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Calhoun County standout wide receiver Mark Irick committed to play for Virginia Tech shortly after 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Irick said that he let Virginia Tech offensive coordinator Mike O'Cain, an Orangeburg native, know of his decision via phone call. The decision came shortly after it was reported at thetandd.com that Irick would likely make his commitment Friday.
"(O'Cain) just said he was happy for me and my family," Irick said. "He said he looked forward to me being at Virginia Tech."
Irick said he chose Virginia Tech, in part, because the school offered an Engineering Major. He had offers from Georgia Tech and Kentucky. Also, Middle Tennessee offered and Calhoun County head coach Walt Wilson said LSU and N.C. State had begun to show interest.
"It was a school that I felt I can go to and be better as a person and an athlete," he said. "It's a fit. They say, first of all, I need to come in and work hard to get faster and stronger. That is my plan, to get faster and stronger. Maybe, I will enroll in January instead of going in August."
Because of his size (6-4, 187) and ability to go up and get the football, Irick has been touted as potentially the next big-time receiver to come out of Calhoun County following in the footsteps of South Carolina Gamecocks' star Alshon Jeffery and South Carolina signee Shamier Jeffery. That said, Wilson said Irick is still a work in progress.
"I will be honest with you, Mark has been a progression every year," he said. "He has been different every year and I plan for him to continue to take those steps. He has all the tools. He just has to put them together."I think he will be more of a possession receiver (on the next level," Wilson added. "he is that kind of receiver that can give you 15-20 yards ... until he gets faster. But, I know one thing, he can give you a Red Zone threat."
A T&D Elite 11 selection last season and a third-team All-Area pick, Irick, who had 38 receptions for 880 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, now appears poised to take his abilities to Blacksburg.
"It's just the right time," Irick said. "And, the comparisons (to the Jefferys) are exciting. (Living up to those) is something I look forward to."
Read more: http://thetandd.com/sports/article_3fc6de6c-acb6-11e0-8db7-001cc4c002e0....
via http://thetandd.com/sports/article_3fc6de6c-acb6-11e0-8db7-001cc4c002e0....
The talk about "sensing a NC". I dont jump on that hype bandwagon any time it arrives but for recruits to come along and sense something special from coaches and players alike make my little orange and maroon laden heart pump that much faster.
Haha... It's so nice to be a long-time fan of a program that we don't have to worry (as much) might be breaking the rules.
delete any evidence
I'M ON IT.
(in a totally legal, non-recruitment violation way... of course...)
The Hokie Nation continues to grow. He looks great in the highlight video. I wish him great success with the Hokies.
annnd the trainers/docs are sold via the Hokie Camp. Bulldog HQ mentioned that albeit saying he's healthy he looked like he still had some issue during the summer. I think there is a lot of Risk/Reward here. Even if we can't utilize him all four quarters the kids videos were astounding. I wouldn't use him on option plays but making a hole here and there for DW isnt out of the question.
While there's still work to be done on the OL, I feel much better about the future with Benedict and Wang as underclassmen.
Here's the only film I could find.
Look at how well Irick turns around, locates the football, brushes off the defender and hauls it in. I'm all for more physical receivers. Welcome to Hokie Nation Mark!
This sets up nicely for us if the kid can get healthy. I hope he comes in with a sizeable chip on his shoulder and eager to prove his worth. LT3, happy early birthday!
Nixon was a great pickup, with lots of potential, but it is still early in the process. At this rate, we were going to run out of scholarships before any of the high four- or five-star guys made their decisions. If Nixon stays, he will be a wonderful contributor with Marcus Davis-type size. If he follows his friends to Hoo-ville, and winning and coaching aren't important to him, then Caleb, Diggs, and Irick are still available. It's safe to say that if peer pressure would sway his choice, then we don't want him. If he has the fortitude to withstand the pressure, then we absolutely do want him.
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15 years 15 hours
# | Redshirt freshman Brent Benedict will transfer from Georgia to Virginia Tech Well worth the risk...Maybe it's his SEC pedigree but I seem to be overly stoked about this regarding the bigger picture. The more quality we can get, right away and right now, and attribute it to all the staffing changes, etc. just seems to feed the perception that Beamer and Co. are serious and making moves...
