Virginia Tech 2009 Recruiting Class Grades

A year ago, coming off a historic 2008 class, I really didn’t have high hopes for 2009 since Tech only had 12 guaranteed scholarships to give out.  A year later, I really can’t be any happier with the way this class turned out.

The Hokies have a total of 21 commits with a few of those 21 greyshirting and coming in next January.  The coaches did a good job of filling needs in this class even though they did miss out on a top tier QB.

We have a ton of talent coming in and the future of Virginia Tech football can’t really get any brighter.

Quarterback: (0)

Grade: F

The Hokies missed out on all 6 QB’s they offered this year, which is unacceptable when your known for producing good duel-threat quarterbacks.  However, you can’t blame VT when Penn State sales its soul for a recruit.

Kevin Newsome would have been a nice addition to this class but I’m not sold on Kevin being a QB at the college level.  He has speed but his mechanics and throwing motion need some work but they’re something that can be fixed.

Running Back: (3)

Grade:  A+

Nubian Peak

Tony Gregory

David Wilson

The Hokies are going to be loaded this season with Evans, JO, Williams and Wilson vying for playing time.  I said earlier that Wilson will probably redshirt but after talking to some people, that may be a hard task for the coaches to do.  David is very good, quite possibly the best in the commonwealth in a long time kind of good.

Nubian Peak is a speedster that will redshirt and probably either move to wide receiver or cornerback depending more or less on where Nubian wants to play.  I could also see Nubian getting some duty on the Pride and Joy team after a redshirt year.

Tony Gregory is another speedster that is already on campus as he enrolled earlier this January.  Tony is very similar to Peak in he will probably move to WR or CB depending on where he wants to play since the backfield is fairly crowded.
This was a great running back haul and if Peak and Gregory do decide to stay at RB, it will only make VT’s RB stable that much better over the next 5 years.

Wide Receivers/Tight End: (2)

Grade: A

Logan Thomas

DJ Coles

DJ Coles committed to the Hokies over a year and a half ago but had to prep for a year and will enroll this June along with the rest of the 2009 class.  Coles is a tall wideout that reminds me a lot of Justin Harper who is now with the Ravens in the NFL. 

Logan Thomas was our lone 5 star in this class until Rivals shuffled him down some in the Rivals100 back in early January.  Thomas is a bit of a tweener as he will need to gain some weight if he wants to play TE but Logan is a special athlete that will contribute wherever he is on the field.

Offensive Line: (2)

Grade: C

Kory Gough

Andrew Miller

The Hokies really didn’t have a whole lot of talented OL’s to go after this year and they found 2 athletic linemen that will help out down the road.

I believe Gough is going to greyshirt but Kory is a lean lineman that Coach Newsome can mold into a talented tackle down the road.

Andrew Miller is a beast on the mats in wrestling as he is the number one wrestler in the nation and I’m guessing he will probably play both sports in college.  Its unclear when Miller will come in as rumors are swirling that he has gotten a VT football scholarship and will enroll this summer.  He will redshirt next year and focus purely on wrestling over the winter.

Defensive End: (4)

Grade: B+

Lanford Collins

James Gayle

Duan Perez-Means

Tyrell Edwards

The coaches did a nice job of stock piling talent at defensive end this year especially since the state had a lot of solid defensive line prospects in this class.

Lanford Collins seems to be the most physically ready player in the group to play right away but all four players are probably headed towards a redshirt year in 2009.  Collins is a beast at 6’4” and 240 pounds and after a year in Gentry’s weight system, he should be challenging for a spot in the 2 deep the following spring.

James Gayle is a tall, lanky prospect that’s in the same mold as Chris Ellis when he came out of high school.  Gayle has a good burst in him but he definitely needs to fill out his frame some more.  Hopefully he can get up to about 250 pounds or so after a redshirt year and can help out in 2010.

Perez-Means has a decision to make since he has the chance to play either defensive end or tight end.  The coaches are leaving it up to his preference.   Means is a very athletic and smooth end that would have to bulk up some if he wanted to play in 2010.  Right now Means is at about 220 pounds so he would definitely need to hit the weights hard during his redshirt year.

Tyrell will probably greyshirt and come in as either a MIKE linebacker or a defensive end.  Edwards is definitely one of the more versatile players in this class since he could possibly play linebacker, defensive end, or tight end.  However, Tyrell too will have to add some weight if he wants to play at DE for the Hokies.

