For the second time in three years, Virginia Tech hosted a defending National Champion in Lane Stadium. Blacksburg (Va.) three-star running back Cole Beck was on hand for both.

Just as he was in 2015 when the Hokies fell to top-ranked and defending National Champion Ohio State, Beck was among the throng of recruits to see Virginia Tech’s clash against Clemson. It was a final stop for Beck, Rivals.com’s No. 17 player in Virginia, who could decide from his top three of the Hokies, Pittsburgh and North Carolina as soon as Friday.

Both games ended in losses for Virginia Tech. But for Beck, the latest one had the most significance.

“Honestly, the build up for fans and me and everyone was just bigger,” Beck said. “Part of it was because they just won the National Championship. We had the big dogs coming in and Tech is also highly ranked this year. Everyone sees that Tech is coming up, that it’s (Coach Justin) Fuente’s second year.  It was just wild, even (ESPN’s) GameDay being there.”

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