Friday, June 19, 2009
Colleague’s prodding beneficial to Newsome
Recruits down to wire
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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Virginia Tech’s offensive-line coach Curt Newsome should be available for the start of preseason practice despite undergoing heart bypass surgery Friday morning.
Tech offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring confirmed that Newsome was told earlier this week that he had blockages that required a double bypass.
Newsome learned of the heart issue after he and assistant head coach Billy Hite signed up for a routine physical.
It was Hite who deserved credit for persuading Newsome to take a new test that was geared toward early detection.
Newsome was warned by his physician that the test was so new that some insurance companies do not cover it.
Stinespring said Newsome went to the trouble of calling his insurance company to find if the procedure was covered. When advised that the test was not covered, Newsome contemplated cancelling the test.
When Newsome called to say he wasn’t going to take the test, Hite would have none of it. If he was going to take the test, Newsome was going to take it, too, even at a cost of $400.
Hite was fine but Newsome, 50, learned that he would need surgery.
“I don’t know what was worse,” Stinespring said, “finding out he needed surgery or having to wait four days to have it. They finally had to put him in the hospital.”
STINESPRING POINTED OUT that two of Tech’s last three offensive-line coaches have needed heart bypass surgery.
In 1997, then-Hokies offensive-line coach J.B. Grimes became ill prior to an October game with Miami of Ohio and underwent quadruple-bypass surgery that caused him to miss one month of the season.
Of the last three Tech offensive-line coaches, the only one not to require heart surgery was Stinespring.
“That’s because I took a less stressful job,” Stinespring said, “offensive coordinator.”
If he had to go through a procedure like this, Newsome probably couldn’t have found a better time. The May evaluation period for recruiting is over and this is one of the few times in the year when coaches have some time for themselves.
Stinespring, for example, was on his way back to Blacksburg after a week at the beach.
Newsome, considered the best golfer on the Tech football staff, may be required to stay away from the course for a while.
“Who knows how it will affect his 3-handicap?” Stinespring said. “By the time he gets back, he may be at my level.”
THE NEWEST RATING of the state’s top college football prospects for 2010 comes courtesy of Virginia Preps, which listed close to 500 rising seniors in multiple postings this week.
Six players committed to Tech are in the top 22: No. 3 Zack McCray, No. 4 Mark Shuman, No. 7 Nick Acree, No. 17 Derrick Hopkins, No. 20 Caleb Farris and No. 22 Tahrick Peak.
None of the five players committed to UVa are from Virginia, but the Cavaliers have taken commitments from players ranked No. 14 and 16 in North Carolina by the Charlotte (N.C.) Observer. They are quarterback Tyler Brosius from Waynesville and running Kevin Parks from West Ulla.
Fifteen of the top 31 prospects on the Virginia Preps list already have made commitments to Division I-A programs.
On the day that the Virginia Preps list came out, 6-5, 272-pound offensive lineman A.J. Scott from Robert E. Lee in Staunton committed to Marshall. He was No. 35 on the list. Scott also had listed offers from James Madison and Liberty.
IN A RECRUITING UPDATE, my understanding is that Tech is waiting on a pair of its February signees, Varina High School defensive lineman DeAntre Rhodes and Hermitage wide receiver Theron Norman, to learn if they will be eligible to take part in preseason workouts.
