Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, December 23, 1994 TAG: 9412230161
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Combs, a 6-foot-6, 220-pounder, was a first-team All-Group AAA choice at tight end by the coaches' association and a second-team all-state selection at defensive end by The Associated Press.
``It was pretty much even till coach Goldsmith visited me in my home [Wednesday] night,'' said Combs, who picked Duke over the only other school he visited, Virginia.
``Coach Goldsmith has been real involved in recruiting me personally since last summer. That meant a lot to me. Duke has great academics and the football program is on the rise. Plus, they're improving the facilities.''
Combs said he does intend to play basketball in college, although he had 29 points and 20 rebounds in his first game of the season. His father, Glen, was a standout basketball player at Virginia Tech in the late 1960s.
In football, Combs had 12 receptions as a senior, two for touchdowns. His 95 tackles on defense included 12 sacks, giving him 19 for two seasons.
``I'm not exactly sure how those all-star teams work,'' Combs said. ``It's sort of strange. I always thought I was better on defense.''
Combs, rated one of the top 20 prospects in Virginia by SuperPrep magazine, had lined up visits to North Carolina State and Wake Forest before narrowing his choices to two.
``This summer I was really more interested in Virginia,'' said Combs, whose older brother went to UVa. ``Then, coach Goldsmith started turning it up and the season Duke had (8-3) really turned my head.''
Keith Short, a first-team all-state player for Group AAA champion Patrick Henry of Ashland, is one of two players who have made known their intention to sign a letter-of-intent with Virginia Tech.
The Hokies also have received a commitment from Angelo Harrison, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound wide receiver from Spotsylvania by way of Fork Union Military Academy.
Harrison had 39 receptions for more than 600 yards this year at Hargrave, where he broke records held by current Tech receiver Cornelius White.
Short and Harrison are the first players to commit to Tech since junior-college teammates Greg Melvin and Myron Newsome in early December.
Ray Long, the coach at Patrick Henry in Ashland, said Short has not visited Tech or any other schools but is unlikely to change his mind. Short, a 6-3, 230-pound tight end and defensive end, was unable to take the Scholastic Assessment Test while his team was involved in the playoffs.
by CNB