Football recruiting is rocketing towards the February 4th signing date, and at this point in the in-state recruiting game, the Hokies are concentrating on three players - Warwick (Newport News) QB Michael Vick (#3 in Doug Doughty's postseason rankings), Gates City LB Jake Houseright (#4), and Wm. Fleming (Roanoke) RB Lee Suggs (#8).

On Wednesday, two of them - Suggs and Vick - will announce their intentions. Suggs is considering UVa, Tech, and Wake Forest, and his rumored preference has changed from week to week. On Tuesday night, Greg Roberts of Channel 10 in Roanoke said that Wake Forest leads for Suggs, but "don't count the Hokies out." There was no mention in Greg's report of UVa, and with their depth at tailback, I would be surprised to see Suggs go there. For some unknown reason that has nothing to do with fact or inside sources, I think he'll go to Wake.

Vick, on the other hand, has always been heavily rumored to be a Tech lean. He never even considered UVa (good man), but ECU and Syracuse, in particular, provide Tech's stiffest competition here. I'm not sure what time Vick's press conference is, but a poster on the message board said that it's slated for 7:30 A.M. So by the time you read this, Vick may have already announced where he's going.

Houseright

As for Houseright, it is down to Tech and Tennessee for big Jake. Those who have seen Houseright play in person say that he is good enough to start for Tech tomorrow, and although one player does not a program make, it's hard for me to not get excited about a kid who will be a dominating force at middle linebacker. A good middle linebacker is a big key to a great defense, and we've been looking for the next George Del Ricco ever since the last one left.

Jake has a long family history at Tech - his father and brother played for Tech, with Bill Sr. lettering from 1973-1977, and Bill Jr. lettering in 1995, according to my trusty "maroon book." Bill Jr. is married to the former Michelle Hollister, a basketball player for Tech's women's team who now goes by her married name of Houseright and is still hooping it up for the Hokies.

These family ties to Tech have led many people to describe Jake as a Tech "lock," but I consider him to be no such thing. What he is, by all accounts, is a fine young man who is handling the recruiting process with class, character, and poise. Jake has been one of the most tight-lipped recruits in the country when it concerns his ultimate college football destination. The rumors I've heard have him favoring UT slightly over the Hokies, and there are excellent sources on both sides that say he will attend their school. Jake is expected to announce his intentions by the end of the week, and either way (UT or VT), Tech fans will go nuts.

But Back to Vick and Suggs

For these two, the wait is almost over. Vick could be the quarterback of Tech's future, but more so than that, he is a key, big-time recruit that Tech needs to land in order to shore up what is already a great recruiting class. If we can land Vick and follow him up with Houseright later on in the week, this will unquestionably be Tech's best class ever.

I don't have high hopes for Suggs, and actually, my first wish there is for him to not go to UVa. I don't like losing recruits from Roanoke - our back yard - to the Wahoos, primarily because Roanoke kids who attend UVa get heavy coverage from The Roanoke Times and the Roanoke TV stations (call it the Tiki Barber/Ronde Barber/Curtis Staples effect). Like most Hokies, I'm tired of having UVa shoved down my throat by the state media, in particular, by the Roanoke media. So anything that lessens that is okay by me.

In any event, Wednesday's announcements by Vick and Suggs are a rare double-dose of two highly-recruited kids announcing on the same day. It's enough to make any Hokie fan go crazy with nerves.

First, a fact: in case you missed it, freshman shooting guard Kenny Harrell has been suffering from tendonitis (in his foot, I believe, but don't quote me on that) for a while, and it is official that he will take a redshirt year. This is a blow to this year's team, although if Kenny heals and can continue his career, it'll be nice to have him for four years as an outside complement to incoming 6-9 recruit Dennis Mims.

Kenny's specialty is the three-pointer, and the Hokies sure could use his help right now. I asked Coach Hussey Monday night on the Hokie Hotline show how much the absence of Harrell has hurt him, and he said, "Quite a bit." According to the coach, Kenny is the kind of player who can create his own shot when the offensive set isn't creating it for him, and the Hokies could certainly use a little more of that type of talent right now.

There are rules about qualifying for a medical redshirt year. If I remember what I read correctly, a player cannot have participated in greater than 20% of his team's games, and Kenny has played in 22% of Tech's scheduled games for this year. Despite, this, Tech did not have trouble getting a redshirt year from the NCAA for Kenny.

Now, a rumor: I have it from a good source (and so does a recent message board poster) that Tech QB and Gator Bowl MVP Nick Sorensen has been moved to safety. Assuming that this is true, this is a surprising development to say the least, and we can certainly theorize until the cows come home as to why Coach Beamer would do this.

One theory is that he is looking to nip a burgeoning quarterback controversy in the bid. Fair enough, but I don't think Coach Beamer would move a skilled, experienced backup QB over to safety just so he doesn't have to hear it from the fans and the press this Spring and next Fall. Then again, who knows….? Maybe the silence would be worth it to Coach Beamer.

Another theory is that Nick "just isn't a good quarterback." I'm not sure I buy that one, either. After all, he was good enough to win the backup job. Although Nick's arm strength has been questioned by some (and I'll admit that he hasn't done anything on the field to disprove this), I think he's a good quarterback. You've heard me rave before about his pocket sense and decision-making ability.

Another theory is that the coaches like incoming recruit Grant Noel out of West Virginia better in the long term, and/or the coaches are expecting to sign Vick, and they want to clear the path for Vick to replace Clark at the end of Clark's career. This one's got some credence to it. After all, if Vick signs with Tech and is anointed Tech's next QB, then he can redshirt next year behind Clark, or if Clark gets injured, he can replace him and play as a true freshman.

In any event, players are moved from position to position all the time, but when an experienced backup QB is moved, it's big news. If I hear anything more on this rumored development, I'll let you know.

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