Monday's Hokie Hotline radio show centered around football recruiting, and when the topic is football, GalaxHokie is all over it!  Here are his notes.   Many thanks, as usual, to Galax for the service he provides.

Hokie Hotline Notes - Monday, February 9, 1998

Recruiting show featuring Frank Beamer and recruiting expert Doug Doughty of The Roanoke Times....

DOUGHTY: VIRGINIA TECH HAD BEST RECRUITING CLASS IN BIG EAST; BEST IN 25 YEARS.

Doughty acknowledged that the question he gets asked the most is to compare the recruiting years of VT and UVa. His answer? "At this moment, there's no question that Virginia Tech had a better year than UVa. There may not be an argument even if Ronald Curry goes to UVa."

Some more perspective: In 20 years of Top 25 recruiting rankings by The Roanoke Times, "this certainly is the best job Virginia Tech has done in-state on paper."

To come back in another 4-5 years and compare the results of this class with the one of Antonio Freeman is another thing, Doughty said, but there is "no question this is Tech's best recruiting class in at least 25 years."

Beamer and Doughty noted that recruiting classes were different in Beamer's day (so drawing comparisons beyond 25 years is difficult). Beamer said he was one of an incoming class of SIXTY players plus 6 walk-ons brought in by Jerry Claiborne.

The VT 1998 class includes 2 of the top 5 ranked players in state (Vick, Houseright). This has happened only twice in 20 years: 1993 class included #2 Oxendine and #4 Morrison; 1978 had Cyrus Lawrence and Johnny Edmonds.

The VT 1998 class included 5 of top 10 rated players from Virginia (and 6 of top 11), whereas the most ever signed in a year before by Tech was four.

Seven signees were pre- or post-season Super Prep All- Americans. (Ronyell Whitaker was a pre-season pick).

Doughty agreed with the line of thinking that recruiting rankings are heavily influenced by who is recruiting a kid: if a kid is being pursued by Notre Dame, he jumps up in the rankings. It becomes what Doughty called a "self-perpetuating thing." Roth agreed: "You never see Nebraska ranked in the Top 15" in recruiting. Beamer said the so-called recruiting experts see very few of the kids play. They rank players by who recruits them.

Roth cited three different reviews of Big East recruiting and Doughty was asked to give his view: "I THINK VIRGINIA TECH'S CLASS IS NUMBER ONE IN THE BIG EAST."

They talked about Tech's strong close in recruiting, rather than saying "what if" this or that player had signed. Beamer said he considered it a "very good class" even before the final week, and then all four key recruits committed: Vick, Houseright, Suggs, Parham.

Beamer indicated it was never certain about Houseright, even when Jake made the trek to Blacksburg for a basketball game two days before he announced.

Similar situation with Suggs -- not a lot was being said. Even though Suggs' father said that VT offered first and apparently was the leader all along, Beamer said the staff didn't really know that. "We felt good about Lee and his family, but Lee wasn't saying anything."

Beamer said 4 or 5 players are in question regarding qualifying. He didn't want to mention names on the air. One player has "a ways to go," and they think the others will make it.

The coach was noncommittal about signees with a chance to play in 1998. At one point he just said "several" will play. Doughty said it is rare for an offensive lineman to play as a freshman. "I agree with you," Beamer said.

Which seemed to raise the prospect of some DL being moved to OL to join the JUCOs. Beamer said the staff may talk with a couple of current players about moving to OL before spring practice. Part of it will hinge on whether the players want to move and what's best for the players overall.

Beamer talked at several points about the importance of restoring competition between members of the OL and letting Coach Grimes develop the group into what carried the team in past seasons. (DiNapoli and Washington are at the scouting combine this week, by the way).

Bill Roth said that Vick was Syracuse's top recruit, and was being sold on becoming heir-apparent to Donovan McNabb. Beamer said there was a day when VT didn't have a lot of success recruiting head to head with Syracuse. He said Vick has all the skills and has run an offense similar to VT's -- shotgun, audibles, etc.

A caller said VT needs to find a "nasty fullback." Beamer acknowledged that recruiting at fullback was the one position where there was disappointment. The staff is talking about several players who can be moved and tried at fullback.

William Flowers will not play in 1998, Beamer said, due to knee injury. Didn't seem to be any question about it.

WR/RB Butch Patrick, one of the top speedsters on the team, was just named VT's athlete of the week for his track and field achievements, Roth said.

Caller asked about cultivating Tech's relationship at Hampton. Beamer replied: "We got some of the better players from that area," and said that would be the extent of his comment.

It was noted that Western Branch has become a VT pipeline. 1998 signees Burnell and Johnson join Ferguson and Stith.

Doughty made the point that many of Tech's signees had spent time at Tech summer football camps.

As he has before, Beamer ticked off the names of some redshirts expected to play key roles in the future: Pugh, Beasley, Slowikowski, Lomax, Welch, Davis, Hall, etc. Reggie Samuel will get a tryout at WR in the spring, even though he's a very good DB. He compared Samuel to Brian Still based on his quickness -- possibly a guy who can take a short pass in the flat and turn it into a long gain. Beamer said he feels good about the WR talent of signees Parham and 6-foot-3 -Emmett Johnson.

Beamer's quick comments about some signees:

• Hicks: size, quickness, big-time player.
• Turner: could have taken as many visits as he wanted, anywhere. Feels good about him. Will give him a chance at QB, but he can play elsewhere.
• Anthony Davis: great size and blessed with nice feet to move his 325 pounds. "Bright future."
• Burnell: a real quality player. He wanted to sign when he was ready. Apparently had gotten nervous about a few things, hence the delay in signing until today. (No other discussion of Burnell situation tonight).
• Houseright: ability to go anywhere he wanted to in the country. His commitment "says things are right in this program," regarding how players are treated, academics.
• JUCO linemen: sounded like Dihapoli (nicknamed Shorty) is more advanced of the two. The question with Marchant is how quickly he can get stronger.

The height of DB's Cobb and T.J. Jackson (both 6-3) was mentioned. The coach talked about how this affects coverage -- the longer arms and height force the passer to throw over you.

Doughty, unprompted, complimented Beamer on his staff. "It's an outstanding recruiting staff," Doughty said, top to bottom. Beamer agreed and particularly singled out Bustle, Stinespring and Wiles for this year's class.

Beamer said several times that the quality, character and personalities of the 1998 signing class will pay off in attracting players in the future. Similarly, he said "our players did a good job" in recruiting roles this year.

Roth noted that how well Tech recruited in all corners of the state.

There was some rambling on the point that Tech recruited well despite a poor finish on the field in 1997. Beamer said the general direction of the program affects how you do, too, such as being only one of 10 teams to go to five straight bowl games. He also told about talking recently with an unidentified Alliance Bowl coach (maybe Pasqualoni??) who said the Alliance achievement didn't
translate into a strong recruiting year for them.

Coach Beamer congratulated Doughty on being named sports writer of the year in Virginia. Beamer called him "a very fair and a very good sports writer."

What's ahead for the football program, short-term? Coaches are taking a few well-deserved days off. Some will be heading out soon to visit other programs, and vice versa. Coach Foster has recommended some defensive adjustments that Beamer said he likes. Spring practice starts Saturday March 21. Spring game is April 18.

Coach Beamer also put in plug on behalf of the Merryman Center. Another $1 million is needed to develop the inside into a first class facility. Merryman definitely affected recruiting this year because its presence said a lot about Tech's intentions of being a top program, Beamer said.

--GalaxHokie

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