2009 Recruiting Class Begins to Enroll

Virginia Tech’s second summer session begins today, and 17 scholarship
freshmen are currently enrolled. These players will have a month to acclimate
themselves to the college life before preseason practice begins on August 6.

The only four players in the 2009 freshman class who have not enrolled are
offensive tackle Cory Gough, tight end Tyrell Edwards, defensive tackle DeAntre
Rhodes and safety Theron Norman. Gough and Edwards are greyshirting. It’s not
known why Rhodes and Norman are not enrolling, but it is assumed they are
waiting on test scores.

Here is a list of the new players.

Some of these players are still not quite done with high school football. Antone
Exum, James Gayle, Cody Journell, Andrew Miller, Duan Perez-Means, Logan Thomas
and Tyrel Wilson will all take part in the VHSCA All-Star Game in Hampton on
Friday night. The game will kickoff at 7pm, and it will be held in Darling
Stadium.

David Wilson Dominates for Team USA

The United States Junior National football team dominated three opponents en
route to the 2009 International Federation of American Football Junior World
Championship, an inaugural tournament held in Canton, OH. At the center of that
domination was 2009 signee David Wilson.

Wilson, a standout at George Washington High School in Danville, VA, ran for
a total of 414 yards in the three-game event. He averaged 12.5 yards per carry,
and he scored eight touchdowns. Wilson was named the Tournament MVP.

Wilson was part of a dominating effort by Team USA, which also included Tech
signee Tariq Edwards. Edwards had a sack in Sunday’s win over Team Canada.
Wilson also caught four passes for 52 yards during the tournament.

As the summer goes by, the hype surrounding Wilson continues to grow. He
recently told BeamerBall.com that he bench presses 315, squats 605, and his most
recent 40 yard dash time was a 4.31. Combine that with his impressive showing as
a member and team captain of Team USA, and it’s easy to see why Tech fans are
excited about his arrival.

Whitaker Out, Luckett In

Rumors had been swirling that Ike Whitaker would return to the football team
for his r-senior season and serve as Tyrod Taylor’s backup. However, director of
football operations John Ballein told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that Whitaker
would not be returning to the team.

According to the RTD, Whitaker was arrested in April and charge with
unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and destruction of property worth more than
$1,000. He will appear in court on August 20.

Despite the bad news on Whitaker, there is some good news. Former wide
receiver Zach Luckett is expected to rejoin the team. Luckett was set to start
at wide receiver last season, but he was arrested for his second DUI and
indefinitely suspended. He will rejoin the team as a walk-on, and he’s expected
to play defense. He will likely be a whip linebacker.

Luckett will be a r-junior this year, and his greatest impact could come on
special teams. He served as an outstanding gunner on the punt team in 2007, and
Tech’s punt coverage took a severe hit in 2008 without him. The Hokies gave up
three punt returns for touchdowns in just 24 returned punts last year.

Tech-UVA Tickets Available

Need tickets to this year’s Tech-UVA game in Charlottesville? You can buy
them right now, but there is a catch. The University of Virginia is selling mini
season ticket packages, and the general public can purchase package seats for
UVA’s games against William & Mary, TCU and Virginia Tech.

The price is $108 per person, and it includes a ticket to all three games.
You can order tickets by clicking here.