Hokies Football Signing Day 2010 ...

Talk about good timing. Today is my first full day back from elbow surgery. I’m still pretty limited and still have a mostly immobilized arm. I type about 25 percent as fast as I did before. BUT ... I’m sick of laying in bed watching movies AND it’s national signing day. Time to get back in the saddle.

So by now you know about the stars of this recruiting class, which Rivals.com rates the No. 3 class in the ACC and No. 22 class in the country. It’s a very solid, very well-rounded group. Eight offensive players – including two at the all-important QB spot – and 12 on defense.

Tech’s third consecutive top-25 recruiting class is led by big names like DE Zack McCray, S Nick Dew and DTs DeAntre Rhodes and Nick Acree. Each of them is rated a four-star prospect. McCray is a potential superstar. Dew maybe the most versatile guy in the class, capable of playing whip linebacker, rover or free safety. And, um, Acree is ... the Incredible Hulk. Despite being 6-5, 295, he appears to have about three percent body fat. He has been built like an NFL All-Pro since his sophomore year in high school.

Those are the stars. But my focus today was on the offensive line, where Tech had a very strong haul, including 4-star tackles Laurence Gibson and Mark Shuman. This finishes four years of great line recruiting ... on the heels of four TERRIBLE years of line recruiting.

Below, you’ll find a graphic to illustrate exactly why the blocking was so bad for so long and why there’s a lot of reason for optimism up front in the future. You’ll also hear from the Hokies’ head coach. And O-line coach Curt Newsome who, by the way, said King’s Fork LB/S Dominique Patterson might be the steal of this class. He said when Tech worked Patterson out at a one-day camp, then timed the 6-2, 215-pounder at 4.4 in the 40, the Hokies set about trying to immediately close the deal on a commitment. They didn’t want his tape to get out and other big schools to discover what a hidden gem he was. So he’s one to watch.

Now to the line, then the Qs and As ...

In the four recruiting classes from 2003-2006, Virginia Tech signed six linemen rated top 40 nationally by Rivals.com, three of whom were considered 4-star prospects. All six left school with eligibility remaining and none ever became starters. Four of them were highly regarded out-of-state prospects who became big-time busts, perhaps leading to a larger focus on recruiting linemen closer to home for better evaluation.

2006

4-star Aaron Brown, No. 7 tackle (6-6, 300) *

3-star Clark Crum, No. 40 tackle (6-7, 280) *

2005

3-star Hivera Green, No. 26 guard (6-5, 270) *

3-star Antonio North, No. 23 guard (6-3, 3-5)

2004

None

2003

4-star Tripp Carroll, No. 7 guard (6-5, 280) *

4-star Matt Welsh, No. 17 tackle (6-5, 275)

In the last four recruiting classes, Virginia Tech has signed 12 offensive linemen rated among the top 40 prospects in the nation at their position by Rivals.com. Of those, eight were ranked top 30 and four were 4-star prospects (out of five stars in Rivals' system), meaning they were recruited by major programs across the country. Two of those prospects are already starters and two more were No. 2 on the depth chart in 2009.

2010

4-star Laurence Gibson, No. 2 prep school player (6-6, 295)

4-star Mark Shuman, No. 29 tackle (6-6, 280)

3-star Matt Arkema, No. 28 guard (6-3, 290)

3-star Caleb Farris, No. 25 guard (6-4, 315)

2009

3-star Andrew Miller, No. 33 tackle (6-5, 275)

2008

4-star Vinston Painter, No. 14 tackle (6-6, 315)

3-star Nick Becton, No. 36 tackle (6-6, 285)

3-star Michael Via, No. 31 guard (6-6, 260)

2007

4-star Blake DeChristopher, No. 21 tackle (6-6, 300)

3-star Jaymes Brooks, No. 36 guard (6-3, 296)

3-star Will Alvarez, No. 28 tackle (6-5, 305)

3-star Ibn Latif, No. 30 guard (6-3, 290)

*** Now, on to Tech’s reaction to its new class ...

HEAD COACH FRANK BEAMER

OPENING REMARKS: “I think it’s been another successful recruiting year. I like the talent level and the athletic ability of this class. We got some guys that are versatile in what position they can play. Academically and character-wise, it’s very good. These are guys, a lot of them, that we saw in our one-day camp, so we know them first-hand. I think that always helps. I’m particularly proud that 13 of these players went to school in the state Virginia. That continues to be a priority with us, that we get our share of the better players from the state of Virginia. And I think that’s happened. And then I think the guys out of state, there’s a high quality of player there. So overall, we’re very, very pleased with this class.”

