TSLMail #390 - July 17, 2009

Your guide to breaking news, recruiting updates and important offers from TechSideline.com!

TSLMail #390- July 17, 2009

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Tech Sports News

Detrick Bonner and Brian Laiti Commit to Virginia Tech
by Chris Coleman, TechSideline.com

The Hokies received their 14th and 15th commitments of the 2010 recruiting class on Thursday night, and one of them was a surprise. Cornerback Detrick Bonner of Locust Grove, GA made his pledge on Thursday, just a day after receiving a scholarship offer from Virginia Tech.

Bonner plays wide receiver and defensive back in high school. As a receiver, he caught 24 passes for 504 yards and four touchdowns. He added an interception and three pass breakups on defense.

At 6-0, 170, Bonner could potentially play cornerback or safety, or even wide receiver. He was recruited by Virginia Tech defensive backs coach Torrian Gray.

Bonner also held scholarship offers from Louisville, Michigan and Mississippi State, as well as a number of small-conference teams such as UCF, Toledo and Western Kentucky.

The other commitment was not a surprise. Linebacker Brian Laiti of Robinson High School in Fairfax committed to the Hokies on Friday morning. Laiti is a 6-3, 205-lbs backer prospect who chose Virginia Tech over scholarship offers from Boston College, Maryland, and West Virginia.

Laiti is ranked the #9 prospect in the state of Virginia by TechSideline.com. He has room to grow, and he is expected to play the backer position at Virginia Tech. He is rated the #29 outside linebacker prospect in the country by Rivals.com. He had 147 tackles for Robinson High School last season.

Here is a quick recap of Virginia Tech commitments.

2010 Verbal Commitments
Pos.	Player
QB	Mark Leal
QB	Ricardo Young
OL	Matt Arkema
OL	Mark Shuman
OL	Caleb Farris
DT	Nick Acree
DT	Derrick Hopkins
DE	Zack McCray
DE	Justin Taylor
LB	Brian Laiti
LB	Dominique Patterson
LB	Tahrick Peak
CB	Kyle Fuller
ATH	Detrick Bonner
ATH	Jerome Lewis

That's 15 commitments, and it's only July 17. The Hokies still have a number of talented prospects on their recruiting board, such as Nick Dew, Travis Williams, Chase Williams, Kareem Martin, Khamrone Kolb, Tyler Robinson, E.L. Smiling, Brandon Coleman, Matt James and Zack Zwinak, among others. Things are setting up for a very strong finish to the recruiting class.

Pre-Game Tailgate for the Alabama Game

Join the Atlanta Chapter of Virginia Tech Alumni Association on Saturday, September 5 for our Pre-Game Tailgate!

Location: The Yellow Parking Lot of the Georgia Dome (on the corner of Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd and Northside Drive). Look for the Orange and Maroon Balloons!

When: September 5, 2009, 4pm-7pm

Tickets: $20 in advance, $25 day of. Children 12 and under are free. Tickets include hamburgers, hotdogs, all the fixins', dessert and beer!

Purchase tickets online at http://www.chapters.alumni.vt.edu/atlanta/

Online cut-off for tickets is August 28, 2009.

FUN: Cornhole, Golf and other tailgate games will be available so come and join for some good 'ole Hokie Fun!

The Atlanta VTAA strongly encourages the use of MARTA (www.itsmarta.com) while in town. The Yellow Parking Lot is just 2 blocks away from the Vine City MARTA Stop and about 3 blocks from the GA Dome/Philips Arena MARTA Stop. A map of the Georgia Dome Complex can be found at http://www.gwcc.com/pdf/gwccmap.pdf (MARTA stops are also noted).

A HUGE thank you to our sponsors, Hudson Grille Alpharetta and Hudson Grill Brookhaven! Local Alumni can join us this fall for game watching parties at BOTH Hudson Grille locations!

Parking Available at Smithfield Plantation

New this year, you can purchase a season football parking pass at historic
Smithfield Plantation. Smithfield is a short walk to Lane stadium between
the Cage and the Vet-Med building, and then down Washington Street.

There are five parking spaces left, and they are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
One rearview mirror SEASON pass is provided for each car (no individual
game passes).
Cost: $120 for the full season, covering all six home games.

To reserve one of these 50 spots, contact Bill Foster at (703) 273-5355 or [email protected].

Also: Smithfield has 5 parking spots left -- look up the frozen post and copy some material from it.

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TechSideline.com Updates From the Past Week

