Recruiting Week In Review: QB Josh Jackson Has Huge Week

The “Recruiting Week In Review” is a weekly feature keeping you up-to-date on the previous week’s recruiting news, including how Virginia Tech-bound recruits performed on the gridiron and notes from Twitter and elsewhere.

GRIDIRON STARS

– Quarterback Joshua Jackson completed 25-of-34 passes for 354 yards with four touchdowns and one interception in Saline’s (MI) season opening win over Rockford, 37-24. Jackson added 95 yards rushing and one touchdown on 13 carries. Check out highlights of the future Virginia Tech signal caller below.

– Wide receiver recruit Sam Denmark had an 80-yard touchdown reception, a 72-yard touchdown reception, and a 91-yard kick-off return for a touchdown as Hanahan (S.C.) rolled to a 44-19 win over Timberland. Hanahan improved to 2-0 on the season. Click here to view game highlights, which begin at about the 9:50 mark of the video. Click here to read the game story.

– Virginia Tech initially recruited Phillip Patterson as a defensive back before switching its projection to wide receiver. Patterson, a 6’2″, 185-pound senior, showed in last week’s 47-28 win over Green Run why the Tech coaches may have had some difficulty making up their minds. The Virginia Beach (VA) Bayside star returned two fumbles for touchdowns (22, 35) and caught an 8-yard touchdown reception for the game’s first three scores. He finished with six receptions for 149 yards.

Click here to view Patterson’s highlights from last week’s victory.

Eric Kumah made plays on both sides of the ball as Woodbridge (VA) Forest Park defeated Osbourn Park, 38-25, in its season opener. The 6’3″ standout, a player Virginia Tech likes as a receiver, hauled in a 45-yard touchdown reception and made an interception in the victory.

– Greer (S.C.) cornerback Troy Pride Jr. intercepted a pass and returned it 59 yards for a touchdown, helping his team to a 40-8 win over Clinton in its season opener.

– Manassas (VA) Stonewall Jackson may have lost to Woodbridge in its season opener last week, but Virginia Tech-bound recruits Reggie Floyd and Devante Smith played well. Floyd, a senior safety/running back prospect, totaled 144 yards of offense including 91 yards receiving on four receptions and 53 yards rushing on 15 carries. Smith, a junior, completed 8-of-12 passes for 130 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He added 37 yards rushing.

– Tavante Beckett is known for his playmaking abilities on defense, but in last week’s regular season opener against Bethel the future Hokie linebacker had a 54-yard reception to set up Chesapeake (VA) Indian River’s first touchdown of the game. Indian River went on to defeat the Bruins, 14-8.

Thomas Jarrett Hopple and the rest of the Suffolk (VA) Nansemond River offensive line paved the way for 385 yards rushing in a 53-7 win over Menchville. This was the season opener for Nansemond River, which takes on Oscar Smith this Friday.

Here is how the rest of Virginia Tech’s class of 2016 fared on the gridiron last week…

WON: WR Divine Deablo, Winston-Salem (N.C.) Mount Tabor (1-1); OL Patrick Kearns, Rome (GA) Darlington (2-0)

LOST: LB Emmanuel Belmar, Suwanee (GA) Collins Hill (0-2); DT Clay Dean, Purcellville (VA) Woodgrove (0-1); LB Victor Greene, Spotsylvania (VA) Courtland (0-1); DE Jimmie Taylor IV, Jacksonville (N.C.) Southwest Onslow (0-2)

DID NOT PLAY: ATH JoVonn Quillen Jr., Hampton (VA) (0-0); DB Myles Wolfolk, Upper Marlboro (MD) Wise (0-0)

LINKS & TWEETS

– Phil Kornblut of PalmettoSports.com reported last week that Asheville (N.C.) senior offensive lineman Pete Leota is down to South Carolina and Virginia Tech. Per Kornblut, Leota plans to be in Blacksburg when the Hokies take on Ohio State next Monday. He will then head to South Carolina when the Gamecocks meet Kentucky on September 12. Click here for the full Palmetto State report.

– Another top class of 2016 offensive line target of Virginia Tech’s, Landon Dickerson, revealed his top six schools in this tweet last Friday. Virginia Tech made the list along with Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan and Tennessee. Dickerson, who will visit Tech for the Ohio State game, left the door open for other schools but for now is focused on these six.

– QB Joshua Jackson tweeted his plans to enroll at Virginia Tech next January. WRs Divine Deablo and Sam Denmark, DE Jimmie Taylor IV, and DB Myles Wolfolk plan to enroll at Tech in January of 2016 as well.

– Top class of 2016 targets such as Leota and Dickerson are expected to attend the Virginia Tech/Ohio State game, but there will be some prominent younger prospects on hand as well. Virginia Beach (VA) Bayside linebacker Teradja Mitchell tweeted his plans to be in Lane Stadium on September 7. Virginia Tech was the first to offer Mitchell, who is a sophomore.

– VT class of 2016 commit Eric Kumah tweeted his excitement about attending next Monday’s game.

6 Responses You are logged in as Test

  1. A raucous Lane Stadium on Monday will help us in many ways…to beat OSU and to convince the many visiting recruits that this is the environment waiting for them. Go HOKIES!

    1. Love the way that he hung in there and took a big hit in the pocket on one of his long TD passes. Didn’t flinch at all with that blitzing LB bearing down on him. Impressive.

      1. Will Michigan or Michigan State not ramp up their recruitment? At 6′ 2″ he probably didn’t get their full attention. He has it now! We need to tell him if he continues to play like that he is the next Vick and he fits our playing scheme.

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