ON FINISHING UP THIS CLASS EARLY AND WHETHER THERE WAS ANY POSITION HE HAD HOPED TO GET MAYBE ONE MORE GUY THIS YEAR: “I think you can always go back and look and wish you’d gotten this guy here or that guy there. And that’s true. But at the same time, we did finish fairly early. For the last couple weeks, our recruiting has basically been over. We always start out with a number of people we’d like to get at each position. That’s on the board. We came very close to hitting on that. That’s a good sign.”

ON CATCHING UP THE LAST FEW YEARS RECRUITING OFFENSIVE LINEMEN: “We continue to work on our offensive line. We’re getting better all the time there. I really like the guys we got there. The (Matt) Arkema kid from Richmond, I really like him. He’s got good feet and toughness and size. I like (Mark) Shuman. Again, great height and he’s got a great future in front of him. (Laurence) Gibson, he’s already in school. He gives us got a chance to figure into that situation. The (Kory) Gough guy greyshirted and is a good wrestler and I always like those football players that are wrestlers. Overall, I like what we’ve got. We’ll see how they turn out.”

ON SAFETY NICK DEW BEING A VERSATILE ATHLETE WHO COULD BE A WHIP LINEBACKER OR PLAY EITHER SAFETY SPOT: “I think he and Dominique Patterson both kind of fit into that. There’s some others, too, but both those guys, they’ve got good size and they’re very athletic. They fit in somewhere very well. They’re big guys that can run well. We like those kind. They’re versatile as far as getting into your system and playing as quickly as they possibly can.”

ON PRIZED D-END RECRUIT ZACK MCCRAY: “I like Zack McCray for what he can do physically, but I like him as a person and what he’s all about. I like the character and just the whole what this guy’s all about. I think he’s not only going to give us a lot of good moments on the football field but just being a representative of Virginia Tech and our football program, he’s going to be excellent also. We want him to be prepared and come in here and challenge for some playing time at defensive end. We think he can. Physically, he’s got the credentials there. Then after that, it’s just a matter of getting strong and getting some knowledge. He’ll have that opportunity and I could see that possibly happening.”

ON A LOT OF THE PREVIOUS O-LINE RECRUITING BUSTS BEING OUT-OF-STATE PLAYERS AND MOST OF TECH’S LINE RECRUITS IN THE LAST FOUR CLASSES BEING FROM VIRGINIA AND WHETHER BEING CLOSER PROVIDES MORE ACCURATE EVALUATIONS: “Yeah, I think that and I think being athletic is important in the offensive line. Sometimes you say, ‘Well, we’ll just get big guys.’ But that just doesn’t work. They’ve got to be able to redirect and move their feet and have some toughness about them. I think we’re getting back on the right track here. We’ve had some in the last few years that have played very well. We just didn’t have enough. We missed on some guys there that just didn’t work out, but I really feel like we’re getting closer to where we want to be. And the guys we’ve added in this class helps us get closer.”

ON WHETHER, KNOWING THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SOME MISSES, THEY’VE TRIED TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF LINEMEN THEY ARE BRINGING IN: “No, what we have is an overall number of how many offensive linemen we’d like to have in the overall scheme. And how many defensive ends, how many defensive tackles you’d like to have in the program. We try to stay fairly close to that. What’s happened is some of those misses caused us to continue to try to catch up to the number. That’s why we continue to bring offensive linemen in.”

