Justin Fuente Seeks Out 2018 Prospects Suited to His Up-Tempo Style for February Junior Day

Even though Justin Fuente inherited an offense stocked with players not much used to his fast-paced, spread-option style, he didn't seem to have much trouble getting the group humming in 2016.

But now that he's got a chance to start putting his own imprint on the program, readying his second full recruiting class at Virginia Tech, he's plainly aiming for prospects a little more prepared to execute his preferred offensive style.

With Signing Day 2017 rapidly fading in the rearview mirror, Fuente and the rest of the staff invited a crop of 2018ers to Blacksburg for a junior day on Feb. 18. And it would seem that whether it was quarterbacks, running backs or even offensive linemen, they were targeting players who aren't afraid to pick up the pace.

"(Offensive coordinator Brad Cornelsen) said sometimes they'll just have signals and names for certain things, and everyone will just line up based off that," OG/C Josh Jefferson of St. John's College HS in Washington, D.C. told The Key Play. "And at St. John's, we had wristbands and stuff, we'd call out numbers. So we really had to work on our conditioning and stuff, just being able to look at the sidelines, see signals, hear calls, know where you're supposed to line up and who you're supposed to block, whether it's zone or man."

T E C H pic.twitter.com/VCtUTdkmRs— Josh Jefferson (@primetime_100) February 18, 2017

OT Aidan Rafferty of D.C.'s Gonzaga HS said OL coach Vance Vice was comparably clear with him about the value of his experience in a "a no-huddle, hurry-up offense."

"He knew I was already capable of not having a huddle between every play," Rafferty said.

Similarly, RB Justus Woods of North Carolina's Charlotte Christian HS says RBs coach Zohn Burden told him all about how his "size and speed and explosiveness out of cuts" would be a perfect fit for Fuente and Cornelsen's slightly unusual demands for a running back in the offense.

"They think it could go well with the fast-paced up-tempo offense that they run," Woods said. "Because I run a similar offense at my high school, so they saw the similarities between the two."

But, perhaps most importantly, the Hokies will need a trigger man suited to making the offense go. That's where Cornelsen thinks QB Quincy Patterson of Chicago's Solorio Academy could come in.

Wonderful visit at Virginia Tech !!! Thank you @HokiesFB pic.twitter.com/a9ICGzn74K— Quincy Patterson II (@quincy_qb1) February 18, 2017

"We actually watched film of games and practices, and he showed me how they read certain coverages," Patterson said. "He was emphasizing the fact that I'd fit in the offense perfectly and that it wouldn't even be much of an adjustment for me to do the same because I'm already a quarterback that fits that system."

Unlike some of the other prospects, Patterson came down on the Friday before the junior day event, because he was hoping for "more insight on everything, and knew I wouldn't get that on junior day."

Based on what he saw of campus and heard from the coaches, it would seem that proved to be the right decision.

"It was arguably my favorite school so far," Patterson said. "There was really nothing bad you could say about Virginia Tech, it was just all positive."

After getting a full campus tour — including a look at Goodwin Hall (Tech's newest and priciest engineering building), which he felt was "just ridiculous" — Patterson got to sit down with Cornelsen and Fuente.

While he said got to spend the most time with Cornelsen and get "a good sense for who he was," Fuente clearly made an impression.

"Considering that he works directly with the offense, even though he is the head coach, it's good knowing I'd have the support of the head man in charge," Patterson said. "And knowing he's done the things he's done with Jerod Evans, Paxton Lynch, guys like that, it kind of just shows you the direction he can send these quarterbacks, and it's always positive. You never hear anything bad about his projects."

But with so much uncertainty surrounding Tech's quarterback situation now that Evans is draft-bound, it's unclear whether Patterson would ever get the chance to follow in his footsteps as Fuente's prime pupil if he committed. Nevertheless, Patterson (who's rated a 3-star prospect by the 247Sports Composite ranking) isn't even considering removing the Hokies from contention just because he doesn't know who might be holding the top job this season.

"I'm actually looking at their roster right now, and I see they have six quarterbacks, but that's one thing I don't necessarily worry about, just because of the fact that I'm pretty confident in my abilities," Patterson said. "I wouldn't say I'm planning on starting my freshman year, because that's a little unrealistic considering the type of quarterbacks they already have in the system, but I know they'll prepare me and I'll be able to play."

Woods is facing some similar questions about where he might fit into the RB rotation. Junior Travon McMillian will likely still be around by the time Woods might arrive in Blacksburg, but he seemed to fall out of favor with the coaching staff at times last season. Oscar Smith R-SO Deshawn McClease was sidelined last season with an "upper extremity" injury after 8 rushes in Tech's opener against Liberty. 2017 signees Jalen Holston and Terius Wheatley will also surely offer some competition for carries, but Woods is hearing that Burden is looking for a definitive answer at the position for the future.

"They're saying how they need an every-down back," Woods said. "In the past, their quarterback was the main runner. Coach Zohn was talking about how the quarterback was the main runner so the running backs didn't get much of a chance to get much run in, so now that he's gone, he wants to shift the carries back toward the running backs, so they need that every down type of back who will take all the carries and lead them to a win."

