has the size to be a dominant presence with the ball in his hands. He has great feet and open field moves for a kid of his size. He is surprisingly fluid and could be a dynamic threat in the passing attack for years to come in Blacksburg.

US Army AA Game Notebook:

Heading into this game I really felt that the offensive skill position players were better on the West team and that the defensive front seven was better on the East team. That was pretty much how the game played out with one exception. No one can stop Terrelle Pryor.

There is no substitute for supreme talent. It was a clean sweep from the top prospect in the nation. He took home not only the win today but also the games' Most Valuable Player and the US Army National Player of the Year award too. It is very easy to see that he is clearly the best player in the nation.

Some random thoughts....

The athleticism was very apparent at the quarterback position for the East team with Pryor, Star Jackson and MarQuies Gray. The West had no answer for the speed at the QB position.

Miami defensive tackle prospect Marcus Fortson was dominate as the East shut down the West ground game. The linebackers were all over the field led by another Miami defender Arthur Brown. There is no way Brown plays in the middle. He was noticeably smaller than guys like Steven Filer and Etiene Sabino. Brown will be a fabulous weakside backer.

The wide receivers for the West were phenomenal. D.J. Shoemate, Dan Buckner, Jameel Owens and particularly Michael Floyd played well. I would have liked to see Shoemate used more out of the back field. I am very high on all four of these kids.

Gerell Robinson is very raw and very good. He is a smart, well-spoken kid that has freakish size and athleticism. He may want to redshirt at Arizona St to learn the subtleties of the wide receiver position. He is gifted enough to play right away though.

Speaking of the Pac-10. The west coast had a great day landing three of the kids announcing on Saturday. Robinson is headed to ASU; Solomon Koehler leaves Hawaii for the desert and Arizona; Covaughn Deboskie chose Cal.

Alabama and Georgia are in a heavyweight bout for the SEC recruiting race. After stealing A.J. Harmon from Clemson, the Bulldogs are making a strong push for not only the SEC crown but maybe the top class in the nation.

With Gray's commitment to Minnesota, Tim Brewster has found a piece to build a future around. The Gophers' class is very strong as the Big Ten doormat has dipped into Texas, Chicago and now Indianapolis to snag a lot of solid prospects.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
AJ Harmon - Georgia
Patrick Johnson - LSU
Shayne Hale - Pitt
MarQuies Gray - Minnesota
Ryan Williams - Va. Tech
Solomon Koehler - Arizona
Gerell Robinson - Arizona St
Covaughn Deboskie - Cal
Brandon Smith - Michigan

Photo by Rivals.com

US Army All-American Announcements:

Every year the US Army AA game affords plenty of action for recruiting fans. It pits top flight talent versus top flight talent allowing evaluators to really get a look at prospects with the lights on. It gives football fans a taste of the future. And then there are the announcements.

This year there are plenty of big names making their picks on Saturday...

Predictions:

Shayne Hale - Ohio State
Young Hollywood Johnson - Florida (LSU is major player)
Solomon Koehler - Arizona
Ryan Williams - Va. Tech
MarQueis Gray - Minnesota
Brandon Smith - Michigan

Covaughn Deboskie was supposed to announce as well but it has leaked out that he chose the Cal Golden Bears. He is a nice pick-up for Jeff Tedford and Co.

The US Army All-American Game airs Saturday, Jan 5th at 2pm EST on NBC

Vinston Painter stays at home

The massive Maury High (Norfolk, VA) offensive tackle, Vinston Painter, committed to the Hokies.

The 6-6, 320 picked Virginia Tech over Florida, Georgia, Miami, Penn St, UVa and many others. How he ranks:

Rivals: #15 offensive tackle nationally
Scout: #5 offensive guard nationally
ESPN: #34 offensive tackle
PrepStar: #106 nationally, #15 offensive lineman

With his size, Painter does project as a tackle in college. He is huge and can wall defenders off. He has great power at initial contact and is great at sealing the end on outside running plays. He dominates smaller players because of his raw size and strength.

