DATE: Sunday, August 3, 1997                TAG: 9708030160

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C11  EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.             LENGTH:   83 lines

QB A CONCERN? BEAMER SAYS NO HOKIES COACH FIGURES JUNIOR AL CLARK WILL FIT NICELY INTO THE SHOES LEFT BY JIM DRUCKENMILLER.

Football coaches love to fret about newcomers at key positions, but Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer professes total confidence in new quarterback Al Clark.

Clark, a redshirt junior who threw all of five passes last season, takes over for NFL first-round draft pick Jim Druckenmiller, who led the Hokies to 20 wins in two seasons that culminated in trips to the Sugar and Orange bowls.

``My biggest concern on offense? Most people would say it would be quarterback, but that's really not a concern,'' Beamer said at the Big East media day Thursday. ``I think Al Clark is going to be very good. He's been around the program for three years and he had a good spring practice. He's just got to sit in there and make good decisions and he's going to be fine.''

Beamer said he does not foresee shifting to a greater emphasis on the running game with a new quarterback, although Clark will be more of a running threat than the traditional drop-back passer Druckenmiller.

``I think Al Clark will do a lot of the same things Donovan McNabb does for Syracuse,'' Beamer said. ``He's not as big a guy, but I think a lot of the same things that worry you about McNabb will worry our opponents about Al Clark.'' Druckenmiller's contract could benefit Tech center

Jim Druckenmiller signed a six-year, $5.65 million contract this week with the San Francisco 49ers. Look for some of that money eventually to end up in the coffers for Tech's all-purpose Merryman Athletic Center, currently under construction near Lane Stadium.

``Before it's all over he'll probably help us with our building at Virginia Tech,'' Frank Beamer said. ``He told us he would like to do that before he left. Some of them will forget you, but Druck won't forget where he came from.'' Academic problems solved, Green returns to Hokies

The Hokies get a boost with the return of cornerback Larry Green, a three-year starter who was sidelined last year because of academic problems.

``I'm proud for Larry,'' Beamer said. ``He got himself back in school and he's got a chance to graduate now. He's a good addition to our football team, and he played great there two years ago.'' Tech's opener at Rutgers will pit fresh quarterbacks

There will be a pair of new starters on the field when Tech travels to Rutgers for its opener on ESPN Aug. 30. The Scarlet Knights expect to start redshirt freshman Mike Jones from Douglas Freeman High School in Richmond. Albeit with some reservations.

``He's not as athletic as I'd like our quarterback to be, so he has to compensate with efficiency and decision-making,'' Rutgers second-year coach Terry Shea said. ``He's got to be an error-free quarterback because his athleticism won't get him off the hook.'' Well, as they say, it's the sentiment that counts

Tom O'Brien, formerly the offensive coordinator at Virginia, got a congratulatory letter from Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese when he got the job at Boston College. One problem: it was congratulating O'Brien for getting the job at Pittsburgh.

``I wrote him a note saying, `(former ACC commissioner) Gene Corrigan would never make that mistake,' '' O'Brien said. O'Brien hopes area talent will find its way to BC

O'Brien recruited Tidewater for Virginia, and said he will continue to mine this area for talent for BC. The Eagles under former coach Dan Henning, who also had strong Virginia ties and played for the minor league Norfolk Neptunes, successfully recruited the Commonwealth. O'Brien said it will be hard to beat Virginia Tech and Virginia for the top players in the western part of the state.

``I think the transient areas of the state - Northern Virginia, Richmond and Tidewater - are where kids don't have as many strong allegiances to Virginia or Virginia Tech, so we're going to go back in there,'' O'Brien said. ``I know the high school coaches and they know me. They know I'll take care of their players and they'll go to school and I'll send them back with a degree.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jim Druckenmiller has a $5.65 million contract with San Francisco,

and Virginia Tech's athletic center may be richer for it.

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