During the period when Virginia and Virginia Tech were attempting to become more competitive in football, supporters spoke longingly of a day when their programs would be able to keep the top Virginia players at home.

If the state's two Division I-A schools could corral most of the home-grown talent, so the theory went, there would be enough good players to sustain both programs.

Almost without notice, that day may have arrived this year.

In its most recent issue, the ACC Sports Journal looked at the 78 players who made first- or second-team All-ACC or who received honorable mention. Twenty of those players went to high school in Florida, 17 were from Virginia and there were no more than eight players from any other state.

Of the 17 players from Virginia, 15 play for either Tech or UVa.

No wonder the Hokies (10-2) are headed to the Sugar Bowl as ACC champions and the Cavaliers (8-3) remained in the race until their final game.

"It's damned hard to recruit in that state any more," said an assistant coach from an ACC program that borders Virginia.

A quick look at The Roanoke Times' annual ranking of the top prospects in Virginia will support that statement. Of the 22 players who have announced a decision, nine have made oral commitments to UVa and eight to Tech. Two of the three uncommitted players could wind up at Tech or UVa.

Of the five committed players who are headed out of state, only one, offensive lineman Pat Sheil from Centreville High School, had an offer from Tech or UVa. In fact, Sheil had offers from both state schools, but made a midsummer commitment to Boston College.

At some point in the late 1990s, Virginia went from being a state that produced 30 to 35 Division I-A players per year to one that had close to 50. Thirteen players off the second 25 already have made I-A commitment this year.

Clearly, respect for Virginia talent has grown - even at the Division I-AA level. James Madison won a national championship and William and Mary got to the national semifinals with in-state players in key roles. William and Mary quarterback Lang Campbell, from Handley High School in Winchester, won the Walter Payton Award as the top offensive player in I-AA.

At least part of Virginia Tech's success in recruiting the state is head coach Frank Beamer's success in keeping a staff intact and the rapport that his assistants have established with their counterparts at the high school level. The state's top two prospects, all-purpose threat Victor "Macho" Harris from Highland Springs and running back Elan Lewis from Phoebus High School in Hampton, decided to follow former teammates to Blacksburg.

Coaches Scott Burton from Highland Springs and Bill Dee from Phoebus were quick to point out that they do not steer their players to Tech. While Tech has many graduates who are coaching in high schools in the state, Burton and Dee are not on that list.

"I think it was natural for people in the media and fans to speculate that [Harris] was a Virginia Tech 'lean' because of all the connections," Burton said, "but, to be honest with you, that stuff drove him in the opposite direction.

"He said, 'Coach, these people don't think I can think for myself, that they're naturally going to assume I'm going to go there.' It's somewhat disrespectful, if you think about it, to suggest that he's not going to objectively weigh the pros and cons and come up with his own decision."

Harris and Lewis joined Westfield junior Evan Royster as the first-team running backs on the All-Group AAA team, but Harris is expected to play defensive back for the Hokies. He and Lewis spoke cordially at a Tom Lemming photo shoot in Blacksburg last summer but did not subsequently discuss their decisions, Lewis said this week.

The Hokies also landed the No.4 player on the list, linebacker Deveon Simmons from Group AAA Division 5 champion Landstown of Virginia Beach, and are considered the team to beat for Oscar Smith quarterback Greg Boone, who rounds out the top five.

Boone, compared to Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper because of his 6-foot-4, 260-pound physique, accounted for 359 of his team's 360 yards in total offense in a one-point loss to Landstown in the playoffs.

UVa's lone Top 5 commitment is from two-time Group AA player of the year Vic Hall from Gretna, whose 13,770 yards in total offense rank fifth on the national all-time list. Hall's relatively small stature (5-10, 175) has caused some to wonder if he can play quarterback at the next level, but no one questions his playmaking ability.

The Cavaliers took another promising quarterback, No.14 Jameel Sewell from Hermitage High School in Richmond, and received commitments from both Timesland players on the Top 25, linebacker Darryl Gresham from William Fleming and tight end John Phillips from Bath County.

Phillips also played defensive end and finished his career with 90 tackles for loss, including 42 sacks. Spread over four seasons, that's an average of 22 1/2 tackles for loss and 10 1/2 sacks per year.

Both contributed to an early Virginia recruiting push that resulted in 22 commitments by the end of July. Gresham subsequently has reopened his recruiting, describing himself as a "soft" Virginia commit while continuing to look at Tennessee, Florida and Virginia Tech. UVa is the only school he has visited.

The above-mentioned ACC assistant stopped short of calling 2004-05 a "banner, banner year" for Virginia recruits, at least partly because a half-dozen Top 25 players have academic issues to resolve. Hampton High School wide receiver Todd Nolen and Phoebus defensive end Steven Friday might have been rated higher than No.10 or 11 if not for some uncertainty over their qualifying status.

Virginia, with 24 commitments, could add one more player if all committed players sign and all meet NCAA eligibility guidelines. The Hokies have 17 commitments and are in the process of evaluating players like unheralded 6-7, 290-pound West Springfield lineman Eric Davis, this year's choice as sleeper of the year.