If you didn't stay up to watch 4-star quarterback Dwayne Lawson commit to Virginia Tech, or you watched Downton Abbey instead, BilldozerVT has you covered.
Before Lawson's announcement, I asked some of the 2015 recruits committed to Virginia Tech what getting Dwayne would mean for their class.
DuWayne Johnson: "That would be huge too because I actually got to see him play in person and he is a good QB. It was 7 on 7 at the IMG Academy in Florida. I played with Perfect Performance, I think he played with team Tampa."
Eric Whitehead: "I think this will be one of the top recruiting classes for VT and we will turn things around at Tech."
Adonis Alexander: "Probably one of the most dominating 2015 classes".
Houshun Gaines: "We would be UNSTOPPABLE."
Mook Reynolds: "A smart qb that we'll get and we would finish off with everything we needed in this class."
After he announced there were good vibes.
ANOTHER COMMIT TO VT we on the come up.— ... (@Adoniskaaaaa) January 5, 2015
Bright future for the hokies— cLoving (@fitch_Boss) January 5, 2015
Aye #OneHeartBeat15 we gone put up numbers! Mark my words, we already got a bond.— Flashy (@saicko_slim) January 5, 2015
@dlaw95 welcome to the fam bro #HokieNation — Eric Whitehead Jr. (@bms_whitehead) January 5, 2015
@dlaw95 yeah bro!!!!!! #Hokiefamily— Houshun Gaines (@HZGduoUno) January 5, 2015
Bonus: Alex Gleitman of 247Sports interviewed Lawson following the Semper Fidelis Bowl.
Comments
His beard game is strong.
Very promising indeed. Could he be The Heir to The Beard?
That or you may need a re-name. :)
With THAT scraggly thing?? No disrespect to Lawson...I'm super stoked to have him, but to compare this to BDC's?? Come on now....
I dunno, I think it's pretty impressive for a 17-18 yr old.
He's got a decent ceiling but he's still a bit raw and needs to refine some of the little things that truly make a player stand out. He also needs to determine which style suits him best. Is he the next DeChristopher? We may have to wait a couple years to see, but I'm excited to see this Beard develop!
I agree with this. Sure..it's a DECENT start for a young man of his age, but he is not ready to be compared to the great BDC...at least not yet.
Heh just stirring up some controversy...obviously nothing can top me
Good to see this kind of excitement from the young players!
Lawson is a huge get. I love seeing the QB coach get his guy. Now Lefty has a few of his handpicked recruits to choose from in the post-Brewer era.
Also, anybody else getting the sense that Gaines is now all-in for the Hokies? His tweets since his verbal have been increasingly enthusiastic. Maybe experiencing firsthand the difference between how programs are run had made him see himself at VT.
Love his reference to oneheartbeat15. Following recruiting can be tough at times, but then there's moments like that where you realize these kids coming in are "all in". Some may not be physically ready to play next year, but all seem emotionally ready to give it all from day 1. Can't teach heart.
Two awesome classes in a row...and I don't think we're done yet with 15.
High hopes for what we see on the field in '15 and '16.
Clear eyes, Full hearts...
Can't lose!!!
Can't Lose
Can't lose.
Can't lose
Can't loose
Was that Mook in the background?
I believe that Fullwood flashed the VT sign behind him.
"Do whatever it takes to win; do the right thing on AND off the field"
Welcome aboard, bro! Now, be a leader and take us to the promised land.
I'm already a huge fan of this pick up.
This kid's play has got to have Loeffler feeling like he flat stole one. He's got some mechanics to work on, but man, he looks like he could have the complete package.
I think over the next couple of years, with the quality QB depth we've accrued last year and this year, Loeffler is going to be sleeping a whole lot better.
I am so psyched right now. Searels has added some quality recruits to his depth chart, and seeing him coach up guys on the sideline, and seeing how well our line was starting to gel the last few weeks of the season and the bowl game, I think there is a lot of reason to be bullish on 2015 & 2016 for the Hokies.
Our D is going to be Dominant.
