Friday, March 02, 2007
Tech jumps on McCoy before crowd forms
Randy King
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Is this kid the real McCoy? Amherst County football Scott Abell sure thinks so.
Abell, whose Lancers won the Group AA Division 4 title last season, said Virginia Tech was smart to ante up a quick scholarship offer to Derrick McCoy. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound junior wide receiver verbally committed to the Hokies on Thursday.
"Tech was the first one to offer Derrick here in early spring ... and I think there would have been many more to be honest," Abell said Thursday night. "He was being as heavily recruited as any kid I've ever had.
"[National champion] Florida has actually called us and requested tape on him. And that's a first for us. I've never had any of those schools down in Florida -- Miami, Florida State or Florida -- call and request tapes on any of our kids. So I think had we let this go on another month or so, I imagine Derrick would have had offers from quite a few different people."
McCoy becomes the second commitment in Tech's 2008 recruiting class, joining Myrtle Beach, S.C., linebacker Bruce Taylor, who committed to the Hokies last fall.
The lanky McCoy caught 28 passes for 801 yards in earning second-team Group AA honors last fall. He also played outside linebacker and defensive end for the Lancers, registering 96 tackles and seven tackles.
"It really doesn't matter, but I would love to play receiver," said McCoy this morning, taking a break during a weight-lifting session.
Abell said Tech can't go wrong either way they decide to use McCoy.
"I think right off the get-go it's going to be on the offensive of the football," Abell said. "I do think [the Tech coaches] have in the back of their minds that he's very capable of playing defense and really fits very well into their defensive scheme. I think Derrick would be an ideal whip or rover. He's a big kid.
"Athletically, he's as gifted as anybody I've ever coached. A lot of that goes with his size. I've had kid run as well as Derrick and maybe jump as well as Derrick, but none of them have been 6-3 -- he's probably closer to 6-4 -- and weigh 210 pounds.
"He's such a strong kid. I think that's the thing that really jumps out at a lot of college coaches when first see him on film or saw him in person ... he's just a physically strong kid. He's lifted weights in our program since the eighth grade. He's going to power-clean 300 [pounds] or better this spring and bench over 300 and this is the spring of his junior year. Those are pretty good numbers, I'm telling you."
McCoy, who averaged 28.6 yards per catch for the 13-1 Lancers last fall, won't blow you away with his speed. At least not yet, Abell said.
"He's probably a mid-4.5 [second] kid," Abell said. "But I think once he gets to Tech that will change. They do such a great job in their strength program, and I think once he really gets into their program and their speed workouts where it's a full-time commitment for him, I think really you could see his speed drop to a 4.4. And the sky's the limit if that happens, it really is."
McCoy will be familiar with the setting once he arrives in Blacksburg. He's been a participant in the Hokies' high school summer camp the past two years.
"I've been going to [summer] camp down there for a couple of years and I liked their coaches," said McCoy, who was recruited by Tech offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring. "I've been watching them for a little while. They have a real good program."
Abell said the fact that McCoy has been to Tech's camp the past couple summers gave the Hokies the "inside track."
"Plus, they've seen Derrick play a couple times in high school in person," Abell noted. "So they had the advantage of knowing Derrick. They've been keeping an eye on him since he was a freshman."
Tech has had success with Amherst County products recently. Tim Sandidge was a key contributor at defensive tackle in 2005. Rising senior Barry Booker played big for Tech at the same position last season.
"I know Barry Booker real well. He told me that he hoped I came up there," said McCoy, whose talk is not nearly as loud as his game.
Before I talked to McCoy, Abell warned me the kid was "a little quiet."
"I'm going to have him take a speech class next year," Abell said, laughing. "As a sophomore, Derrick had some people who wanted to interview him and he said, 'Coach Abell, I can't do that!' And I was like, 'Derrick, you're going to have to learn ... you're going to have a lot of people who want to interview you during your career."
