Locker Rooms Closing in on Completion

The new Virginia Tech locker rooms were supposed to be done by August of this year, but it appears that the construction may last into the upcoming season.  However, the building is now under roof and is looking quite amazing if I do say so myself.  Below is an attached picture gallery that shows the progress that has been made over the past 2 years. 

Im a little upset that VT didn't release any rendered sketches like they did with the new Press box back in 2006 but needless to say, the "real" pictures show enough.  The new locker rooms will boast the a players lounge as well as some administrative offices for the football coaching staff.  I doubt this will beat out what Oregon has but this addition to our already top notch football facilities can't hurt things on the recruiting trail either.

At close to 42,000 square feet, this monument to Virginia Tech football will be a beauty when she's finished.

New Virginia Tech Locker Room Picture Gallery

Matt Roth Commits to Virginia Tech

The Hokies don’t normally recruit the state of Florida that much unless a recruit pops up at a pipeline school like Atlantic High School.  However, after viewing Matt Roth’s highlight film a few months ago, the Tech coaching staff immediately offered the Nease High School prospect.  Roth visited Virginia Tech a couple weeks back and today, he called the coaches and told them he was ready to commit.

Roth made it no secret that he was a big fan of the Florida Gators in the early going but with Florida having numerous targets above him at defensive end, an offer was not likely going to come for Roth.  After swinging up the coast for a few unofficial visits, Roth finally found him a home in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Read the rest of this blog Here. (VTF.com)

Corey Marshall Commits to VT

I will admit, it was a suspenseful selection show but in the end, Corey Marshall selected the Virginia Tech hat and all was right in the Universe.   Marshall had a final five of Tennessee, West Virginia, UVA, Michigan, and Virginia Tech but eliminated all but UVA and VT.  At the end of the Washington Post Live show on Comcast Sports Net, Marshall decided to don the white Virginia Tech hat.

Marshall is a four star defensive end as rated by Rivals and will join his teammate, Chris Hall, in Blacksburg next year.  The Dinwiddie product recorded over 110 total tackles last season including 21 for loss and seven sacks.  Marshall was even better in his sophomore season when he racked up 122 total tackles with 17 for loss and 11 sacks.  Needless to say, he is a phenomenal defensive end and a phenomenal pickup for our Virginia Tech Hokies.

Read the rest of this story Here.

Tyrone Garland Qualifies

Seth Greenberg received some great news today, as Tyron Garland, three star PG out of Philadelphia, has officially qualified and is set to  enroll in the second summer session.  Garland is one of five players in the Philadelphia area to eclipse the 2000 point mark in his career, joining the likes of Wilt Chamberlain for that honor. 

Garland is a pure point guard and should help provide the Hokies with some excellent depth this coming season.  I doubt Garland sees a whole lot of minutes, depending on how much Erick Green improves but he'll get his chance to play early on. 

Duke:

The Blue Devils picked up a pair of commits today from Ohio OL Matt Skura and LB David Helton. Skura seems likes a bit of a project on the OL, his clips from the Army one-on-one thing aren't very reassuring. He's going to be a center for Duke so maybe that will help. Helton is a talented linebacker and one we pursued for a bit, so I think Duke got a solid pickup there.

FSU:

The Noles picked up a QB commitment today from Jacob Coker. He is an unrated and unranked QB out of Alabama and held offers from Duke, South Alabama, and Arkansas State before receiving an FSU offer. He performed at their camp last week so obviously Jimbo must have saw something to offer him. The Noles also got a commitment from a 4 star wide receiver Rashad Greene on the 17th. He is listed at 175 in the Rivals 250. Good pickup although he's very slight in build.

Georgia Tech:

The Jackets picked up a commitment from 3 star DB Darren Waller. His measurables are impressive as he's listed at 6'5", 205 pounds while running a 4.4. Sounds like he may be more linebacker in the future but he is going to start out at safety.

Miami:

The Canes landed 4 star Phillip Dorsett on Saturday. Dorsett is a speedy yet small wide receiver with a pretty impressive highlight film though.

NC State:

The Wolfpack are off to a pretty slow start this year as they sit on just three commits. One of which they received on Friday when 2 star RB Anthony Knight committed to them. Knight could be either a linebacker, RB, or WR for the Wolfpack but it appears for now, he'll enter as a 6'1", 225 pound running back when he enrolls.

Virginia:

The Hoos picked up a commitment from Kevin Green on Sunday. Green is a solid athlete who I'm guessing has a future at WR or DB. 

More Commits Coming Soon

The June and July months are normally the more relaxing months of the year for the Virginia Tech coaching staff.  During this time, many of the coaches decide to take family vacations, spend weekdays out on the golf course, and sometimes even get married (Congrats to Torrian Gray on tying the knot last weekend).  However, the June and July months are also some of the busiest recruiting months out of the year.  The Hokies hold their two summer camps during these months and will host numerous OOS and In-state recruits looking to see the campus for the very first time.