Our O has a very real chance to be both dependable at grinding out the tough yards, and also explosive.
Our special teams appears to be special again.
I see a recipe for a division title, with a real chance for winning the ACC outright.
Despite how much of a stud this kid is on the field, I also liked how one of the first things he said was "they have the major I'm interested in there." Good to see guys coming to the Burg who actually care about their future once football is done as well.
^^^^^^ What you said.....
Im not gonna say I was shocked to hear him say that, but I was shocked to hear him say that.
Good for you Lawson, welcome to HokieNation!
Glad to hear this. What is the major he's interested in?
pssssh. We ain't come here to play school
Why they make us go to class man...
I been axin myself this same question
I don't want to be all PC, but say Dwayne comes on here and reads this shit. Would this meme/thread appear on a [any other race] commit's page? I think that we're toeing the line of what's appropriate here.Nevermind, I need to work on my reading comprehension. I don't think Fenix did anything intentionally and VTGuitarMan has explained things eloquently. Leaving this here because I own up to my mistakes.
I think you're reading a bit too much into it. The comments thus far (while a bit pointed) are celebrating the fact that a VT commit led off by emphasizing his education and doing things right on and off the field (his own words). Contrast that with Cardale Jones, who was suspended for a game for dissing the fact that he had to go to class, and was uninterested in education (basically using anOSU for his own aspirations). While we should be mindful not to play into stereotypes or other inappropriateness, I think contrasting young men with smart heads on their shoulders with the kids that mock the university they're attending is not unreasonable.
"Why should we have to go to class if we came here to play FOOTBALL, we ain't come to play SCHOOL classes are POINTLESS,"
I see what you're saying and I'm familiar with the story, but was Cardale Jones quoted as saying "axin" or is that just a stereotype? I think that's when it became inappropriate. Anyway, legs for the thoughtful response.Nevermind, I need to work on my reading comprehension. I don't think Fenix did anything intentionally and VTGuitarMan has explained things eloquently. Leaving this here because I own up to my mistakes.
I don't read "axin" as anything racial; I read that as a Southern accent/drawl. So that's a stereotype, and yes, maybe some people are harping on kids' grammar/enunciation as needing improvement as evidence of the benefits of education, but I really don't think this rises to the level of racial commentary as you said above.
You have swayed me with your thoughtful arguments.
Pronouncing ask as ax is a relatively common occurrence among low to middle SES urban youth regardless of race or ethnicity.
My question is, do you assume it's in some way derogatory?
Shoot, I used to work with an older lady from a high SES background who said "ax". I just figured it was like my grandmother saying wrench for rinse.
I bet you ain't never had to "woorsh" your mouth out with soap....
And rinse it out with a mouthful of worter.
If you had a cough you could suck on a throat lozenger.
This may be something only my grandmother says. We call them Nana-isms. There are many.
My grandmother used to say, and I'm totally guessing on the spelling here because I've never seen this word written anywhere, "quarney." It sounded like kyar-nee. It meant troublesome, difficult, frustrating, good for nothing. If a group of people had a reputation for trouble, she'd call them a "quarney outfit. "
Maybe carny? like the people that run fairs?
Holy shit you just blew my mind. I never for a second thought about her calling people carnies! Mamaw just got a little more badass in my mind.
This. My comment has absolutely zero to do with race. My apologies if you feel that it did.
Sorry man, I need to work on my reading comprehension. I never thought it was intentional/malicious.
No worries my good man. Have a leg.
TKP is such a nice frickin' site. Coming here is like a breath of fresh air after coming up from the depths of those other horrible internet forums lol
Did he say the University of Virginia Tech??? If so maybe it means he'll be the next Tyrod Taylor.
His highlight tape reminds me more of Vick.
Our dreams becoming reality....
He reminds me of neither Vick nor Taylor. Aaron Brooks is what jumps to mind for me. I know...UVA guy...but if Lawson ends up as good as Brooks, VT will have gotten a good one.
