Collegiate Times

Bucky Hodges, a four-star quarterback from Salem High School in Virginia Beach, highlights Tech's offensive class.

Virginia Tech finalized its 2013 football recruiting class on National Signing Day Wednesday afternoon, with eight of their 18 commits coming from the offensive side of the ball.

The team’s 7-6 season did not prevent the Hokies from signing one of the best classes in school history, which ranked out at No. 13 according to 247Sports, No. 16 according to ESPN, and No. 22 according to Rivals.com.

Unlike last year, there was no drama on signing day for Tech. Every verbal commit signed a National Letter of Intent.

“I think it goes back to the character of the kids,” said Frank Beamer, Head Coach. “They’re not guys that can’t figure out what they want to do, when they’re flipping and flopping.

“I think it kind of speaks to the character and how we’re recruiting it. Everyone we’ve got committed stayed right with us.”

Among the eight offensive commits, two are quarterbacks: January enrollee Carlis Parker from Statesville, NC and Bucky Hodges out of Virginia Beach.

Both bring similar, yet unique, skill sets to the table.

The 6-foot-3, 180 lb. Parker relies more on his legs, but has the arm strength to be an FBS quarterback; Hodges — who is built a lot like current quarterback Logan Thomas — looks more like a pro-style quarterback, but has the mobility to complement his arm. 

Quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler spoke highly of both his new gunslingers.

“I think (Parker’s) a dynamic athlete,” Loeffler said. “He can put his foot in the ground, he can change directions. He has the ability to make someone miss and on top of all that athletic ability, I think his arm strength and his accuracy are excellent.

“I think this guy is a perfect quarterback for our future and I really like his attributes physically and mentally.”

Beamer also praised the elusive Parker, comparing him to another Tech legend.

“I told him he reminded me a little bit of Michael Vick, and not only because he’s left-handed, but some of the things he does on the field would remind you of that,” he said. “He’s an excellent athlete but he can throw the football. That’s what we recruited him for, is to be a quarterback. And I think he will be.”

Hodges also impressed his recruiters, drawing heavy comparisons to Thomas.

“It’s hard not to compare those two,” said Bryan Stinespring, recruiting coordinator. “If they both walk into the room, the physical comparisons, it sticks right out. They’ve both got height, they’ve both got length in terms of their appearance. They’re just very similar.”

Loeffler had previously come across Hodges while scouting at Auburn.

“Whenever you watched his tape, you really thought he was going to excel," he said. "Whenever you take a guy that has such great size, speed and athletic ability and you put it along with his intelligence—I think he’s going to be a very good prospect for us in the near future.”

One advantage for both quarterbacks will be spending their first year on campus working behind Thomas, who is on pace to break almost every career passing record in school history.

"I think that it’s a tremendous advantage, because I think you have a guy that’s been there, done that,” Stinespring said. “I think you have a guy in Logan who understands how important it is to develop as a quarterback, because you just can’t rely on skill and ability.

“There are nuances of the game that you have to develop. And I think Logan is such a personable guy that he’s a guy that anybody would benefit to be under, because he’s always going to want to help others.”

While there were no pure wide receivers in this class, it’s likely that athlete David Prince — out of Roanoke — will end up catching passes from Parker or Hodges one day.

Prince played quarterback for Patrick Henry High School, and impresses on film. Be it scrambles or designed runs, he blazes by everyone on the field.

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A version of this article appeared in the Feb 7 issue of the Collegiate Times.