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Wayne Davis At RCS Richmond

At long last, four-star CB Wayne Davis will be making his long awaited visit to VT, for the spring game April 25. If all goes well, he could be the next commitment. He'll be visiting East Carolina this weekend, but the Hokies have been the main school he's talked about for a while now and he hasn't visited yet.

I will say, not to put a damper on Davis, but he had to be one of the more disappointing players I saw this weekend. I thought he looked when when I saw him at the state title game in December, but at both camps, he was constantly holding receivers. He pissed a few of them off, who were jawing with him all the way back to the line. When Davis wasn't holding, he looked good, but it seemed like he would panic a bit if he got behind a step or two and just held. He has the physical characteristics to be a great DB and if he got coaching from a guy like Torrian Gray, I think he could be a great college DB. But after the issues he had in camp two days in a row, don't be surprised to see him drop in the Rivals rankings.

Davis on VT, camps

FSU Offers VT Target

Just wanted to pass on that Florida State has offered four-star OL Josh Ball. Getting ready to post the video interview I did with him in Richmond, but this response from our Mike Farrell:



53m53 minutes ago

Mike Farrell retweeted Adam Friedman
liked his this past weekend, #Hokies tough to beat I think
Mike Farrell added,




Adam Friedman[/B] @RivalsFriedman
#FSU[/URL] just offered a 4-star OL from VA http://bit.ly/1NCRZwk [/URL] @Warchant[/URL] @MichaelWarchant[/URL] @rivalsmike[/URL]2 retweets4 favorites

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Josh Ball profile

New Staff Members

Guys, as we continue to grow and expand, I wanted to officially share the news of our two newest additions to the HokieHaven.com team, Brittany Keup and Kelly Porazzo. Both have already hit the ground running, as many of you probably also saw the story on the defense Friday by Brittany.

I couldn't be more thrilled to have them on board! They'll help out where needed, in team coverage, practices, games, breakdowns, video and recruiting. So basically, they'll both be well versed in everything Hokies. Please join me in giving them warm welcomes to the site!

Brittany's user name is Brittany Keup, while Kelly's user name is HHKellyP


****Brittany Keup is a junior multimedia journalism major at Virginia Tech and has been interested in sports journalism since middle school. She started her journalism career in high school, but started writing for the Collegiate Times in the fall of her freshman year. This past year she has been the co-sports editor of the Collegiate Times and has taken on two other part time jobs as a writing center coach and cycle instructor for Virginia Tech. She has also been a part of VTTV, SGA and on the evaluation team for VT Rec Sports.

Brittany grew up watching college football with her dad since she was little and fell in love with sports early on. Ever since, she has wanted to pursue a career in sports journalism, specifically college football. At one point she hopes to write about college football for some sort of newspaper.


****Kelly Porazzo is a freshman at Virginia Tech majoring in Business and Communications. She's proud to have made the Dean's List this year. She grew up watching sports with her dad and developed a real passion for football and basketball. Kelly was on the dance team for four years at Deep Run High School in Glen Allen, Virginia. Her final two years, she was captain of the team that won championships each year. She cheered on the Hokies this year and enjoyed every moment of it. She is very excited to be joining the Hokie Haven team!

This post was edited on 4/6 11:30 PM by Jason Stamm

**INsider: Scrimmage No. 2**

Guys, there's a good thread already started so check that one out, as well as my story that I've now posted and linked below. A few additional tidbits:

- It was interesting afterward, Loeffler talked a lot about how excited he was to have a second year with Brewer and how that's the reason he came to VT. He wants a place he can stay awhile and "build a room" with coaching guys more than one year.

- Loeffler talked a lot about the quarterback meeting room right now and how intense it is. He's expecting a lot from Brewer and Motley, basically trying to put as much mental pressure as possible on them to perform. Brewer echoed how intense it is and meticulous everything is right now.

- Brewer threw a pass to Ford that Ford took for a long touchdown. I saw a hand signal that Brewer made to Ford right before the play and asked Brewer about it afterward. He said that's something he's getting to do more and more and something Loeffler is encouraging.

- Torrian Gray was all over Adonis Alexander all day. From basic teaching to yelling at him after a play, Gray was really trying to get Alexander going. Foster is all about him and it's obvious he thinks he's going to be a star.

- Loeffler gushed about Eric Gallo afterward. Said he's probably already in the film room watching the film. He's going to start at center 100%, no doubt about it.

- Antone Exum, James Gayle, and Kyshoen Jarrett, among others were on the sidelines just hanging out most of the game.

