Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 4, 1993 TAG: 9302040034
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LYNCHBURG LENGTH: Medium
IT'S VIRGINIA . . . TECH FOR BROWN
Cornell Brown was midway through his announcement Wednesday and still had people guessing which school he had picked to attend.Brown, a standout linebacker from E.C. Glass in Lynchburg, ended the suspense when he said he would sign a letter of intent to play football at the University of Virginia . . . Tech.
Even his mother, Oglessa, wasn't sure what she heard. And she Brown was sitting next to him.
"He shocked me when he said `Tech' at the end of it,' " she said. "He said, `University of Virginia,' and I said, `Thanks, that's where I wanted him to go.' Then he said, `Tech,' and I said, `Wait a minute.' "
It was too late. After a week spent shifting between Tech, Virginia and Maryland, Brown decided Wednesday morning that he would sign with the Hokies.
Nobody knew, not Brown's mother or his brother, Reuben, who called him Wednesday morning from the University of Pittsburgh and pushed UVa.
Brown, voted to the All-America team picked by SuperPrep magazine, said he was influenced by the opportunity to play next year in Tech's new 4-3 defense. He also liked the coaching staff and Tech's Big East affiliation, but the main factor was his visit.
"The players had more to do with it than anybody," Brown said.
Brown, who plays basketball for Glass, was surprised to see four Tech football players in the stands when the Hilltoppers were at Patrick Henry in Roanoke.
"That's about the only people who were there - the Tech football players cheering for Cornell," Glass football coach Bo Henson said.
By all accounts, Brown had an unimpressive visit to UVa. His host did not have a car, and there were few social events to attend.
"I had a great time at Virginia Tech," he said. "Virginia was all right, but it wasn't as much as I anticipated. There wasn't that much going on."
Nevertheless, Brown said he was leaning toward UVa as late as Tuesday and did not know when he went to bed Tuesday night how he would decide.
"A week ago, it would have been Maryland," said Brown, who indicated he was turned off when he learned that linebacker Jamal Cox had transferred from Georgia Tech to Maryland.
The report later turned out to be erroneous.
Brown's mother, saddened in the past week when older son Reuben was charged with selling cocaine, said she was eager to see her younger son stay close to home.
"I would have signed the papers if [Maryland] was where he wanted to go," she said. "It's like I told Reuben and Cornell both, `You go where you feel comfortable because you're the one who's going to be there.' "
Brown, a first-team All-Group AAA selection, was rated one of the top five prospects in Virginia by the Roanoke Times & World-News. He was one of seven Tech signees off the Top 25, including tight end Bryan Jennings and running back Baron Spinner from Jefferson Forest and defensive back Jon Scott from Brookville.
"[Assistant] Rickey Bustle did a super job of recruiting," Henson said. "He hit a grand slam in this area."
Tech finished with 19 players signed or committed, including defensive end Jim Baron from Triton Junior College in River Grove, Ill. Baron, originally from Harvey, Ill., was pursued by Pittsburgh and Nebraska among others.
One player who had committed to the Hokies, tight end Charles Woolridge from DeMatha High in Hyattsville, Md., changed his mind and signed with Rutgers.
"I've been here 11 years and I've never had a player de-commit before," DeMatha coach Bill McGregor said. "To this minute he has not given me a definitive reason."
In other recruiting:
All-Timesland defensive end Kevin Ford is one of four players from William Fleming High in Roanoke who signed letters-of-intent with Virginia State. Fleming coach Sherley Stuart said several Division I schools had tape of Ford (6-3, 240), but Virginia State was the first program to offer a full scholarship. All four Fleming players visited Virginia State at the same time.
The Washington Post reported that All-Metro quarterback Al Clark of Archbishop Carroll in Washington was to sign with Virginia, but sources indicate that UVa has not offered Clark a scholarship and may not be recruiting him actively.
Michael Edwards, a fullback and linebacker from Franklin County High School, was one of 18 VMI football signees, 13 from Virginia. The Keydets also signed All-Group AA wide receiver Kevin Schug from Blacksburg and second-team All-Group AA defensive lineman Jamie Harless from Abingdon. . . . Another Abingdon player, outside linebacker Tyrone Brown, signed with Brigham Young. . . . Signees from the Roanoke Times & World-News Second 25 include running back T.J. Carrington, from Phoebus High in Hampton, with Appalachian State.