ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, February 6, 1997 TAG: 9702060026
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
MEMO: ***CORRECTION***
Published correction ran on February 7, 1997.
East Carolina's football program was incorrectly identified as a
member of the Big East Conference in a sports graphic in Thursday's
editions. The Pirates were an independent in 1996 and will become a
member of the Conference USA in football for the 1997 season.
For Virginia Tech, football recruiting had a happy ending Wednesday when high school All-America defensive lineman Tyrone Robertson from Danville signed a letter of intent with the Hokies.
For Virginia, there was no end in sight.
The Cavaliers signed the 20 players from whom they had received oral commitments, but they hold out hope of landing running back Antoine Womack from Phoebus High School in Hampton.
Closer to home, All-Timesland defensive back Ronald Branch from Pulaski County signed with James Madison. Branch, who had eight interceptions as a senior, also played quarterback for the Cougars and was rated one of the Top 50 prospects in Virginia by The Roanoke Times.
Womack, rated the No.1 prospect on that list, called off a ceremony at which he was expected to sign a letter of intent.
Sources say Womack told Virginia coaches Tuesday night that he wanted to sign with UVa, so the postponement was not viewed as a good sign for the Cavaliers. He earlier had committed to Penn State.
The top-ranked player to sign with a state program was Robertson, ranked third by The Roanoke Times. He announced his choice at a 1 p.m. news conference at George Washington High School.
``He's the guy rated up there,'' Tech coach Frank Beamer said Wednesday, ``but, generally, I think this was a very good recruiting class. We've always stressed speed and quickness, but this year we've added some big people who are very athletic.''
While recruiting interest has bordered on the fanatic in recent years, it has only escalated with the growth of on-line services.
``People tell me some of the things that are on there and I'm just amazed,'' Beamer said. ``It's almost a dangerous situation when you consider some of the information that is out there.
``I always found it entertaining that people could sit and evaluate recruits they have never seen. What we do is evaluate players in person and by watching film. To me, this recruiting is like the first quarter of a game. What we're interested in is the fourth quarter.''
The Hokies signed six players from among The Roanoke Times' Top 25, but of the top eight players on that list, only Robertson has elected to play college football in Virginia.
``A lot of those kids are at the other end of the state,'' Beamer said. ``There's not a loyalty there. But, I think this runs in cycles. For the past few years, I think Virginia and us have done a little better job of keeping the players in state.''
The Cavaliers signed eight Top 25 players, but some of their best recruiting was done outside Virginia. They signed the state players of the year in Pennsylvania (quarterback Dan Ellis), Maryland (running back Tyree Foreman) and West Virginia (linebacker Yubrenal Isabelle).
Isabelle committed to Virginia Tech, but Virginia continued to recruit him and he changed his mind.
``I think it's an issue that needs to be discussed at our national coaches' meeting,'' Beamer said. ``What you're asking kids to do is break a promise. I think you're starting off on the wrong foot if you're asking a kid to go back on his word.''
* Although VMI does not make its football signees public until after the letter-of-intent period, new coach Ted Cain reportedly received a commitment from Clyde Middleton, a 6-foot, 170-pound wide receiver who reportedly runs 40 yards in less than 4.4 seconds.
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC: Chart by staff: Signing team. color. KEYWORDS: MGRby CNB