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15 years 17 hours
# | Redshirt freshman Brent Benedict will transfer from Georgia to Virginia Tech when healthy.
cross our fingers. a risk worth taking.
PUBLISHER
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15 years 18 hours
# | Redshirt freshman Brent Benedict will transfer from Georgia to Virginia Tech Arguably the best player in the area is likely done for the season.
Bolles senior offensive tackle Brent Benedict suffered what is believed to be a catastrophic injury to his right knee during Friday night's 68-0 win over Yulee.
"We'll wait until we get the official word, but it looks like he's torn just about everything," Bolles coach Corky Rogers said. "It seems to be about as bad as it can get."
Benedict (6-foot-5, 285 pounds) was injured as he jogged down the field to celebrate a touchdown. There was no contact involved.
"It looked like somebody had shot him when he went down," Rogers said.
Benedict is one of the top recruits in the country. The Georgia commitment is ranked by Rivals.com as the 41st overall prospect in the nation.
"We haven't heard from Georgia, but I would expect him to still be included," Rogers said. "He'll now redshirt, but that may be a positive anyway."
Without Benedict, Bolles' high-powered offense takes a substantial hit. The Bulldogs, ranked first in Class 2B at 6-0, travel to take on undefeated West Nassau in a critical district matchup on Friday.
As talented as Benedict is, his leadership and work ethic will be missed on the field.
"It was all I could do to keep our kids away from him," Rogers said. "They love that guy. He means so much to the team. Obviously, he's one of the best players we've ever had, but it's the kind of person he is that makes it so tough."
What a terrible way for it to go down.
http://m.jacksonville.com/interact/blog/hays_carlyon/2009-10-17/bolles_s...
Norfolk Christian coach Heath Gibbs said don’t be surprised if Mario Nixon, who committed to Virginia Tech in May, has second thoughts.
"He hasn't said anything to me but I can just tell you that the guys — and I know how they are — will start working on him," he said.
http://hamptonroads.com/2011/07/football-could-wynns-decision-uva-be-tro...
PUBLISHER
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15 years 18 hours
# | Danny Coale and Eddie Whitley to Represent VT at the 2011 ACC Football Kickoff Yes, and he's definitely deserving of the trip, but so are Drager, Boykin, any senior really. I'm sure the limit is there because of time, space, ..., etc, but it would be cool if any senior could opt to go.
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15 years 21 hours
# | Danny Coale and Eddie Whitley to Represent VT at the 2011 ACC Football Kickoff the coale miner instead?
Or you drink Zima and wear a tie to (the first half of) games.
Wynn committed to UVA, but Kirven should be a lock for VT. Williams instead of Courtnye is a fair trade. Caleb can line up wherever he wants, but I actually think he'd be best at Safety. I like Harris better than Wes Brown, but Brown could potentially bring Stefon Diggs with him.
I used to hate on him so bad his freshman yr. Those comments have been stricken from the record.
I call him Mr. Possession for a reason. They guy has grip tite on his hands. He reminds me of another Jack-of-all-trades in one Wes Welker.
When you really need something.
If those don't get you excited you must be dead. One hell of a game.
Williams, 6-3, 260, told the Times-Dispatch he also had offers from the likes of Virginia, Maryland, Notre Dame, North Carolina and North Carolina State.
via David Teel http://www.dailypress.com/sports/teel-blog/dp-teel-time-football-commitm...
The quotes in the paper bothered me. Anyone that thinks breaking a commitment is okay either lacks character or maturity. They also lack respect for the "friend's" decision. Makes you wonder what type of recruits are heading to whooville. We don't want anyone like that. Agree that anyone that breaks a commitment is suspect. Are they really commited to playing football? Can you really count on them to follow through with anything? Will they follow the rules or be a behavior problem? If after you try somehting you find out it isn't working then you can transfer or do something different. But to break a promise (a commitment) is not good.