Hokie ClubTech head coach Frank Beamer addressed the media this afternoon in regards to the Hokies’ 2009 recruiting class. Here are some snippets from that teleconference:
Opening statement:
“I think they’re really a terrific class. Not just a good class, but a terrific class. I like their athletic ability and I like the character and academics of this class. I think that’s strong. We got some defensive ends and that was important to us. These are all kids who can run. I think overall our class is very good.â€
On making the scholarship numbers work:
“We have some people who were not in the program who were here earlier. And some of these guys who signed will come in January. When you say 21, not all 21 will start next fall.â€
On who will enroll next January:
“I’m not sure exactly. We’ve got it worked out with each situation as to when we expect you to come in. If we can bring you in before, then we will. I think it’s a few.â€
On recruiting in Richmond:
“Richmond always has been an important area for us and is right now. The guys we got out of there, we feel great about that. They come out of good programs and are good players. Jim Cavanaugh recruits that area and is familiar with that area and the coaches there are familiar with him. I think that gives us a good opportunity to get good players out of there.â€
On who might play as true freshmen:
“We give them all a shot. I think an offensive lineman could play. The skilled athletes could play. The field-goal situation is open and we’ll see where that goes. I hate to get into names, but our philosophy is if they’re ready to play and we can play them a lot of plays, then I like playing freshmen. I think the enthusiasm and excitement they bring, that’s all good.
“We’re going to put the best players on the field. That’s the deal.â€
On whether winning the bowl game helped in recruiting:
“Always winning the bowl game helps. It shows you can win at the highest level. But I don’t know that it turned the tide for us on any particular kid. From a program standpoint and a reputation standpoint and where we’re trying to get to, it helped on all those areas.â€
On next year’s class:
“I think we’re ahead. We’ve watched more video and we’re more ahead on next year’s class than we’ve ever been. We think we’ve got a shot at a terrific class next year if things fall into place. Everything is moving up in college football. We’ve got names on the board and we’ve watched a lot of video of kids for next year.â€