Hokies Zero In on Top Virginia Prospects in the 2017 Class in Crowded Camp Weekend

While the Hokies' big cookout this past weekend gave the staff plenty of chances to build relationships with top prospects in the class of 2016, the weekend did not lack for rising junior stars as well.

Tech has been hard at work recruiting for the 2017 class for a while now, and they put a particular focus on a handful of top in-state prospects when they came to campus Sunday.

The Hokies have long maintained a good relationship with the talent-laden Ocean Lakes HS in Virginia Beach, hosting rising juniors RB Khalan Laborne and DT Eric Crosby for visits this spring, and both made the trip back to Tech to hang around campus while other prospects worked out at camp.

The pair are incredibly high priorities for the Hokies, considering Laborn and Crosby are ranked the second and third best prospects in the state by the 247Sports Composite ranking, and the weekend seems to have helped Tech make some progress in their recruitment.

"It's very comfortable," Laborn said. "I think it's a place I could definitely get used to."

But Laborn says he wasn't just there to see campus; he especially wanted to see the head Hokie.

"When I first came back, that's the first person I wanted to see, because I've got a close relationship with him, I wanted to see how he's doing and he's doing good," Laborn said.

Laborn says he's also spent time with the younger Beamer, as Shane could ultimately become his position coach, as well as area recruiters Zohn Burden and Bryan Stinespring.

Yet he was also attached at the hip to TE Bucky Hodges, since he also "came from the 757." Laborn says Hodges acted as his tour guide throughout the day.

The day before, it was Ohio State that was rolling out the red carpet for Laborn and the rest of the Ocean Lakes crew.

"It was what I expected, big time football," Laborn said. "They've got everything I need, what I want, they've got what I need to get me where I want to go."

Now Laborn is hoping be one of the many recruits to come see the Buckeyes again when they visit Blacksburg. But that's not the only return date he has in mind.

"I'm going to the Ohio State game, but I'm going to try to come back to be on campus a little bit more before the season gets started," Laborn said.

Crosby shares the goal of returning for the OSU game, but isn't planning any visits to Tech in the immediate future, since "I've got to get ready for my season."

Even still, he says he enjoyed the chance to see Tech's campus again, particularly the new indoor facility, which wasn't finished yet when he was last at Tech.

"I like it, it's real big, it's the best one I've seen so far," Crosby said. "They just keep showing me new stuff and I like it more and more every time I come."

Crosby says it was Stinespring and Burden that did most of the show and tell this time around, and he likes a lot of what he's hearing from them.

"I've been on a tour a couple times, they just keep telling me they really like how I play, they like how I'm versatile, stuff like that," Crosby said.

But the pair from Ocean Lakes aren't the only 757 players that got attention this weekend. Indian River HS DB/WR Devon Hunter returned to campus with his rising senior teammate, LB Jaquan Yulee, and he also liked what he saw.

"It's great, it's just like coming back home," Hunter said.

While Hunter and Yulee spent plenty of time on campus together, he says one of Tech's 2015 signees from the Virginia Beach area also devoted some time to give him a tour.

"I toured around campus, I had to go with my boy Trevon Hill," Hunter said.

My visit at VT was great. Got to spend it with my boys @JaquanYulee2, @saicko_slim, and @TreSavage1_ #GoHokies pic.twitter.com/UfKz7F6ZxJ— Devon Hunter (@devonhunter11) July 27, 2015

As for the coaching staff, Hunter says it was Stinespring and Foster lavishing the most attention with him, but he also got another chance to get to know Beamer.

"It was good, I've met up with him about three times now, it was good seeing him again," Hunter said.

Like the others, Hunter says he's also planning on stopping by Blacksburg for Labor Day, with Yulee in tow. He says that decision stems from the connection he feels to the program at this point.

"They've been in my corner since I was in middle school, so it's a great experience, and I really like the school overall," Hunter said.

While Hunter, Crosby and Laborn were on campus merely to get better acquainted with the program, they were the exception last Sunday, not the rule. Hundreds of rising sophomore and juniors gathered for the team's camp session in hopes of impressing the coaches.

2017 CB Justice Mayo of Highland Springs (Va.) HS was particularly excited for the opportunity because of his affinity for the school.

"I'm just trying to give them more reasons to drop my name, because this is my dream school," Mayo said.

Mayo says he didn't spend much time looking around campus, since he estimates this most recent trip was his "fifth or sixth" visit to Tech. He says he attended games in Lane Stadium back in 2012 to see EJ Manuel's FSU Seminoles play the Hokies and in 2011 when Tech last played host to Clemson.

Mayo also visited back in April for a spring practice, but he thought this trip was particularly meaningful because he got to show off his skills to DB coach Torrian Gray and learn from him at the same time.

"He's a very good coach," Mayo said. "I've talked to him a little bit, just telling me different techniques to work on, ways I can get out of my backpedal quicker, just ways to better my game. That's the main reason I came here, to better my game and hopefully get a pretty good look."

Mayo's desperately hoping an offer from Tech comes soon, but he's taking a practical approach to the process.

"I just need to keep on competing, keep on fighting," Mayo said. "Being that I have two more years left, I have time. I know seniors will get the first priority, so I'm just trying to work to the level they're working at, so by the time I get to my senior season, I can be at that level and get an offer."

DE Jordan Williams of Frank Cox HS in Virginia Beach was working with Wiles instead of Gray as he tries to earn a scholarship, but he has similarly high praise for the DL coach.

"He definitely knows what he's talking about," Williams said. "I've been through a couple of camps at this point, and he definitely compares, if not better, to some of the other coaches I've been talking to."

He also had positive reviews for campus and the facilities in his first trip to Blacksburg.

"It's a really nice campus, the indoor facility's great, I love it," Williams said. "I just love the whole campus itself."

Williams thinks if he adds some muscle to his 6'5", 230-pound frame, he'll have a good shot at returning to Tech someday with an offer in hand.

"I'm just gonna get a little bit bigger," Williams said. "Because I'm a little undersized, I think I'm gonna get bigger, work on my technique more and be able to make plays."

DE Mike Tverdov of Union (N.J.) HS also worked with Wiles during camp, and he thinks he did enough to stand out from the pack.

"I thought I did pretty well, there a lot of kids here today, so you can't get as many reps, but the reps I did get, I took advantage of and I won all of them," Tverdov said Sunday. "I ran a good 40, I ran a good shuttle, I did well with all the footwork drills, and I'm getting to know Coach Wiles a little bit."

Part of getting to know Wiles was building a familiarity with his coaching style.

"He's a coach that emphasizes hustle," Tverdov said. "He always wants you to finish drills, he wants you to go 110 percent, and that's a key trait I like about him."

Tverdov says he didn't get a chance to take a formal tour of campus on his first visit to Tech, but his initial impressions were strong.

"My brother and I just drove around, we looked through a couple of the dorms and student buildings, and everything looks really new and really nice," Tverdov said.

The indoor facility also earned high marks from Tverdov.

"It's humongous, I've never seen anything like it," Tverdov said. "You could literally play another football game in there. They've just really upgraded the facilities like crazy the last few years, it's impressive."

Tverdov says he "wouldn't hesitate to come back" to Tech, but he notes that's contingent on whether interest picks up from the Hokies in the coming weeks, and he says he'll do his best to accelerate the process.

"I definitely want to keep the relationships going with the coaches, I want to get to know the coaches more," Tverdov said. "Other than personal relationships, I definitely have to add some weight, get a little bit faster, and we'll see what happens from there."