Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 11 No. 3 | January 2019

inside.hokiesports.com 25 2018-19 FOOTBALL RECRUITING NAME POS. HT. WT. HOMETOWN HIGH SCHOOL/JUCO RECRUITED BY Amaré Barno LB 6-6 225 Blythewood, SC Butler C.C. Adam Lechtenberg Elijah Bowick WR 6-1 212 Charlotte, NC Myers Park James Shibest DaShawn Crawford DT 6-0 270 Bay Springs, MS Jones County J.C. Charley Wiles Dean Ferguson LB 6-2 199 Sterling, VA Potomac Falls Adam Lechtenberg Josh Fuga DT 6-2 303 Woodbridge, VA Freedom Bud Foster Nick Gallo TE 6-4 230 Richboro, PA Council Rock South Brian Mitchell Tahj Gary RB 5-8 219 Atlanta, GA Woodward Academy Zohn Burden Jesse Hanson OL 6-5 295 Blue Ridge, VA Lord Botetourt Vance Vice Ny’Quee Hawkins DB 6-0 172 Orange, NJ Orange Brian Mitchell Bryan Hudson OT 6-4 298 Georgetown, KY Scott County Vance Vice Mario Kendricks DT 6-0 275 Kissimmee, FL Osceola Charley Wiles Keshawn King RB 5-11 177 Orange Park, FL Oakleaf Charley Wiles Brion Murray CB 5-10 174 Milford, DE Coffeyville C.C. Adam Lechtenberg Jaden Payoute WR 6-1 195 Chesterfield, VA Lloyd C. Bird Zohn Burden Jacoby Pinckney WR 6-1 200 Spartanburg, SC Dorman James Shibest Norell Pollard DT 6-2 246 Apopka, FL Wekiva Charley Wiles Will Pritchard OL 6-2 281 Moseley, VA Manchester Zohn Burden Tayvion Robinson WR 5-10 180 Virginia Beach, VA Cox Zohn Burden J.R. Walker FS 6-0 199 Clayton, NC Clayton Charley Wiles “You need numbers in there because that’s a spot that you can get banged up pretty quickly,” Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster said. “That spot can get depleted by some injuries. Having the experience in there is what you really prefer, but we’ve gotten away with playing some young guys in the past who have played really well for us. “Obviously, we’re hoping that we can get some help immediately. I think DaShawn can help us right away. It’ll be interesting to see the freshmen that come in … right now, the Fuga kid, size-wise, would be the guy. Mario Kendricks would be another guy that potentially has the size that could come in—if they can learn things and learn to play at a high level and be physical at the point of attack. That’s always the challenge … but you’re seeing more and more guys being able to play early because of really good strength programs in high school, and then hopefully these guys will be quick learners. We’ll have to wait and see.” Foster also received some help in the form of the three defensive backs and two linebackers. Tech’s staff brought in six defensive backs a year ago, but given today’s pass-happy offenses, the coaches wanted to be stocked in the secondary, so they added Ny’Quee Hawkins from New Jersey, J.R. Walker from Clayton, North Carolina and Brion Murray, a Milford, Delaware native who spent two seasons at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas. Hawkins and Murray project more as cornerbacks, while Walker possesses the versatility to play any number of spots. “I’m interested to see if he’s going to be a nickel, a free or a rover- type guy for us,” Foster said of Walker. “That’s where I’m anxious to see where he will fit into one of those three spots. I’d prefer for him to be in that free or nickel spot because that gives us a guy with really good speed that can cover and all those type of things. I think he has that. But until you see it live against good people … watching him on high school film, you can see that, but watching him against good people, that will determine where he is the best fit for us.” The two linebackers include Dean Ferguson from Sterling, Virginia and Amaré Barno from Blythewood, South Carolina by way of Butler Community College in Kansas—a 6-foot-6, 225-pounder with a lot of potential. Given their junior college ties, Crawford, Murray and Barno bring experience to Tech’s defense. And interestingly, the three junior college signees represent the most by a Tech staff in more than 30 years. TAYVION ROBINSON BRYAN HUDSON Continued on page 26 IHS extra