Friday, August 22, 2008
A preseason list, for a change
And have you been to Skyline Drive?
Doug Doughty
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As opposed to The Roanoke Times Top 25, which has appeared on Christmas Day for what seems like 25 years, a preseason list of the state’s top football prospects has showed up at various times and in various formats.
Most years, it has been published in the print edition of The Roanoke Times. There have been other times, in recent years, it has been available only online. I suspect there was one year when there was no list at all.
Last year, it was referred to as a late-summer list, which hid the fact that it came out after the season had started, although I think I did come clean on that score.
So, they’re about to start the high-school season – I’ve got William Fleming at Magna Vista tonight – and I can legitimately describe this as a preseason list. Ultimately, we’ll make it available to be printed in a Microsoft Excel format, but I’m in too much of a hurry to do that now.
As you may have heard, former Roanoke Times prep editor Bob Teitlebaum passed away Thursday and I’ve been asked to eulogize him in a column. Between that assignment, the trip to Magna Vista and sending kids off to college today at Virginia Tech and Virginia, I’ve got a full plate.
So, here’s The Roanoke Times’ preseason list of the state’s top juniors and if it bears some resemblance to a list that appears in SuperPrep’s preseason issue, please accept my apologies. I’ve been the state correspondent for that publication for 20 years.
Here’s the list, to be followed by this week’s poll question. Results from the last two polls will be analyzed in next week’s column.
Virginia’s top senior football prospects for 2008
1. Tahj Boyd, 6-1, 195, QB, Hampton Phoebus – Committed to West Virginia.
2. Kevin Newsome, 6-2, 205, QB, Chatham Hargrave – Has reopened his recruiting after decommitting to Michigan. Transfer from Chesapeake Western Branch.
3. Morgan Moses, 6-7, 332 OL, Richmond Meadowbrook – Has more than 30 Division I offers; some publications rate him the No. 1 prospect in Virginia.
4. Logan Thomas, 6-6, 215 TE, Lynchburg Brookville – Actually plays quarterback for the Bees; object of this year’s prime Virginia-Virginia Tech recruiting battle.
5. David Wilson, 5-11, 190 RB, Danville George Washington – Committed to VT
6. Logan Heastie, 6-2, 200 WR, Chesapeake Great Bridge – Committed to WVU; SuperPrep (not me) ranks him the No. 2 WR in the country.
7. Dominique Wallace, 6-2, 230 RB, Fredericksburg Chancellor – Committed to UVa
8. Jerod Askew, 6-0, 215 LB, Portsmouth Oscar Smith – Uncommitted; most ACC schools and regional powers are after him.
9. Quintin Hunter, 6-2, 180 WR, Orange County – Committed to UVa; he may get a look at quarterback, his position at Orange.
10. Dominik Davenport, 6-0, 250, DL, Hampton Phoebus – Committed to WVU; height a little bit of an issue but production isn’t.
11. Lanford Collins, 6-4, 240 DE, Stafford Brooke Pointe – Another uncommitted player with interest from Tech and UVa
12. Jake Snyder, 6-4, 235 DE, Richmond Deep Run – Committed to UVa, where his brother is a walk-on wide receiver.
13. DeAntre Rhodes, 6-2, 279 OL, Richmond Varina – Varina has long been good to the Hokies, who are one of Rhodes’ leaders.
14. De’Antwan Williams, 5-7, 202 RB, Woodbridge – Don’t let the size fool you; academics may be a bigger issue. Likes Maryland.
15. Brynn Renner, 6-3, 198 QB, West Springfield – Committed to North Carolina; this is the highest I’ve rated him and some have him higher.
16. Jordan Love, 609, 185 DB, Richmond Deep Run – Move-in from Maryland has committed to Georgia.
17. David Wang, 6-3, 290 DL, Ashburn Stone Bridge – Frequently gets overlooked, a common issue with players who commit early; will join brother Ed at VT.
