Hokies' Staff "Got What They Wanted" in 2018 QB DeJuan Ellis' Commitment

As Wednesday wore down, 2018 QB DeJuan Ellis of Owings Mills, Md.'s McDonogh School decided to make Justin Fuente's day.

Ellis waited until 5 p.m. to give Fuente an especially good piece of news, but to hear Ellis tell it, it was worth the wait for the coaching staff.

"I called Coach Fuente, and he just went off," Ellis told The Key Play. "He said he just about jumped out of his seat and Coach (Brad) Cornelsen was there with him, and I could hear him in the background saying 'Yes,' so they got what they wanted."

The Hokies don't lack for future options at quarterback — what with Dwayne Lawson and Josh Jackson already in the fold and Hendon Hooker set to come on board in 2017 — but Fuente seemed so taken with Ellis' abilities that he pursued the young signal caller anyway.

"He said I could fit into their offense with the spread, plus the read option," Ellis said. "Plus, he said I have a strong, accurate arm, which he really likes and I get the ball out quickly."

At 6'0" and 160 pounds, Ellis is hardly the most physically intimidating QB. But he has elite speed (dazzling trainers at the Nike Open Regional camp in Centreville this spring), and Fuente was quite interested in that as well.

"He said I can move around, but throw just as well, so we can throw both in the mix and see how it goes," Ellis said.

But as recently as March, Ellis wasn't sure if he even still held an offer from the Hokies. Frank Beamer's staff initially extended him a scholarship, but when Fuente and company took over, he was uncertain about his standing with Tech.

Yet he made a point to stay in contact with the Hokies and visited Blacksburg on March 31, where they confirmed their interest in him and dazzled him in the process.

"It just felt like family when I first went up there, even when I didn't have the offer from them yet," Ellis said. "When they first saw me, they told me a lot of good things, and I just felt like it was the place I needed to be."

Ellis got another taste of Tech two weeks ago for the team's vaunted "Blacksburg Bash," staying for both the cookout and the prospect camp the next day.

"It was really exciting, I had a lot of fun and enjoyed it," Ellis said.

Ellis showed up a bit too late for the team's bevy of athletic competitions on the day, but he still got to feel the vibe around campus as one prospect after another pledged to the Hokies.

"It was a lot of excitement from the campus, a lot of energy," Ellis said. "I could feel it."

Now that he's followed suit and committed to the Hokies (joining "Blacksburg Bash" commit ATH Bryce Thompson as the second member of the 2018 class) he sees plenty of other Tech trips in his future.

Ellis anticipates he'll be down to see some of fall camp "not this week, but the next," in addition to taking in a few contests at Lane Stadium.

"I'll definitely be down there for a couple games," Ellis said.

In the meantime, he's looking forward to focusing on his first season at McDonogh (he transferred from Arlington's Bishop O'Connell HS a few months back) and convincing other prospects his age to join up with Tech.

"We have to get as many pieces as we can," Ellis said.