Detrick Bonner Quickly Accepts VT Offer July 17, 2009 Luella (Locust Grove, GA) rising senior star Detrick Bonner hadn't planned on committing this week, but that changed quickly when Virginia Tech offered on Wednesday. After discussing his college decision with his parents, the 6-0, 170-pound standout decided to call primary recruiter Torrian Gray and commit late last night. more
Virginia Tech Scores Another In-State Star July 17, 2009 Virginia Tech is on a recruiting roll. Its latest commitment came this morning, when a talented in-state linebacker prospect pledged to the Hokies over offers from Boston College, Maryland and West Virginia. Tech now boasts 15 commitments for the 2010 recruiting class, including three potential linebacker prospects. more
Friday Q&A: July 17, 2009 July 17, 2009 Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at TSL? This week Will Stewart is our Friday Q&A guest, and he answers questions about the background of the site and the parent company, various business models and the ever-elusive press pass. more
Inside the Numbers: Rating the 2001 Recruiting Class July 16, 2009 It's been over a year since we looked back and reviewed the 2000 recruiting class, so it's about time we moved ahead to the 2001 class. There were a number of highly-touted players in the 2001 class. The Hokies had played for the National Championship just 13 months before the 2001 group signed, and Tech football was considered to be on the rise. more
WCHS Brings Talented Group to Camp July 16, 2009 One of the top high school football programs in the state of Indiana, Warren Central (Indianapolis) has produced some quality talent in recent years. Current Virginia Tech running back Darren Evans is one of those talented products and he was on hand at Saturday's camp to support current Warren Central standouts. more
Dinwiddie's Marshall Impressed with Tech July 16, 2009 June 20th turned out to be a terrific day for Dinwiddie (VA) rising junior defensive lineman Corey Marshall. On that Saturday, the 6-2, 260-pound prospect impressed at University of Virginia head coach Al Groh's one-day lineman camp and left Charlottesville with a verbal scholarship offer. On the ride home, he learned that Virginia Tech had offered as well. more
Top In-State Rising Junior Earns VT Offer July 15, 2009 It didn't take long for Bayside (Virginia Beach, VA) head coach Darnell Moore to realize that cornerback Demetrious Nicholson would be a player. "When I looked at him as a freshman [in 2007], he was working out during the summer before his freshman year, I saw he was real quick and had good feet," Moore said. "I knew he wasn't a player I would let play JV. He has good reaction. He has good hips for a defensive back. He has got all of these things. Hard work has paid off for him. His work ethic is extremely good. Those things have paid off for him." more
Special Teams Standout Accepts Walk-on Spot July 15, 2009 When Sherando (Stephens City, VA) long snapper/place-kicker Lukas Stump left Virginia Tech's camp on Saturday, he said, "I felt like I did great out there. I just gave it my best shot." The Tech staff, led by primary recruiter Kevin Sherman was impressed with the 5-11, 195-pound prospect. Although Tech is not offering an official scholarship, they did offer a spot on the 2010 roster. Stump, a rising senior, accepted. more
Catching Up With Darryl Tapp July 15, 2009 Movie stars and other celebrities usually come to mind when thinking about jet-setters who live on two different coasts. A humble, unassuming athlete doesn't fit the usual mold. Circumstances, however, have turned Darryl Tapp into a two-coast kind of guy. more
Fuller Picks VT July 14, 2009 On Sunday, a day after attending Tech's second 2009 camp, Mount St. Joseph's (Baltimore, MD) cornerback Kyle Fuller told TechSideline.com that he was leaning towards Virginia Tech over Kansas and Maryland. He also expected to make his college selection this week, which he has now done. This evening, the 6-0, 160-pound rising senior recruit gave his pledge to Tech primary recruiter Kevin Sherman. more
Tech Recruits Stand Out in VHSCA All-Star Game July 14, 2009 In the highest scoring game in the 38-year history of the Virginia High School Coaches Association All-Star Game, the East came from behind to take an exciting 38-31 victory, scoring on an intercepted lateral late in the fourth quarter. The East win evened the overall series at 19-19, and this game was one of the most evenly matched in the history of the all-star game. The game featured ten future Hokies divided equally between the two squads, with the West offensive tackles, Kory Gough and Andrew Miller, often pitted against East defensive ends, James Gayle, Duan Perez-Means, and Tyrel Wilson. more
Travis Williams Reflects on Latest VT Visit July 14, 2009 Lake Taylor (Norfolk, VA) linebacker Travis Williams had planned on attending Virginia Tech's July 11th camp along with rising senior teammate Mario Rowson. Rowson couldn't make it, but the talented Titans star, rated #7 in TSL's In-State Top 30, made the trip to Blacksburg anyway. more
Dew Talks Recruiting, Latest VT Visit July 14, 2009 Throughout his recruitment, First Colonial (Virginia Beach, VA) safety/linebacker Nick Dew has made no secret that Virginia Tech is the top program on his list. Early on, the 6-2, 195-pound rising senior discussed going through the process, evaluating Tech and other schools before announcing a decision at the Under Armour All-American game in February. He has recently discussed making a commitment to Tech this summer, but for now it appears he'll wait. more
Top Camp Performer Commits to VT July 13, 2009 Virginia Tech's second summer camp has yielded another 2010 class commitment. The Hokies have received 2010 class verbal commitment #12, from a prospect the staff offered at Saturday's camp. Tech's newest commit informed primary recruiter Curt Newsome of his decision earlier this evening. more
Talented SG Commits to Tech's 2011 Class July 13, 2009 Virginia Tech men's basketball head coach Seth Greenberg reeled in his first rising junior commitment today, when East Ridge (Clermont, FL) shooting guard Robert Brown pledged to the Hokies. Brown, a 6-4, 170-pound prospect, committed to Coach Greenberg and company this morning according to Florida Assault/Showtime Ballers AAU coach Diana Neal. more
QB Leal Recalls "Perfect" Visit July 13, 2009 Atlantic (Delray Beach, FL) quarterback Mark Leal had already committed to Virginia Tech prior to making his first ever visit to Blacksburg this past weekend. If the 6-1, 185-pound rising senior had any doubts about the decision he made on May 7th, they now appear to be totally alleviated following this past week's experience. more
Fuller Closing in on a Decision July 13, 2009 Mount St. Joseph's (Baltimore, MD) standout cornerback prospect Kyle Fuller expects to know his college destination by the end of this week. The 6-1, 165-pound rising senior lists three favorites, one of which is Virginia Tech, and says "I think I'll make my decision in the next couple of days." more
VT Offers King's Fork Standout LB July 13, 2009 King's Fork (Suffolk, VA) head coach Joe Jones took two of his rising seniors to Tech's camp on Saturday, including linebacker/running back Dominique Patterson and quarterback LaRay Kindred. Both players performed well, with the former coming away with a scholarship offer from head coach Frank Beamer and company. more