Hopewell (VA) defensive end Darrell Taylor attended Virginia Tech’s Spring Game this past April. This past Saturday, the 6’4″, 227-pound senior was back in Lane Stadium to see Virginia Tech’s 34-9 victory over William & Mary. What did he think about his first ever regular season game experience in Lane?

“Darrell doesn’t say a whole lot, but he told me he was very impressed with the crowd and the energy in the stadium,” Hopewell head coach Ricky Irby said. “Also, whenever he left his seat to go to the concession stands or whatever, Hokie fans made sure he knew they wanted him in Blacksburg. He liked that.”

Taylor’s latest visit to Blacksburg was an unofficial visit. He does, however, intend on returning for an official visit later this fall. Although this was an unofficial, Taylor was able to experience plenty.

“When we arrived we had lunch in the players lounge,” Irby began, recalling what the Tech coaches have in store for recruits on game day. “The coaches were in there. They took time to make sure Darrell felt welcome. They did that for all the recruits there. We had lunch there, and then they took the recruits down for a meeting. Coach Stinespring talked about Virginia Tech. He mentioned the graduation rates. He talked about making the most of your experience at Virginia Tech. After the meeting, all the recruits went through the tunnel onto the field during warm-ups. We all went up in the stands then to watch the game, and after the game all the recruits went into the locker room to talk to the players and coaches.”

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