Scrimmage Report

***INsider: RCS Richmond***

Guys, just concluded the Rivals Camp Series stop in Richmond a little while ago. I'll be adding more to this when I get to Charlotte in a bit for tomorrow's camp. But wanted to catch you all up on some important notes from today's camp:

*As we expected, we've confirmed a lot of names for the spring game. I've seen so many guys and done a ton of interviews (video coming), so I'll be getting more in depth on who's coming. But some guys right off the bat who will be in attendance are Ricky Slade, Donovan Williams, Jalen Elliott, Devon Hunter, Kyree Campbell, Eric Crosby, Eric Kumah, Jaquan Yulee, Thomas Jarrett Hopple, Myles Wolfolk, Victor Greene and Reggie Floyd.

**The four VT commits in attendance, Floyd, Wolfolk, Greene and Hopple, all looked very impressive. Not sure what Mike Farrell has as his overall list, but it wouldn't surprise me to see all three on the top performers list for the camp, especially the first two. I will say with Hopple, he's a very nice, but quiet kid. I did a video interview with him and he says about two words for each response. And he was hesitant to jump in for reps in the OL/DL one on ones. But for the four reps he got, he looked very impressive and held his ground very well.

***Josh Ball's father caught my attention right off the bat by wearing a VT hat. I really like the Hokies' chances here. He's visiting West Virginia for the spring game April 25, but will be back at VT very soon. Just visited South Carolina yesterday, but I think VT's odds have improved here. Went against Kyree Campbell a ton and won the majority of the reps. Very strong kid who has good hands, but still needs to get a little lower. WV might actually be the team to worry most about here. His dad was actually carrying a WV sling around as well.

****There weren't many good QBs at the camp, but of the kids there, Alex Faniel looks very impressive. Big kid with good feet and a big arm. I like Donovan Williams at Hylton (Va.) a lot too. Another svelte, well-built kid who has good feet and hands.

*****The next big prospect in the state of Virginia is only a 2019 kid, LB Tayvion "Tank" Land, who VT just offered last month. He already looks like a junior or senior in high school and moves very well.

******Greene worked out uring the day at linebacker. He's been recruited as an athlete and still doesn't know where he'll play with the Hokies. I told his dad that Victor looked good at linebacker and he told me, "You should call Bud Foster and tell him!"

*******Some unfortunate news with an area player, as Lord Botetourt (Va.) DB Bradley Lythgoe, who just got an Army offer earlier in the week, looks like he had a very serious injury. We'll see after an MRI, but trainers told me they think it could be a torn ACL. Never good.

********The two most impressive receivers, hands down, were Rivals250 WR Tino Ellis and three-star Grant Holloway. The latter especially made it look easy, crushing opposing DBs on nearly every rep in one-on-ones. He ran great routes and lept to make some impressive catches over DBs. The amazing part is that this was the first football work Holloway has done since the end of the football season in November, as he's been focused on track. As I've reported, he's trying out for the US Pan Am team coming up and is probably so good of a track athlete that he might never play a down of football.

*********With Ellis, he echoed an earlier report in the week by our friends at TerrapinSportsReport.com, that he's backed off of having a top two of VT and Maryland. I still think it's between those two and will come down to those two. But I think he's hoping to put less pressure on himself, by stepping back a little bit.

**********I really think VT also has an excellent shot at 2017 five-star ATH Devon Hunter. He got an invite to the Five-Star Challenge in June in Baltimore, but said he has a great relationship with assistant coach Bryan Stinespring and will likely visit for the spring game. Long way to go, but Hokies are in excellent shape.

**********I'll mention it on a separate thread, but two big-time OL who were at the camp today will be visiting VT tomorrow, Archbishop Carroll's (DC) Jauan Williams, No. 102 in Rivals250 and four-star Richard Merritt, who was the OL MVP today. This will be the first visit to VT for both.

**********The other kid who seems very excited about VT, in 2017, is DE Eric Crosby from Ocean Lakes (Va.). In the Rivals100 to watch for 2017, he and his teammate, Khalan Laborn, also in the Rivals100, visited VT two weeks ago for the coaches clinic with their coach, Chris Scott. Both will be back at the spring game in a few weeks and I'll see Laborn at the Charlotte camp tomorrow.

***********I hate to make predictions like this, but two of the leading candidates to commit to V next are three-star WR Eric Kumah and three-star DB Jalen Elliott, Both talked very highly of the Hokies and I think are big leans to both, based on how they're talking. You'll see video interviews coming on both.

Alright guys, I'm off to Charlotte for tomorrow's camp! TONS more coverage coming here that you won't find ANYWHERE else, as these camps are exclusive to Rivals.com.