18. Telvion Clark, 6-1, 205 LB, Norfolk Granby – Got an offer out of VT’s camp and took it.
19. Tim Smith, 6-1, 190 WR, Chesapeake Oscar Smith – Major target for UVa, which has one of his teammates.
20. Andrew Miller, 6-5, 264 OL, Bassett – Top-rated wrestler in this group but eventually targeted for VT’s O-line.
21. Antone Exum, 6-0, 200 ATH, Richmond Deep Run – Didn’t jump as early as teammates Snyder and Love; Hokies in the mix for him.
22. Corey Lillard, 5-11, 190 DB, Bealeton Liberty – Committed to UVa during Cavs’ push up the U.S. 29 corridor.
23. Alex Owah, 6-0, 167 WR, Harrisonburg – Seems that legal problems are behind this UVa commit.
24. Ross Metheny, 6-3, 185 QB, Stephens City Sherando – UVa made a smart move taking Metheny when it did.
25. Damien Thigpen, 5-8, 170 RB, Manassas Stonewall – Speedster committed to Tennessee so early that he’s been underrated before and probably is here.
26. James Gayle, 6-4, 220 DE, Hampton Bethel – Hokies were strapped for scholarships but wasted little time in offering Gayle and taking his commitment.
27. Theron Norman, 6-3, 185 WR, Richmond Hermitage – Committed to the Hokies; will play quarterback this year at Hermitage.
28. Will Hill, 6-4, 260 DE, Williamsburg Lafayette – Said to have eight Division I offers; UVa still in the mix.
29. Luke Bowanko, 6-6, 260 OL, Clifton Centreville – Offer from FSU caused a stir before he committed to UVa.
30. Zach Thompson, 6-4, 240 DE, Ashburn Stone Bridge – Committed to Wake despite father’s ties to UVa (ex-player)
31. Shawne Alston, 6-0, 190 RB, Hampton Phoebus – Committed to WVU, where he will join teammates Boyd and Davenport
32. Tyrel Wilson, 6-3, 230 DE, Hampton – Father played at Tennessee; Hokies and Vols are interested.
33. Duan Perez-Means, 6-4, 235 DE, Richmond Hermitage – “Jumbo” athlete who joined Norman in committing to VT.
34. Nubian Peak, 5-11, 175 RB, Dublin Pulaski County – Committed to VT; looked like a blur when I covered him against Blacksburg.
35. Frank Figueroa, 6-4, 282 OL, Alexandria Edison – Virtually unknown before he committed to Penn State.
36. Sterlin Phifer, 5-10, 200 RB, Virginia Beach Landstown – Productive rusher in a good league, he’s committed to Boston College.
37. Perry Jones, 5-8, 177 DB, Chesapeake Oscar Smith – Virginia took a chance on Jones making the move from LB to CB but why not establish a toehold at Oscar Smith?
38. Bradley Johnson, 6-1, 205 LB, Dinwiddie – Ex-Rockbridge coach Billy Mills is building a power at Dinwiddie, with Maryland-bound Johnson leading the way.
39. Connor McCartin, 6-4, 209 LB, Warrenton Fauquier – Will be joining his older brother, a walk-on quarterback, at UVa.
40. Brian Slay, 6-3, 255 DE, Ashburn Stone Bridge – Move-in from Georgia might be Stone Bridge’s best player; he’s going to North Carolina State.
AND NOW FOR this week’s poll question and I ask that you indulge me. While ret
urning from Washington, D.C., and Sunday’s Washington Nationals-Colorado Rockies game, I took a glance to the east of I-81 and informed my wife that I’d like to take Skyline Drive some time.
Skyline Drive, if I’m not mistaken, is the part of the Blue Ridge Parkway that begins at the top of Afton Mountain and goes to I don’t know where (Front Royal, maybe Luray?). I think I’ve been on it once, when my parents drove my sister to Hollins in the '60s but remember nothing about it.
I’ve been saying for several years now that I want to find a way to Highland County and Buchanan County, the two counties west of Charlottesville in which I have not stepped foot, but I’m not making any progress.
In the “Taking Sides” portion of this column, I’m asking:
