Travon McMillian gave his verbal pledge to the Hokies during a press conference at his high school, C. D. Hylton in Woodbridge, this afternoon (via TechSideline.com). McMillian visited the Hokies for both junior day and the spring game. Travon plays quarterback, however both Rivals and 247 both list him as an athlete. At the beginning of April, he named his top 5 as: Virginia Tech, Virginia, California, Stanford and Georgia Tech. The 6-0, 190-pound junior picked Virginia Tech over Georgia Tech and Cal, and he held other offers from Auburn, N.C. State, UNC, and UVa among other schools.
This is what McMillian told WaPo's Preston Williams last Friday about the recruiting process.
"I talked to my parents about it and a lot of new schools are coming in," McMillian said. "I feel like those three schools give me the best academics and football. That's why I want to make my decision now. I don't think I should wait.
"A lot of schools are starting to try to come at me hard, messaging me on Facebook and stuff. I'm just trying to make my decision now and just focus on school and have fun my last year of playing [high school] football."
And this is what he had to say about Tech specifically.
Virginia Tech: "The entire coaching staff knows me. Everyone knew my name. Everyone feels I'm a dynamic athlete. They'd give me a shot at quarterback. They're 24th in engineering, so I can get both football and academics. The con is that they're 72nd overall as a university."
Here is more on McMillian, courtesy of Doug Doughty.
There's no question in the mind of his coach at C.D. Hylton High School, ex-NFL defensive back Tony Lilly. "I think there's a lot of different things he can do," Lilly said Wednesday. "I think he can play quarterback anywhere in the country, to be honest with you. "I think that's what he wants to do. Again, he's so versatile that he can play four or five different positions."
"He hasn't played a down on that side of the ball," Lilly said. "Not yet. He's too daggone valuable at quarterback." McMillian plays in a spread offense for Hylton, rushing for 1,194 yards and passing for 1,313 as a junior. Lilly puts his speed at 4.48 or 4.49 for 40. "From a development standpoint, I'd hire him tomorrow as a coach," Lilly said. "He can run our offense and understands every aspect of defense and what we're facing. I'd like to see him put up 2,000 rushing and 2,000 throwing this year."
The Hokies offered McMillian in June after he attended a one-day camp in Blacksburg.
Virginia Tech was the most recent college to weigh in with an offer, after McMillian attended a one-day camp in Blacksburg. That was a key one for McMillian, who has grown up following the Hokies and who has a keen interest in engineering (as does his friend and former Beville Middle School teammate, Woodbridge All-Met defensive lineman Da'Shawn Hand).
The offer went out before the new offensive coaches arrived in Blacksburg, so it remains to be seen if he fits Scot Loeffler's system as a quarterback. By his own words, it sounds like McMillian will be given a chance under center. If not, he has the athleticism and size to project to a few different positions: receiver, free safety, and maybe even Whip.
His highlights are below. What do you all think? What position other than QB might fit him the best?
Welcome to HokieNation Travon!
Comments
Glad to have this guy, but do high school kids actually look at the school rankings and think they mean anything? Outside of the schools at the very top, those rankings are total garbage. I mean christ, Georgia and Alabama are ranked at 63rd and 77th respectively and I doubt you even have to be literate to get a degree from there.
Rant over. He had a good offer sheet and he makes a bunch of plays so I hope he can come and have an impact.
Virginia Tech 72, Virginia 24, California 21, Stanford 6 and Georgia Tech 36. Looks like a big difference to me.
Undergraduate academic reputation is 22.5% of the ranking. If you care to know more http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2012/09/11/how-us...
Looks like a big difference to me, too. As much as I'd like to claim we're particularly strong academically, I just can't. I wonder what the rankings of the various schools are. I'd think engineering would be pretty high, arts are probably pretty low but sciences should be pretty good. I can't imagine the business school is too strong. At least he called out the engineering program as being strong, I'd love to see a collection of engineers on the field.
Engineering is top 10 for certain degrees, Agriculture and Life Sciences is probably pretty good. VetMed is number 1. Architecture is number 1. Science is probably top 25. Pamplin is probably top 100. And then there's my college. Liberal Arts and Human Sciences is a joke. I would be surprised if it was ranked higher than 350.