Full story coming, but as always, what's posted here, STAYS HERE. Don't de-value your own subscription by giving away information to others who don't pay like you do. It's also a violation of our terms of service and will result in the termination of your subscription.[/B]

***INsider: RCS Charlotte***

Guys, we just finished up a short while ago with the Charlotte stop of the Rivals Camp Series presented by Under Armour. And while there weren't as many VT targets as in Richmond, there was still a lot to watch.

*First off, the talk of the camp was South Caldwell (NC) OL Landon Dickerson, who as we've been reporting for over a month now, is probably the top target on the board for VT in the 2016 class. He's been one of the top three OL targets for sure, along with Josh Ball and Thomas Jarrett Hopple, the latter who committed. Dickerson was by far the best OL on hand and received the OL MVP and an invite to the prestigious Rivals Five-Star Challenge presented by Under Armour, In June in Baltimore. Dickerson held his own all day, even against five-star DT Dexter Lawrence, which definitely pushed him over the top. Dickerson has unreal hands and feet and just has great build. If the Hokies can land him, he'll be the gem of this class.

**Dickerson told Mike Farrell that his top five are Virginia Tech, Tennessee, South Carolina, Alabama and Florida State, but that the Hokies and the Vols are his top two because of how hard they recruit him and how they treat him. He told me he loved his visit to VT yesterday for the scrimmage and that he now wants to decide possibly on Sept. 30, his birthday, if not before then. Dickerson hopes to see Tennessee, Alabama and Florida State next. Farrell told me that Dickerson might be the most impressive OL he's seen in the 2016 class and that's saying an awful lot. And right now, it looks like VT is the favorite here.

***I know Mallard Creek (NC) four-star DE Josh Brown visited VT last weekend, but I'm not sure how strong a chance the Hokies have right now. As soon as camp was over, Brown, who's been committed to Florida State, changed into Seminoles shirt and shorts and seemed to be pretty happy about his decision. He likes VT, but there's a good chance he stays put.

****For the second day in a row, four-star Lake Taylor (Va.) DB Wayne Davis participated in the Rivals Camp, after competing in Charlotte yesterday. Davis told me he rode to Richmond with his coach, drove back with him, got home around 6, slept for a few hours, got in the car around 2 and drove to Charlotte with his mom, Davis didn't look tired, but for the second day in a row, got beat more than not. He was also holding a lot, too. Looks very likely that Davis could get bumped down to three stars or just keep his four stars. As far as recruiting, VT is right there, but Ohio State, Georgia, Auburn and Wisconsin are all right there, too. I still think Davis has the build and ability to be a big time guy in college, but his rank could take a hit for now.

*****The other guy who was at his second camp is three-star Roswell (Ga.) LB Tyrone Hopper, who was also at the Atlanta camp a few weeks ago. But he was visiting family and asked to go again, so he did. Hopper sounds like Tennessee and VT are at the top, despite a new offer from Wisconsin. I do think the Vols have a slight edge here, but he has visited VT and says he'll visit again either for the spring game or later this summer. So I don't think Tennessee has much of a lead.

******I like RB Khalan Laborn, a 2017 kid from Ocean Lakes (Va.) a lot too. He had a great camp and won the RB MVP award. He and his 2017 teammate also in the Rivals100, ATH Eric Crosby, visited VT two weeks ago for the coaches clinic weekend. I saw Crosby yesterday, who was excited to return for the Hokies' spring game, but Laborn today was equally, if not more excited. Great looking kid who still has a long way to go, but VT in great shape early on.

*******I spoke with LB Jonathan Smith from Scotland County (NC), whose dad was teasing me about Smith being just two stars. That will change very quickly. Smith is a great looking LB, but one of those guys who doesn't do well in the camp setting. He's more of a run-stopper, so it's tough to get a gauge on his ability from camp. But I like how he looks. Smith had narrowed things down a bit, but over the past few weeks, has picked up a lot of interest, including a VT offer last week that caused him to re-look things. Smith said he visited VT Friday and was there yesterday for the scrimmage. He didn't mention VT much at first, but I think the Hokies have a shot here. This one will be tough to get, though, as he has a lot of interest. He'll be at Georgia Tech's spring game next weekend.

********One kid to really watch, TE Will Register, a 2017 kid from Chapin (SC). Great hands, great routes and has the makings of one of the top tight end targets for sure in the southeast, for the next class. He looks like he's just getting going.

