Virginia Tech Football: Loss of RB Recruit Crushing Blow to Hokies Young Depth

The field of competition to replace former Virginia Tech tailback David Wilson is now one less.

Last week, the Hokies shared that star recruit Drew Harris would not be attending Virginia Tech come Fall, per The Washington Post. Unfortunately, Harris did not qualify academically. He will attend Fork Union Military Academy instead.

Losing the 6'1", 220 pound running back is a major blow for the Hokies. Already a young group of men, running backs coach Shane Beamer has his work cut out for him. Redshirt freshman Michael Holmes and freshman J.C. Coleman will battle it out alongside junior Tony Gregory. Incoming freshman Trey Edmunds could also be thrown into the mix, while senior fullback Martin Scales and incoming freshman Chris Mangus could be given chances as well.

While a plethora of individuals, this group is mostly inexperienced. It also does not help that Gregory sat out spring practice with a torn ACL. While Gregory is said to be back at 100%, per HamptonRoads.com, it should still be of concern for the Hokies as knee injuries are known to be tricky. Injured or not, Gregory, along with Scales, will need to step up as the leaders of this young group. Scales will be a blessing as he emerged as a power option during spring scrimmages.

Going into the season, I believe Beamer will use a rotating group of backs until someone establishes himself in the lead. However, it would have been nice to add Harris to the mix, as he ran for 4,977 yards and 36 touchdowns at Downington East High in Exton, Pennsylvania. Those statistics were even cut short after a knee injury during Harris' final season. It can only be imagined what the four-star recruit would have been capable of right away.

While Virginia Tech can count on Harris to re-commit for the 2013 season in February, it would still have been an added value to the Hokie team for 2012. Young and inexperienced, losing anyone right now is not ideal. The Hokies will recover, but there is no doubt it isn't going to be easy.

Quarterback Logan Thomas may be expected to carry a lot more of the offensive load this season. A player like Harris would have helped in that situation and would have added an additional support in the wake of Wilson. Instead, Thomas now faces thin options in front of him for 2012.

It's not the end of the world for Virginia Tech. Instead, they will now have to wait just one more year for their star running back to arrive.