Speedy Scrimmage, Sizable Crowd Impresses Recruits at Hokies' Spring Game

As 2018 Dax Hollifield of Shelby (N.C.) HS stepped onto the field at Lane Stadium with thousands of other fans once the Hokies wrapped up their spring game, he got a partial sense of the size of the crowd.

The experience gave him a chance to admire "the big turnout" for the game — officially estimated somewhere around 44,000 fans on the day — and even run into a few fans who recognized him and encouraged him to come to Tech. But he didn't get a full appreciation for the devotion of the VT fan base until he saw a certain picture.

"I saw a photo of Virginia Tech's spring game compared to the Virginia spring game and it was amazing how many people were there," Hollifield told The Key Play. "I thought it was awesome."

Indeed, enthusiasm among the throngs of fans in Blacksburg Saturday was quite high for Justin Fuente's inaugural spring game, and recruits in attendance took note.

"Lane Stadium is real, it's really what everybody talks about," said 2017 WR Sean Savoy of Washington, D.C.'s Wilson HS. "Hokie Nation is real. The way the fans support Tech is crazy. The game was just great, they had people out there tailgating at 6 o'clock in the morning."

For players like 2018 WR Dillon Spalding of Lorton, Va.'s South County HS who had never been to Blacksburg before, that kind of crowd came as quite the surprise.

"It was awesome, having that many people for a spring game is unbelievable," Spalding said. "It just shows a tradition for the team and it was awesome."

Hollifield agreed, saying the atmosphere "felt just like it was a game," even though it was only April.

As for the game itself, the running clock and the early iteration of Fuente's fast-paced offense made the scrimmage feel lightning fast to recruits, including 2017 DE Elijah Conliffe of Hampton (Va.) HS.

"It felt like it was really, really fast paced and they're trying to get a really fast offense there, and they've got some good quarterbacks there too," Conliffe said. "But the game itself felt really fast."

Conliffe says he kept his eyes on the defensive ends during the game, and "how they were using a lot of moves to get to the quarterback pretty quickly." Hollifield came away most impressed with new starting linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, saying his "big hit" on one of the quarterbacks was his favorite moment of the game.

Savoy didn't get the chance to see how star WRs Isaiah Ford and Cam Phillips performed in the new offense, since both sat out with minor injuries, but he still liked the hustle he saw from Tech's backups.

"I saw they had players that they put out there showed true heart, just stepping up and putting on a show for the fans and going out there and trying to get more reps for themselves," Savoy said. "They had lots of success at Memphis the past few years, so I think it'll be a success, seeing how the players get into it and how they react."

Spalding also missed out on a glimpse at Ford and Phillips, but the offense as a whole left him most excited since it looked awful familiar.

"I like the offense a lot, we run something similar to that at my school," Spalding said. "I just think it's a great offense and I look forward to seeing how they do this fall."

2017 TE Lecitus Smith of Fitzgerald (Ga.) HS said he heard plenty from Tech TEs coach James Shibest about how the Hokies use the position before visiting for the game. Once he got a look at the scrimmage, he realized Shibest was serious.

"He explained to me how they run their offense and everything like that and get the ball to the tight end a good bit, and I saw in the spring game," Smith said. "They throw the ball a good bit, they're not just a running team."

But some players in attendance weren't just watching what was happening on the field — they also got to hear plenty from Tech commits sitting in the stands with them, trying to sell them on following them to Blacksburg.

"I just chilled with my man Caleb [Farley], he just committed to the school, as a quarterback," said 2017 ATH Brailyn Franklin of Battlefield (Va.) HS. "He wants me over there, and he was like 'Just go ahead and commit, you know what's up.'"

Conliffe said 2016 commit (and fellow Hampton student) Jovonn Quillen rode down with him to the game, and gave him the same sort of pitch.

"He just told me how good the program and stuff was, gave me the basics and how close to home it is, and stuff like that," Conliffe said.

Once the quick scrimmage wrapped up, recruits like Hollifield chose to journey down onto the field with the rest of the fans in attendance. He says he ran into some of his fellow recruits, like star 2017 RB Khalan Laborn (who's currently classmates with him at Shelby HS) and 2018 LB Teradja Mitchell of Bishop Sullivan HS in Virginia Beach.

