The Hokies nab another New Jersey prospect and offensive linemen. Coach Grimes is on a roll. Billy Ray Mitchell announced his commitment to Virginia Tech.

I am now committed to the university of Virginia tech #Hokies— Billy Ray Mitchell (@Billythekid_75) July 2, 2013

HokieHaven.com, spoke with the 6-4 285-pound offensive lineman this afternoon.

Mitchell, who cancelled an unofficial visit to Wisconsin he had planned for the weekend, called the Virginia Tech staff this afternoon to commit, becoming commitment No. 13 for the 2014 class.

Last week, Jeff Grimes landed New Jersey offensive lineman Tyrell Smith. Previously, the Hokies received a commitment from Eric Gallo from Holland, Pennsylvania. There has also been significant buzz around the Hokies possibly landing Billy Ray Mitchell from Paramus, New Jersey. Hokie fans might be a bit salty that Grimes has not been able to land any high profile offensive line recruits, but these under the radar prospects fit the profile of what Grimes needs to execute his system.

As we have discussed several times since Frank Beamer turned over his offensive staff, Grimes' system is a zone blocking scheme, which requires athleticism, lateral movement, leg drive, motor to stay engaged as a primary blocker, and a natural instinct for timing to engage and then release double team blocks on down linemen to get to the second level. Big and nasty isn't enough, but being quick, nasty, with tremendous reach is the ideal prototype for a Jeff Grimes offensive lineman.

It's a weird time for Tech fans.

No, not because we are struggling through that awkward phase of emptiness in the sporting calendar with no games or practices. Not because we've been obsessing over the decisions of 17-year-olds for the past month, and have been absolutely devastated when their decisions don't go our way. It's because the NBA Draft is tomorrow, and Tech fans finally have a reason to care.

In case you forgot...or had it electrocuted from memory...basketball is a sport, in fact a sport that the Hokies were not very good at. Erick Green however, was the exception. Think about what it would be like if Leo Dicaprio was in the newest Adam Sandler movie. If De Niro starred in Police Academy 7. If Russell Crowe had a part in the new Superma....oh wait. You get my point.

Green was the lone bright spot in a season of negativity and blowout losses. He won ACC Player of the Year, was first team All-ACC, a third team AP All-American selection, and now he has the chance to be the first Hokie taken in the first round of the draft since 1986.

The Hokies have landed their second verbal pledge in as many days. Tonight, it's offensive lineman (guard) Tyrell Smith (6-5, 255 per Andy Bitter) from powerhouse program Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey. 247Sports ranks Smith as a 3-star prospect, while Rivals.com rates him as a 2-star recruit.

Verbally committed to play football at Virgina Tech!! #HokieNation— Tyrell Smith (@TyrellSmith76) June 26, 2013

Todderick Hunt of NJ.com wrote a nice feature on Smith last December.

"I'm best at run blocking, especially when we run inside zone plays. When I have to block down on an inside lineman, it's going to be a mismatch for him."

Smith, who claims a 315-pound bench press and 500 pound squat, can't wait to get back to football. Since the season ended, he has been working to improve his body for the rigors of the upcoming season.

Michael Vick, Bryan Randall, Marcus Vick, Tyrod Taylor, Logan Thomas. Virginia Tech has had a string of mobile quarterbacks over the past decade and a half. Michael Vick burst onto the scene back in '99, and transformed the way that college football utilized mobile quarterbacks forever. Scot Loeffler in his own words describing his offense (emphasis mine), "...it's really a pro-style offense, that's multiple, with the ability to run the quarterback, and I think you got to do some of that in college football now." Programs like West Virginia, Florida, Nevada, and Oregon have revolutionized the way that offenses highlight the strengths of their dual-threat signal callers. The success of these programs prove that mobile quarterbacks aren't a trend, they aren't a fad, and they aren't going anywhere. I can say this with certainty because football is, at its heart, a numbers game.

Change the Math

I had fun watching and writing this the last time, so I decided to do it again. I hope you enjoy reading and reminiscing. Happy Friday y'all!

Even though GameDay was in Oklahoma for Bedlam, a lot of the show was dedicated to a memorable matchup in Blacksburg.

Be sure to check out Hokietapes massive film collection.

0:00–1:10 - I really miss that intro. Bring it back ESPN.

1:28 - Survival Saturday! (What's the job title for the person who has to come up with all of these weekend catch phrases?)

1:31 - A reminder about the whoopin' we took in Morgantown the previous game. If I knew the tour bus was stopping there on our trip down memory lane, I wouldn't have bought tickets. I thought Kevin Jones would have a career day in the snake pit against the 'Eers. Instead, Tech got out gained by 199 yards on the ground. That doesn't happen often for the Hokies, lopsided rushing totals, but when it does, the losses are branded into your brain.

2:04 - Not one SEC team among the lot, my how times have changed.

Over the course of the summer, I will be examining the matchups and schemes of the Hokies' opponents, and no scheme presents more conundrums and challenges than Nick Saban's NFL-style 3-4 defense. Saban comes from the Bill Parcells/Bill Belichick coaching tree, and brings an NFL-esque attention to detail that is unparalleled in college football. Yes, Alabama has talent, but the true genius of Nick Saban (besides his ability to represent strong the Lollipop Guild) is to ensure that his talent executes the scheme.

Several years ago, Smart Football posted an excerpt from Saban's LSU playbook. While the post has been lost in a sea of bytes, Saban's own words on his defensive philosophy live on (via Pats Propaganda).

[Our] philosophy on first and second down is to stop the run and play good zone pass defense. We will occasionally play man-to-man and blitz in this situation. On third down, we will primarily play man-to-man and mix-in some zone and blitzes. We will rush four or more players versus the pass about ninety-percent of the time.

Pennsylvania quarterback Andrew Ford verbally committed to Virginia Tech this afternoon.

After much thought and many prayers, I am proud to announce that I will be continuing my academics and athletics at Virginia Tech #GoHokies— Andrew Ford (@Andrew_Ford7) June 16, 2013

Ford is 6-3, 190-pounds, rated a 4-star by 247Sports, and a 3-star prospect by Rivals.com. I asked French what he thought about Ford and this is what he told me:

Mike Farrell of Rivals.com announced Hand's top-3 this morning.

Da'Shawn Hand has eliminated the #Hokies and #Gamecocks and has a top 3 of #Alabama, #Florida and #Michigan. #LSU and #USC could get trips.— Mike Farrell (@rivalsmike) June 12, 2013

Throughout the entire recruiting process, Hand has been adamant about Bud Foster being his favorite coach, so most Hokies and recruiting analysts felt extremely good about Virginia Tech's chances to land him. Early on Hand stated he wanted to pursue a degree in engineering, but his academic interests changed not too long ago, and that might be a reason why the Hokies sit on the outside looking in.