Friday, June 08, 2007
Tech camp attracts some big names, or is it namesakes?
Doug Doughty
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The next Randy White will be on display this weekend at Virginia Tech.
Or, should we say, another Randy White will be on the Hokies’ campus today.
This Randy White is a 6-foot-5, 232-pound tight end from Virginia High School in Bristol.
“Good football name, huh?” Virginia High coach Terry Smith said.
This Randy White has no known connection to the Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman and NFL Hall of Famer of the same name but is hoping to make enough of an impression at Tech’s one-day camp to secure a scholarship offer from the Hokies.
That might not be the easiest thing to do. There will be some 100 prospects at today’s camp. Of that group, approximately 20 already have offers from Tech. Of the remaining 80, no more than 10 will get offers.
“Ain’t no question, Tech’s his No. 1 choice,” said Smith, a Tech alumnus. “If he got an offer, he might commit that day. We’re keeping our fingers crossed.”
If he doesn’t get an offer, White might get invited to another one-day camp July 14. The second one-day camp is in place of the team camp that was dropped after last year due to spotty turnout.
Tech director of football operations John Ballein said he couldn’t imagine that more than five players would attend both one-day camps.
“It would have to be somebody who intrigued us,” said Ballein, indicating that most players in the “intriguing” category would get an offer after the first camp.
Plus, Tech already has extended offers to as many as 70 players in the rising senior class. If the Hokies offered too many more offers to players in the “intriguing” category, they would run the risk of running out of scholarships.
Prominent in-state recruits expected at Tech today include Maury offensive lineman Vinston Painter, Norview defensive lineman Klinton “Buddy” Ruff, Smithfield running back Dyrell Roberts, Oscar Smith wide receiver Todd Harrelson, Amherst wide receiver Peter Rose, Highland Springs linebacker Antoine Hopkins, Goochland running back D.J. Coles, Brooke Point defensive end Isaiah Hamlette, Ocean Lakes quarterback-athlete Marcus Davis, First Colonial running back Tony Gregory and committed Stafford linebacker Jake Johnson.
White, a second-team All-Region IV linebacker as a junior, has just made an appearance on the Division I-A recruiting radar. In upcoming weeks, Smith said, White plans to take unofficial visits to North Carolina, Duke and Virginia.
Some of those schools are looking at him as a defensive lineman, a position of interest for possible suitor Tennessee.
White was timed in 4.79 seconds for 40 yards last year at UNC’s camp, according to Smith, and was third in the shot put at the Group AA meet with a toss of 52 feet, 9 inches. He was ninth in the discus and also has run a leg on the Bearcats’ 4 X 400 relay team.
When he was the head coach at Jefferson Forest, Smith had the opportunity to coach Jon Hamlett, who started 25 games and had 25 receptions in a four-year University of North Carolina career. Hamlett recently signed a free-agent contract with the Atlanta Falcons.
“He’s [White] a better athlete than Hamlett,” Smith said.
Smith said White had 17 receptions for 369 yards and six touchdowns for Virginia High. His blocking has gotten “much better,” possibly because he now bench presses 340 pounds and lifts 450 pounds in the squat.
White has better than a 3.0 grade-point average, according to Smith, and scored 930 (math and verbal) in his first attempt at the SAT.
AN ANNOUNCEMENT OUT of Gainesville, Fla., might have raised a few fears in Charlottesville on Friday.
Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley announced that baseball coach Pat McMahon will not be retained after back-to-back losing seasons.
McMahon, who was 90 games over .500 in his six seasons, took the Gators to the College World Series in 2005.
Every time one of college baseball’s big-time jobs comes open, the name of Virginia coach Brian O’Connor immediately gets thrown into the discussion. UVa has had an unprecedented four straight seasons of 40 wins or more during O’Connor’s tenure.
