Scot Loeffler's Persistence, Pro Pedigree Helps Hokies Flip "Multitalented" QB Dwayne Lawson

After Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya helped the Hurricanes engineer a devastating 30-6 win over the Hokies in Lane Stadium this season, most Tech fans likely weren't terribly thrilled at the prospect that he'd be the starter in Coral Gables for the foreseeable future.

But in a roundabout way, Kaaya may've just provided the Hokies with their own next great quarterback in Dwayne Lawson of Tampa's Hillsborough High School.

"This team is young and hungry," Lawson said. "I want to help them win a national championship."

Lawson's original plan was to stay in-state and help the Hurricanes recapture their former glory instead. He committed to Miami back in May, but it slowly became clear that he might not fit into their long term plans.

Kaaya was a revelation after getting forced on the field as a true freshman, throwing for nearly 3,200 yards and 26 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. Suddenly, Lawson was facing the prospect of being a backup for the next few seasons, giving the Hokies some room to step in.

"There were really two factors in his decision to switch," said Earl Garcia, Hillsborough's head coach. "One was that Miami's true freshman quarterback was playing so well, and the other was that Coach (Scot) Loeffler kept in touch so frequently."

Loeffler had two quarterbacks join the program in his 2014 class, but he never gave up on Lawson, who's rated a 4-star recruit by the 247Sports Composite rankings.

"When a guy commits, some colleges jump off, and some don't," Garcia said. "Only a handful stayed in touch and Virginia Tech was one of them."

Tech's offensive coordinator impressed Garcia early with his attention to Lawson's performance in the classroom.

"He tracked his academics better than anyone in the country," Garcia said. "And Dwayne had hard work to do, but he turned the tide there."

Garcia also says he's "convinced" that Lawson will be playing on Sundays someday, making Loeffler's experience with pro passers an invaluable asset.

"His pedigree is so good, he's put nine guys in the NFL," Garcia said. "One of them is Tom Brady, that's pretty hard to beat."

Lawson has the requisite size for the NFL, standing at 6'6" and 207 pounds, but he was swayed most by Loeffler's promise to help him work on the mental aspect of the game.

"I want to be in the NFL, so being able to think like a pro quarterback would be a huge plus," Lawson said. "(Loeffler) definitely influenced my decision."

But it wasn't just Loeffler's reputation as a QB whisperer that earned Lawson's trust; he was also able to connect on a personal level.

"This my 42nd year of coaching, so I've dealt with every type of coach, the snake oil salesman, the car salesman," Garcia said. "But he came across as a genuine person. Scot really got to know (Dwayne)."

Even with Loeffler's strong influence, Lawson still wanted to see Blacksburg for himself before making a decision. He headed down to Tech for the Hokies' game against UVA on November 28, and wasn't disappointed with what he saw.

"Everyone there was just so into supporting the team," Lawson said. "I loved the campus, all the people around it were great."

Lawson also got a full introduction to the rest of the Hokies' staff, including Frank Beamer. Beamer's 29 seasons at the helm at Tech is longer even than Garcia's 22-year tenure at Hillsborough, but Lawson still feels comfort at the staff's longevity.

"Coming into high school, it was kind of the same situation for me, where these guys have been winning for a long time," Lawson said. "Older coaches definitely have a different style, and I like that."

Two months later, he was a Hokie. He committed to Tech on January 4 at the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl out in California, and Garcia can't stress enough how lucky the Hokies are to have earned Lawson's services.

"We've had 11 kids play in the league, and he's the best true quarterback I've ever coached," Garcia said. "I went to bat for him and believed in him with Coach Loeffler, and he knows he's not getting sold a bill of goods here."

Garcia stresses that Lawson is a "hell of an athlete," and he got plenty of chances to prove it in Hillsborough's system. The Terriers run an up-tempo spread offense, giving Lawson a taste of several different offensive philosophies.

"We were mostly in shotgun, but it was definitely a pro-style pass game with a read-option run game," Lawson said.

Lawson excelled using both his arm and his legs, throwing for more than 2,400 yards and rushing for 867 yards his senior season.

"He set eight school records for a playoff team in Florida, that tells you how good he was," Garcia said.

Lawson also threw 21 touchdowns against just three interceptions, and added 17 rushing scores as well, making it clear that he'll be able to open up the Hokies' offense if Loeffler tabs him as his starter someday.

"He can run and throw," Garcia said. "He's not so much a drop-back guy, but he's multitalented."

Lawson's accuracy does leave a little to be desired (his highest completion percentage of his career came in his senior year at 58.7 percent) but he says he's working to correct that by refining his delivery.

"I'm really working on the consistency of my throwing motion," Lawson said. "Sometimes it's there, but I need it to be consistent, 100 percent of the time."

He adds that his athleticism makes it tempting to get carried away and try to do too much at times, a challenge for any versatile signal caller. Lawson particularly hopes Loeffler can help him work on trusting his teammates and using his brains on the field.

"I don't want try to do something spectacular every play, just let the game come to me and help the guys around me," Lawson said. "It's about knowing what the defense will do and preparing the right way."

Garcia doesn't think he'll need much prodding in that department.

"Dwayne is at a 2.5 (GPA) right now, but his football IQ is a 4.0," Garcia said.

Garcia knows he sounds a bit hyperbolic when he talks about his star QB, but he promises that Loeffler holds him in similarly high regard, and he knows a thing or two about the game.

"I'm in Tampa at Hillsborough, and he's at Virginia Tech, so he's certainly smarter than me, and he sees something in him," Garcia said.

Lawson will join a crowded QB competition when he arrives at Tech this summer, but if he lives up to Garcia and Loeffler's high expectations, he certainly seems to have the talent to make Miami regret on missing out.