2016 QB Brandon Peters Could Be Loeffler's "Dude"

When Hokies offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler goes out on the recruiting trail, he's looking for a certain attitude from quarterbacks.

"He said I'm a 'dude,' that's the word he uses," said Brandon Peters, a rising junior quarterback at Indianapolis' Avon High School. "He feels like I have a lot of intensity."

The Hokies are used to having fiery leaders under center, from the days of Tyrod Taylor to Logan Thomas, and Loeffler might have just found the latest passer to follow in their footsteps.

"He's a reserved person, but he's a really fierce competitor," said Mark Bless, Avon's head football coach.

Peters is just starting to get noticed on the national recruiting scene, but the 6'4" and 190 pound signal caller is already rated a 4-star pro-style quarterback by the 247Sports Composite ranking.

He visited Blacksburg on July 19 and the Hokies rewarded him with his first scholarship offer.

"Going down there, I really got a feel for the campus, and it's really cool," Peters said. "I got to talk with the coaches too, and I really liked it a lot."

But even though the Hokies just offered him, they've been keeping tabs on Peters for a while now.

"(Wide receivers coach) Aaron Moorehead came to one of our college days last spring, since he knows this area," Bless said. "And he really hit it off with Brandon. Then he told Loeffler about him and he visited up towards the end of the school year. I think he just fell in love with the program."

Since then, Loeffler has taken over the recruiting process as he tries to reel in yet another talented passer for the class of 2016.

"It's mainly been me calling him up and talking, and we talk all the time," Peters said."

Bless feels that Peters' combination of athleticism and arm strength is what got him interested in the QB.

"He really stood out on the field as just a sophomore," Bless said. "He's got athletic ability, he definitely runs well for his size, and he's got a live arm."

Peters' experience in a pro-style offense bearing some similarity to Tech's attack also surely influenced Loeffler.

"We run a pro-style offense, not a spread," Bless said. "We run some one back looks, but lots of two back sets as well. We have both three- and five-step drops in our offense, with some roll out play-action as well."

While the system doesn't call for Peters to do a huge amount of running, it still helps that he can move a little when he needs to.

"I like the pro-style a lot," Peters said. "If I need to get out of the pocket and run, I can, but I'm not the fastest guy around."

Peters may be suited to his current offense, but Bless certainly feels as if he could make a transition to any type of scheme.

"He's certainly capable of being in a spread," Bless said. "He's very intelligent. If he's told something one time, he retains it. But he's great at what he does for us."

But despite his early progress, Peters is still searching for a program that can help him reach his full potential.

"I'm just looking for a coach that can really help me improve," Peters said. "I'm not worried about the distance of the school."

That would seem to keep Tech in the running for his services, even if Blacksburg is nearly 500 miles away from home. While the Hokies are his only offer right now, he's looking at some other out of state schools as well.

"I really like Kentucky, I visited and it seems like a good campus," Peters said. "I like Tennessee a lot too, but I haven't heard much from them."

The offers might not be pouring in quite yet, but Bless thinks it's just a matter of time before other schools get interested.

"It's still so early in the process, and coaches have only seen his sophomore year video, and he's got that much more maturity now," Bless said. "He's gotten some attention, but once he gets one or two more offers, it'll start to snowball."

Peters might be an intense "dude," but he's taking the recruiting process nice and easy for now.

"I'll probably be waiting until next summer (to decide) because it's still so early for me," Peters said.