Just days after Virginia Tech announced that quarterback Marcus Vick would
not be returning to the football team, quarterbacks coach Kevin Rogers is moving
on to the NFL. Rogers is joining the coaching staff of the Minnesota Vikings,
where he will serve as quarterbacks coach. He is the first Virginia Tech
assistant coach to leave since offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach
Ricky Bustle left to become head coach at Louisiana-Lafayette after the 2001
season.
Rogers
will join his good friend Brad Childress in Minnesota. Childress was recently
named head coach of the Vikings. Rogers was Virginia Tech’s quarterbacks coach
for four seasons, beginning in 2002. He played a major part in the development
of Bryan Randall, who was the ACC Player of the Year in 2004. Rogers coached two
First Team All-ACC quarterbacks in Randall and Marcus Vick.
Rogers’ departure also leaves a void in recruiting. Rogers was a very
underrated recruiter for the Hokies. He was just beginning to make inroads for
the Hokies in the northeast and had secured verbal commitments from highly
touted players such as Jason Adjepong, Mike Gee and Zack Luckett, out of the
state of New Jersey. Rogers was also pursuing highly touted tailbacks LeSean
McCoy and Knowshon Moreno.
With Rogers leaving, Virginia Tech has one spot available on the coaching
staff. Frank Beamer is expected to hire Curt Newsome, the assistant head coach
and offensive line coach at James Madison. Newsome has been coaching at James
Madison since 1999 and has been their offensive line coach for the past three
seasons. He would be hired to coach the offensive line at Virginia Tech, with
Bryan Stinespring moving to quarterbacks coach and remaining offensive
coordinator.
Besides coaching at James Madison, Newsome has many other ties to the
Commonwealth of Virginia. Originally from Hampton, Newsome graduated from Emory
& Henry in 1992. After college, he coached on the high school level at
Phoebus High School, Ervinton High School and Kecoughtan High School. He was head coach
at Kecoughtan from 1987 to 1997 before being named head coach at Heritage High
School prior to the 1998 season. He was named the Virginia Scholastic Coach of
the Year following the 1998 season.
Newsome moved to James Madison in 1999, where Mickey Matthews had just been
named the new head coach. Newsome has served on Matthews’ staff in many
different roles.
Curt Newsome’s Coaching Experience |
||
Year |
School |
Position |
1987-1997 |
Kecoughtan High School |
Head Coach |
1998 |
Heritage High School |
Head Coach |
1999-01 |
James Madison |
Defensive Line |
2002 |
James Madison |
Offensive Tackles/Tight Ends |
2003-05 |
James Madison |
Offensive Line/Assistant Head Coach |
Newsome has spent his entire playing and coaching career in Virginia. He has
very important recruiting ties to the Tidewater area. Hiring Newsome would give
Virginia Tech an even greater presence in Tidewater, along with current
recruiting aces Jim Cavanaugh and Bryan Stinespring.
Newsome has served as James Madison’s offensive line coach since 2003.
Under Newsome’s tutelage, the Dukes have developed into one of the top rushing
teams in Division 1-AA. They have steadily improved every year with Newsome at
the helm.
| James Madison Rushing Stats, 2003-05 |
||
Year |
Yards Per Game |
Yards Per Carry |
| 2003 | 165.58 | 3.74 |
| 2004 | 212.9 | 4.24 |
| 2005 | 234.5 | 5.31 |
Gilchrist Transferring
Jeremy
Gilchrist, a rising r-sophomore wide receiver, is leaving the Virginia Tech
football program and transferring to Hampton. Gilchrist was a superstar receiver
from Landstown High School, and he will join his former head coach Chris Beatty
at Hampton. Beatty is the new offensive coordinator for the Pirates.
Gilchrist saw little playing time this season for the Hokies, notching 72
plays from scrimmage and 43 on special teams during the regular season. He was
behind five other wide receivers, all of whom will return to Virginia Tech in
2006. Four of the five will be back in 2007 as well. Gilchrist played in 12
games this season, catching one pass for nine yards. He also had one carry for
14 yards.
