One of Virginia Tech's newest football recruits could have walked to the Hokies' football game last fall at Clemson.

Jerrodd Williams, a 6-foot, 185-pound defensive back, is a rising senior at Daniel High School in Central, S.C.

"I live two minutes from the Clemson campus," Williams said. "My mom works over there. Sometimes I'll walk over there to meet her."

Williams' father, Jerome, played tight end for Clemson and was a two-year letter-winner for the Tigers in the 1980s, "but I didn't feel under any pressure to follow in his footsteps," Jerrod said.

Williams was one of five players to commit to the Hokies after participating in a one-day camp Saturday in Blacksburg. One of those recruits, 6-5, 300-pound lineman Nick Acree, will be a junior next year at King William High School and is not slated to enroll at Tech until 2010.

Tech's 2009 recruiting class stands at five, including Stone Bridge High School defensive lineman David Wang, who made his commitment to Tech in September.

Williams said he did not receive an offer from the Hokies until Saturday.

"But, I knew there was a possibility," he said, "so I had some time to think whether I would take it or not. I was determined to have a good camp."

Williams, who returned three kickoffs for touchdowns last season, was timed in 4.36 seconds for 40 yards. He said Tech's devotion to special teams influenced his decision.

Williams committed before leaving for home, where he received an offer from South Carolina on Sunday.

Williams, an honors student who takes advanced-placement classes, said he is 100-percent committed to the Hokies and would not be swayed by his hometown Tigers.

"I don't know if I would say I was a Clemson fan," he said. "My dad just said it was up to me. He didn't feel I could go wrong playing in the ACC."

Leaving early

Virginia second baseman David Adams, a third-round pick by the New York Yankees, has passed up his final season of college eligibility to sign with New York.

Adams, who batted .372 as a sophomore in 2007, dipped to .286 this season and hit .210 in ACC play.

In addition to six current UVa players who were drafted, including four juniors, seven of the Cavaliers' signees were chosen.

The Cavaliers are unlikely to hold onto Peter Hissey, a left-handed-hitting outfielder from Unionville, Pa., who was drafted by Boston in the fourth round.

Tech commitment

Virginia Tech has taken a baseball commitment from Tunstall High School junior left-hander Joe Mantiply, the pitcher of the year in the Piedmont District. Tunstall won its first 23 games this season and had a 58-game home winning streak before falling to visiting Blacksburg in the Region IV quarterfinals.

All sports

For the second straight year, Southern Virginia University has won the directors' cup for all-sports supremacy in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association.

Southern Virginia won a USCAA national championship in women's cross country and had top-five finishes in volleyball (third), women's basketball (third), men's cross country (fourth) and men's basketball (fifth).

Non-revenue

Blacksburg High School distance runner Laurel MacMillian was among 24 track-and-field signees announced by UVa. MacMillian won the Group AA indoor and outdoor 3,200-meter championships.

Reported earlier was a commitment the Cavaliers had received from Franklin County pole vaulter Erin Patterson, the Northwest Region record-holder.

Catching up

Former Radford University baseball coach Lew Kent is the new athletic director at Hilton Head (S.C.) High School after serving last year as a football and baseball assistant at Hilton Head Prep. Kent resigned at Radford following the 2007 season, his 13th as head coach and 15th overall.

n Researcher Ralph Berrier points out that former Virginia Tech slugger Kevin Barker, now with Triple-A Louisville, is fourth among active players in home runs at the minor-league level. Barker has 212; leader Mike Hessman has 274.