Hokies Close Strong

By Kyle Bailey
SouthernPigskin.com

Follow us at Twitter.com/SouthernPigskin.  Become a fan at the SouthernPigskin.com Facebook Page

Even without signing a 5-star recruit, the Hokies put together a class with several 4-star players and even more 3-star guys with a ton of upside--exactly the kind of guys Beamer is known for finding.

Virginia Tech fans woke up this morning knowing the program had a chance to close out one of its best recruiting classes in recent history. They can rest their heads tonight knowing that, despite one major hiccup, the Hokies have done just that.

Four-star recruits, JC Coleman and Donaldven Manning, enrolled at Virginia Tech last month. Three others were still just verbals, but they were solid. So the primary objective on signing day was to land the trifecta of blue chip prospects that were still available, and apparently "Hokies leans."

The first announcement of the morning that Tech fans were tuned in to was that of Brookeville defensive tackle, Korren Kirven. Kirven had narrowed his choices to Alabama, Tennessee, and the Hokies. Despite widespread belief that he would follow fellow Brookville alums, Logan Thomas and Zack McCray (both highly ranked prospects in their classes), to Blacksburg, Kirven couldn't resist the overtures of Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide. Saban made a personal visit last week to Brookville high school in order to secure Kirven's services, and that seemed to ultimately make the difference.

The day got much better from there on out. Joel Caleb, a Top 100 Athlete recruit, spurned Georgia, Ohio State and West Virginia to play for Frank Beamer. Just 30 minutes later, a Rivals 250 recruit and #8 player in Virginia, Ken Ekanem turned down Notre Dame to play in Blacksburg, as well.

By the end of the day, the Hokies had signed seven 4-star recruits, and an eighth is already on campus after transferring from the University of Georgia. Below is a list of the the 2012 4-star players:

JC Coleman (RB, Chesapeake, VA)
Drew Harris (RB, Downington, PA)
Joel Caleb (WR, Midlothian, VA)
Ken Ekanem (DE, Centreville, VA)
Trey Edmunds (LB, Danville, VA)
Deon Clarke (LB Clover Hill, VA)
Donaldven Manning (DB, Miami, FL)
* Brett Benedict (OL, Jacksonville, FL)

*Transferred from the University of Georgia

Virginia Tech's Associate Head Coach, Shane Beamer, was brought back to his alma mater to coach running backs and to be a primary recruiter. He served as Steve Spurrier's Recruiting Coordinatory at South Carolina where he was responsible for bringing in Marcus Lattimore, Alshon Jeffery, and Jadaveon Clowney. Beamer's youth and enthusiasm were expected to rejuvenate the Virginia Tech recruiting effort, but not many could have foreseen just how quickly it would make an impact.

The 2012 class was yet another without a 5-star recruit. The last one was Tyrod Taylor, and the next could be Kendall Fuller whose two brothers Vincent (New England Patriots) and Kyle (current DB) both signed on the dotted line with Virginia Tech. So for now, Tech fans will have to just be happy that the 2012 class has more "stars" than the previous ten.

The day wasn't without drama. The Kirven decision was a bit of a gut punch to Hokie Nation, but they recovered quickly. However, Florida linebacker, Jawand Blue, had verbally committed to Virginia Tech back in July. After OLB Reggie Northrup decommitted from the Unversity of Miami this afternoon, the 'Canes suddenly had an opening and a need. Al Golden swooped in and stole the 3-star linebacker from the Hokies. The interesting part came when Blue called Virginia Tech to decommit. A passionate conversation ensued between Blue and a member of the Tech coaching staff. Blue had the call on speaker phone, and a nearby reporter heard the conversation and began tweeting quotes and attributing those quotes to Frank Beamer. As it turns out, it wasn't coach Beamer on the phone, but reportedly Blue's recruiter and Hokies' defensive line coach, Charlie Wiles. The story spread like wildfire on Twitter and across the internet within minutes, forcing the reporter to backtrack from his statements and apologize profusely to Virginia Tech.

Even without signing a single 5-star recruit, the Hokies put together a class with several 4-star players and even more 3-star guys with a ton of upside--exactly the kind of guys Frank Beamer has become known for finding. Tech officially signed 28 players in this class, and 17 of them were of the 3-star variety. Players like Brenden Motley (QB, Christiansburg, VA), Joshua Stanford (WR, Lithonia, GA), Davion Tookes (DB, Fairburn, GA), and Thomas Smith (WR, Williamsburg, VA) all boast a 3-star rating and have the coaching staff very excited about their potential.

There are a couple of guys in this class with NFL pedigree. Alston Smith (DL, Virginia Beach, VA) is the son of Hokies legend and NFL Hall of Famer, Bruce Smith. Trey Edmunds is the son of Ferrell Edmunds who spent 9 years in the NFL and also coached Trey in high school.

In the past 6 years, Virginia Tech has put 29 players into the NFL. 21 of those players were 3-stars or lower. The blue-collar, lunch pail identity that has become synonomous with Virginia Tech isn't a gimmick. Since the Hokies joined the ACC in 2004, they've never finished higher than 4th in recruiting, annually finishing behind Florida State, Miami, and Clemson. However, in that same time period, the Hokies have won more ACC titles than all three of those teams combined. So with today's development, Tech fans should feel awfully good about the future.

Breakdown by State:
* Virginia (17)
* Georgia (3)
* North Carolina (2)
* Pennsylvania (2)
* Florida (1)
* South Carolina (1)
* Tennessee (1)

Photo Gallery