Hokie ClubBy Jimmy Robertson
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Monday's Military Bowl matchup between Cincinnati and Virginia Tech features some interesting storylines, but arguably none more intriguing than the one involving a former Virginia Tech player and his son.
Phillips Summers, who played for the Hokies from 1997-2000, will attend Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Monday afternoon in part because he wants to watch the Hokies and also in part because he wants to support his son, Tyrin – who happens to be a redshirt sophomore receiver for the Bearcats.
A parent might be torn in such a situation, but not Summers. He wants his son to play well, and yet, he plans on cheering for those in orange and maroon.
"Hokies all day," Summers said via telephone from Clewiston, Florida on Thursday morning. "My son knows. He understands.
"I was excited when I heard about the matchup. It's a chance to see my alma mater. I'm going to get to see Pierson [Prioleau, a former teammate] and Shahan [Burrell, a former Tech manager]. It'll be good see them and hopefully some others and then watch the team play."
Summers has spent much of his free time offering guidance to Tyrin, who hasn't played a lot this season. The coach who recruited Tyrin to Cincinnati, Tommy Tuberville, resigned after the 2016 season, and as is often the case during coaching changes, certain players struggle to find roles under a new coach – in this case, Luke Fickell. An excellent student, though, the 5-foot-9, 183-pounder could graduate next year and perhaps look at his options. He enrolled at Cincinnati in January of 2016.
"You have a new staff, and they've got their guys, so he's going through that deal," Summers said of his son. "He hasn't played a lot, and that's been discouraging. But he's working. He ran a 4.3 [in the 40-yard dash], and he had a vertical [jump] of 38 inches. He's a lot faster than me, and he's pretty strong."
Summers said he would have a hard time cheering for a Hokies' opponent largely because of all the opportunities that Virginia Tech afforded him during his time in Blacksburg. A whip linebacker, he played extensively throughout his career and was also a standout on special teams. He played in the 2000 national championship game against Florida State, and in his final game as a Hokie, he recorded four tackles in Tech's 41-20 win over Clemson in the 2001 Gator Bowl.
Summers graduated in December of 2000 with a degree in housing and resource management. Not knowing exactly what he wanted to do with his life, he had a conversation with former Tech defensive back Anthony Midget, another Clewiston, Florida native who was talking about getting into coaching. Summers ultimately followed suit. He made a couple of calls back to his hometown of Clewiston and landed a spot on the Clewiston High staff.
He has been at Clewiston ever since, both in teaching and coaching capacities. He has taken additional classes there in South Florida to obtain other certifications, and today, he serves at an assistant principal at Clewiston High. He gave up his coaching duties a few years ago.
"I thought it was time to step down when Tyrin went to college," Summers said. "The coaching staff here would have worked with me, but it would have been difficult, and I wouldn't have felt right. I thought it was time to give him my full attention.
"But teaching and coaching and now working as an assistant principal here at Clewiston … I've loved all of it. Things have worked out well for me."
For the second straight year, he'll get to watch his alma mater in a bowl game. He made it to the Hokies' game against Oklahoma State in the Camping World Bowl last year. Summers doesn't get back to Blacksburg often, though he said he brought Tyrin up to meet Frank Beamer in 2014 or 2015.
(12/27/2018) 2018 MILITARY BOWL TRIP
Here are some notes on the Hokies' preparations for the game:
• The Hokies held their first full practice Thursday at St. Stephens and St. Agnes School after arriving in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday afternoon. Tech head coach Justin Fuente gave the players several days off for the Christmas holiday and felt that his team looked okay for a first practice at the bowl location.
"Always," Fuente said when asked if he worried about his team's response after several days off. "It's something you try to inoculate yourself against by bringing it up beforehand before you send them home, but our guys … did a decent job today. We'll have to improve as the week goes on to give ourselves a chance."
• Fuente said that he and his staff split bowl preparations into three segments – something he did at Memphis and has seen done at his other stops. The difference now, though, is that the early signing period starts in mid-December right in the middle of bowl preparations, but Fuente feels confident in the way he and his staff planned over the past three weeks.
"During recruiting, it was more about getting our bodies to feeling better, maintaining our conditioning and developing the young people," he said. "The second segment was introduction of game plan and still development of young players, and then post-Christmas, this is game week. Today was our normal Tuesday practice. We're on schedule."
• Tech quarterback Josh Jackson has been getting limited work in practice, but Fuente ruled him out for the Military Bowl. Jackson suffered a serious leg injury in the Hokies' loss at Old Dominion and hasn't played since then.
"He's just not ready to play," Fuente said. "There is no way I'd feel good about putting him out there. He's just not cleared and not ready to play."
• Former Tech defensive end Ken Ekanem, who lives in the Northern Virginia area, made an appearance at practice Thursday to offer support to his former teammates.
"I asked if he had any more snaps in him," Fuente joked. "It's good to see the old guys come back. Kenny wasn't just a very good player, but was a good student and a good representation of Virginia Tech. He was part of the senior class that went through the [coaching] transition, and I'm glad he feels comfortable enough to come back and be around us."