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

26 Inside Hokie Sports Proud Supporter of Virginia Tech Athletics 99 Bradley Drive Christiansburg NRV Mall 540-381-8100 www.holidayinn.com/cburgnorth Full Service Restaurant Bar & Grill Game Day Catering, Dine in or Room Service Looking for a “HOKIE HOME” away from HOME? “I don’t think it’s going to become this huge movement of us doing that,” Fuente said. “I think occasionally we’ll get in there and look and see if there’s anyone that fits. I don’t think it’s a byproduct of anything other than there were a couple of needs we felt like we might ought to search around a little bit and see if there is anybody that fits. I don’t think it’s going to become anything other than that.” On offense, the quartet of receivers brings explosiveness to the Hokies. Tayvion Robinson and Jaden Payoute headline the group and stand as two of the top prospects in Virginia. Robinson, who played at Cox High in Virginia Beach, was the Region A and Beach District Offensive Player of the Year after a season in which he amassed 2,213 total yards and accounted for 36 touchdowns as a quarterback. Payoute played quarterback for Lloyd C. Bird in Chesterfield, and rushed for 380 yards and eight touchdowns while throwing for five scores. Blazing fast, Payoute won the 100-meter dash at the Class 5A state outdoor track meet last June. Though the two played quarterback, they always were recruited as receivers by the Tech staff, and the coaches expect the transition to be smooth. “I think it helps them,” Tech offensive coordinator Brad Cornelsen said. “Knowing the quarterback position helps those guys at receiver. If you know what to do at quarterback, that other spot [receiver] is easy. I don’t expect that to be an adjustment. We’re not signing quarterbacks that we’re moving to receiver. Those guys are receivers.” The other two receivers—Elijah Bowick and Jacoby Pinckney—also bring impressive credentials. Bowick, from Charlotte, caught nearly 60 passes for nearly 1,400 yards and 17 touchdowns this past season for Myers Park High, and he finished his career with more than 3,500 yards receiving and 48 touchdowns. Pinckney, from South Carolina, ranked as one of ESPN’s top 300 prospects. Tech’s staff also added two running backs, as the coaches seek more explosiveness from the backfield. Keshawn King from Orange Park, Florida, rushed for 2,000 yards and 31 touchdowns this season, while Tahj Gary from Atlanta finished with 1,219 yards and 13 touchdowns before a leg injury ended his senior season. Gary expects to be at or near full strength when he enrolls. “He’s got really nice body lean,” Cornelsen said of King. “There is something about those guys that carry the ball that have the ability to carry themselves low, carry their pads low as they’re running without losing their balance. That’s one of the first things that stuck out to me on top of his talent, his speed and quickness … He’s a kid you get excited about. “Tahj … is a compact, explosive guy like [Steven] Peoples, and that’s what we like about him—a thick lower body, really good strength, but has the quickness and lateral movement and explosiveness to go along with it.” The staff took care of things up front, too, signing three offensive linemen. The coaches signed four last year and appear to be determined not to come up short in terms of numbers on the offensive line. Bryan Hudson, a Kentucky native who ranked as one of the top 300 prospects nationally by ESPN, headlines the group, along with local product Jesse Hanson, who played 45 minutes from campus at Lord Botetourt High School and picked the Hokies even though both parents went to Clemson. The other lineman is Will Pritchard, who helped lead his Manchester High team in Midlothian to the Virginia Class 6A state title in December. Finally, Tech’s staff added a tight end in Nick Gallo, the younger brother of former Hokie offensive lineman Eric Gallo. The younger Gallo enters a talented mix of Hokie tight ends—a group that includes Chris Cunningham, Dalton Keene, James Mitchell and now Gallo. Fuente left the door open to bring in more prospects in the spring, but he felt great about whom the program added in December, as both he and his assistants still adjust to the timing of the early signing period. Though things went smoothly, he still wasn’t sure about the change, and whatever happens down the road, he wants that to benefit the kids the most. “I think it’s important to continue to evaluate the benefits for the kids,” he said. “I don’t know the answer. Some may like it. Some may not. It seems like it’s becoming more normal, and we may never go back, but I think that’s important that we try to give these the best opportunity to make a good decision.” VIRGINIA TECH football program adds 19 during early signing period Continued from page 25