Greg Boone to Tight End … for Now

Greg Boone to Tight End … For Now

Per
BeamerBall.com, Greg Boone’s long anticipated move to tight end has finally
happened. The r-freshman quarterback has agreed to make the switch for the 2006
season, but he has also been promised the chance to return to quarterback in the
spring of 2007 and compete for a spot on the QB depth chart.

The coaching staff had been trying to convince Boone to move to tight end for
quite some time, but until now the 6-3, 265-pound athlete has been unwilling.
But once he was promised the chance to return to quarterback next spring, he
decided to make the move so he could get on the field this fall.

Boone joins fellow r-freshmen Sam Wheeler and Ed Wang at tight end. Currently
Wheeler sits atop the depth chart with Wang close behind him. With his size and
athleticism, Boone will be in the mix to start if he can pick up the position
mentally in August.

Incoming freshman Beau Warren will also be given a look as a blocking tight
end in preseason practice. Tight end has the least amount of experience of any
position on the team heading into the season. Once Warren joins the team in
August, the Hokies will have four players at the position, none of which have
played a single down of college football.

Last season Tech started Jeff King at tight end, and John Kinzer and Jordan
Trott saw a lot of action as backups. But the Hokies lost King to the NFL, Trott
to graduation, and there is a chance that Kinzer may never play again because of
recurring neck injuries.

Bruce
Smith Selected to College Football Hall of Fame

Former Virginia Tech defensive lineman Bruce Smith has been named a member of
the 2006 College Football Hall of Fame Division 1-A Class. Smith is one of 13
players on the list, which also includes two legendary coaches.

Smith was an All-American defensive lineman who played for the Hokies from
1981-84. He was named a First Team All-American on two occasions and won the
Outland Trophy in 1984 as the nation’s best interior lineman. Smith finished
his career at Virginia Tech with 46 career sacks, which is a school record. He
also holds school records for sacks in a season (22) and sacks in a game (4).

Smith went on to play in the NFL, and he was selected by the Buffalo Bills
with the first overall pick in the 1985 NFL Draft. He started for the Bills from
day one and went on to make 11 Pro Bowl appearances. Smith is the NFL’s
All-Time leader in sacks with 200. He retired after the 2003 season.

The 2006 College Football Hall of Fame Division I-A Class will be inducted at
the 49th Annual Awards Dinner on December 5, 2006, at the Waldorf-Astoria in New
York City. They will be officially enshrined at the Hall in South Bend, Indiana
during ceremonies in the summer of 2007.

2006 COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS

PLAYERS
Bobby Anderson – RB, Colorado, 1967-69
Bennie Blades – DB, Miami (Fla.), 1985-87
Carl Eller – T, Minnesota, 1961-63
Steve Emtman – DL, Washington, 1989-91
Thomas Everett – FS, Baylor, 1983-86
Chad Hennings – DT, Air Force, 1984-87
Chip Kell – OG, Tennessee, 1968-70
Mike Phipps – QB, Purdue, 1967-69
Mike Rozier – RB, Nebraska, 1981-83
Jeff Siemon – LB, Stanford, 1968-71
Bruce Smith – DT, Virginia Tech, 1981-84
Emmitt Smith – RB, Florida, 1987-89
Charlie Ward – QB, Florida State, 1989, 1991-93

COACHES
Bobby Bowden – Samford (1959-62), West Virginia (1970-75),
Florida State (1976-present), 359-107-4
Joe Paterno – Penn State (1966-present), 354-117-3

For the complete press release, click here (PDF format).

The ACC Celebrates a Successful Year

The ACC began its spring meetings on Monday Amelia Island, Florida, and
Commissioner John Swofford said he is very pleased with how things went in the
league’s first year as a 12-team conference. The ACC added Virginia Tech and
Miami before the 2004 season, and Boston College came aboard in 2005.

The ACC had the most successful year in its history in terms of football
television ratings. The ACC was the most-watched conference in games televised
by ESPN. The Labor Day matchup between Florida State and Miami was the
most-watched game of the season on ABC. The addition of Virginia Tech, Miami and
Boston College had a lot to do with these numbers.

The ACC Championship Game in Jacksonville also netted the conference a lot of
money. The game produced over $10 million in revenue, which was more than
originally forecast.

In the 2006 NFL Draft, the ACC also proved that it could match up with the
top conferences in the country. A total of 51 players from the ACC were
selected, tops among any conference. Expansion played a major role in these
numbers as well…21 of the 51 draft picks came from Virginia Tech, Miami and
Boston College.

For a more detailed article on the ACC and the NFL Draft, click here
for TSL’s analysis.

2006 Opponents Added to Links Page

Can’t wait until September to start reading up about Tech’s 2006 football
opponents? You don’t have to. The TSL
Links Page has been recently updated to reflect the 2006 football
schedule.

The TSL Links Page contains links to major newspapers that cover each of Tech’s
opponents, as well as school websites, independent websites and message boards.
So if you’re wondering what kind of team Northeastern will bring into Lane
Stadium on September 2, start reading up.