Baltimore has been a real horn of plenty for Virginia Tech throughout the 90’s. The port city has produced for the Hokies - and ultimately the NFL - impact players like Vaughn Hebron from Cardinal Gibbons High School, Antonio Freeman from Baltimore Polytechnic and Keion Carpenter from Woodlawn High. A pretty solid group for the decade.

But there is a new crop of talented players sprouting in "Charm City", and several of these blue- chippers also have their eyes fixed on the village of Hokieville.

Nearly in the shadows of the Baltimore skyline, the urban fringe neighborhood of Catonsville, Md. bears little resemblance to the pastoral setting of Blacksburg, Va., 300 miles to its southwest. There is, however, a definite connection between the two.

Recently, on a unseasonably warm November Sunday, quarterback Vincent Fuller took the field to lead his team in the Westside All-Stars Game at Catonsville High School. Flanked to Fuller’s right was Joe Cromwell, a 6-foot-2, 175 pound speed burner from Baltimore’s Western Tech. Richard Johnson from Milford Mill High, another gazelle, lined up to the left. He would later snag two touchdown passes.

Johnson is ranked # 12 among high school seniors in Maryland by Prep Atlantic, and is highly-coveted at cornerback by Syracuse and Michigan. However, he is leaning strongly towards attending what many youngsters now perceive as a higher profile football program. Nearly every fall weekend, everyone sees that team and its fans rockin’ the "Terror Dome" on ESPN: Virginia Tech.

His all-star receiving mate, Cromwell, runs like a scalded dog (4.38 forty) and is being recruited by NC State, Temple and James Madison. But Cromwell is showing signs that he may travel a little further south than Harrisonburg, but not quite as far as Raleigh to play college ball: Blacksburg, Va.

Fuller has already made a verbal commitment to Tech. The 6-foot-2, 170 pounder is the pride of Baltimore County’s Woodlawn High School, the same school that produced Carpenter. Though he started at quarterback for Woodlawn and the Westside All-Stars, Fuller also plays wide receiver and free safety for his first-year coach Reggie White.

"He is a special player," said White. "Everyone told me about him when I first came here, and they were right. He’s a very intelligent player with a good knowledge of the game. Vinny is able to make suggestions to me based on his knowledge of what’s happening on the field. He’s a leader."

White knows talent. After playing his college ball at North Carolina A&T, he spent five years as a nose tackle in the National Football League with the Chargers, Patriots and the Jets. White went to Super Bowl IIIX with San Diego following the 1994 season.

Fuller is a complete athlete and he has more than a little rabbit in him. He will compete for the track team at Tech, as well as on the gridiron. Fuller runs a 4.39 forty and has turned in a 22.0 timing in the 200 meters. He ran a relay leg in the AAU East Coast qualifiers. Though he also played three years of basketball at Woodlawn, his first love is football.

"I like the physical aspects of playing football," said Fuller. "It is a game where you have to be physically and mentally tough. It’s challenging for me."

He was a preseason all-state selection this fall after passing for 1,150 yards, rushing for 670 and scoring 20 touchdowns in his junior season. On defense, he had 35 tackles and four picks. He nearly duplicated those numbers this year.

"He had an amazing forty-yard run for a TD against Parkville," said White. "It was on a 18-keeper. He really shot around the end. I though they might get him at the ten, but he avoided the tacklers. It was sweet."

Tech wide receivers’ coach Tony Ball recognized Fuller’s talents. He soon came calling in hopes of persuading him to choose Tech over Duke, Maryland and Temple. Ball, however, sees Fuller as a safety instead of a pass catcher.

No problem, said Fuller.

" I was very impressed by my recruiting coach: Coach Ball," he said. "He and the whole coaching staff made me feel very welcome. They educated me on Beamer Ball."

He met Coach Beamer on his visit to Tech on the weekend of the Miami rout.

"You can tell he’s a man with great character," said Fuller. "I like him. He said he’d love to have me at Virginia Tech."

It didn’t take much to convince Fuller to attend Tech. His cousin Damien Russell was a star defensive back for the Beamer and Hokies in the late 80’s and early 90’s, and later went on to play with the San Francisco 49’ers. Therefore, Tech and its coach came highly recommended.

Fuller is an excellent student with a 3.6 GPA and an 1130 SAT score, so he did consider his offer from Duke as a great academic opportunity. Upon further examination, he found the curriculum he desired in Blacksburg. He will major in education.

"He knew it was the school for him, said White. "He fell in love with the coaches - and it doesn’t hurt to be number two in the country."

Fuller marveled at the cataclysm which was Lane Stadium during the Miami game and he yearns to be part of it. The highly-regimented schedule of the team during game weekends was something he found to his liking.

"Everything is very organized with the football team," said the articulate Fuller. "Everything happens on time and according to schedule."

There’s quite a transition, however, from high school to college ball, unless your name is Vick. Fuller will be redshirted next season and will be given the chance to put on a little muscle while learning the finer points of competing at the major college level. It’s a learning process that his coach once experienced, one which he now prepares his pupil.

"He’ll be a little shell-shocked at first, said White. "When he sees that other players can do what he can. But he will rise to the occasion. By his sophomore year, he should be about 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds and a solid playmaker for Tech."

Hopefully, Fuller will become the player his Woodlawn predecessor, Carpenter, was for the Hokies. But with his height, athleticism and field savvy, he looks a little more like the next Torrian Gray to this reporter.

Johnson is rated as a one of the four best cornerback prospects in the country. He is high on lists of Michigan and Syracuse, and has been offered a scholarship by Florida State. Johnson says he likes Techs’ style of football and is leaning very heavily towards joining the Hokies. He will make his official visit to Blacksburg on Dec. 10. Johnson is ranked the 12-best prospect in Maryland by Prep Atlantic. Grabbed two touchdown receptions in Baltimore’s Westside All-Star Game on Nov. 21.

Joe Cromwell 6’ 2" 175 Wide Receiver Western Tech High School: Baltimore, MD:

Cromwell is one of the fastest athletes in the state as he turned in a 4.38 forty at the Maryland Junior Combine. He caught 16 passes for 412 yards and five scores for Western this year. He has also been offered scholarships by Temple and James Madison, but Cromwell also has Tech at the top of his list.

Baaque says Virginia Tech is where he wants to be and will make his only official visit to Blacksburg on Dec. 3. He is another top-20 prospect in Maryland according to Prep Atlantic. Baaque is from the same high school that produced another famous Hokie: Backfield Coach and Assistant Head Coach Billy Hite. He has been heavily recruited by Alabama, Wake Forest, Maryland and Georgia Tech but says he has his mind made up on Tech. Baaque already knows the meaning of ‘Beamer Ball’ as he had nearly one hundred tackles, eight sacks, five forced fumbles, a blocked kick and an interception for Dematha.