*********I like four-star DE Nick Coe a lot. Very explosive kid with violent hands, who is a handful off the edge. He's also a state champion wrestler. But there's a reason why not many schools have offered like VT has. Grades aren't great, but he looks to be worth the chance. We'll see if he can get 'em up during his senior year.

**********A couple of guys who badly want VT offers, DB Simeon Gatling, WR Corey Sutton and LB Zach Welch. It's gonna be wait and see, though for all three. The guy who seems most likely of the three is Sutton, but VT wants to see what happens with the other WR targets on the board first.

TONS of video and photos coming as always! Glad to now be headed back home to the NRV, but a great weekend of watching football recruits.

Full story coming, but as always, what's posted here, STAYS HERE. Don't de-value your own subscription by giving away information to others who don't pay like you do. It's also a violation of our terms of service and will result in the termination of your subscription.[/B]

***INsider: RCS Charlotte Vt Participants***

Guys, I've made it to Charlotte, after a very long day of camp and driving. But excited for another big day and big camp tomorrow. Here's the list of VT guys who will be on hand, with guys from North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and a few from Tennessee and Virginia:

DT Dexter Lawrence, Wake Forest (NC), five stars, No. 13 in Rivals100, No. 3 DT, No. 1 in NC -- Wiles
ATH Mecole Hardman, Elbert County (Ga.), four stars, No. 98 in Rivals100, No. 6 ATH, No. 11 in GA -- Gray
LB Julian Okwara, Ardrey Kell (NC), four stars, No. 179 in Rivals250, No. 16 OLB, No. 6 in NC -- Beamer
Safety Marlon Character, Grady (Ga.), four stars, No. 195 in Rivals250, No. 13 safety, No. 18 in GA -- Gray
RB Robert Washington, Southlake Christian Academy (NC), four stars, No. 15 RB, No. 12 in NC -- Beamer
DE Nick Coe, Asheboro (NC), four stars, No. 16 SDE, No. 13 in NC -- Wiles
DE Josh Brown, Mallard Creek (NC), four stars, No. 16 WDE, No. 14 in NC (FSU COMMIT) -- Beamer
OL Landon Dickerson, South Caldwell (NC), three stars, No. 16 OG, No. 15 in NC -- Searels
DE Zack Gilbert, South Mecklenburg (NC), three stars, No. 30 WDE, No. 25 in NC -- Beamer
TE Garrett Walston, New Hanover (NC), three stars, No. 23 TE, No. 27 in NC -- Wiles
LB Tyrone Hopper, Roswell (Ga.), three stars, No. 47 OLB, No. 53 in GA -- Gray
WR Corey Sutton, Hough (NC), three stars, No. 36 in NC (NO OFFER) -- Beamer
LB Jonathan Smith, Scotland County (NC), two stars, No. 46 in NC -- Wiles
CB Simeon Gatling, Dudley (NC), two stars, No. 47 in NC (NO OFFER) -- Wiles
OL Pete Leota, Asheville (NC), two stars, No. 49 in NC -- Searels
RB Khalan Laborn, Ocean Lakes (Va.), four stars, Rivals100 to watch for 2017 -- Burden
CB LeAnthony Williams, Roswell (Ga.) (2017) -- Gray
LB Ellis Brooks, Benedictine (Va.) (2017) -- Beamer
CB Aapri Washington, Southlake Christian Academy (NC) (2017) (NO OFFER) -- Beamer
RB Devon Lawrence, Wake Forest (NC) (2018) (NO OFFER) -- Wiles

***INsider: RCS Richmond Visitors***

Guys, as I've said before, this is a HUGE weekend for recruiting. Tomorrow, I'll be in Richmond for the Rivals Camp Series presented by Under Armour Richmond stop there and on Sunday, I'll be in Charlotte for that Rivals camp. This is one of the biggest things that sets us apart from our competitors in that these camps are exclusive to Rivals.

Here's the list of guys to watch, as far as who VT is interested in, for Richmond tomorrow.

