Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, August 7, 1994 TAG: 9408080018
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
In his stints as an assistant coach at four ACC football programs, Jim Cavanaugh invariably has been assigned part of Virginia, so he qualifies as something of an authority on recruiting in the state.
``I've been coming into Virginia since 1970, and this is the best year for linemen that I can remember,'' said Cavanaugh, who played at William and Mary and coached at VMI.
Want size? There are at least four 300-pound Division I prospects, including Roth Townsend (6 feet 7, 305 pounds) from Northside and Russell Mills (6-6, 310) from William Fleming.
Want board scores? Townsend and teammate Jeff Painter (6-3, 270) each scored better than 1,000 on the Scholastic Assessment Test as juniors, as did Chris Combs (6-6, 215) from Patrick Henry and George Seals (6-5, 250) from Magna Vista.
Nobody is getting more attention than two-way William Fleming lineman John St. Clair (6-7, 265). St. Clair, who has a 3.5 grade-point average, has shown strong early interest in Georgia and North Carolina. A sister graduated from Virginia, another of the schools he is considering.
Other top prospects from the Timesland area include 6-1, 220-pound Eric Webb, a second-team All-Group AAA choice last year for Pulaski County. Webb, who reported he has added 15 pounds since last season ``so it will look good in the program,'' said his favorites are North Carolina and Florida.
Most of the players are undecided at this point, although Townsend and Painter said they are most interested in teams from the ACC and Southeastern Conference. Combs has ties to Virginia Tech, where his father was a standout basketball player in the 1960s, and to Virginia, where a brother graduated.
Seals, whose father played basketball at Roanoke College, has a preliminary top five of Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina State and Florida. Tennessee and Florida have assistant coaches with state ties - former Gar-Field coach Bob Pruitt at Florida and former Virginia Tech assistant Steve Marshall at Tennessee - but neither program traditionally offers scholarships to many Virginia players.
Few people can agree on the top prospect in Virginia, although he probably won't be a quarterback or running back. Unlike the 1993-94 senior class, out of which three quarterbacks were ranked among the state's top five prospects by the Roanoke Times & World-News, there might not be three quarterbacks on the top 25 this year.
Few have a better combination of size and academics than 6-6, 190-pound Hal Johnson, who ranks No.1 in his class at North Cross and scored better than 1,400 on the SAT. The best passing numbers belong to Brian Partlow, who passed for 2,409 yards and 25 touchdowns, many to his twin brother, Michael, at Handley High in Winchester.
The best player in the state might be linebacker Maurice Daniels, leader of the Annandale team that finished 14-0 and won the Group AAA Division 6 state championship last year. However, some recruiters have questioned Daniels' college potential because of his height and marginal speed.
Annandale coach Dick Adams invites anyone who believes Daniels is shorter than his listed 6-1 to a private measurement.
``I know a lot of people lie about these things,'' Adams said, ``but Maurice is 6-11/2 and that's no lie. And, he has a 3.5 grade average and that's no lie.''
Daniels said he was timed in 4.9 seconds for 40 yards at the end of the season but has improved that to 4.79 through footwork drills. Tennessee is his favorite out of a top four that includes Penn State, North Carolina and Michigan.
Seldom have more prospects resided in Northern Virginia, where 6-51/2, 258-pound Mike Willetts from West Potomac High has moved to the top of the class. Willetts, who has added 30 pounds since the end of the season and become more of a prototype defensive end, has been timed in 4.84 seconds for 40 yards and has lifted 505 pounds in the squat.
Willetts, who has a 3.3 grade-point average and a score of 1,070 on the SAT, is the son of Virginia Tech alumni. Tennessee and Florida are at the top of his list, and he likes Boston College after being chosen camper of the week at the Eagles' camp.
Clearly, it will be a year for offensive linemen, and none is more impressive than 6-61/2, 297-pound Evan Hunt from Spotsylvania. Hunt, also a starter in basketball and baseball, is a would-be law student who has heard from Notre Dame, Penn State, Florida and Nebraska.
by CNB