BLACKSBURG -- Of the 12,000-plus Division I-A football players in the country, Virginia Tech center Danny McGrath may be the only one whose television isn't stuck on ESPN.

Oh, McGrath loves his sports now. Like his teammates, McGrath is a huge college football fan. He's probably overdosed on "SportsCenter" as many times as anyone else on the Tech roster.

That said, give McGrath a choice of an evening matchup between ESPN and the Food Network, and he's taking the chow channel most every time.

"I like to DVR my favorite shows on the Food Network during the season and go back and watch them at night sometimes," McGrath said. "You should watch it. It shows you how to make food 24-7, and sometimes it's the history of certain foods. And they have cooking contests like 'Iron Chef,' too!

"I love cooking. I see stuff on the Food Network all the time and then try it. My favorite parts are getting little tips on certain food and wine."

Tech's resident chef has had some play-calls in the kitchen go awry, though.

"We almost lost the house last year at a barbecue last year," said McGrath, laughing. "We had a big grease fire that went up the side of the house. That's OK. We're mastering it."

Of course, when it comes to the subjects of eating, few groups rival the tenacity of an offensive line. The 300-pound-plus big boys up front are always eager to wipe out all the food they can find. Local buffet managers simply cringe when they see McGrath and his buddies entering the house.

"They take a beating when we show up at buffets around here," McGrath said with a snicker.

Possibly worried they will be eventually be banned by all the local establishments, McGrath and his O-line mates have turned to the Food Network. It's a must-see as the countdown for Tech's pregame meals clicks down.

"It makes us all hungry," McGrath said. "We're drooling as we're seeing a big stick of butter going on top of a chicken. One time, it made us so hungry that we had to go to the hotel lobby and grab about six or seven chocolate chip cookies apiece."

Then, it's off to work.

As a fifth-year senior on a line loaded with youth and inexperience, McGrath is counted on heavily by Tech's coaching staff to make sure this recipe is done right, too. The O-line is still very much a work in progress as the 11th-ranked Hokies (4-0, 2-0 ACC) work this week to reach a level in which it can't be fondued by the relentless blitzing schemes of No. 24 Georgia Tech (3-1, 1-0) on Saturday in Lane Stadium.

"By the time Saturday rolls around, we should be well-prepared for all of it," McGrath said. "We need to keep getting better every week and I think last week [in a 29-13 win over Cincinnati] we proved we need to get better or we aren't going to have a very successful year."

McGrath, who at 6-foot-2, 290 pounds is the smallest of Tech's O-line starters, has graded out a team-high 87 percent with a club-best 17 knockdown or pancake blocks in the first four games.

Of course, that shouldn't come as a real surprise. McGrath, who didn't get his first college start until last season, has always been a fast learner.

The Herndon, Va., native earned his undergraduate degree from Tech in three years and is currently putting the final touches on his master's degree in health and physical education. McGrath was posted a 4.0 grade-point average last semester and earned a spot on the 2005 All-ACC Academic team.

"I've spent 10 months of my summer going to school since I've been here," McGrath said. "I'm just one of those people who tries to get the next step done as quickly as possible."

At center, McGrath is in charge of calling most of the blocking schemes for Tech's O-line. That works with Tech coach Frank Beamer.

"Danny is a smart guy and that's what you want at center," Beamer said. "He's sort of the anchor, the center of the whole deal in there. With all these young guys we have up front, it's nice to have a guy like McGrath because you know he's knows what's going on. He helps all those young guys a lot."

McGrath said if his Tech career ended today he would be happy with what he got done.

"I think as a five-year athlete at any Division I school in whatever sport it is, you're going to have your lows and they're going to be really low ... when you're not playing or the coaches are down on you. But if you keep working hard and keep trying to do the right things, I think everything will turn out well in the end," he said.

"If we go the whole season, I think I will end up with 19 starts in my career. You wish it were a little more, but to do that and get your master's degree, it's good feeling of accomplishment there."

If McGrath isn't fortunate enough to continue playing football in the NFL, he always can be a chef or run a restaurant, right?

"Oh, I would love it," McGrath said. "Brandon Gore [fifth-year senior guard] and I are actually talking about starting our own little restaurant and bar down here in Blacksburg for the rest of our lives.

"But we don't have any money ... so that's going to take a little while to put into action. I was telling somebody the other day that you have to be passionate about your work. And me and Gore are two passionate people about food and beer. We're experts on that."