You gotta tell me who is each tweeter.
fitch_Boss is Duwayne Johnson. Adoniskaaaaa is Adonis Alexander. Saicko_slim is Deshawn McClease. Bms_whitehead is Eric Whitehead. HZGduoUno is Houshun Gaines.
He talks about the opportunity to play right away, he is a quarterback right? I guess he believes he's significantly better than ford, durkin, and motley so he'll beat them for the starting role. Talk about a confident kid!
And why shouldn't he have confidence? He's a highly rated recruit who our coaches worked on him with trying to commit and flip from Miami, which he did. He's going from a situation where he would have likely been sitting behind the ACC Rookie of the Year in Kaaya for 3 years to coming in here where the guy we had starting looked... Well, lets just say if you're looking for early playing time, Brewer's performance this year wouldn't have scared you away. If the coaches are actively preaching that there will be an open competition in the spring (which I hope they are) then Lawson should have all the confidence in the world that he can come in here and win that starting spot right away.
I'm still a fan of redshirting quarterbacks, just on principle. other positions not so much but definitely at the qb spot. I still forsee Brewer starting next year and i also forsee Lawson redshirting. It's in his best interest to redshirt i believe
My prediction on the depth chart:
With Motley and Ford being more like 2 and 2a.
2016 QB competition should be interesting.
1. Brewer, 2. Ford
Durkin handles the wildcat.
Durkin and Motley are redundant.
I think a position change is in Durkin's future.
I would say Motley is a higher likelihood. The others have better throwing motions and threw more in HS, so more game experience passing. More importantly, Motley seems to be prone to concussions. It won't take many more before the kid can't play any longer.
I think it's too late in the game for Motley to pick up another position. Durkin has his entire career ahead of him.
I don't know. He's been studying the O for 2 years. He has good wheels and size. TE or WR might not be a huge stretch. He's a RS Frosh, so one year to learn and then a year of productive playing time doesn't sound like an unrealistic plan to me.
I also wonder how he might do a DE. Needs some muscle, but he's clearly very athletic. If Drager could switch between TE and DE so easily, I wonder if he might be a good DE.
Motley has gotta see the field somewhere. I saw him play in the state title game his senior year and he didnt throw a whole lot, but he could throw it. He had the best arm Ive ever seen from a HS kid, he threw one bomb rolling out that was actually incomplete but I knew then he would get a shot at QB.
That said I was hoping he would play defense, he was all over the field in that game. I believe he had 16 tackles from the safety spot and an INT with a nice return. The QB he picked off went to Vandy and he made a nice move to make a receiver miss on the return. That guy ended up at Stanford, his name might have been Carter. Motley had a nice skill set as a QB, but was dominant on defense. Our pitiful QB situation is probably what led to him on the offense but I hope he finds the field somewhere.
If Motley didn't get hurt pre-season, we may be talking about who is backing him up...
I'd be hesitant to pencil in Brewer at the top. Other than a big check in the box marked "Heart and Will to Win", Brewer didn't really light the world on fire.
Just my opinion... You're right he didn't really light the world on fire. Considering he didn't get here until fall practice began, he did about as well as one can expect behind our OL. With a better and more experienced OL, I think we see a much better Brewer. I like the idea of an all out QB battle for 1, but in my mind and heart, I see Brewer winning the battle for 2015. I know that's probably not the most popular opinion, but he has experience now and he's developed a feel for the team. I'm not even going to mention his heart and will to win, because I think we've all seen that. Also considering Ford and Durkin reshirted this year, I like the idea of redshirting Lawson in 2015. It's the smartest decision, unless of course Lawson completely wows and wins the 1 spot outright, then I trust Loeffler to do what he does best. Of course, that's why he makes the big bucks and not me. ;-)
I'd be hesitant not to. For all of Brewer's supposed "flaws", he'll be a redshirt senior with 13 games of starting experience who set the VT records for completions and attempts -- all while behind decimated OL, RB & (to a lesser extent) TE corps with two true frosh as his main WR weapons. And he didn't have the luxury of even a spring camp in the VT system.
I honestly don't think any of the other 2015 options would be able to beat out the 2014 version of Brewer...let alone the 2015 version.
