Friday, March 07, 2008
Hokies can't be ignored in North Carolina
Cavs' presence in Ohio worth noting
Doug Doughty
Doug Doughty's College Notebook Plus is exclusive to roanoke.com and is posted by 5 p.m. Fridays.
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With all the attention given to Virginia Tech’s in-state recruiting crop, one aspect of the Hokies’ football recruiting may have been underappreciated.
According to SuperPrep, Tech signed players who were rated No. 8, 10, 16, 22 and 31 in North Carolina.
No wonder Tech coach Frank Beamer (aka “Beams”) had the wherewithal to go to Cozumel after the season. Whatever the recruiting budget was, there had to be money left over.
Moreover, the Hokies were in the final two for SuperPrep All-American Robert Blanton, a defensive back from the Charlotte suburb of Matthews, N.C., whom SuperPrep rated the No. 4 prospect in the state.
Blanton eventually picked Notre Dame, but, at this time a year ago, Tech was at the top of his list.
“When my coach first started bringing me mail from Notre Dame, I told him, ‘I’m never going there,’ “ Blanton said. “That’s why I never say never anymore.”
Blanton lived in Portland, Ore., until the sixth grade and was late in gaining familiarity with teams from the Carolinas. He said he invariably rooted for underdogs like Oregon and Oregon State and originally was put off by Notre Dame.
There wasn’t much said about 6-6, 265-pound Greensboro (N.C.) Northeast Guilford OL Michael Via when he committed to the Hokies, but he had offers from Penn State and Clemson, among others, and was rated the No. 8 prospect in the state.
Via’s family has had Tech season ticket for 30 years.
The other Tech signees from North Carolina were Fayetteville Westover DB Lorenzo Williams; the 10th-rated prospect; Wilmington New Hanover OL Nick Becton, who was 16th; Matthews Butler DB Eddie Whitley, who was 22nd, and Matthews Butler WR Jarrett Boykin, who was 31st.
Oh, now I get it! Whitley, Boykin and Blanton were teammates.
“I loved the home environment at Notre Dame and the only other place I saw it was at Virginia Tech,” Blanton said. “There weren’t comparisons with any other school.
“I prayed for a long time and I asked God, ‘If it was meant for me to go to Virginia Tech, don’t let Notre Dame offer me.’ And I said. ‘If it was meant for me to go to Notre Dame, then let them offer me.
“I went up there and they offered me and then I took two more visits to make sure that that’s where I wanted to go. I committed on my third trip.”
VIRGINIA MADE A PUSH for Concord (N.C.) Robinson OL R.J. Mattes, the son of one-time Cavaliers’ defensive lineman Ron Mattes, but UVa’s 18-member class did not include a single signee from the Tar Heel state.
My research indicates that 1998 was the last time Virginia had failed to sign at least one player from North Carolina, although punter Chris Hinkebein was the only North Carolinian in the 2007 signing class.
On the surface, it would appear that Virginia was taken a new approach toward North Carolina, but I doubt it. Consider some of the players that UVa has had from North Carolina over the years: Alvin Pearman, Angelo Crowell, Wali Rainer, Antonio Dingle, Mark Dixon and Ray Roberts.
That’s six players from North Carolina, all of whom made first-team All-ACC during the years 1993-2004. Throw in some other names like Chris Canty, Germane Crowell, Tony Covington and Tyrone Lewis and that’s a source of talent you wouldn’t want to give up.
I’ll be interested to see what becomes of the two offensive linemen Virginia took from Ohio this year, Matt Mihalik (6-7, 275) and Aaron Van Kuiken (6-7, 308). Often, it’s the recruits who prolong their recruiting who become best-known to fans, but these two were among the first to commit to Virginia and they apparently never wavered.
If Mihalik and Van Kuiken become two- or three-year starters, then the Virginia recruiting class looks a lot better. Add Solon LB Steve Greer to that group and it’s almost as if Ohio has become the new North Carolina. The Cavaliers picture Greer as maybe another Jon Copper, only taller and faster.
Not that Virginia is about to give up on North Carolina, but what has surprised the Cavaliers pleasantly is the number of Ohio prosects who meet UVa’s profile academically.
IN EARLY FOOTBALL recruiting, North Carolina State has taken an oral commitment from junior Brian Slay, a 6-3, 255-pound defensive end from Stone Bridge High School in Loudoun County who was rated the No. 14 junior in Virginia by The Roanoke Times.
That’s four of the top 25 juniors who have committed, including Slay’s Stone Bridge teammate, defensive lineman David Wang, who is headed to Virginia Tech, where his brother, Ed, starts at offensive tackle. Virginia has commitments from running backs Alex Owah from Harrisonburg and Dominique Wallace from Fredericksburg Chancellor.
Owah, Wallace and Wang were Nos. 11, 15 and 18 on the list.
Slay lived in Kennesaw, Ga., before moving to Virginia after the 2006-2007 school year.