Woods arrived on campus on Saturday to get the full junior day treatment with the rest of the recruits, starting with a "big meeting in the basketball stadium" and followed by a full tour of the football facilities and even a classroom.

But when it came time for him to meet with Fuente, the head Hokie had a special surprise ready: an offer from Virginia Tech for the 3-star prospect.

"Coming in, I knew they were very interested in me, but I didn't know they would offer me that day," Woods said. "I just wanted to get out there to be able to see the facilities and everything myself, but it was a great surprise when Coach Fuente offered me."

Had an amazing visit and blessed to receive an offer from Virginia Tech!! #GoHokies pic.twitter.com/MqYBOjN7dd— Justus Woods (@jwoods21_) February 18, 2017

Fuente stressed that Woods had the right character to be a "great fit into what they're trying to build for their program in the coming years," and the RB agreed based on what he learned about Burden during his trip.

"He told me he was always learning and trying to be a better running backs coach, which I admire, because I'm always trying to be a better running back," Woods said. "So I love having a coach who always pushes himself to be great as well. He was really chill and laid back, but I can tell he coaches them really hard based on the production they have on the field."

Jefferson and Rafferty didn't get quite the same humble message from their prospective position coach.

"(Coach Vice) was very confident, telling me they were gonna win the whole thing and how I could come and be a part of it, or read about it, because it's gonna happen," Jefferson said. "He was really confident, and that was really impressive to me, that he's that confident in what they have going on there and he really believes they're gonna be great this year."

But Rafferty, a 3-star prospect, says Vice had more than just bluster to offer.

"He was like, 'Hey, if you're gonna come here, we're paying for your education, so you might as well get your Master's. You need to take advantage of it not only athletically, but academically, of the opportunities that you get,'" Rafferty said.

Yet, unlike Patterson and Woods, the offensive linemen on campus don't have to worry too much about how they might see the field if they come to Tech. Rafferty says both Fuente and Vice stressed that there's "definitely a need for offensive lineman" within the program after the Hokies didn't sign many in their last two classes, and Jefferson notes that the team's upcoming graduations might exacerbate that need.

"(Vice) was telling me that he was graduating five offensive linemen, and he was telling me that nobody on his offensive line ever has a starting spot nailed down," Jefferson said. "He said, 'I don't care if you've been here for five years or five minutes, you always have an opportunity to get on the field.' He said he's started a freshman for two consecutive years, and he was basically telling me nobody ever has a spot nailed down until the season starts. Your spot's always up for grabs."

The Hokies have yet to offer Jefferson, who's currently unranked by the 247Sports Composite, but he also heard from his area recruiter (WRs coach Holmon Wiggins) that his snapping experience could set him apart as the Hokies prepare for a future without senior center Eric Gallo.

"Coach Wiggins was telling me they have a guy and have to teach him how to snap," Jefferson said. "And they were telling me that it's good to have a guy who already knows how to snap and can play multiple positions, and they said that was really attractive to them, because it's hard to find high school centers who are really good.

But beyond the temptations of playing time, Rafferty and Jefferson both came away enamored with Fuente's accomplishments, in particular.

"I knew he was a great coach, but just seeing what he could do with a program in a year where he couldn't really recruit anybody is very, very impressive for a college coach to do that," Rafferty said. "And when I met him, I felt like I could trust him and I could talk to him, because it seemed like he cared about his players beyond just football."

For all their focus on offense, the Hokies hardly neglected the other side of the ball on the weekend. DB Nasir Peoples of Warminster, Pa.'s Archbishop Wood HS also got his first chance to see campus up close after the Hokies offered him earlier this month.

"I love it," Peoples, who ultimately committed to the Hokies just days later, said. "I love the football facilities, the coaches and everything about it."

He also got some one-on-one time with Fuente on the trip, who told him Bud Foster and company are "still building their top defense, looking for players to fill the role."

Though the currently unranked prospect alternates between corner and safety, he said the Hokies already have an idea about what role he might fill in Blacksburg exactly.

"They liked my size and athleticism and could see me playing safety there," Peoples said. "They're saying that they're losing a couple D-backs and they need to fill the role."

That's part of why Peoples is already planning another trip for just a few weeks from now.

"I don't have a date set, but I will be back during spring practice," Peoples said.

Rafferty says he'll "definitely" make it to a spring practice as well, and Woods said he's looking through the list of practice dates to see which one might work best (though he has plenty of other schools to visit like Duke, Stanford and Northwestern).

Jefferson is also targeting a spring return date, particularly if he scores an offer.

"I should be going back up there either to see their spring game or a couple of spring practices, to see how the team interacts with each other, how the coaches interact with the players, see how I could fit in, stuff like that, just to get a feel for it," Jefferson said.

Patterson faces a long ride to get back to Blacksburg, but he too is weighing another trip down sooner rather than later.

"They wanted me back for spring ball and possibly for another low-key visit like how it was Friday," Patterson said. "Because I went with my coaches this time, but they were saying I could get my parents up there, get them a feel for everything too."