Most attempts and most completions isn't exactly a feat. He threw the ball a lot more than most of our other QBs, and had a p. terrible TD-INT ratio and completion percentage. Obviously just guessing, but I think Lawson ends up going the Teller route; Brewer starts at OSU, Lawson takes over by year's end. Lawson's floor can't be significantly lower than Brewer's, he can throw the ball both down field and over the middle, neither of which Brewer can do with any consistency, and he's a huge threat to run. His ceiling is exponentially higher than Brewer's ever was, and his sheer presence helps cover for our very young, still-developing OL.
Didn't we just go through this "grass is greener" last year with the Ford/Durkin bandwagon to jump Leal (of Sun Bowl fame) and Motley (who was an afterthought going into spring ball by the peanut gallery)? Never happened, never was even close to happening. And the QB experience and depth is far better going into 2015.
Have you watched Lawson's film? Ton of potential, but (barring 3 or 4 catastrophic injuries) he won't be starting in 2015 at any time. He is still pretty raw and AFAIK won't be enrolling early -- which means after the 1st 2 weeks of August camp, he sees zero reps. Not to mention there is simply little to be gained in the long run by starting a true freshman at QB -- for the player or the team. I think most of these kids (and many fans) THINK they can play QB at the Div 1 level as a true frosh until about 10 minutes into their first practice. You rarely, if ever, hear about true frosh QBs complaining or unhappy because they sat the bench or redshirted their frosh year.
Now 2016? Different question entirely.
I thought Motley was our best QB on roster going into Spring. It's clear he's too fragile to play the position as a full-time starter and be able to play to his strengths though. Durkin is incredibly inaccurate, and also incredibly athletic; I just don't think he's a QB long term. Ford has very little arm strength, though he's very accurate in the short-medium game. Brewer has a noodle arm, can't see over the line, and isn't a huge threat running. I can't see anyone but Brewer starting against OSU, like I said, because of his game experience. After that? I think Lawson gets worked in more and more. This screams 2007 Tyrod/Glennon to me. Except honestly Glennon was a better QB than Brewer.
I have indeed seen Lawson's tape. He makes deep throws regularly that no QB on our roster has proven he's capable of doing, which is pretty important in forcing the defense to back off the line of scrimmage some, giving us more room in the short-intermediate passing game as well as opening up the run game. On top of that, he instantly has the best wheels on the roster. He can handle Loeffler's pro-style passing attack, skill-wise, and has the wheels to run the read option. Seems ideal to me.
Miami and Arizona had true frosh QBs do well this year, as did Penn State last year. It's not super common, but it's hardly unheard of, and Brewer's hardly lit the world on fire with his play; he was barely better in QBR than last in the ACC with 117.4. He barely beat out Anthony Boone's 116.7 and Greyson Lambert's 115.7 and was moderately ahead of Wake's dead last at 108.1. That's absolutely awful, and 98th best QB in the country does not bode well for future performance. If you think a freshman can be better than bottom 20% of the country, then you play him and get him ready for the future.
Imma go out on a limb and say McMillian comes back over to QB from RB and wins the starting job...and he'll probably be 2 on the depth chart too....then Durkin has 3 locked down and everyone else is tied up at 4th
Brewer redshirts so he can be the experienced headset QB on the sidelines in '16
now if that all turns out to be true I'll happily take a 6 pack from each one of you.
Brewer redshirted in Lubbock. If he's with the program in 2016, it'll be as a GA.
(Well, maybe as a r-r-Sr, if his first year out of high school went into the NCAA books as "due to injury," and 2015 does the same. I haven't done the research.)
touche
although, my comment was soaking with sarcasm so it's not really an important detail
fwiw I believe Brewer will start against anOSU. And barring injury, I doubt if he'll be fully supplanted over the course of the season, although I do expect Ford and perhaps Durkin to get some playing time. Hopefully, they'll get plenty of playing time at the end of blowout victories...but that's me dreaming through my O&M shades.
Who was the last backup to actually get some decent playing time at Tech?