OL Jauan Williams, Archbishop Carroll (DC), four stars, No. 102 in Rivals250, No. 9 OT, No. 2 in DC -- Searels
WR Tino Ellis, Dematha (Md.), four stars, No. 139 in Rivals250, No. 5 in MD -- Burden
CB Patrice Rene, Episcopal (Va.), four stars, No. 160 in Rivals250, No. 14 CB, No. 4 in VA -- Gray
WR Trevon Diggs, Avalon (Md.), four stars, No. 194 in Rivals250, No. 39 WR, No. 6 in MD -- Burden
OL Richard Merritt, Archbishop Carroll (DC), four stars, No. 12 OG, No. 4 in DC -- Searels
CB Wayne Davis, Lake Taylor (Va.), four stars, No. 20 CB, No. 7 in VA -- Burden
OL Josh Ball, Stafford Senior (Va.) four stars, No. 24 OT, No. 9 in VA -- Searels
LB Jaquan Yulee, Indian River (Va.), four stars, No. 11 ILB, No. 8 in VA -- Stinespring
OLB, Aaron Hansford, St Johns College High (DC), three stars, No. 43 OLB, No. 7 in DC -- Burden
LB Keith Simms, Landon School (Md.), three stars, No. 21 OLB, No. 9 in MD -- Burden
ATH Steven Smothers, Franklin (Md.), four stars, No. 29 ATH, No. 10 in MD -- Burden
CB Myles Wolfolk, Wise (Md.), three stars, No. 38 CB. No. 16 in MD --- Gray --- VT COMMIT
DT Kyree Campbell, Woodbridge (Va.) three stars, No. 22 DT, No. 10 in VA -- Foster
OL JayJay McCargo, Bishop O'Connell (Va,), three stars, No. 30 OT, No. 12 in VA -- Gray
Safety JJ Givens, Atlee (Va.), three stars, No. 31 safety, No. 13 in VA -- Beamer
WR Phillip Patterson, Bayside (Va.), three stars, No. 79 WR, No. 14 in VA -- Burden
Safety Reggie Floyd, Stonewall Jackson (Va.), No. 28 RB, No. 17 in VA -- Gray -- VT COMMIT
LB Dedrion Bacote, Oscar Smith (Va.), three stars, No. 18 in VA (NO OFFER) -- Stinespring
LB Tavante Beckett, Indian River (Va.), three stars, No. 19 in VA (NO OFFER) -- Stinespring
WR Eric Kumah, Forest Park (Va.), three stars, No. 21 in VA -- Foster
DT Joe Goff, Episcopal (Va.), three stars, No. 22 in VA -- Gray
ATH Grant Holloway, Grassfield (Va.), three stars, No. 23 in VA -- Stinespring
ATH Jalen Elliott, LC Bird (Va.), three stars, No. 25 in VA -- Beamer
Safety Traveon Redd, Magna Vista (Va.), three stars, No. 27 in VA (NO OFFER) -- Brown
Safety Anthony Womack, Ocean Lakes (Va.), three stars, No. 28 in VA (NO OFFER)-- Burden
Safety Keyvone Bruton, Lake Taylor (Va.) three stars, No. 29 in VA -- Stinespring
ATH Jovonn Quillen, Hampton (Va.), three stars, No. 30 in VA -- Brown -- VT COMMIT
OL Thomas Jarrett Hopple, Nansemond River (Va.), No. 34 in VA -- Searels-- VT COMMIT
WR Trevion Armstrong, Trinity Episcopal (Va.) three stars, No. 35 in VA (NO OFFER)-- Beamer
OL Elijah Johnson, Dematha (Md.), two stars, No. 32 in MD (NO OFFER) -- Searels
DT Jamari Logan, Booker T Washington (Va.), No. 39 in VA -- Stinespring
ATH Victor Greene, Courtland (Va.), two stars -- Foster (VT COMMIT)
OL Zach Adams, Riverbend (Va.) (NO OFFER) -- Searels
DE Carlos Basham, Northside (Va.) (NO OFFER) -- Stinespring
ATH Bradley Lythgoe, Lord Botetourt (Va.) (NO OFFER) -- Stinespring
QB Shaolin McGuire, Magna Vista (Va.) (NO OFFER) -- Brown
ATH Devon Hunter, Indian River (Va.), five stars, Rivals100 to watch for 2017 -- Stinespring
ATH Eric Crosby, Ocean Lakes (Va.) four stars, Rivals100 to watch for 2017 -- Burden
QB Alex Faniel, Glen Allen (Va.) (2017) -- Loeffler/Beamer
ATH Tahj Capehart, Ocean Lakes (Va.) (2017) -- Burden
OL Darnell Ewell, Lake Taylor (Va.), four stars, Rivals100 to watch for 2017 -- Burden
RB Anthony McFarland, Dematha (Md.), four stars, Rivals100 to watch for 2017 -- Burden
LB Dylan Rivers, Sherando (Va.), (2017) -- Gray
RB Ricky Slade, Hylton (Va.), (2018) -- Foster
OLB Teradja Mitchell, Bayside (Va.) (2018) -- Burden
CB Tayvion Land, Ocean Lakes (Va.) (2019) -- Burden

This post was edited on 4/11 11:27 PM by Jason Stamm
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