But he also managed to grab Bud Foster for a few more minutes, after previously hearing from the defensive coordinator about how "they're gonna be young at linebacker this year" and his potential for playing time.

"I got to talk to Coach Foster after the game when he was signing autographs on the field and he told me 'Thanks for coming,' and he said he can't wait to see me play in Lane in 2018," Hollifield said. "I loved that. It reminded me of Clemson, where you can always go on the field afterwards. It shows you that they really care about their fans and I really liked that."

Savoy also managed to catch up with WRs coach Holmon Wiggins after the game was over and heard a similar pitch about playing time.

"He said he's got two star receivers, but by the time I get there they're gonna be gone, so I could get a spot, but I'd have to earn it," Savoy said. "It's not gonna be easy, I just have to go out there and work hard.

"Coach Wiggins is a great guy, he's real friendly, he loves what he does. I think his personality is that he'll tell you the truth, he won't tell you no lies. He'll just tell you straight up what's gonna happen and what's not gonna happen. I really appreciate a coach that tells me what I'm gonna expect and not what he wants me to hear just for you to come to their school."

Similarly, Smith got his first chance to spend some quality time with Shibest, and liked what he heard.

"He's a good coach, seemed like to me an up-front type guy and I'd love to have him as my coach, really," Smith said. "Seems like a good type of coach that I'd want to to be coaching me."

Franklin says the coaches were a bit limited in how much time they could spend with him due to their spring game obligations — though considering this was his second straight weekend in Blacksburg, he certainly hasn't lacked for face time with Fuente company — but he noted that they did still get to spend some time with his entire family, who'd trekked from Texas for the visit.

"The main thing on my plate for them as a whole was for them to get to meet my mom, and they got to talk to her, associate with her, so that was good for me, that's how I want it," Franklin said. "They loved it, they had a very, very good time."

Spalding said he had to leave as soon as the game was over, but he said his meetings with Fuente, Wiggins and Foster before the scrimmage kicked off gave him plenty of confidence in the staff.

"The coaches treated me and my family really well," Spalding said. "Coach Wiggins took me and my family around for a little bit. I really like him, and so does my family."

That sort of enthusiastic reception made him feel confident that he wants to get back to Blacksburg for another look very soon.

"I know I want to get to one of their home games sometime this fall," Spalding said.

Hollifield's already been to a handful of home games himself, but he said the spring game also made him feel sure that he wants to make another trip this fall, if not sooner.

"I'll probably go back for a lot of games this year," Hollifield said. "And I'll probably go this summer for a camp sometime, whenever they have one."

He added that he suspects visits to Penn State and Georgia are also on his horizon this summer, and he's fresh off a visit to Wake Forest on April 25.

Smith is also thinking about another visit this summer, ahead of making a decision in the same timeframe, though he also has a "lot of visits" coming up to programs like Tulane and Coastal Carolina.

Conliffe is weighing a summer visit, "maybe" in June. However, he's got a busy schedule of schools to get to as well.

"I'm gonna try to get to Maryland for sure, maybe Penn State again, and I want to go down to Ole Miss as well and see what they have to offer me," Conliffe said. "Alabama, I'm going down there in June, and Tennessee too."

However, the Hokies will have plenty of time to get Conliffe back on campus, since he says he probably won't commit until the middle of his senior season.

Savoy is planning on waiting even longer, likely announcing once the season is over, though he's "not sure" about his next Blacksburg visit. Sometime in May, he's hoping to visit Penn State, since he says the coaches there told him that James Franklin is planning on offering him once they can meet in person.

Franklin is similarly unsure about when his next visit to Tech will be, and he's scheduled Temple and West Virginia trips in May. He thinks he's getting close to a decision, with plans to commit this summer or early in his senior year.

As he gets closer to making things final, he's putting a focus on academics — he's considering majoring in either architecture or sports psychology — but a friendly atmosphere won't hurt either.

"My biggest factor is does my school have my major, and would I be able to attend the school with my major and do they have that family atmosphere feeling that I want to feel, and do I feel like home there and can I be away from distraction and not be distracted all the time," Franklin said.