Glennon 2008.
My memory says Leal 2011. May have only been FCS opponents (App State at the time or I guess Austin Peay 2012). I think Leal got in for some "mop up" outside of that, but I'm not positive.
Love the confidence, but will be shocked if that happens. Lefty runs a very complex system. Michael Brewer came in and did okay with it on short notice, but he had three seasons of experience at the D1 level under his belt. The complexity of the scheme plus the speed of the college game would be one hell of a mountain for a true freshman to climb. I wish this young man all the luck in the world attempting it.
Well, he will probably redshirt next year with Brewer playing. Then after that, he, Durkin, and Ford will pretty much all have the same amount of experience, so why not I guess.
And Motley...
Two Vines of his play in the All American game last night. He looked good in the game. Props to Kenny Ferrell for the vines...
Love the first one. Shoving his own blockers out of the way.
He also threw a pretty deep ball in Q2 down. Hit the receiver on the hands down near the goal line, but the safety made a nice play to knock it away. Great ball.
Love the second one. Sells the fakes and then throws a dime. Perfect spiral and the ball turns over at the highest point to hit his man in stride.
I thought the point of a spiral was to have the ball constantly turning over. Is something lost in translation with the physics there?
"turn over" in this context means to have the front tip of the ball pointing upwards while it is rising and then pointing downwards as it is falling. The "turn over" point coming at the apex of the throw indicates a nice, tight spiral that causes the football to be intent on being as aerodynamic/stable as possible due to its own rotational inertia. More stability in a balls flight means it is more accurate and predictable as well as easier to catch.
Or something like that. You get the idea.
*EDIT*: Clarification. Used momentum where I meant rotational inertia, and aerodynamic where I really meant stable. Added a bit about stability.
Enough physics already! My physics prof at Tech was Chinese. I didn't understand a word he said all quarter and he understood less of what I said. Thank the lord for programmable calculators! OK, so the 2" diameter wheel weighting .753 lbs is on a 34.5 degree slope.....
Point of the spiral is also to make it easier to catch
I think you meant he sold THREE fakes and then threw a dime. That was an awesome play.
mhmm is that kennyhokie on tweeter?
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No but the person that posts the vines used to be a poster here.
The great fake on the back side sweep hand off and then that throw...
S$!t yea! Reminds me of Vick too. He also laid it right into the receiver' s arms! I am feeling better after the past couple of weeks. II am impressed by his comments as well as his future teammates'. Just ONE more tough ass O linemen please!
Was it just me, or did I hear the band at the game play Tech Triumph after he announced his selection?
not just you, they did play it
I don't think it was the band. Pretty sure it was over the speakers.
Any time a recruit picks VT, Tech Triumph plays...it's kinda like when a bell rings angels get wings!
Don't we have to take shots of WT101 too?
Can't imagine him being in Blacksburg for 5 years. Unless someone runs away with the job in the spring, I think he'll be in the mix next year. And he may be the only QB on the roster with the physical tools to run all of Lefty's pro-style passing/zone read offense.
You're getting a little ahead of yourself there, champ. He's got a ton of potential but still pretty raw. He almost certainly won't be going pro early and he'll very likely redshirt next year.
Speedy dual thread QB with legitimate recievers to throw to = 10 wins and ACC title game appearance (minimum)
I like him in the mix for next year
One of the more accurate posts by a hoo:
I'm still not 100% sure how to read The Sabre. But I am 100% sure I feel a 15 game or so winning streak against UVA after the recent recruiting classes.
He's hit the nail on the head regarding UVA recruiting. Recruits have to see that London's landed some good classes and still can't beat VT, in our worst year in the past 20+. Now their decent players that they managed to land are heading for the NFL early.
Yet SOMEHOW they still get kids. Just got a transfer WR from UNC.
"any team not coached by ML has more upside."