Kenny Lewis, Jr. Enrolls at Virginia Tech
Running back Kenny Lewis, Jr. has enrolled at Virginia Tech and has joined
the football team. Lewis was originally recruited by Tech back in 2003 and
signed with the Hokies in February. But Lewis was also an exceptional baseball
player, compared to Ricky Henderson by some scouts. When the Cincinnati Reds
drafted him, he and his family decided it was best for him to pursue a
professional baseball career.
Lewis had some injuries problems in the minor leagues and eventually decided
that his heart was in football rather than baseball. He contacted Frank Beamer,
joined the football team, and will take part in winter workouts and spring
practice.
Lewis, listed at 5-9, 190, is a speedster from George Washington High School
in Danville, VA. He is a former teammate of current Tech players Cam and Orion
Martin. Lewis claims a 40 yard dash time of 4.18 from high school, and he will
battle for a spot at the tailback position beginning in the spring. It is
expected that he will first see the field as a kick returner for the Hokies.
Healthy Hokies
Virginia Tech emerged from the 2005 season in relatively good health. Four
players underwent surgery in the days following the Gator Bowl victory over
Louisville. Only one of the players is expected to miss spring practice.
Tailback Branden Ore had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right
shoulder. The surgery was successful, and Ore will be in a sling from 4-6 weeks.
He will miss spring practice, but he will be fine for summer workouts and fall
practice. Ore, a rising r-sophomore, was Tech’s second leading rusher in 2005,
with 109 carries for 647 yards and six touchdowns.
Rover Aaron Rouse will miss the next 4-6 weeks after undergoing wrist
surgery. Rouse had a screw inserted into his left wrist to repair a fracture.
Rouse is expected to make a full recovery and will be available for spring
practice.
Offensive guard Nick Marshman, a rising r-sophomore, had surgery to have
loose cartilage removed from his knee. Marshman was on crutches for a few days,
but will be fine for winter workouts and spring practice. He is expected to
compete for a spot on Tech’s offensive line.
Fullback Jesse Allen also had surgery. Like Aaron Rouse, he had a screw
inserted into his wrist and will miss 4-6 weeks. He will be a full participant
in spring practice.
Hurting Hokies
The men’s basketball team hasn’t been as fortunate as the football team
when it comes to injuries. Two Tech players are taking medical redshirts due to
injuries, and a third has decided against a medical redshirt and will play
through the pain.
Robert Krabbendam, a center from the Netherlands, will take a medical
redshirt because of a knee injury suffered in preseason practice. Krabbendam has
been able to practice at times, but he is in too much pain to practice and play
consistently. He was expected to be a vital member of Tech’s team this fall,
either coming off the bench to give Coleman Collins a break, or starting at
center, which would allow Collins to play his natural power forward position.
Krabbendam will be a r-sophomore for the 2006-07 season.
True freshman Terrance Vinson has also decided to take a medical redshirt.
Vinson has had back problems throughout the first half of the season, and after
playing limited minutes in just six games, will sit out the remainder of the
season. He will be a r-freshman for the 2006-07 season. The loss of Krabbendam
and Vinson, as well as the dismissal of Hyman Taylor before the season began,
has left the Hokies precariously thin on the inside.
Sophomore guard/forward Wynton Witherspoon has decided not to redshirt.
Witherspoon won the starting small forward position in the preseason but
fractured the fifth metatarsal in his left foot shortly thereafter. He missed
the beginning of the regular season but eventually returned and came off the
bench for the Hokies. He was still eligible for a medical redshirt following the
Florida State game, but after scoring a career-high 19 points against the
Seminoles, he decided to play through the pain.
Witherspoon started against UNC on Tuesday night and led the Hokies in
scoring with 17 points. He is no longer eligible for a redshirt season.
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