Signing Day Final

Signing day just ended for the Hokies and it was mostly good news all day. Here I will list all the newcomers by position and give some of their stats.

Quarterback:

Brenden Motley 6'3''  200 three star, I doubt he will end up at QB as he didn't throw much in high school but he looks to be a good athlete and could end up at safety eventually. He was recruited as a QB so you never know, he kind of reminds me Marcus Davis coming out of high school.

Running Back:

J.C. Coleman 5'7'' 169 four star. Should be a great one, probably gonna be starting at some point this year. He has already enrolled at VT so he gets to go through spring practice with the team and work on getting a little bigger.He only weighs 169 now but he will definitely bulk up at Tech he reminds me of Mike Imoh.

Drew Harris 6'1'' 210 four star. Another one who could be great and might get to see the field this year. Coach Cavanaugh has compared him to Kevin Jones and he is usually a good judge of talent. If not this year look for big things from in the near future.

Chris Mangus 6'0'' 180 three stars. Solid RB out of North Carolina. He's got 4.4 speed, he will probably red shirt next year so he can focus on getting bigger. I never really question a RB recruit at Tech they all usually work out.

Jerome Wright 6'2'' 201 two stars. He will probably grey shirt this year so you won't see him enroll until next January. Tech was the only D1 school to offer him but he has good size and could end up switching to a different position, possibly full back like Josh Oglesby in 2010. Beamer always gets a sleeper or two this could be one from this class.

Wide Receiver:

Joel Caleb 6'2'' 201 four stars. Probably the biggest get in this class. He chose Tech over Ohio State and many others. In the recent past Tech has missed on these types of players so I am excited to see them get this one. He has great size for a Wide Receiver  and looks to have all the tools to be starting next year or possibly be pushing for some playing time this year.

Der'Woun Greene 5'10 175 three stars. Could end up at either WR or CB. He might not have the size to play corner but he could end up being a great slot receiver. If he has the hands he has the speed and shiftiness to cause some damage.

Thomas Smith 6'3'' 218 three stars. Another grey shirt recruit who was not highly recruited. His size is impressive but he may have to change position to get on the field. With his current size plus another year and half to bulk up he could end up at tight end.

Mark Irick 6'3'' 185 three stars. The Hokies stole him out of South Carolina, he wasn't highly recruited but with his size and speed he could end up making a lot of other schools fell dumb for not offering. Reminds me of Dyrell Roberts.

Joshua Stanford 6'2'' 180 three stars. Josh completed the Hokies haul of receivers. After Robert Lockhart decommited  they scooped him up and they could have gotten another steal. Another receiver with above average size and speed who will be competing for a job next year when the current starters move on.

Tight End:

Dakota Jackson 6'4'' 250 three stars. The only tight end in this class and I wonder if he he'll end up there because Curt Newsome and Bryan Stinespring tend to turn these types of players into lineman, especially with his size and not many receiving stats coming out of high school.

Offensive Linemen:

Adam Taraschke 6'6'' 270 two stars. Another possible grey shirt.I figure the coaches think with some time they can take a kid with his size and coach him up enough to become a contributor. We will see.

Augie Conte 6'6'' 270 three stars. Very similar to Adam Taraschke. Slightly higher rated but more than likely another grey shirt that they hope to transform into a player. He has good size but might not have the athleticism.

Jack Willenbrock 6'4'' 260 three stars. Another big body to work on and who knows where he will end up. He was the high school team mate of Drew Harris both coming from Exton, PA.

Defensive Linemen:

Ken Ekanem 6'3'' 226 four stars. A big in-state recruit for the Hokies, a four star recruit at a position of need who had offers from many others. He had injuries his senior year but Tech kept their commitment to him and never recalled his offer, which he sited as a big reason for signing with the Hokies. We won't get to see him in game until  2013 due to rehab but he should be worth the wait.Should end up at defensive end.

