Talented 2016 RB Robert Washington Shows Interest in the Hokies, Despite Bevy of Major Offers

For months, the Hokies didn't think they had any chance at landing running back Robert Washington of the Southlake Christian Academy in Huntersville, N.C.

Washington is one of the most highly sought after RB prospects in the nation, rated a 4-star recruit by the 247Sports Composite rankings, and is currently fielding more than 40 offers from FBS schools.

It's possible Tech's staff thought that they might be out of the running to land Washington before his recruitment even started to progress in earnest. But that all changed in a hurry when Washington made it clear he'd like a look at Virginia Tech.

"Shane (Beamer) visited us a couple times before, but Tech had yet to offer," said Bobby McLaughlin, Washington's head coach at Southlake. "Then Robert reached out to me and said 'what about Virginia Tech?' He initiated it."

McLaughlin is well aware of the national attention his star player has garnered, so that request took him a bit by surprise.

"I thought he wasn't interested in them, especially with all the other offers he has," McLaughlin said. "But after he let me know, I went to Shane and told him, and from there it didn't take them long to connect."

Once that mutual interest was established, the Hokies extended an offer in mid-November, giving Washington a chance to seriously consider a program that he believes has some major upside.

"They just have such a great tradition at running back, with guys like David Wilson," Washington said. "And they're only two hours away from me, it's a really quick drive."

Washington has also heard plenty about Tech's virtues from a pair of 2015 signees that hail from his home state.

"Mook (Reynolds) and I, we work out together, so I see him all the time," Washington said. "Adonis (Alexander) too, he and I have been playing together since we were eight-years-old."

Washington didn't wait long after he received the offer to check out Blacksburg in person. He headed to Tech with a few other Southlake players and his dad, who's also an assistant coach at the school, and got his first experience in Lane Stadium watching the Hokies beat UVA on November 28.

"The stadium was packed, and they played their hearts out," Washington said. "I got to talk to Coach (Shane) Beamer, got to watch the players warm up on the field."

Since then, the Hokies have tried to entice him to get back on campus, to no avail. Washington was taking his ACT the day of the team's last Junior Day on February 7, but he does say he's "trying to get back there."

Tech's staff will need to keep the pressure on to have any hope of landing him. Among his many offers, Washington says he hears the most from North Carolina, Syracuse, Ohio State, Florida, Notre Dame, TCU, Cal, Arizona and Arkansas.

Clearly, Washington has the type of talent that demands attention.

"We try to get him the ball any way we can," McLaughlin said. "Other teams stack the box just to stop him because they know how good he is."

That's forced McLaughlin to get creative with Washington, even if it's a bit outside his comfort zone.

"I'm an old school, North Carolina guy, I like to run the ball and play defense, kind of like Virginia Tech," McLaughlin said. "But when teams stack the box, they force us to find other ways to get him involved. So we split him out side, we do jet sweeps, bubble screens. Just a little bit of everything."

Washington takes particular pride in his developing ability as a receiver as well as a runner.

"I can run a post route, a slant, a corner, but I want to improve my catching," Washington said. "I don't want to be the guy that you have take off the field."

McLaughlin notes that he's effective when he does catch the ball in the space, largely because of his superior athleticism and size.

"He runs a 4.4 40(-yard dash) and plays from 210 to 215 (pounds)," McLaughlin said. "There's not a lot of guys like that around."

But he says that Washington also has quite the head for the game as well.

"He's knowledgeable about the game, he knows what other people are trying to do," McLaughlin said. "And he has a 3.5 GPA. He's a great student at a tough school, that's not easy."

Washington says he plans on committing in March, and if the Hokies are able to pull an upset and beat out his many other suitors, then McLaughlin says they'll be getting more than just a talented running back.

"He's a better kid than he is a football player, and he's a heck of a football player," McLaughlin said.