He will need a lot of work on his technique when it comes to using his hands and footwork. He will need to better his balance as well as at times he can play to high. Keeping his pad level low will be a very important skill the coaching staff will have to instill. He has good explosion at the onset of plays but needs to develop that killer instinct in order to finish plays.

Painter is a bit of a project but because of his massive frame and natural strength, he clearly has tons of upside.

Another great prospect from The 757.

The 757

No, I am not writing about planes. The area code '757' might be the most talent producing area code in the United States. Yes, Miami, Houston, Los Angeles all may produce more talent overall but all have more than 1 area code.

The 757 consists of Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Portsmouth and
Williamsburg. From now on these towns will be known as one of three things: The 757, Hampton Roads or the Tidewater area. I make my case that The 757 is most talent producing area code in US history.

All-time team:
QB: Aaron Brooks - Newport News (clearly Mike Vick is the most talented QB but he killed dogs so he doesn't make my list) - NFL free agent
RB: Percy Harvin - Va Beach - Florida Gators
WR: Plaxico Burress - Norfolk - New York Giants
WR: Ronald Curry - Hampton - Oakland Raiders (was a stellar QB in high school)
WR: Al Toon - Newport News - New York Jets
TE: Ben Watson - Norfolk - New England Patriots
OL: Dwight Stephenson - Hampton - NFL Hall of Famer

DL: Dwight White - Hampton - member of Steel Curtain defense
DL: Bruce Smith - Va Beach - maybe greatest DE of all time?
DL: Henry Jordan - Newport News - NFL Hall of Famer
LB: Lawrence Taylor - Williamsburg - maybe greatest LB of all time?
LB: Xavier Adibi - Hampton - Virginia Tech
LB: Chris Hanburger - Hampton - Washington Redskins
DB: Shawn Springs - Williamsburg - Washington Redskins
DB: Dre Bly - Chesapeake - Denver Broncos
DB: Jimmy Williams - Hampton - Atlanta Falcons
DB: DeAngelo Hall - Chesapeake - Atlanta Falcons
DB: Antoine Beathea - Newport News - Indianapolis Colts

KR/PR: Allen Iverson - Hampton - Denver Nuggets
K: Mike Husted - Hampton - Former Tampa Bay Buc
Coach: Mike Tomlin - Newport News - Pittsburgh Steelers

BUT WAIT!!! There is a lot more.

11 of the Rivals top-30 state of VA prospects in 2008 are from THE 757, including the top player in the state E.J. Manuel. Manuel is committed to Florida St. Also, the top player in the state for 2007, Tyrod Taylor is making his early marks in Blacksburg as we speak. Don't look now, but Hampton has a 2009 QB by the name of Tajh Boyd who will be highly sought after young prospect.

How about a celebrity hoops game? Featuring: Allen Iverson, Alonzo Mourning, Joe Smith, JR Reid and Tennessee Vol Duke Crews and good ole Lefty Driesell coachin 'em up. All from Tidewater area.

Fancy baseball instead? No problem. Softball game featuring: David Wright, Ryan Zimmerman, B.J. Upton, Justin Upton, Mark Reynolds, Michael Cuddyer. All from Tidewater.

During halftime of the celebrity hoops game we will have live performances by: Ella Fitgerald, Tonedef, Missy Elliot, Timbaland, Robert Cray, The Neptunes, the Wooten Brothers and Wayne freakin Newton! Yes, all from Tidewater.

Broadcasting for THE 757 classic will be none other than Wanda Sykes, Mark Hamill and Danny Tanner. I know what you are thinking. Bob Saget is from this planet? Yup, Virginia.

Entertainment will be provided court side with the dynamic duo of Nikki Nova, who you will remember from "Night Calls:411" on the Playboy channel, and the open-minded, free-thinking Pat Robertson from his program "The 700 Club."

Nova has since had some trouble with farm animals. Don't worry, its clean. Pat disapproved.



Both from THE 757.

If that was not enough proof. Everyone will be dressed from head-to-toe in Perry Ellis wear. Also from Hampton Roads.