If you look at the last three recruiting classes, you will notice just how important these months are to the livelihood of each class.  In 2010, the Hokies received 10 verbals in these two months, exactly half of the class verballed in either June or July.  In 2009, Tech received another 10 verbals within these 61 days, almost 45% of that class.  In 2008, that number jumps up to 11, although percentage-wise it was only about 35%.

Still, these two months normally help build about 40% of every Virginia Tech recruiting class.  So with numerous prospects left wanting to decide before their senior year, you should be able to give an estimate on how this class is going to look by the end of July.  Below we will look at some of the prospects that could decide within the next few weeks.


Corey Marshall - Defensive Tackle - Dinwiddie High School

Corey Marshall has been a coveted defensive lineman for the Hokies since last season, when he received a verbal offer long before official offers could be mailed.  However, Marshall decided to play the field a little bit and take visits to all of the Universities and Colleges that offered him.  The four star defensive tackle will decide before the end of June and as long as he doesn't pull a shocker, he'll likely commit to Virginia Tech.  Marshall grew up a Tech fan and now that his teammate (Chris Hall) has a VT offer, I would be shocked if both committed elsewhere.


Chris Hall - Tight End - Dinwiddie High School

Chris Hall earned a greyshirt offer at the Hokies June summer camp and it appears that he is Blacksburg bound sooner rather than later.  Hall stated that he wanted to wait a bit after receiving his offer before committing, stating that he wanted to talk it over with his family but odds are he'll commit before the end of the month.  If Marshall chooses VT this week sometime, I wouldn't be surprised if Hall turned around and gave his commitment a few days later.


Marquise Williams - Quarterback - Mallard Creek High School

Williams is a talented, yet raw quarterback out of the Charlotte area thats been an interesting story to follow.  He grew up a Miami fan and was dead set on going to Miami if they offered him a scholarship.  However, the Canes had a few other QB's higher on their list and eventually Williams saw the writing on the wall.  The Hokies were one of the first schools to offer him and wow him with a visit when he saw the Hokies dismantle his Canes in Lane Stadium last season.  At that time, I would have bet on him becoming a Hokie.  After a few months and few more visits it appears that UNC has stuck their hat in this race and may have even taken the lead.  UNC has a young freshman QB in Bryn Renner and they already have one three star QB in the 2011 class, which is concerning but it appears that Williams isn't worried about playing time.  Honestly, this race is too close to call but most UNC fans feel confident about this so I'm guessing Williams is headed to Baby Blueville.

Kiaro Holts - Offensive Tackle - Warren Central High School

I'm starting to really hate North Carolina, seeing as they tend to offer and now contend with us for a large amount of our recruits.  It also doesn't help that they beat us, on Thursday night, in Lane Stadium last season. Also, they sell a lot of their players on their basketball tradition, blindly forgetting that they've been irrelevant in college football for the last 20 years.  Holts has never been a Tech lean but I do think for a while he liked the Hokies.  At least that was until he visited Florida and UNC.  If I had to guess, Baby Blue would win this one as well.  Grrr.

Adeboye Aromire Commits to Virginia Tech

The ball has officially started rolling on this 2011 Virginia Tech recruiting class as Adeboye Aromire, cornerback out of D.C, has verbally committed to the Hokies.  Aromire is Ricardo Young’s former teammate at H.D. Woodson high school and is the fourth player to commit to Tech from HDW since 2002 (Aromire, Young, Theodore Miller, and Roland Minor).


Aromire held six offers and chose Virginia Tech over close competition with UNC and Maryland.  The stud cornerback plans on enrolling early in January of 2011 for the spring session, which will allow him to take part in spring practice.

Read the rest of this story Here. (VTF.com)

Christian Reeves Commits to Virginia Tech

After a few months of uncertainty, the Hokies finally added a new member to the 2011 recruiting class by the way of Georgia tight end Christian Reeves. Reeves camped at Tech back on June 6th and was one of two players to receive an official scholarship offer (the other being Chris Hall who is another tight end).

After visiting NC State last week, the McDonough native decided to end his recruitment and commit to Coach Frank Beamer and Coach Torrian Gray. With little to no depth returning next season at tight end, Reeves should have a good shot at putting his name in the hat early on in Blacksburg.

Read the rest of this article Here.

VTF.com Updates

I've posted a couple new articles on VTF and thought I would link them here.

Countdown to Signing Day: Tech Looks to Ink 2 More QB's

Ranking the ACC: No. 10 Wake Forest

Recruiting Update: A Look at the Positional Needs for the 2011 Class

Ranking the ACC: No. 11 Maryland

Coming up I'll preview the no. 9 team in the ACC, the Duke Blue Devils.  That article should be up on Tuesday night.  After that I will work on the next part of my "Countdown to Signing Day" series. 

Thanks!

GO HOKIES!!