Questions/Problems?
  Click here

TSL Links
  Home Page
  Football Home
  VT Hokie News
  Football Recruiting
  Message Board

TSL Products
  The TSL Extra
  TechLocker.com

TSLMail Archives
  Complete Archives

Sign up a friend for TSLMail!      Forward this email to a friend!

And don't forget to support our our sponsors

Now that the names are signed on the dotted line, where did Virginia Tech end up in the recruiting rankings? A look around the Web reveals the following info:

You can see that with the exception of CNN/SI and Rivals.com, Tech's class is rated as a consensus mid-20's class on a national scale. But more important than the rankings is whether or not the Hokies recruited their needs, and for the most part, they did.

Defensively, while Tech missed out on LB's Ahmad Brooks and Justin London, they did very well with defensive line recruits, particularly at defensive tackle. DT's Jonathan Lewis and Jimmy Williams are expected to provide immediate help on the D-line. And Tech signed a handful of defensive backs who should keep the cornerback positions set for years to come.

Offensively, the Hokies got a couple of linemen that they like (Brandon Gore and Jimmy Martin) and their #1 QB recruit in Marcus Vick. Tech is well-stocked with tight ends and tailbacks already in the program, so those were not areas of emphasis. The Hokies landed the only running back they recruited, Mike Imoh.

At receiver, Tech got a recommitment from Fred Lee but were turned away by their top wide receiver targets, national-caliber recruits like Santonio Holmes and Justin Miller. But the Tech coaches like to recruit Virginians, and they got just that in sleepers Robert Parker and Brenden Hill.

In the special teams arena, placekicker Nic Schmitt, Tech's first verbal of the 2002 recruiting class, is a fine pickup.

We'll have a detailed analysis of this year's recruiting class in the next issue of the TSL Extra (see below), which will focus on Recruiting 2002.

Recruiting Roundup -- A breakdown of this year's class, where the Tech staff succeeded ... and where they missed out. We assign grades, position-by-position, and give you our opinion of where the Hokies hit the nail on the head, and where they banged their thumbs.

Inside Recruiting 2002 -- How shocked were the coaches that Justin London committed to UCLA? What was Ahmad Brooks telling people in the days leading up to his commitment to UVa? What event led to Tech's coaches being awakened by a panicked round of phone calls at 11 p.m. the night before Marcus Vick committed? What recruits are the most likely to get playing time next year? Who are the true sleepers of this year's recruiting class? Get the scoop and get the inside info we've been hearing at TSL for the last few months.

Do Facilities Matter Anymore? -- It used to be that recruits often picked one school or another because of facilities. Now that everyone is expanding their stadiums and building their version of the Merryman Center, do facilities matter anymore? The recruits tell us.

Inside the Numbers: Ranking the Recruits -- It's our yearly "ranking the recruits" feature, where we mash Rivals.com, SuperPrep, and PrepStar rankings together and rank the Tech recruits from top to bottom. How do this year's recruits compare to last years? (Hint: Kevin Jones is still top dog.)

Inside TSL: Traffic Jam -- in January and February 2002, the TechSideline.com server was hit harder than ever by Hokie fans hungry for recruiting news. How big were the page view and message board numbers? Did we get more hits the day Marcus Vick announced, or the day Ahmad Brooks announced? Check out the figures and get the lowdown on what happened, where, and how much.

Hokies snap long losing streaks: Congratulations to the Tech men's basketball team, which shattered a ten-game losing streak and 18-game Big East losing streak with a rousing 76-73 victory over Boston College on Wednesday night. The Hokies were down 64-54 with 7 minutes to go, but went on an 11-0 run to take a 65-64 lead. The game seesawed back and forth, and with 1.9 seconds to go, Tech's Carlos Dixon hit a game-winning three pointer that made it 76-73.

13th game nearly finalized: Mike Harris of the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported this morning that Tech's 13th football game for 2002 is almost finalized. It will be against Arkansas State at Lane Stadium on Sunday, August 25th and is called the Hispanic College Fund Classic. Once the Hokies get approval from the NCAA for a 13th game, it will be a go. Click here for the RT-D article.

Two Hokie OL quit football: From "hokiesports.com the newspaper" comes the news that reserve offensive linemen Tim Selmon and Thenus Franklin will not return to the football team, despite the fact that each had another year of eligibility remaining. Both have decided to move on due to very limited playing time. The good news is that both should graduate: Franklin in Summer 2002 (Sociology) and Selmon in Spring 2002 (Physical Education). With the previous departures of Jason Davis (to ETSU) and T.J. Jackson (to Illinois State), this has freed up four scholarships in the offseason. Jackson has already graduated from Tech.