After spending the last few years in Detroit, rising senior quarterback Mikale Washington didn't know much about Virginia Tech until a few weeks ago.
But since he decided to transfer this spring from Martin Luther King HS up in the Motor City to Clover Hill HS in Midlothian, Washington's been inundated with some very positive word of mouth about the Hokies.
"I just got in contact with a former Clover Hill player that's down there now, Joel Caleb," Washington said. "He told me how much he liked it there and how comfortable he was there."
Caleb's testimonial piqued Washington's interest in the school, but once Shane Beamer came by Clover Hill to do a little recruiting, the QB was convinced he had to see campus for himself.
"He came by my school and I got to talk to him a little, and he said he really liked my film," Washington said. "He said he really wanted me to come to campus, and I'm looking forward to seeing him this weekend."
That would be because Washington's now planning his first trip to Blacksburg for the final weekend in May. It marks an unusual time for a visit, coming a full two weeks before the Hokies hold their first prospect camp of the summer, and Washington is certainly hoping the coaches have some good news in store for him when he arrives.
"They said an offer definitely could be possible," Washington said. "They're one of the bigger schools interested in me, so if they do (offer), that's probably where I'll go, so long as I like it down there."
Washington emphasizes that getting a feel for campus in person is crucial to his decision, but if it lives up to what he's been told, it seems he'll be sold on the program.
"I need to get a feel for it, see how it feels to me," Washington said. "But I know the coaches are great. Caleb loves them and loves their offense, and I really like it too."
Washington's interest in Scot Loeffler's scheme largely comes from the amount of control the offensive coordinator cedes to his quarterbacks.
"The quarterback really controls their offense, with things spread out like that," Washington said. "That's my kind of offense, that's the kind I want to run."
His days in Detroit at King HS gave him ample experience with that style, and he hopes to emulate it if he were to choose Tech.
"We ran a spread and I made every call at King," Washington said. "We even ran all no-huddle last year."
But now that he's in the Richmond area, his role could be shifting. Washington's move is still relatively fresh, and he says he's only still getting a sense for the area and Clover Hill.
"My mom lived down here already, so when I came to visit her for spring break, I liked it and I decided to stay," Washington said.
With the change of scenery also comes a shift in how Washington's athletic abilities are deployed on the field. He's rated a 3-star pro-style passer by the 247Sports Composite ranking, but Clover Hill's staff is hoping to use him as more than just a signal caller.
"I'll be a quarterback, but I could also start at free safety and even play a little bit of receiver," Washington said. "I played with some of the best receivers in Detroit at King, so I think I picked up a few things from them."
But for all his athletic talents, Washington notes that the Hokies are looking at him as a quarterback, while other, "smaller schools" are considering him as a pure athlete.
Washington only has a pair of offers from those smaller programs at this point, with Austin Peay and Coastal Carolina extended pledges so far, but he says he's also attracted interest from Virginia schools like Old Dominion and Richmond since he moved to the Commonwealth.
While there's little doubt that programs from the Chanticleers to the Hokies are interested in Washington for his 6'4", 190-pound frame, he believes his attitude on the field also has a lot to do with his recruitment.
"My biggest thing is making the people around me better," Washington said.
Washington notes that task will be a particularly tough one as he joins a squad that posted a 3-7 record a season ago, but if he can quickly elevate Clover Hill's chances on the field, then a Tech offer may indeed be on the way.
"I'm just trying to bring some excitement there," Washington said. "I'm trying to win games, and I want to convince everyone to play with everything they've got."
Comments
A quarterback who sometimes plays safety you say?
joel caleb is probably a more realistic comparison.
hopefully it's more like Kam cause Caleb doesn't see the field that much. I'm glad to hear he loves VT still and is positive. I hope he gets some involvement this year. So disappointing to see a player with his abilities just not be able to bridge the gap to the next level.
Besides the obvious curiosity about having a new potential recruit hit our radar, the big takeaway from this article for me was how highly Caleb speaks of VT and our staff. With as highly as he was rated coming out of high school, and with as little as he's seen the field for us, one could justifiably expect that he could be a bit disappointed about how his career has turned out thus far with us. But hearing how much he likes us and how much he likes it in Blacksburg, I get the feeling that Caleb has got quite a bit of class about him.
Yep, I agree completely with those thoughts.
Graduated High School with an Older Caleb cousin. Known the family for years, and yes, they teach humility and class.
I agree. I came away from the article thinking more about Caleb than the recruit.
Nick was a total team player based on everything I ever saw from him on the field. I was proud of him when he took those Qb snaps when we needed him to do so. Tough minded individual and selfless on th team.
Very athletic; a bit of a windup; see if #9 (4 star Donnie Corley) would also like to move to Va.
#9 definitely caught my eye as well. Some of the plays were more of a highlight for him than the QB.
I am on the same page with you. He had some good hands and routes looked pretty crisp. Wonder if we can get these 2 back together at Tech?
That guy is a playmaker, but Washington definitely throws him open a lot and puts it where only his guy can reach it. Great placement.
I'm not sure visiting when school's out would give him the best feel for the school. On the one hand, the weather is better than it is 7/12 of the year. On the other, campus just doesn't feel as alive as it is when students are in town. On the other other hand, he'll definitely get more attention from the coaches without a camp going on. On the other other other hand, I'm no recruiticorn.
I wonder how the competition level from Detroit compares to Richmond if it is stronger, weaker, or the same. Nothing bad about getting another athletic QB on the roster especially if he could play another position if QB doesn't work out...
The campus will be quiet but it will be beautiful in May. Not a bad time to sell it. If he needs to see evidence of the atmosphere, show him the video of downtown after the OSU game last year...
well, with 4 hands he could be one heck of a receiver...
Just how many hands do you have?
Leg for Red Green - bonus leg (on another comment of yours) for the exquisite pun.
It's interesting to see that this is probably Loeffler's mold for which he likes his quarterbacks to fit. All of his commits (minus Ford) and most of his recruiting targets have been considered athletic pro-style guys with the ability to run the read option.
It's good to hear Caleb is so endorsing of VT and the offense considering his situation and role the past couple of years.
He has some good ball placement. I concur that it would be nice to get #9 on campus for a visit as well.
Pretty cool that Caleb is still talking up the program even with his precarious position on the depth chart and position changes and what not. I think that says a lot.
I really hope Caleb makes some plays before his career is up. Cool to see his attitude is still positive.
A little surprised he isn't getting more looks as a QB. His mechanics are inconsistent and a little bit long, but nothing that can't be fixed. Tall, fairly big arm, accurate- a solid low 3* guy.
Apparently he was in San Diego before Detroit, so he's bounced around some. May not have his film out there yet or teams are waiting to see how his Sr. year goes.
He runs the ball like Pryor but is already a much more polished passer on the deep ball and quick timing routes from what I remember.
Good speed for a pro-style QB. Gets rid of the ball quickly good pocket presence. Seems to have happy feet, and needs to tuck that ball away better on a couple runs. More than one pass under thrown. Looks like a great athletic kid though and we need to bring in QBs yearly. Best part is Caleb's contribution to the team's future and a new talented prospect on the list.