Hokies Lose Out on Some Junior Day Visitors, Attract Other Prominent Prospects from Georgia

Virginia Tech's first Junior Day event of the year was an extravaganza that attracted dozens of prominent recruits to Blacksburg. Its second last Saturday was a considerably more subdued affair.

Between the persistent bad weather and some scheduling conflicts, several high profile players had to skip the event, thinning the ranks a bit compared to the gathering the team held in early February.

One of the more highly anticipated visitors this weekend was Wayne Davis, a cornerback from Norfolk's Lake Taylor HS rated a 4-star prospect by the 247Sports Composite ranking.

Davis only received an offer from the Hokies on February 7, a move that "surprised" him because Tech was his first in-state offer, but he was hoping to make his first visit to campus now that the staff made their interest clear.

But bad weather kept him home instead. Davis is drawing interest from Ohio State, Clemson and Tennessee, so the coaches will desperately be trying to schedule a new date for his visit.

Davis says he's had some preliminary discussions with the staff about another visit, "but I haven't set up a date yet."

Defensive end Zack Gilbert, a 3-star prospect out of Charlotte, N.C.'s South Mecklenburg HS, was another prospect the staff was hoping to get to campus for his first trip to Blacksburg.

Yet Gilbert was stymied by some car troubles.

"I had to stay home due to some vehicle issues," Gilbert said. "But I will be going soon."

Gilbert's also drawing interest from programs like Tennessee, West Virginia, Notre Dame and LSU, but he says he's set on taking a closer look at Tech.

"I had a student come to my school and talk about Tech and the campus, so I've always wanted to tour it," Gilbert said. "I've heard great things about it."

But even with some players unexpectedly changing their plans and giving the event a miss, the Hokies got a pleasant surprise from their latest 2016 commit, athlete Jovon Quillen of Hampton HS.

Quillen thought that he wouldn't be able to make it back to Blacksburg because of a track meet, but his plans changed and he was able to make the trip after all.

He says the highlight was "sitting in Coach Beamer's office and talking to him," especially now that he's announced his intent to play at Tech.

Quillen got the chance to talk with the staff more about where he might fit in on the field as well.

He plays quarterback and cornerback for the Crabbers, and the staff said he "needs to work on my quick release throwing the ball" if he wants a shot under center when he gets to Tech. But they confirmed that this is an issue that will take a while for them to finally settle.

"We don't know what side of the ball I'm going to be on," Quillen said.

Several other players were also able to make the visit a reality, including a trio of players from Georgia.

Torrian Gray has his eye on two outside linebackers from the state in particular, Tyrone Hopper of Roswell HS and Emmanuel Belmar of Collins Hill HS. He offered both on the same day, February 3, and on Saturday he got a chance to give them an in-person introduction to the program.

"They really try to make it like you're all family already," Belmar said. "I just loved the campus and the way everything was set up, the way it was all organized."

Belmar and Hopper each got some face time with Frank Beamer, but Hopper says it was his time with Bud Foster that really stood out.

"I spent the whole time with Coach Foster, which was great, they showed lots of interest," Hopper said. "He also introduced me to their cornerback, (Kendall) Fuller."

The coaches also gave the pair a glimpse of the rest of campus beyond just the athletic side of things.

"Their new indoor practice facility and the new student dorms were really nice," Hopper said. "And I loved the West End dining hall."

Reed Kroeber, an offensive lineman out of Roswell, Ga.'s Fellowship Christian School, got a similar tour of the school, but he instead spent the bulk of his time with his would-be position coach, Stacy Searels.

"I spent most of my time with Coach Searels, he took us into their film room and the offensive line meeting room and showed us how they do things," Kroeber said. "It was really cool to get a look at their philosophy that way."

The Hokies have yet to offer Kroeber, with Searels telling him they plan to "wait and see" and evaluate the team's depth after spring practice before sending out any more OL offers, but he still enjoyed his trip.

"I really enjoyed being there," Kroeber said. "The coaches were just great."

As their visits wrapped up, each recruit heard a familiar refrain from the staff: come back soon. From spring practices to the spring game to even summer camps, there will be plenty of chances for the team to host more visitors, and they're trying to firm up who they'll be able to entice to return.

Quillen says he's definitely planning on another visit, while Hopper says "my parents and I haven't discussed it yet, but I'll probably make it for spring practice."

Kroeber says the team invited him for practice, but "it's a little bit of trip. I'll probably be able to come to camp."

Belmar is more uncertain, saying he's "thought about" a visit this spring, but he's still not sure.

But that uncertainty hardly means he isn't interested in the Hokies. Belmar says he definitely hears the most from Tech and they've gotten his attention.

VT is one of his two offers, with Georgia Southern the other school to extend a scholarship so far, and he appreciates their early attention.

"They were really the only ones who've noticed me," Belmar said.

Belmar remains unranked by 247Sports and is rated a 3-star player by Rivals, so it would seem that the Hokies are ahead of the curve when it comes to his recruitment.

Hopper has a little more national profile (he's earned a 3-star rating from the 247Sports Composite) with offers from Tennessee, Louisville and Cincinnati.

He says he's planning on a visit to see the Volunteers this weekend, and wants to get to Louisville soon.

But the Hokies' staff should be able to rest easier knowing that the Junior Day, no matter how small, made an impression that stands out among Hopper's variety of suitors.

"The campus was so nice, it really was great," Hopper said.