Cullen Casey said he was psyched "that ODU's coach (Bobby Wilder) just got a 10-year contract, the school is joining Conference USA and there's talk about expanding the stadium." Frank Porter said that while Illinois, Maryland, Pitt and Arizona were interested in him, the Monarchs were the only team that believed he's a true linebacker.

NORFOLK It's almost guaranteed Old Dominion will play some "guarantee" football games in 2013. As the Monarchs transition from the Colonial Athletic Association to Conference USA, coach Bobby Wilder has changed his desire to avoid playing for a paycheck.

BLACKSBURG Conference realignment rumors are rampant on the Internet, but Virginia Tech athletic director Jim Weaver said he feels comfortable with the Hokies' position in the ACC and doesn't foresee any change.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. Mike Voight, the second leading rusher in North Carolina history and a two-time Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year, has died. He was 58.   Voight's attorney, SuAnne Hardee Bryant, said Voight was found Tuesday morning at his home in Chesapeake, Va. Bryant said the cause of death wasn't immediately known.  

BLACKSBURG The decision whether to allow suspended kicker Cody Journell to return to the football team will be made this summer, Virginia Tech athletic director Jim Weaver said.

CHRISTIANSBURG Suspended Virginia Tech place-kicker Cody Journell was found guilty Monday of a lesser charge of trespassing, potentially paving the way for his to return to the football team.

By Brock Vergakis HAMPTON New York Jets defensive lineman Kenrick Ellis pleaded guilty Monday to assault and battery stemming from a 2010 fight while attending college in Virginia. In a brief hearing in Hampton, Ellis entered an Alford plea, meaning he doesn't admit guilt but acknowledges prosecutors could prove the case against him.

Thomas DeMarco had grown weary of handing over $100 so he could fling footballs around a field, run the 40-yard dash and have some general manager thumb a nose at him. As he traveled up Interstate 95 on his way to his sixth professional tryout this spring, DeMarco decided this audition with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League would be his last.

BLACKSBURG Virginia Tech kicker Cody Journell will plead to a misdemeanor trespassing charge in relation to an incident from December, his lawyer Jimmy Turk said Friday night, potentially opening up the possibility for him to return to the Hokies.

As one of the area's top high school football recruits in the Class of 2013, Ocean Lakes defensive tackle Demetri McGill is drawing attention from a handful of major college programs. On Thursday, when Old Dominion announced it was joining Conference USA - and the Football Bowl Subdivision - McGill noticed, along with other area high school players and coaches.