Collegiate Times

After wrapping up one of the Virginia Tech's most talent-packed recruiting classes ever last week, the Hokie football staff is already focused on its next class.

With recruiting becoming more competitive every year, Tech's football staff has made some changes in order to compete with the traditional powerhouses.

Recently, 247Sports ranked running backs coach Shane Beamer as one of the top 50 recruiters in the nation. Additionally, former offensive coordinator and current recruiting coordinator Bryan Stinespring was rated as one of the top recruiters in the ACC by Rivals.com.

While some questioned the hiring of the younger Beamer three years ago, his presence as a recruiter has shown immediate results. He was the primary recruiter for one of the most talented recruits in this class, Holland Fisher.

Fisher was also heavily recruited by Alabama, who has won three of the last four national championships. In addition to helping the Hokies land Fisher, Beamer was also the primary recruiter for other prized recruits Cequan Jefferson and D.J. Reid, among others.

With the additions of offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler, offensive line coach Jeff Grimes and wide receivers coach Aaron Moorehead, the Hokies look to be in a good position to get another great recruiting class next year. While the Hokies usually only recruit within a six-hour driving radius of Blacksburg, Loeffler and Grimes have expressed that they will go after whomever they believe are the best players in their respected positions.

Even though Loeffler and Grimes are prepared to recruit players from other areas, they probably will not have to look far, as Virginia is loaded with talent for the class of 2014.

The Hokies are a strong contender to land the Rivals No. 1 recruit in the nation, Da’Shawn Hand, who is a Woodbridge, Va. native and is projected to be a defensive end in college. Hand just recently narrowed his list of possible schools down to five, with the Hokies making the cut.

While Hand is the top-ranked recruit in the nation, many other Virginia natives are also very high up on the list. On the most recent Rivals rankings, five Virginians are ranked within the top 50.

Another Hokie prospect is defensive tackle Andrew Brown, who is rated as the No. 6 player in the nation according to Rivals. Brown has announced Tech as one of his top 10 schools. He is a current student at Oscar Smith High School, where current Hokie J.C. Coleman attended.

Tech already boasts four commitments for the 2014 class according to rivals, with one of the most notable commitments being Javon Harrison, a defensive back from Florida who Rivals ranks as a four-star recruit.

With the Hokies newly-bolstered recruiting staff and many highly-touted local recruits, Tech fans should be expecting another great recruiting class next year. Look for Grimes to make a splash with a strong class of offensive lineman, and for already-established recruiters Beamer and Stinespring to continue their success in bringing top-notch recruits to Blacksburg.  

A version of this article appeared in the Feb 14 issue of the Collegiate Times.