1 - hooville1 is a complete douche
2 - we're starting to recruit how we should have been recruiting all along. The only reason we're a down program right now is because we sucked dong for 2 years recruiting in 2010 and 2011, leading to a wasteland of talent right now. Last year, a renewed emphasis was placed on recruiting talent and depth at the skill positions on offense while getting needs on defense, and this year we're focusing heavily on defense, while also getting some needs on offense, and it should pay off immediately. Our offensive line next year is going to have more true Offensive Line talent than it has had since the early 2000s. Our QB spot is going to be deeper over the next few years than it has ever been. At RB, we can legitimately roll 6 deep next year. At WR, we are actually using kids who played WR in high school, and the starters came in as 4* recruits. Offensively, we're in a better spot next year than we have ever been in the past. We may have one more year of struggles while the offensive line rounds into form, but by the end of next year, you should start to see this recruiting emphasis begin to pay off on the field. By the time that UVa game hits, there's a very serious possibility we smack the hell out of them. Their days of being the flashy up and coming program in the commonwealth are over. This shift towards VT recruiting-wise in the commonwealth are just beginning. We just needed to land one big fish and many more would follow. Settle was that big fish, especially if we can get him qualified for next year.
Love it!
That has to be one of the best photo bombs I've seen in a while.
......Dinnich......makes me want to vomit....
This 2015 class has more personality than any class I can remember in several years. These young men are going to represent Virginia Tech in a very proud manner. Me like a lot!
Lawson is a real talent at the QB position! His film is great, and I think he even may be under rated a bit. He had a lot of scholarship offers from big time schools. He will more than likely redshirt, but he gives us a higher ceiling than anyone else on the roster. I want to see what Ford and Durkin can do but it will be hard to keep Lawson off the field in a few years. Another piece this team has been missing since Tyrod graduated.
This recruiting class reminds me a lot of the recruiting classes Tech got back in the late Big East days (2001-2003). So much potential. I think these guys actually like each other, though. That seemed to be a problem with those recruiting classes. According to someone I know, Frank Beamer was once quoted saying 2003 was probably his most talented team ever, but those guys fought everywhere they went.
See Deangelo Hall for that nonsense. I know social media has now made recruits thoughts much more accessible, regardless I'm pumped, they seem pumped. It sounds like the recruiting spiel has been "your the puzzle piece we need, you know the name, YOU can be the name that brings us back"
Love the new guys and the energy they're bringing. Things are going in the right direction. The recruits seem to understand Hokie football. I'm looking forward to seeing him on the field. However, brewer did earn my loyalty. His heart and leadership really came through in the last 2 games. I'd like to see what he can do when fully healthy, after a full offseason, and hopefully with decent pass protection. Brewer's ceiling may not be as high; however he team will still be very young and will need upper classman leadership.
This gonna be one hell of an offseason. Wonder if the coaches will be as tight lipped as last year, so anOSU won't know what to expect.
I think that if we see tight-lipped Loeffler this offseason, then we can expect something special against anOSU.
Can someone explain the reason why he is being described by many as 'raw'. I just don't understand. Drops 50 yd bombs in stride, guns out routes on a rope. Quickness, speed on qb keepers. I'd say Durkin was more raw than Lawson in HS, although I really like Durk.
The only part I see is that he has a very long release that needs to be shortened before he starts a college game
It's largely mechanics and his wind-up. He has amazing touch on his throws and throws a great deep ball...for a HS QB. He needs a little work to quiet his feet down and make his release quicker.
Movement in the pocket as opposed to bailing and scrambling after a little pressure and #1 read covered is another important thing HS QB's have to learn, especially when (as in Lawson's case) he simply has to much raw talent he can make people miss and win games without too much reading of a defense or advanced pocket presence.
"Raw" can also mean (as I think it does in this case) he needs to learn to read defenses. His great throws seem to be his #1 reads and he puts it where he needs to, which is awesome. Hopefully he has the talent to do the same when the pocket starts collapsing and instead of running all the time like in HS, he dumps a good pass to his #3 or #4 read.
Love how he mentioned Cager right away... I think he is going to play a big part in flipping him our way
He gave an excellent interview for a high school kid. Seems extremely committed to the university and doing things the right way, which makes me even more excited to see him suit up for the Hokies.