ON RECRUITING RANKINGS FOR THE HOKIES: “There was a stretch a couple years back where our recruiting classes weren’t rated very high but when it came to the NFL draft, we had the second-most drafted after Southern Cal. We saw a lot of these guys in our one-day camp. The guys that committed to us, we really wanted. They were our first choices. So I feel good about this group. I don’t know where they’re rated. I don’t pay attention to that. I just think they’re the guys that Virginia Tech liked.”

ON TAHRICK PEAK AND CALEB FARRIS, TWO RECRUITS IN VT’S BACK YARD: “Tahrick can run. Right now, he needs to get bigger and he knows that. His future is in front of him, but he’s got to get his body a little bit better to take advantage of that. Farris, he’s a Virginia Tech guy. He wants to come here and we want him to come here. He’s athletic for a guy as big as he is. He really has good feet. That’s really what we’re looking at: toughness and good feet. He fits that perfectly.”

ON CHANGING THAT TYPE OF O-LINEMEN THEY RECRUIT: “What happens on the offensive line, if you’ve got a big guy and he can’t play there, there’s not a place he can play. And in the past, when you think about our great offensive linemen, Pyne and Lehr ... the one thing is that they all were athletic. So rather than size being the critical thing, I think being able to redirect ... when you’ve got an offensive tackle out there blocking a defensive end ... that offensive tackle better be able to work his feet. So that’s kind of been our priority the last 2-3 years. I think we’re getting our offensive line back where it needs to be.”

O-LINE COACH CURT NEWSOME

ON WHAT BEAMER TOLD HIM HE WAS LOOKING FOR IN LINEMEN WHEN HE HIRED NEWSOME IN MARCH 2006: “I think more athletic. That’s the best term. And that’s what we’ve done. Some of our best ones have all been converted tight ends. That’s what you’re looking for. Beau (Warren), Ed (Wang), Duane (Brown), (Greg) Nosal. We’ve been most successful with those guys.”

ON WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR, THOUGH, IN PURE O-LINEMEN COMING OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL: “Athletic guy that’s got good feet, of course. A guy that’s intelligent and a guy that’s physical. Athletic being No. 1.”

ON HIM NOT MENTIONING SIZE IN THAT EQUATION: “Those guys move too fast on defense. If you’re recruiting a 320-pound high school offensive lineman, by the time he gets to you, he is 340 and it’s bad weight. There’s not many high school guys, when they sign on that dotted line today ... busting it to get ready, especially with offensive linemen. And most of them like to eat anyway. I think you’re really in the mindset of growing your own, per se. The thing is, with that, when you take those (smaller) guys, you’ve got to be sure of they’re strength. Because (strength) coach (Mike) Gentry is the best there is in the business, but if we bring in a guy that’s benching 180 pounds as an offensive linemen when we get him, he’s four years away strength-wise from ever playing. And by that time, his career is over. So you’re looking for that lean guy that can move his feet that’s got some natural twitch and strength to him.”

ON MOST OF TECH’S BIG RECRUITING BUSTS FROM 2003-06 BEING OUT-OF-STATE KIDS AND MOST OF TECH’S LINE RECRUITS BEING VIRGINIA KIDS SINCE THEN ... WHETHER THAT WAS INTENTIONAL, TO GET BETTER EVALUATIONS: “I think our whole recruiting deal is in-state or that radius of Maryland and North Carolina. That’s everybody. But as far as just saying now our offensive linemen have to come from Virginia, no, that statement hasn’t been made. We’ve been fortunate there’s been some more in Virginia. I think you get a better evaluation on an in-state kid. You’re able to go to a game in-season, which means a lot. I know film is what everybody bases it on, but if you can get out there, and the coaches have been to those games, I think that’s huge. It just cuts down the margin for misses. You’re going to have them at offensive line. To me, it’s the hardest position to evaluate.”