Defensive Tackle: (2)

Grade:  A-

David Wang

DeAntre Rhodes

Tech only had room for two tackles in 2009 and they got their top 2 targets so you cant ask for much more then that.  David Wang is a tad on the short side as he’s closer to 6’1” right now then the 6’2” he’s listed at but he could still grow more.  David has great leg drive and will definitely be a starter down the road for VT.

Rhodes had a great senior season and went from being middle of the pack in state to being in just about everyone’s top ten.  DeAntre will need a redshirt year to get a little stronger but after that look out.  He could easily get a look at that 2nd starting DT job in 2010.

I was a little worried about the Hokies defensive line coming into this class but with these guys this year and Nic Acree already committed for 2010, I feel a whole lot better.

Linebacker: (3)

Grade: B-

Telvion Clark

Tyrel Wilson

Tariq Edwards

Telvion is a player in this class that I’m stoked about seeing on the field this fall.  He is by far one of the more impressive looking prospects that the Hokies have ever brought in.  The big question is what position will he actually play.  Clark has the speed to play free safety but could grow into a WHIP linebacker or Backer down the road.

Tyrel Wilson was a bit of a surprise commit since he seemed to be a bit of a Tennessee lean for a while but I’m glad the Hokies landed him.  Tyrel seems to be the typical VT linebacker.  He’ll need a few years to adjust and learn the defense but after that he should be a solid option at the MIKE linebacker spot.

Tariq Edwards is another athletic player that will probably shift around a couple times before finding his home for the next four years.  Just like his twin brother Tyrell, Tariq could really play anything from tight end to linebacker to defensive end.  He’ll need some time to get bigger and stronger but should be a viable option at linebacker down the road.

Cornerback: (3)

Grade: A+

Jerrodd Williams

James Hopper

Antone Exum

The Hokies only brought in one true cornerback in last year's class so this was a big position of need heading into 2009.  The coaches couldn’t have done any better as they brought in 3 of the best corners in the nation. 

Jerrodd Williams is a tall prospect that dominated receivers at the Shrine Bowl in December and could potentially play some this fall, depending really on how Cris Hill plays.  Tech will need someone to back up Virgil at the Field Corner spot this fall and Williams does have a chance to beat out Hill if hasn’t improved much from last year.

James Hopper got the proverbial Rivals.com shun after leading his team to a state title he still remained a 2 star.  However, biased star ratings aside, Hopper is going to be a great player here at Virginia Tech.  He’s a bit on the short side at 5’8” but he recorded one of the highest verticals at either one of Tech’s camps this past summer.

Antone Exum will initially start out at quarterback but I don’t think he’ll stay there very long.  His ceiling is much higher at cornerback where he could develop into and elite NFL level CB.  Exum is a pure athlete and could easily see some playing time after a redshirt year.

Safety: (1)

Grade: B+

Theron Norman

When Peter Rose was arrested last year, the Hokies needed to find another safety/rover prospect that could take his place.  Norman is a tall, lanky player that will need some time to get stronger but by looking at his film he definitely has the pure football instincts it takes to be a college safety.

Kicker: (1)

Grade: A+

Cody Journell

Coach Beamer knows what he wants on his special teams and looking at his track record, I have to give this position an A+.  Cody is a fantastic kicker and honestly, you have to be to earn a scholarship from VT. 

In the Rivals era we’ve offered only 3 kickers/punters.  So far Tech has done very well with those kids.  Nic Schmitt was a great punter out of Salem High School and had a good career at VT.  The same can be said for Brent Bowden who is entering his senior year.

I wouldn’t be too surprised to see Cody possibly on the field this fall.  Meyer played as a true freshman last year and on film, it seems that Cody has a stronger leg then any of the 4 kickers we brought in last year.

Overall: (21)

Grade: B+

This class is not really a “sexy” class like last years was but I have a feeling these kids will be every bit as good.  Wilson, Thomas, Clark, Coles, and Williams all have the potential to be some of the best VT has ever had.  Plus add kids like Hopper, Miller, Peak, Gregory, Exum, Rhodes, Wang, Gayle, Collins and the Edwards twins and you have a very solid class from top to bottom.

As a Hokie fan, you have to be excited about the future of Virginia Tech football.  We’ve now brought in two great classes and 2010 is already shaping up to be another great haul of talent.

The future is bright Tech fans.