Lane Stadium Atmosphere For OSU Game Had Recruits "Ready to Suit Up," Despite Losing Effort

Before the Hokies ever kicked off against Ohio State, the hype about the expected atmosphere in Lane Stadium for the Labor Day clash could not have been any greater.

While the results on the field were hardly what the Hokies were looking for, between Michael Brewer's injury and the 42-24 final score, the coaching staff can still find some comfort in the fact that the atmosphere in the stadium seems to have both met and exceeded those outsized expectations for the dozens of recruits in attendance.

"It was the most amazing college football game I've ever been to in my life, one of the loudest places I've ever been in my life," said Madison Cone, a 2017 CB out of Kernersville, N.C.'s East Forsyth HS. "I was over in the stands ready to suit up."

Even though the Hokies couldn't manage to repeat the magic of 2014 and best the Buckeyes, some recruits were able to take some lessons from the loss.

"It was interesting to see the atmosphere in the loss in some ways," said Jake Lawler, a 2017 DE from Charlotte, N.C.'s South Mecklenburg HS. "I'm gonna lose some games in my career, so it was interesting to see how the fans reacted. When you're playing the number one team in the country, they're going to have some doubts, but I thought the fans handled it well. They really continued to support the team throughout the whole game."

The players might've been the ones on the field, but many prospects agreed with Lawler's view that the fans were the real stars of the show in many ways.

"The way the fans supported the team was unforgettable," said Daniel George, a 2018 WR from Oxon Hill (Md.) HS. "The fans seemed disappointed, but they were still supportive of their home team."

For many recruits, like Cone, the simple fact that the Hokies got the chance to prove their mettle against a team as talented as OSU gives them the right impression about the program.

"Honestly, I just like the fact that Virginia Tech is playing Ohio State," Cone said. "Because that's a game of opportunity, going against the number one team in the country. For me as a Hokie, that would be the perfect opportunity for me to show all that I'm capable of."

Landon Dickerson, a 2016 OT from Hickory, N.C.'s South Caldwell HS, echoed that sentiment, adding that the team's strong performance in the first half could be a good omen of things to come.

"Even though they're not in the top 25 right now, competing with a national championship team the way they did shows me they're back on the rise," Dickerson said.

Dickerson, who's made more than a half dozen trips to Blacksburg and saw a pair of Tech games last year, called the contest in Lane last week "the best one I've been to," specifically citing the "loudness and intensity" in the stands that set this game apart from his other trips.

Patrick Jones, a 2016 DE from Chesapeake, Va.'s Grassfields HS, was at a pretty electric game the last time he stopped by Lane. His last trip for a game was for the team's Friday night game against UVA last year, but he says OSU was another animal.

"It was definitely different, definitely different," Jones said. "There was a lot more energy in the crowd."

Jones notes that the only damper on the night itself was what came after the game.

"I left right when the game ended because I had to get back and go to school the next day," Jones said.

2017 LB Dylan Rivers of Stephens City, Va.'s Sherando HS was also fresh off another visit for a game just a few months prior to Labor Day, but that contest didn't have quite the significance of the Black Friday matchup Jones got to attend.

Coming into the game, Rivers said he was ready to see the stadium reach the energy level he'd heard so much about, but didn't get to experience when he visited for the team's cold and dreary game against Boston College last season.

Luckily for the Hokies, Rivers says "it was what I was looking forward to seeing."

"One, it was warm, so that was nice, and two, I got to see everyone jumping and it was sold out," Rivers said. "It was a great game for the first half, so that was good to see. It was a lot of fun."

Even if things dropped off a bit after the first half, Rivers also claims the unfortunate result didn't affect his night, since the game itself was only a small part of what he believes will factor into his decision.

"For my college decision, I'm really just looking for the coaches, how they treat the team, and where I fit in best," Rivers said. "The score doesn't really affect me. I want to be on a winning team, but I want to be somewhere where I can play early and I have an impact on the coaches."