ON EVERYONE GETTING EXCITED A FEW YEARS AGO WHEN TECH SIGNED AARON BROWN OF OHIO, THE NATION’S NO. 7 OFFENSIVE TACKLE ACCORDING TO RIVALS.COM, BUT BROWN NEVER PANNING OUT: “That doesn’t always work out. We’re being very patient with one now that was a four- or five-star, Vinston Painter. Rankings really as far I’m concerned as an offensive line coach, those stars besides their name ... doesn’t mean a whole lot. It’s can they move their feet? Can they think? Sometimes, (a ranking) is because you’re 6-foot-6 and weigh 300 pounds. Beau Warren is not 6-foot-6, 300 pounds, but I like him as a center in our league. Where the stars come from, I haven’t figured that out.”

ON LIKING TECH’S LINE RECRUITS BETTER LATELY, THOUGH, REGARDLESS OF STARS: “I think we’ve been fortunate and we’ve gotten some guys that are more that mold of the athletic guys that can move around in space. I don’t think there’s any question.”

ON O-LINE BEING ONE OF THE BIGGEST ADJUSTMENTS FROM HIGH SCHOOL TO COLLEGEE: “It’s a little more complicated. They’re playing against so much better (competition). They’re playing against defensive linemen now that all of them, they’re 6-foot-4, they can run their feet, they’re fast, they’re quick, they’re strong. I think the level competition an offensive lineman plays against in a one-on-one match-up is different than anybody on a football field. When a receiver catches a ball in space, he catches it in space and I don’t care what they run over there; If he can run, he can still run. Now (as a lineman), you’re in a one-on-one match-up against a very talented football player, and every snap is you and him battling. For you to see a 6-foot-4 offensive lineman block a 5-11, 195-pounder (in high school), you see him get movement and all this. Who is he moving? You don’t really know. And then terminology is different (in college), changing the plays at the line of scrimmage, more thinking on your feet. How much does that slow a young man down? Certain (high) schools do that, but then certain schools don’t. They line up and they know where they’re going right now as hard as they can go. They know the defender is going be right there. Now, all of a sudden, the defender can move. The play could be changed. There’s so many variables that change how physical you can play.”

ON WHETHER, FACTORING IN THE LIKELIHOOD OF SOME MISSES AT O-LINE, TECH IS OFFERING SCHOLARSHIPS TO MORE LINEMEN LATELY: “There’s a certain number that coach gives us. I want to say our number is somewhere between 15 and 17 scholarship (linemen). We don’t have that right now. With the signing of the ones in this class, and then we’re going to take some more next year, we’re going to be about right on our numbers. That can change a little bit if you’ve got a great back and you might have one less lineman at that time because you took (the back). But somewhere in that area.”

ON SIGNEE LAURENCE GIBSON: “He’s a converted defensive lineman. That just shows you he’s athletic. I think coming in January is a positive for an offensive lineman because if he has the need to redshirt, he’ll see. So he’ll get a spring, then a redshirt, then play. If he comes out, he picks up on things, then he could possibly play … I don’t think you could ever play as a true freshman coming in August. But he’s been at Hargrave. He gets a spring under his belt. If there’s an opportunity for him to play, we’ll know it. I think that’s a huge advantage. I like his athletic ability. He’s got extremely long arms, which you like for a tackle, for separation in pass protection. And now it’s just getting accustomed to college life and how he handles the spring.”

ON SIGNEE MATT ARKEMA: “Guard or center. Very, very intelligent and very, very physical. And can move his feet. I think the young man will have an opportunity to play at an early stage because of what he’s all about. He’s a very good student. I think he understands the game. And he’s got some pop to him. I like his intelligence, and I like what looks like on film to be tenacious, getting after folks.”

ON SIGNEE MARK SHUMAN, BROTHER OF FORMER TECH LINEMAN RYAN SHUMAN: “I’ve seen him a lot. He comes from a football family. So he should be ahead of the scale, you would think. Very athletic guy. He is what we just talked about. Coach Cav comes back and talks about how he gets up and down the basketball court. I’ve not seen him play basketball, but all you hear is about his athletic ability. He’s what you’re looking for at the tackle position – good height, long arms, can move his feet. That’s kind of what he is.”

