On Nov. 6, Virginia Tech football had huge victories on and off the field.
Logan Thomas, the No. 26 prospect in the nation out of Brookville High School, in Lynchburg, met with the Tech coaching staff shortly before Tech's match-up with the Maryland Terrapins and committed to Blacksburg for next season. Soon after, he then got to witness his new school trounce the Terrapins in a 23-13 contest.
"I was excited," Thomas said. "It was exciting seeing them come out, move the ball well and play great."
Thomas is a versatile football player who has played all over the field throughout his four years in high school. Starting as a wide receiver his sophomore year, he also took snaps at quarterback and spent time at cornerback on defense.
"We just wanted to find ways to get the ball in his hands," said Larry Kidd, the athletic director at Brookville. "He's such a natural athlete, and watching him come into his own as a football player has been a thrill for the community."
In 2007, his breakout season at Brookville, he was able to prove his big play from anywhere on the field. Starting at quarterback, he threw for more than 1,100 yards and nine touchdowns, while picking up another 850 yards and eight touchdowns rushing. He started on defense, too, recording 112 tackles, seven of which were for a loss, and had three picks on the season.
The 6'6", 235-pound prospect hopes his talent will be spread around the field at Tech as well. "We feel like he can play at any position on the field," Kidd said. "You put the ball in his hands and he will make plays, and he can be a stopper on defense."
With the increasingly popular and effective "Wild Turkey" formation run by Tech the past couple weeks, students should not be surprised to see Thomas used much as tight end Greg Boone has been the past few games.
"They've talked to me about certain game situations where I can take some snaps at quarterback," Thomas said. "I think I can be more of a playmaker at wide receiver, but I think it could work pretty well in specific packages."
Coming to Tech was not an easy choice to make for Thomas. The highly sought-after prospect had offers from a plethora of schools. According to Kidd, Notre Dame, Texas, Florida State, Virginia, Wake Forest and North Carolina were just a few of the other schools pursuing Thomas.
"I'm not sure exactly what stuck out at Tech, but it just seemed to draw me to it," Thomas said. "I love how they felt like I could contribute to the team in a variety of ways and have an outstanding collegiate career."
Tech, as always, has been very active on the recruiting trail. With Thomas, the Hokies have committed two of the top three prospects in the commonwealth.
"Logan is an outstanding young man; he's a great student and has very high character," Kidd said. "This translates onto the football field, and his performance will prove it at Virginia Tech."