WR Samuel Denmark Gets Early Interest, First Offer from Hokies

2016 wide receiver Samuel Denmark might not be on many schools' radars just yet, but the Hokies are trying to get ahead of the curve in recruiting the talented junior out of Charleston, S.C.'s Hanahan HS.

Tech's Shane Beamer became the first college coach to extend an offer to Denmark earlier this month, and the receiver's not taking the opportunity lightly.

"Getting the offer was amazing, I was surprised when I first heard about it," Denmark said.

Beamer's days as South Carolina's lead recruiter mean that he's very well connected in the area, giving him a leg up on other programs that are still just putting feelers out on Denmark.

"He's been here before for recruiting a couple years ago, and he's got lots of connections from his time at South Carolina," said Charles Patterson, Hanahan's head coach. "He called and said he saw Sam's game film and loved it, so he asked me what kind of person he was. I told him what a hard worker he was, so he made the offer."

Denmark had yet to hear from the Hokies before even getting the offer, so it's understandable that Beamer's call seemed to come out of the blue.

"He told me he liked my film, checked out my grades, and he liked what he saw," Denmark said.

Even though he only heard from the coaches personally for the first time two weekends ago, Denmark was familiar with Tech's reputation.

"Everyone around here know Virginia Tech, they're definitely respected around here," Patterson said. "He recognizes they're a major program in a big conference."

So far, the Hokies seem to have made a strong impression on him.

"They're a good school, with a good staff," Denmark said. "They've got good academics, and they're really good at graduating people."

But while the Hokies may be the first school to actually offer Denmark, he's dipped his toe in the recruiting waters elsewhere at this point as well. Wake Forest became the second school to offer him this weekend, and others have interest as well.

"He's gone to some local games, like Clemson and UNC, he's gone to some combines and camps around here," Patterson said. "We've got a player at Notre Dame, a wide receiver, so he went up to one of their games to be with him."

Denmark made the trip to South Bend on September 6 for the Fighting Irish's game against Michigan, and got to see fellow Hanahan product Chris Brown in the process.

While he has yet to nab offers at any of his visits, he says two of the schools he's called on have still been talking with him.

"Notre Dame and Clemson are the big two," Denmark said.

Denmark has yet to be ranked by either 247Sports or Rivals, but Patterson says that won't last long, given his combination of size and speed.

"He's got good size, you know he's 6'1" and 180 pounds, and he's very strong," Patterson said. "But he's also a big track guy, probably one of the better in the state, so he can definitely run and jump."

Denmark does indeed hold a pair of school records for his running prowess, and he thinks that's been a big help in his football career as well.

"I think I get separation from my defender really well and run well with the ball in my hands," Denmark said.

But Patterson would like to see him refine the more technical side of his game a bit before he heads to the next level.

"He can improve his flexibility, just being smoother on his routes," Patterson said.

As he focuses on those attributes, he'll keep an eye on the Hokies as well, and has already planned his first visit to Blacksburg.

"I'll be going on November 1 for the BC game, just to check out campus," Denmark said.