Hokies Look to Bulk Up Future Interior OL Depth, Chase 2016 Center Alex Gourley

With veterans on the interior line like Caleb Farris and David Wang about to leave the program, it's time to look to the next generation of Hokie guards and centers.

Young players like guards Wyatt Teller and Augie Conte and even backup center Eric Gallo could be the foundation for Tech's next great offensive line, but who will come in to push and learn from them? That's the question Tech's coaches are trying to answer as they look way down the line on the recruiting trail.

One of the early players offensive line coach Stacy Searels and company are targeting is 2016 center Alex Gourley of Statesville, N.C.'s South Iredell HS.

The Hokies have yet to offer Gourley, but both Searels and area recruiter Shane Beamer have been speaking with him frequently and got him down to Blacksburg for the Western Michigan game.

"Because of where I am geographically, I wasn't as familiar with the program, but I learned a lot about it on that visit," Gourley said. "I was very impressed with the athletics and the academics. They're big into sciences, and I am too."

Gourley was planning on stopping by Tech again for the BC game, but the death of his one his mentors prevented him from making the trip.

"Mo Collins, a former Oakland Raider, he was really close to me, and his funeral was this weekend," Gourley said. "So I told the coaches I couldn't make it. We're working on rescheduling, but it doesn't look like I'll make it to another game this season."

Even without getting another look at a game day in Blacksburg, it would seem the Hokies remain on the forefront of Gourley's mind.

"He definitely told me he liked the environment and the feel of things when he was there," said Scott Miller, Statesville's head coach.

Miller feels the Hokies would do well to take Gourley seriously, based on his excellent performance through his junior year. He has yet to be ranked by either 247Sports or Rivals, but his coach thinks Gourley deserves high marks.

"At center he just does everything right," Miller said. "He started as a freshman in our state championship year (in 2012). He just took a spot on the line, we had to get him on the field."

Gourley credits his success to his knowledge of the game.

"I really pride myself on my versatility, my ability to run lots of different plays," Gourley said.

Miller agrees with that assessment, and think it's helped make Gourley a huge influence on the rest of the line.

"He's a great tactician and so technically sound," Miller said. "And he really helps the linemen around him, he makes everybody else good."

Even though he has another full year of high school ball left, Miller says he isn't looking for Gourley to make major strides with his technique, but merely maintain the gains he's made.

"Everything he does is so technically sound, but you do want to hone that," Miller said. "It's just about striving to be perfect every time, and that's what we talk about."

For all his coach's praise, Gourley still thinks he has some work to do in that area.

"I definitely want to iron things out technique-wise, especially because I know technique is such a big deal at the next level," Gourley said.

But for all of his interest in the Hokies, it's no guarantee that Gourley's jump to the next level will be to a FBS school.

"Duke and BYU are the other two big schools I'm talking to," Gourley said. "But there's also a lot of FCS interest, from schools like Davidson and Furman, as well as some Ivy League schools like Harvard and Princeton."

It would seem that Gourley's grades are good enough that while he could thrive at one of Tech's robust technical programs, he also can consider those even more academically rigorous schools.

"He's such smart young man," Miller said. "He leads in the classroom as well as on the field, you never have to worry about his grades."

The Hokies will likely have to make their interest clear very soon to have a chance at reeling in this intelligent tactician of a center to replenish the line's depth.