TechSideline.com: Recruiting Update

The hysteria has almost ended, and today is the day that all college programs reap the rewards of their hard work. Today is National Signing Day, the first day that recruits can sign their letters of intent (LOI's) to attend universities.

Note that it's the first day that recruits can sign their letters, not the only day. A recruit can take as long as they wish to sign their letter. The only risk they run if they wait is that their scholarship may no longer be available ... and that recruiting analysts might keep calling them.

Virginia Tech has 19 verbal commitments heading into Signing Day, 20 if you include "recommitment" Fred Lee from last year. The only player left on VT's board is junior college (JUCO) defensive tackle Jimmy Williams, who currently plays for Pasadena (CA) City College. Williams will have two years of eligibility remaining with the team of his choice, which will be either VT, South Carolina, or Alabama.

TSL sources say that the Hokies look good for landing Williams, who has flown below the radar so far but is a major Virginia Tech target. If Williams signs with Virginia Tech, he will be one of a handful of players who sources tell us will not redshirt next season, primarily because (a) he's physically mature; (b) Tech needs players at the defensive tackle position; and (c) he's a "monster."

Yesterday, the Hokies shrugged off a strong Monday for the Virginia Cavaliers by getting a verbal commitment from Warwick (Newport News) High School QB Marcus Vick. Vick's verbal commitment to Virginia Tech yesterday afternoon paid immediate PR dividends, as it made headlines on ESPN.com, and Vick was even featured briefly on ESPN's SportsCenter Tuesday night. With Vick and previous VT verbal Patrick Dosh heading to Virginia Tech in the fall, the Hokies have two great QB prospects to add to their stable of quarterbacks already on board.

Here is an update on the Top 10 players in the state of Virginia and their college choices and preferences. All ten players have now verbaled.

Postseason Top 10 Players in the State of Virginia (2002 Recruiting Class) (as ranked by Doug Doughty of The Roanoke Times)
Rating/player	HT	WT	Pos.	School (location)	Colleges (in random order)
1. Ahmad Brooks	6-3	230	LB	Hylton (Woodbridge)	*UVA Commit*
2. Marcus Vick	6-0	185	QB	Warwick (Newport News)	*VT Commit*
3. Kai Parham	6-3	235	LB	Princess Anne (Va. Bch.)	*UVA Commit*
4. Jonathan Lewis	6-2	290	DL	Varina (Richmond)	*VT Commit*
5. Thomas Clayton	6-0	200	RB	Mount Vernon	*FSU Commit*
6. Michael Johnson	5-9	184	RB	Heritage (Newport News)	*UVA Commit*
7. Levi Brown	6-6	300	DL	Granby (Norfolk)	*PSU Commit*
8. Justin London	6-2	221	LB	Northside (Roanoke)	*UCLA Commit*
9. Marcus Hamilton	6-0	175	DB	Centreville (Clifton)	*UVA Commit*
10. Stefan Orange	6-1	180	DB	Culpeper	*UVA Commit*

For a list of Doug Doughty's top 50 and where they have verbaled, please click here.

In addition to Williams, the Hokies also have interest in Deep Creek (Chesapeake) players LB Donte Newsome and WR Josh Hyman. You're not likely to hear any news on them today, however, because neither player has qualified academically at this point. Hyman has said he wants to wait until he qualifies to pick between VT or Syracuse, and it's not clear if Newsome has even been offered a scholarship by VT, due to his current non-qualification status.

Throughout the day, players will be FAXing in their LOI's to the VT Football Office, and announcements will be made on hokiesportsinfo.com and BeamerBall.com as the LOI's are received. Over on the TSL Recruiting Message Board, we'll have two lists set up -- a "VT Verbals" list and a "VT Signees" list -- so you can watch players move from one list to the other as the LOI's come in.

Players can begin FAXing their LOI's in as early as 7 a.m. Our coverage on the recruiting board will begin at 8 a.m. or shortly thereafter.