Where are you getting these numbers? Vet med is nowhere near #1, closer to middle of the pack or lower half (#17 or so out of 28 in the country as of 2011 and that was the highest I've seen). I have also never heard architecture as #1 either, highest listing I ever saw was #5, but that could be wrong.
Edit: since I was curious for hard numbers, I found Tech's news story from last year about their own programs: http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2012/03/031312-engineering-usnewsgrad2013.html
I could have sworn that veterinary medicine was number 1 or close to it. Before posting this, I took a look at US News & World Report rankings and found VTGuitarMan's claim appears to be accurate. Surprising.
I also thought the architecture school was at or near the top, but this list (not sure of its reliability) suggests we are top ten for undergraduates but not in the top ten for graduate programs - whereas UVA is.
I'm pretty sure our landscape architecture program is ranked #1.
Depends on what part of architecture you are looking at and what ranking system.
Arch Record has the undergraduate program at #3:
http://archrecord.construction.com/features/Americas_Best_Architecture_S...
Here are the Design Intelligence rankins for all of our architecture programs:
http://www.di.net/articles/big-shifts-in-design-school-rankings-for-2013/
VT posts all their rankings here:
http://www.vt.edu/about/rankings/
Even has the food as #2.
So it really depends on what list you want to look at, but I would say like top ten for all programs in architecture.
I remember when I started as an ME and went to Interior Design, was happy that I didn't go down in a ranked program.
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Proud alum, and so many companies recruit out of Pamplin. We seem to have a good reputation with all the firms I have run into.
Seems like a great athlete just hate to see him have to slum it academically to play for us. tic
With some added muscle, I could see him being a TB. Decent speed at ~4.5 40. He seems to have good vision and hits the hole well when he runs. Arm is good, not sold on his accuracy, mainly because most of his receivers are so wide open it would be hard to miss them.
Is it just me, or do we seem to be getting a ton of QB's recently? Still waiting on some 4* LB's or OL's.
I was going to say the exact same thing. Strong arm, not especially accurate, and basically playing catch against the HS secondaries. I definitely see him as a TB. He's got good speed and strength, and appears to find holes quickly.
I think a lot of players that play quarterback in high school have committed to Tech as of late. I don't think that's a bad thing either, a lot of the time QB is the most athletic player on the team. However, the staff has done a good job of finding kids who can play or project to other positions. I think they handled McMillian's recruiting well, the staff was honest with him and that's the right way to do business.
You just hope that when some of these kids are recruited, they don't hear "Oh, sure, you'll get a chance to play QB", when staff has no intention of that happening. I think that our staff is probably as up-front with kids as they come, so hopefully we don't end up with a bunch of dissatisfied, frustrated QB-wannabes.
That is what I am hoping doesn't happen to Carlis Parker. He seems like a decent kid and a good enough football player but during the spring game you could tell he wasn't comfortable yet at WR and the whole reason he committed to tech was because they were the only ones offering him as a quarterback. Hope he either becomes comfortable at WR or gets the look at WR like he was hoping for.
Sidenote, was at Campus Emporium today and saw a Logan Thomas Army All-American card. It raved at how he was going to be an outstanding, athletic WR. Kind of made me chuckle in the middle of the store.
...And you never know...he could be the next Tyrod.
Couldn't agree more the staff has won a LOT of games by finding versatile athletes that skill set transcends different positions on the field. Glad to have him on board (did not realize he had that many offers across the country) & hope to potentially make it to see him play against Hand and Woodbridge.
French and I went to Hylton-Woodbridge last year. There was a lot of talent on the field. We're probably going again this year.
Hopefully we gained another recruiter for Mr. Hand.
Sweet, well keep me posted if you guys do go this year I'd love to tag along.
Just arrived where?
I think he showed up to Travon's press conference since they're friends. We're hoping that Travon helps to sway Hand our way.
Me likey!
His frame, athleticism, and knowledge of the game will make him a great free safety.
Warning: waffle language ahead (no judgment from me, btw)
McMillian feels "pretty sure" about Virginia Tech. Will continue to take visits.
Source (free): http://virginiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1499593
Great news. Good things to come for Hokie Football
Just out of curiosity, I checked the predictions on 247 to see if they got it right. Turns out all twelve predictions were for virginia tech, but eleven of those twelve were made today. Kind of defeats the purpose of predicting if he's already committed.
