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With the various dead periods and quiet periods ending and contact periods beginning again, recruiting is entering its last four weeks, leading up to Signing Day on February 6, 2002.

The Hokie coaches are having a staff meeting today (1-11-02) and setting their strategy for the remaining month of recruiting. Here are some random notes on what to expect (as always, each recruit's name is a list to their TSL database entry):

Quarterbacks: Patrick Dosh (6-3, 215, 4.6) is expected to verbal to the Hokies on Monday in a press conference at Benedictine High School in Richmond. We spoke with Dosh on Tuesday night, and he said that he's "95 to 98 percent sure" that Tech is his choice. He's also considering UNC and will visit JMU this weekend. The reason for the JMU visit is that his father is a hall of fame athlete at JMU, and it's a classy move to pay the Dukes a visit before announcing a commitment to either VT or UNC.

That leaves Marcus Vick, James Banks, and Lorne Sam in the running for other quarterback scholarships. If Dosh verbals, the Hokies will probably sign just one more QB, and Vick is their highest priority. Sam appears to be slipping away to FSU, who has told him that they will give him a shot at quarterback (previously, FSU said that Sam was being recruited just as a wide receiver, and his interest in VT was because he would get a shot at QB).

Sam is still interested in meeting new Tech QB Coach Kevin Rogers, but you can probably mark Sam off your list, which leaves Vick and Banks. The Hokie coaches are in a holding pattern with Banks, who favors Tennessee, Michigan, Purdue and Notre Dame over a host of other teams, including VT. Banks expressed interest in "hearing from" VT at a recent all-star game, and recently, the Hokies called him up. But it's not clear at this point how hard Tech is going to push with Banks.

Thanks to the hiring of new QB coach Kevin Rogers, the Hokies might be in the running for QB/ATH Derell Jenkins, whom Rogers was recruiting when he (Rogers) was still at Notre Dame. Rogers called Jenkins recently, and Jenkins told cnnsi.com, "I think I'm going to go check Virginia Tech out." Jenkins is ranked as the #30 ATH in the country by Rivals.com, and he favors Michigan State. We'll probably find out soon if the Hokies are able to get a visit out of Jenkins, who has January 25th and perhaps January 18th open.

Running Backs: Mike Imoh (5-7, 175, 4.4, Group AAA Player of the Year) is the only running back the Hokies are recruiting. Imoh visited Tech on December 14th, Pitt on January 5th, and will visit Wake Forest on January 11th. He may also trip to Georgia Tech and maybe Tennessee. Imoh is a Tech lean, and sources tell us that his visits are just a formality and that he'll be a Hokie.

Now for some thoughts on individual players:

DL Jonathan Lewis: very reserved and plays it close to the vest. Hard to read, but he is probably Tech-bound.

WR Mario Raley: I was told weeks ago that VT wasn't recruiting Raley anymore, but according to Rivals.com, he has scheduled a visit to VT for 1/25 and recently jokingly told Rivals.com's Mike Farrell that his leader was, “Whoever wants me to play right away and probably Virginia Tech because they get the last visit. I’m honestly not sure who I like best.”

TE Laenar Nixon: Hokie coaches have not contacted him since his Dec. 1 Tech visit. VT has cooled on him because they feel it would take time for him to bulk up and become a good tight end (he only weighs 205-210). If Nixon accepts the offer Tech has made, they'll honor it.

DB Demetrius Hodges: Hokie coaches feel Hodges, who was recently added to the TSL database, is a great athlete, no question about that. But Tech has plenty of commitments at the DB position, so they are not pushing Hodges hard anymore. But like Nixon, if he accepts VT's offer, they'll honor it.

LB Ahmad Brooks: Tech's number one recruit, we're told. The most outlandish thing we've heard about him is that the Tech coaches think he's better than any linebacker currently on the VT roster, including Ben Taylor (if you're Ben Taylor, them's fightin' words). The word is that Brooks' parents were very impressed with their visit to VT on Dec. 14th, but that Brooks himself is nearly impossible to read. Brooks is visiting FSU this weekend, then Virginia on 1/18/02, then Tennessee on 1/25/02. He and his parents will make the decision after that.

ATH Jimmy Williams: the VT coaches love him and want him bad. He is underrated.

Whip linebacker T.J. Jackson, who saw significant playing time this past season, will also transfer to an undetermined 1-AA program. Jackson was a good run defender but was lost in pass defense, a key component of the Whip position. He had slipped behind Deon Provitt, Mike Daniels, and Brandon Manning, all younger players, on the depth chart. Jackson, who struggled to qualify academically coming out of high school, graduated in just three and a half years from Tech, a commendable feat. When you consider that he played football and has a three-year-old daughter, that makes his early graduation that much more remarkable. Congrats to T.J., and good luck, and yes, that's another scholarship that's open for recruiting.

The Tech women's basketball team broke into the top 25 this past week and celebrated by thumping Big East foe Boston College, 73-52 on Wednesday night. The Hokies are 12-2, 3-0 in the Big East, and have won 9 games in a row. Their last three wins have been quality wins over Clemson (68-58), Syracuse (62-56), and BC.

Post-Gator Bowl columns and articles:
Growing Pains, Title Shots, and the Lunch Pail - by Lakota Hokie, 1/7/02
More Than Just a Game - by Bill Glose, 1/7/02
For the Most Part, a Great Trip - by Jim Alderson, 1/8/02

Women's Basketball news and column:
Tech Women Break Into Top 25 - News and Notes, 1/9/02
Sometimes, It's Good to be Wrong - by Will Stewart, 1/10/02

Other News:
Hokie Hotline Notes - by Wandering Hokie, 1/8/02