ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, December 25, 1996 TAG: 9612260046
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: HOLIDAY
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
ALTHOUGH TECH AND UVA have gained national prominence, many of the state's top football recruits have committed to non-Virginia schools.
In a year that has seen many of the state's top football prospects commit to leave the state, a sub-plot has unfolded in recent weeks.
Every one of the elite players who remain uncommitted has either Virginia Tech or Virginia on a list of schools he is considering.
Indications are that Tech and UVa are 1-2 (or 2-1) at this point on at least five players in The Roanoke Times Top 25: Ahmad Hawkins, Devon Simmons, James Lomax, Monsanto Pope and Darryl Smith.
Indeed, some of those players are considering only the Cavaliers and Hokies, which is a break from a pattern that has existed for almost a quarter-century.
Generally speaking, in-state prospects have picked a favorite between Virginia's two Division I-A teams and then filled out their list with regional or intersectional powers. A surprisingly small number have visited both Tech and UVa.
Why that has changed is open to interpretation. For one thing, both programs have been successful. Tech has enjoyed a spectacular rise, with back-to-back 10-win seasons, while Virginia has been one of the most consistent teams in Division I-A over the past decade.
However, if the two in-state programs had truly ``arrived'' as national powers, then why did so many of the state's top prospects completely write them off? Of the top eight prospects on The Roanoke Times list, five have committed to out-of-state schools.
Two-time all-state selection James Boyd, before committing to Penn State, said he was turned off by Virginia Tech's off-field problems and felt that Virginia coach George Welsh had not done enough to promote Tiki Barber as a Heisman Trophy candidate.
Those reasons ring hollow when you consider that Boyd has been leaning to Penn State since the summer, before the Heisman Trophy race had left the starting line and prior to a September fight that accounted for many of the Tech arrests.
If there is a reason for the exodus, it might be provided by geography. Boyd and two other players who committed to intersectional powers, Norview High School teammates James Whitley and David Martin, are from the Tidewater.
From that part of the state, Charlottesville is a three-hour drive and Blacksburg is more than five hours away. Boyd, Whitley and Martin all considered North Carolina, where Dre Bly, a former standout at Indian River in Chesapeake, made All-American this year as a freshman.
The other emigres include Florida-bound quarterback Tim Olmstead, who spent four years at Woodberry Forest School in Orange County, but is a boarding student whose family lives in Binghamton, N.Y.
Wide receiver Bruce Branch comes from a program at Huguenot High School in Richmond that has become a pipeline to Penn State. The Nittany Lions signed the son of Huguenot coach Richard McFee last year, and McFee is pictured with Penn State coach Joe Paterno on the Huguenot schedule card.
Certainly, there are in-state coaches who have a similar fondness for either the Tech or UVa programs. And, there are other coaches who like the idea of their players staying in state, whether the destination is Charlottesville or Blacksburg.
``They're good programs,'' said Bill Dee, who has coached Antoine Womack at Phoebus High School in Hampton. ``When we sat down and talked, I told him [Womack] I thought he would be making a mistake if he didn't take a serious look at the in-state teams.''
Womack, who set a Group AAA record by rushing for 5,621 yards in his career, said earlier this week that it could be January before he makes a decision. Penn State was his early favorite, ``but it's going to be hard,'' he said. ``The visits only made it tougher.''
Commitments have come earlier and earlier in recent years, although there should be a slowdown in the flurry of announcements that preceded Christmas. It is virtually impossible for a prospect who wants to take four or five visits to do so before the end of January (so, most don't).
Virginia's George Welsh, in his 24th season as a Division I head coach, once prohibited his assistants from calling players during the season. Now, the Cavaliers and many other teams bring players to campus for official visits on game weekends.
The father of George Washington-Danville defensive lineman Tyrone Robertson said the only way his son could take his five visits would be to go somewhere in the middle of the week, which might interfere with Robertson's basketball season.
Tyrone Jr. has Tech and UVa among a final five that includes Georgia, Tennessee and emerging darkhorse North Carolina. Associates portray Robertson as an engaging sort who could change his mind several times before signing day Feb.5.
There is no consensus on the No.1 prospect in the state. Womack, Olmstead and Robertson rank 1-2-3 because they play high-impact positions, although there has been a growing demand for cornerbacks like Boyd and Whitley who can play man-to-man coverage.
Questions have been raised about the academic status of players on The Roanoke Times list, particularly by coaches who may have been eliminated by a prospect. Naturally, those coaches would not have access to - or use for - the most updated academic data.
It has been a rare year when at least one Top 25 selection has not failed to meet NCAA eligibility guidelines, but the criteria remains the same - how heavily a prospect is being recruited and by whom.
At least eight in-state players qualify as ``national'' recruits based on their visits. That includes Bhahoh (rhymes with wow) Jue, a native of Liberia, who has attracted the likes of Michigan and Clemson to Chantilly, home of the Group AAA Division 6 state champions.
If he weren't so highly recruited, Jue might qualify as the sleeper of the year in the state. That distinction goes to Reggie Samuel, who was virtually unknown until he quarterbacked a Caroline County team that was 0-10 in 1995 to a 6-4 record this year.
Samuel, with a reputed 4.38-second time for 40 yards, is expected to play safety or receiver at Virginia Tech. The Hokies have five commitments from in-state players, including No.29 Brian Welch off the Second 25.
Virginia has a commitment from No.28 Jared Woodson and No.30 William Brown has said he will sign with North Carolina State. There were fewer than 30 Division I-A signees from Virginia last year; there could be 35 last year.
This year's recruiting list was put together after interviews with 49 coaches, 20 players and four college assistants or recruiting coordinators. However, in a state with close to 300 high schools, there is always a chance that some future all-star will slip through the cracks.
LENGTH: Long : 125 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshots) 1. Womack. 2. Olmstead. 3. Robertson. 4.by CNBBoyd. 5. Whitley. color. 6. THE DAILY PROGRESS. Florida-bound
quarterback Tim Olmstead, who spent four years at Woodberry Forest
School in Orange County, is one of the state's top players, although
his family lives in Binghamton, N.Y. Graphic: The best of the rest.
color. KEYWORDS: MGR