I predict that the chiefs will take Eric Fisher. Oh wait, was that last night?
I'm pretty sure the Lions are going to take Matthew Stafford
Hopefully he gives us a Hand.
This kids a good player, thats a very solid offer list. Virginia Tech, California, Stanford, Georgia Tech, Auburn, N.C. State, UNC, and UVa. It wasn't too many years ago that a kid with those offers would have been our best recruit.
I read somewhere that this guy could be a fit at DB, but by judging his film I'd say he's too good with the ball in his hands to put him on the defensive side. At 6'0, RB is an option, but I agree with the staff in giving him a shot under center. He looks like a better high school QB than Brendan Motley was, as long as he improves his arm strength because he definitely underthrew a few balls in his film.
I think with the experience that the younger DBs will get this season, and the ones that will be added with the 2014 class we're fine in the Secondary. He seems like he would better be suited as an offensive weapon.
Have to remember Brendan Motley was a single-wing quarterback. That's why he held offer from Georgia Tech. My feeling is Motley will be moved go the secondary.
When a coach praises about a players ability to run an offense, as well as their ability to understand said offense, it really gets me excited. In my opinion being cerebral cannot be taught and it is what separates good players from great players. Glad to have him on-board.
More on him, he's a strong kid: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/recruiting-insider/wp/2013/04/25/qb-....
This class is shaping up nicely. I'm really hopeful and excited about the possibilities of Hand and Park. Can anyone tell me what linebackers and OL they are excited about so I can research them a little?
We are struggling with linebackers. We have some offers out to a few highly ranked kids out of Illinois, but we probably won't even get visits. We have a decent shot at Melvin Keihn out of Baltimore, but some see him as a DE. One of our big recruiting issues has been LB because of Foster's system somehow dampens NFL projectability.
http://virginiatech.rivals.com/quicklist.asp?Position=13&sport=1&school=92
You also asked about OL, and there is slightly more optimism there. We really like Nolan Kelleher out of SC, but some say he is waiting on a Stanford offer. The big fish we are working hard is Damian Prince out of MD, but he's going to have his pick of places to play. We like Mike Herndon out of Staunton a lot and stand a good chance to get him (I've seen him play multiple times, he plays MLB on defense...has good feet...nasty demeanor....would be a nice interior lineman). Maybe there is a chance at a guy like Brock Ruble out of MD who is a UNC legacy, but seems to be pretty open. Otherwise, I'm not freaking out about OL yet because of two reasons: 1.) Grimes knows what he's doing and will do a better job at evaluating than we usually do, and 2.) We like some of our young players a lot (McLaughlin, Pfaff, Conte, Taraschke).
Good stuff. From what I've heard, we are in good position for Kelleher, and he might be our top get. Grimes will probably use the junior camps to evaluate linemen and make more offers after that. If we land Prince that'd be one hell of a coup.
This is great. I'm thrilled to be included in conversations and have access to the intel and analysis that the community members of tkp provide. Thanks!
One more thought on Linebacker: Raymon Minor. Kid from Richmond who grew up a Hokie fan, 6-2", 203 lbs. He's listed often as an athlete, but we probably see him as a LB.
His recruitment has blow'd up this spring. We were his first offer, but has been followed by offers from Clemson, Iowa, Miami, Nebraska, UNC, Oregon State, WVU and Wisconsin. Yeah, that's not a bad list. And all of those offers have happened in the last month, nobody knew who this kid was in February.
So, much like I really like a kid like McMillion because he has a very solid offer sheet (and is quite smart), I really like a kid like Minor because he's a relatively late bloomer with a list of good talent evaluators following him.
I really like this one. Hope we land him. Thanks for the heads up!
He also goes to Benedictine. So he's no dummy, either.
And he also has be wary of those St. Gertrude's girls!
Wow! I loved Travon's highlights, he reminds me a lot of Tyrod. I wouldn't be so quick to switch an incoming Tyrod to safety or RB. Beamer has had most of his success with mobile QBs, and they're in favor in the NFL as well. Tech has always had a hard time getting top in-state QBs to commit; Loeffler and the new staff are paying dividends on the recruiting trail already!
Just wish he wasn't a soft verbal at the moment. He is still planning on visiting Ga Tech, as he has never been there. I'd feel much better about his influence and his commitment if he was a stronger verbal and not planning other visits.
