Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 1, 1995 TAG: 9502010076
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
All-State defensive back Tyron Edmond resisted an 11th-hour recruiting push by Virginia and made an oral commitment Tuesday to Virginia Tech.
Edmond, rated one of the top 25 prospects in Virginia by the Roanoke Times & World-News, is one of three football prospects who committed to the Hokies on the eve of the national letter-of-intent day.
Also Tech-bound are Marcus Gildersleeve, a 5-foot-8, 175-pound cornerback from Clarksville, Tenn.; and Jim Kibble, a 5-10, 170-pound kicker from Osbourn Park High School in Manassas.
The Hokies have commitments from 16 players, including Top 25 choices Edmond and Keith Short, a defensive end and tight end from Group AAA Division 5 champion Patrick Henry of Ashland.
Edmond, an All-Group A defensive back from Sussex Central High School, picked Tech over Virginia. He also visited Wake Forest.
``In two years, people will ask, `Where did he come from?''' said Dwight Reagan, Sussex Central's coach. ``He's better than the defensive back [Joe Crocker] we've got at Virginia. He's got better athletic ability. That's the way we all feel down here.''
UVa did not offer Edmond a scholarship until the week before the signing period, and he was in Charlottesville only briefly to watch a basketball game. Edmond, who carries a 3.76 grade-point average, visited Tech during the weekend.
``Virginia waited a little bit too late,'' said Edmond, who led his team in tackles and had four interceptions as a senior. ``When I came back from Tech, [UVa] Coach [George] Welsh came to my house and I gave them a lot of consideration, but I felt I could have more of an impact at Tech.''
Reagan said it was his understanding Tech already had Edmond on its ``two-deep'' roster at the rover position.
``It makes you feel good to hear something like that,'' said Edmond, who hopes to add 20 pounds to his 6-1, 185-pound frame, ``but my name can come off that board just as easily as it went up there.''
Kibble, an All-Cardinal District selection, was 4-of-7 on field-goal attempts. Twenty-one of his 31 kickoffs reached the end zone, with another six falling inside the 4-yard line. His longest field goal, a 45-yarder, set a school record.
``They were talking to me about walking on,'' said Kibble, a three-year starter for Osbourn Park in soccer. ``The scholarship offer was out of the blue.''
North Carolina recruited Kibble before receiving a commitment from kicker Josh McGee from Pearl, Miss., and Arkansas and Auburn also expressed interest.
The Hokies still are recruiting two or three players, but they might not sign more than 16. Virginia, with 24 commitments, was waiting word on 6-6, 240-pound tight end Cuncho Brown from Winston-Salem, N.C.
Brown, rated the No.1 tight end prospect in the country by SuperPrep magazine, may wait until next week before announcing his decision.
by CNB