Rivers' position coach would be none other than defensive coordinator Bud Foster if he became a Hokie, and he says he kept a close eye on him during the game.

"It's just unbelievable to see one of the best defensive coordinators in the game do what he does best, so it was cool to see that," Rivers said. "I like to see what he's like on the field, he's pretty loud sometimes, but that's fine with me. It was just good to see him in his own atmosphere."

Lawler says he tried to take a similar approach with defensive line coach Charley Wiles.

"I was just watching to see how he coached and to see if the defensive line made good plays, and they did," Lawler said.

Lawler even got a chance to talk with Wiles and both Beamers before the game, but he also got to meet current 2016 Tech commit LB Tavante Beckett and freshman DE Trevon Hill.

"They told me to just enjoy the show since it was my first time there," Lawler said.

Lawler says his first game "exceeded expectations" overall, and he's not the only North Carolina product to come away impressed after seeing the stadium for the first time.

"I loved it, just seeing the way all those crowds were cheering them on," said Pete Leota, a 2016 OT from Asheville (N.C.) HS.

Leota also got his first look at the team's new indoor facility, which he called a "great experience," and spent some quality time with Shane Beamer and Stacy Searels.

"They were asking me about when I was going to make my decision, just trying to get me to commit," Leota said.

The Hokies won't have to wait very long to find out if their efforts were successful. Leota says he'll be making his announcement Thursday at 11:30 a.m. at his high school.

Things will likely come down to either the Hokies or the South Carolina Gamecocks. Leota just visited Columbia to see Steve Spurrier's bunch fall to Kentucky this past weekend, and he believes he's been able to come to a decision after those two key trips.

"I think I've made up my mind, I'm still gonna announce it (Thursday)," Leota said.

But for all the prominent players like Leota to make it to Blacksburg for the game, a pair of 2016ers were forced to miss the big night. Both 2016 DE JaQuan Bailey of Jacksonville, Fla.'s Raines HS and 2016 DE Zack Gilbert of Charlotte, N.C.'s South Mecklenburg HS had to skip the game after initially planning on attending.

Bailey, who's been committed to Florida for the last few months, says he'd still like to make it for a game later this season, but isn't sure about which one.

Gilbert has a much more concrete timeline, pledging that the Hokies will get one of his official visits, along with Pittsburgh and "maybe" West Virginia.

"Me and my mom and my father are trying to come up with a decision (on a game) as soon as possible, hopefully the soonest convenience will be October," Gilbert said.

Gilbert says that should put him on track to make his commitment by November, since he'll need to decide soon if he's to meet his plans to graduate early in January.

If he is able to return to Tech, he'll likely bump into at least one of the players that did make it see the Hokies battle the Buckeyes.

Jones says he'll take one of his official visits to Tech later this year, even if he remains unsure about when that will be and whether he'll be accompanied by his hotly recruited teammate, 2016 WR Grant Holloway.

Lawler and George both say they'd like to return this season, with the sophomore especially excited to come back and see the rest of Tech's campus.

"I would like to (visit again) so I can see the whole school," George said.

Dickerson thinks another Tech visit is certainly "possible" this season, but he notes he has a very full dance card in the coming weeks. He'll be at Georgia this weekend, Florida State on Oct. 10, Alabama on Oct. 24, Tennessee on Nov. 7 and Auburn on Nov. 28 for the Iron Bowl.

Cone is targeting a more specific date for a return visit.

"I've been talking with my parents, and I think I'm going to try to make it back down for when they play Duke on October 24," Cone said. "But that's just me thinking right now, nothing's set in stone, but if I had to take a guess, that's the game I'm probably going to try to get back down to."

Rivers has been to Tech a number of times over the past year, but he's so eager to get back to Blacksburg that he's already set another visit for October.

"I'll be down for the Pitt game," Rivers said. "When I was a freshman, our middle linebacker, George Aston, he's the starting fullback at Pitt right now, so I'll get to see him and see Virginia Tech play."