It's recruiting, so you never know what will happen until the LOI is faxed in (and even after because the kids still need to qualify.) With that said, I'm not too worried.
Personally, if I committed somewhere I'd take all of my official visits, and make everyone think they had a chance at me so the red carpet gets rolled out.
Travon if you come to VT and you play DB you will become a McMillionaire making McMillions. Not a hard decision to make.
Fun play on words, Dr. From what I can see on film, this kid can dance. They've talked about the possibility of switching him to D, but I don't see it. He is Michael Jackson nasty with his feet; he'll have the ball in his hands for sure. Possible H-back or tailback for McMillionaire.
Tech is ranked 13 in the most recent survey of corporate recruiters by the Wall St Journal and 51 in starting salary- both higher than UVA. Those are real life metrics not some bull crap subjective academic reputation folly
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405274870455410457543556398987306...
As a Pamplin grad from way back... I LIKE IT! The WSJ ranking means a whole lot more to me than academic beauty contests being voted on by pinhead academics who never sold anything or built a business in their whole insulated, ivy walled lives.
Apparently you offended an academic living behind ivy walls. Haha.
My first downvote, SWEET!
Probably a LOLUVA academic pinhead, they love to get all uppity over comments that denegrate their imaginary intellectual superiority because some poll in the Washington ComPost says they are such a highly rated university. Guess I'm just an over-educated redneck at heart, I confess.
Love this kid's size and mobility. Has some nice moves in tight space. Very interested to see where they want to use him. Seems like we have been recruiting a lot of "athletes" who they can put at several positions. Hard to tell about his accuracy. Most of his receivers seemed wide open, but arm strength looked ok. Glad to have him in the fold.
speaking of academic rankings, buzzfeed put together a list ranking schools on both academics and sexiness (that is the relative hotness of the student body) and vt ranked in the upper quadrant for both.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/annanorth/the-sexiest-smartest-colleges-in-the-c...
Virginia Tech University? I thought our official name was University of Virginia Tech???
VPISU so technically they are correct. Though I think somewhere in the Athletic Programs they tell media to say "just Virginia Tech" and no other variation. Still better than them putting VaTech up there. It irks me just to even type that.
It's the University Identity Standards that call for either the full name or just Virginia Tech. "Virginia Tech University" is explicitly cited as wrong. http://www.branding.unirel.vt.edu/identity-overview/about-our-name.html
It was meant to be a 'tongue in cheek' comment, but looking back now the joking tone didn't come across like I had planned.
I hate it when people refer to VT as Virginia Tech University or Vaaaaah Tech. VPI&SU!!!
The University of Virginia Tech!
Did we ever confirm if he was trolling or not?
Hahahahahahaha at WVU. Ugly and Dumb.
I don't know how much I can trust this graphic. Arizona State is universally considered a haven for hot coeds, but somehow is listed well into the less sexy side.
Very much agreed. Upon further review, I call shenanigans on the graphic. Oregon, ASU, USF? Unless I'm missing something, they should be a lot further right than they are.
ASU girls are professionals and aren't considered amateurs anymore.
I have seen them in the wild. awesome
Brown and Dartmouth the sexiest?? Consider me skeptical.
I bet Brown got extra points for Emma Watson.
10 points to Gryffindor!
Apparently her fellow students kept saying things like that and she quit
Yeah thats why I said it. It would get annoying after the first day of class, so I cant really blame her for leaving. Feel kinda bad for her, cause she is super smart, to have had to leave Brown cause her classmates heckled her so much.
I accidentally down voted when I meant to up vote. My sincere apologises
but they didn't keep her
Haha! That's great. My dad went to Stanford in the 70's, and there was a common saying on campus: 9 out of 10 girls are sexy. The 10th goes to Stanford. I guess this chart confirms their fears.
Travon "the man" McMillian has over 70 posts on this site alone. Notice how Hokie Nation shows the love for their recruits!
To be fair, the last 5 or so were about Emma Watson. Haha. But we digress...
Does anyone else have issues with the Hokie Stone to the left and the right of the thread bouncing up and down once you scroll down into the thread? It doesn't do it at the top of the page only once I scroll down.
I'm using FireFox 20.0.1