ON SOUNDING LIKE HE HAS SOME TALENTED PROSPECTS COMING IN WHO COULD CONTRIBUTE SOONER THAN LATER: “I’ve said this before, even when I first got here: If you have to play offensive line before you’re a redshirt sophomore, you’re either not good enough up front, or the guy is just off-the-charts special. It’s one of the two. Now, we’ve had to play some before that. You just don’t like to. That’s the process. And if they all came in and played as redshirt sophomores, I think that’s where you start to get it going.”

ON A PERFECT WORLD, THEN, NO ONE WOULD HEAR ABOUT THESE SIGNEES FOR A COUPLE YEARS: “It would be a while (ideally). And that’s hard on people when they look at a recruiting list and they see a young man that’s five stars. Why? Why? Where is he? No, give him a chance. That’s why I like to say it with Vinston, I like to be patient with him. He’s (just) going to be a redshirt sophomore.”

ON TECH REALLY IMPROVING DEPTH ON THE LINE IN THE LAST TWO YEARS: “That’s more important than any of it. We’ve got guys that have been out there now. What you’re really looking for, and this is not a great term, but at a position, you’re looking for a pair and a spare. So you’re looking for two tackles and one mover. We had it at guard this year. Nosal was the (back-up) guy that could roll and he could play either side. I think what we’re going to get to at tackle right now is we’re going to have two out there and I think we’re going to have two spares. I’m hoping. It’ll be young guys. We haven’t made the move yet, but we’re going to get (back-up center) Michael Via some work at tackle. Any time a guy has played in two games and has proven what he can do, he doesn’t need to sit. The center is not a position you want to rotate a whole lot.”

ON WHO THE BACK-UP CENTER WOULD BE NEXT SEASON IF VIA MOVES TO TACKLE: “Andrew Miller. We’ll see where it goes this spring, if he’s ready to practice this spring (after shoulder surgery). Michael will have to stay back inside if (Miller) is not ready to practice this spring. A lot will have to do with that.”

ON WHETHER TWO-YEAR STARTING RIGHT TACKLE BLAKE DECHRISTOPHER WILL MOVE TO LEFT TACKLE TO REPLACE ED WANG: “I don’t think so. I trust Nick Becton right now. Andrew Lanier, he’s a backup at right, right now. I don’t know if we’ll leave him over there. We haven’t decided all the movement. We actually haven’t even talked about it. (Lanier) goes in the Duke game and plays the entire game for Blake. I felt very comfortable with him.”

ON WHY BECTON DIDN’T PLAY MORE LAST YEAR IF HE’S READY FOR NEXT YEAR: “Because Wang was good. I just like the tools Nick has. And Nick’s going to be a redshirt sophomore next year.”

ON HOW BAD THE O-LINE TALENT STOCK WAS WHEN HE TOOK THE JOB IN 2006: “We had hit a lull. We were a little bit down. I think everybody realizes that. We weren’t as good as we’ve been the last two years up front. We’ve gotten the depth fixed a little bit. It’s always a little bit of a rollercoaster. We’re going to have some times next year when we play against a great defensive front that people are going to say we can’t block anybody (laughing).”

ON NEXT YEAR’S STARTING LEFT GUARD TO REPLACE SERGIO RENDER: “Nosal will be left guard. I’m excited about him because he played the season about 270. Came into the season about 295. At times, he may have played lighter than (270). And that’s hard on an inside guy. I’m looking forward to him keeping it on this year.”

ON NOSAL PROVING A LOT LAST SEASON: “He was probably the biggest surprise of (last) spring for my guys. This guy can play at this level. This is a guy that played tight end and would much rather go out for a pass than get nose-to-nose with a three technique. (But) he bit into it. He doesn’t mind being in that room. He likes it. And I like what he’s all about.”

ON BEAMER’S OBJECTIVE IN 2006: “It was: We need to bring in some offensive linemen that can move their feet. We were all on the same page. Coach Stinespring, Coach Beamer, everybody was the same – let’s get us some and let’s get this thing rolling.”

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