Hokies Persuade Top 2016 DL Recruits to Brave Elements for Pitt, N.C. State Visits

The weather in Blacksburg might not regularly be described as "cooperative," with its constant and seemingly random shifts from cold to hot, but the elements have proved particularly challenging as the Hokies have tried to lure recruits to campus the last two weekends.

Between the record rainfall in the area as Hurricane Joaquin made its presence known during the Pitt game and the lightning that forced a delay and pregame confusion for the N.C. State contest, Southwestern Virginia's weather has left a lot to be desired from Tech's coaching staff.

The oppressive rain kept two prominent recruits away from Tech's loss to 17-13 to the Panthers. 2016 DEs Zack Gilbert of Charlotte, N.C.'s South Mecklenburg HS and Patrick Jones of Chesapeake's Grassfield HS were both planning on making the trip, but both said the weather forced them to reschedule.

However, the Hokies won't have to wait long to get the pair back on campus — both say they've set official visits for the weekend of Oct. 23-24 when Tech plays Duke.

Yet the team was still able to get some big name recruits on campus over the course of the last two weeks.

2016 DE/DT Nick Coe of Asheboro (N.C.) HS braved the elements to see the Hokies play Pitt, and he downplayed the weather's effect on his visit.

"The trip was great, I enjoyed it a lot," Coe said. "The weather was alright. It was cold, and it rained for a while, but then it stopped raining. It didn't affect me at all."

Lane Stadium didn't exactly fill up for the game — the announced crowd of 49,120 was Tech's smallest since Lane was expanded — but Coe still came away with impressed with the fan base's enthusiasm in some less-than-ideal conditions.

"The crowd was still big, it was great," Coe said. "A lot of people showed up."

DL coach Charley Wiles spent some quality time with Coe on the trip, doing his best to get Coe excited about making his official visit to Tech this winter.

"We talked about school and my official visit on Jan. 21, and he said he can't wait to get me up there again," Coe said.

CB Kendall Fuller's season may be over due to his knee injury, but he's still stalking the sidelines during games, and he took a few minutes to chat with Coe.

"He said 'you're someone I wanted to see, it's good to be here, hope you enjoy the trip,' then he had to go somewhere," Coe said.

The Hokies have to hope that Fuller made an impression, given their competition for Coe's services.

He maintains that Tech, Florida State and Auburn still comprise his top three schools, and he plans to visit each one in the coming months. Coe says he'll stop by to see FSU play Syracuse on Oct. 31 and head to the Iron Bowl on Nov. 28 for official visits.

That means the Hokies will get the final chance to impress him of all the schools on his list, and he knows exactly what he's looking for when he makes his next Blacksburg trip.

"I'm hoping to see how they'd work with me so I can go to the next level and get my education, my degree," Coe said. "I want to see how I'd fit in."

2016 DT Jarrod Hewitt of Venice (Fla.) HS sat through some poor weather of his own when he stopped by for Tech's Friday night matchup with the Wolfpack.

A fast-moving storm forced a delay and some confusion ahead of kickoff, but Hewitt said he loved it all the same.

"The atmosphere was great, even having that rain delay for about an hour there," Hewitt said. "Even when it was raining during the game, I was impressed by how it was really packed. The atmosphere was great. It was the one of the best games I've ever been to."

Luckily, Hewitt made it to Blacksburg with plenty of time to check out campus ahead of the night's storms. The senior and his family made it in town late Thursday night due to some traffic, but then got to spend all day Friday ahead of the game enjoying his first visit to Southwestern Virginia.

"I loved the campus, loved the area and it was nice to see the weather change, I'm used to the heat down here in Florida," Hewitt said.

He also got his first chance to spend time with his would-be position coach, Wiles. Although the two have kept in touch by phone, this was their first chance to truly get acquainted.

"I was with Coach Wiles hanging out before the game, watching a little film, getting to know him well," Hewitt said. "That was the first time I really met him other than talking to him on the phone and whatnot, and he was a great guy. I talked to Coach (Bud) Foster a little before the game too."

As the game edged closer, Hewitt was left to get a look at Lane on his own. While he didn't get a chance to talk to Fuller like Coe did, Hewitt says he did still run into one former Florida rival on the field.

"I played against their quarterback, Dwayne Lawson, so I saw him before the game and just said 'hello,'" Hewitt said.

Once the Hokies came away with the 28-13 win, Hewitt was able to huddle back up with the coaches to talk about when he might make an official visit. However, the exact date remains a work in progress.

"We definitely made some progress, but I still don't know the exact date, we should be getting that done here soon, the exact weekend I'll be taking it," Hewitt said.

In the meantime, he expects to visit some of the other schools interested in him.

Since he decommitted from Rutgers last month, Hewitt said he's heard from Pitt, Indiana, Boise State and N.C. State, and while he hasn't set any trips to those schools just yet, he expects to do so soon.

"More than likely it'll be right after the season, I'm just trying to focus on what I've got to do right now," Hewitt said.

Hewitt will have plenty of time to squeeze all those visits in, considering he will "most likely" wait until National Signing Day to make his college choice.

But wherever else Hewitt goes between now and February, it would seem that other programs will have to do a lot to match Tech's opening effort.

"Overall, it was a great visit," Hewitt said. "I'd pretty much give it an 'A.'"