Jarontay Jones 6'2'' 240 four stars. A big get for the Hokies out of the state of Georgia. After some time to bulk up this year he should be an impact player by 2013. Should be a defensive tackle.

Alston Smith 6'3'' 272 three stars. One I am really excited to see as he is the son of former Hokie great Bruce Smith. He wasn't highly recruited but it just makes since to get him on board and if ends up anywhere close to his father he will be a great player, could be another steal in this class. Should end up at tackle as he doesn't seem to have the speed for end.

Nigel Williams 6'3'' 260 three stars. Another local kid with good size and should add well to the depth they are building on the defensive line. Should be a defensive tackle.

Woody Baron 6'3'' 252 three stars. Projects to be a defensive end with his speed. He had a great camp at VT and was offered soon after that yet another sleeper that Frank seems to find every year.

Seth Dooley 6'5'' 230 two stars.  His recruitment was very quiet and who knows what will happen with him at Tech. He is listed as a DE/Athlete, he seems a little light for defensive end right now but over time he could bulk and with his height become a force on the outside. He side right after his camp appearance as well.

Defensive Backs:

Donaldven Manning 5'9'' 163 four stars. An early commitment (Feb 4th last year) out of Miami,Fl. Should be a great player at Tech and some say he could even take Jayron Hoseley's place as a starter this year. Since he is already in school and gets to go through spring practice he has a good shot at doing just that.

Davion Tookes 5'10'' 179 three stars. He committed a day earlier than Manning and the two of them could mirror each other through out their college careers. He had 16 other offers to consider before signing day but Tech had offered him much earlier than all the others and he chose to stick with the Hokies.


Donovan Riley 6'0'' 190 three stars. He should end up at safety and after a red shirt year could end up being a good get, Tech usually doesn't miss on defensive backs either so you have to trust Frank and his team as many of their recruits fly under the radar.


Desmond Frye 6'1'' 168 three stars. Another three star safety who needs some time to bulk up and then we will see if he can play.

Linebackers:

Deon Clarke 6'2'' 205 four stars. Another big recruit for the Hokies he is the #13 LB in the nation and could have an instant impact for the Hokies. He has good size and speed and is a hard hitter at a position that was getting a little thin.

Trey Edmunds 6'2'' 205 four stars. The #16 LB nationally helped to make this one if the best linebacker classes for Tech since Vince Hall and Xavier Adibi came in together. We should see some big things from Clarke and Edmunds in the near future.

Devin Vandyke 6'1'' 203 three stars. He is the brother of current backup free safety Ronny Vandyke and looks to be a solid player he has good size and should play in the outside linebacker spot for the Hokies. Always good to see another legacy on board.


Dahman McKinnon 6'2'' 200 three stars. Another outside backer for the Hokies out of North Carolina. He could end up being a steal as he was lightly recruited but time will tell.

The ones who got away:

Koren Kirven. Could have been a huge recruit for Tech as it came down to the Hokies and Alabama with most pundits predicting him to go to Tech. Alas our pockets aren't as deep as the ones in the SEC and he switched in the final moments leading to his signing. I wish he had stayed in state but you can't win 'em all.

Jawand Blue. Really the only shock of the day as he had been solid with the Hokies since early July. Miami came through with a late offer and since he is from Boca Raton he decided to stay close to home. Apparently no one knew about this until it happened especially the Hokies as there was word on twitter that Coach Charley Wiles (originally reported to be Beamer himself but later corrected to be Wiles) really gave this kid an ear full about how betrayed the coaches felt. As always if they don't wanna be at Tech then Tech shouldn't want them.

So that's it. I think overall a great class for Tech but of course time will tell. They got some great athletes in areas of need and also added some depth which is always important. This coming year they should be focusing on a QB or two and some offensive lineman and hopefully they can build on the momentum from this class. I might have some more to say about this class tomorrow once the national and local rankings come out. Welcome to all the new Hokies and we look forward to seeing you on the field in the fall, GO HOKIES!