Blake Warren Season 2005

40 - Blake WarrenPosition: Linebacker
Class: r-Senior
Height: 6' 3"

Weight: 236 lbs.

High School: Centreville
Hometown: Clifton, Va.

Started the 2004 opener at the backer spot and played in all 13 games last year ... Enters fall as the No. 2 man at the position behind Xavier Adibi ... An experienced player, who posted two interceptions last year, including one he returned for a score ... Comes from a good football background ... His father, Don, played 14 years for the Washington Redskins ... Also a valuable player on special teams ... Will be counted on for consistent play and senior leadership this fall ...

A Talk With... How are you going to prepare for the 2005 season both on and off the field? First, I have to take care of graduation and grad school. To prepare for on the field, I plan to lift weights and get ready for the fall practices. I want to be at the top physical condition for the season. What is the most important lesson you have learned from Coach Beamer? I have learned from Coach Beamer to be a complete person and in my experience here not to take the little things for granted. As a Hokie, have you ever played against one of your teammates from high school? If yes, how was it? If no, would you want to? Well I am fortunate to have several guys from high school play with me here at Tech. My former high school teammate, Marcus Hamilton, plays for Virginia but we don't really play against each other because we both are on defense. It doesn't bother me too much because I know he is a good friend of mine. How do you help Tech win games? I do whatever the coaches need me to do. My position is to not let the opposing team run so that means I tackle players to the ground. How do you balance school and playing football? Well I had to learn that I have to do it all. If I slack on the school part or practicing then I am not doing what I am here for. What is the most exciting thing about football season? Playing in front of a packed Lane Stadium. There is no other feeling to hear 65,000-plus fans scream and support you. How do you communicate to your teammates on the field during a game? We call out plays and where to line up. It is hard to hear sometimes but we all should know what we are doing. Do you have any advice for the newcomers this year? I would like to tell them don't take this opportunity for granted. It will go by fast. Also, learn and do as much as you can before you move on to bigger and better things. Do you have any dates circled on the calendar as being 'big games'? All of the games on our schedule are equally important and we have to win all of them. What do you learn at practice that helps you during games? At practice we learn the technique of certain plays we are going to run at our games. The reasoning for that is we run the plays a lot during practice so when game time comes we react. What will you remember the most about your years here? I will take away from my four years here at Tech the strong bonds of friendship from my teammates, the mentoring of my coaches and the education from my professors. All of these individuals have shaped me into the person I am now. Do you support other Virginia Tech athletic teams? I try to catch a baseball game or two. I like the game and I used to play in high school so keeping up with our team is fun. What is your favorite professional sports team? That would definitely be the Washington Redskins because my dad played for them for 14 years, so the team is kind of like a part of my family. Do you have an unusual fact or talent about yourself? I am legally blind but I wear contacts to help give me perfect corrective vision. Is there someone you wanted to meet in your lifetime, who would it be? I would like to meet Ken Griffey, Jr. because he is my favorite baseball player.

2004: Played in 13 games, starting one ... Registered 12 solo stops and 16 assisted tackles ... Also had two interceptions, one pass break up and one quarterback hurry ... Earned his first collegiate start in the opener against USC ... Played 36 snaps, recording six total tackles ... Had three tackles and an interception, which he returned 40 yards, against Duke ... Had six stops against FAMU ... Also returned an interception 46 yards for his first collegiate touchdown ... Recorded four tackles in the Maroon-White game ... Posted a 500-pound back squat and a 31 1/2-inch vertical jump in spring testing ...

2003: Saw action in every game as the No. 2 man at the backer position ... Turned in 29 solo tackles and 14 assists ... Included in those 43 stops were three tackles for loss ... Also had one interception and one pass break up ... Had three solo tackles, two of which were for a loss, and two assists in the win over James Madison ... Had a career-high eight tackles (four solo) against UConn ... Played 16 snaps on defense at Rutgers, recording three solo tackles, two assists, one pass broken up and an interception ... Registered six tackles against California in the Insight Bowl ... Turned in a 505-pound back squat during spring max testing ...

2002: Played in nine games ... Recorded five solo tackles and seven assists on the season ... Also had an interception ... Did not travel to Texas A&M, Western Michigan or Boston College due to a strained back ... Tallied three solo tackles on special teams at top-ranked Miami ... Had an assisted tackle against Air Force in the San Francisco Bowl ... Improved his back squat to 450 pounds during the spring and ran a 4.56 forty ...

2001: Was redshirted as a freshman ... Worked at the backer position the entire year ... Turned in a 400-pound back squat during spring testing ... Won the Paul Torgersen Award as the top defensive newcomer of the spring ...

High School: Named the Group AAA Defensive Player of the Year in Virginia by the state coaches ... Helped Centreville post eight shutouts and win the state Division 6 championship in 2000 ... Contributed 14 tackles against Deep Creek in the title game ... For the season, he registered 103 tackles, six interceptions, one sack and one fumble recovery from his free safety position ... Was named first-team AAA all-state by both the high school coaches and The Associated Press ... Selected a first-team defensive back on The Washington Post All-Metro team ... An All-Southern pick by Orlando Sentinel ... A member of George Michael's Golden 11 All-Star team for the Washington Metro area ... Concorde District and Northern Region Defensive Player of the Year in 2000 ... Rated the No. 15 prospect in the state by The Roanoke Times and the No. 16 prospect by SuperPrep ... A PrepStar All-Atlantic Region pick ... Ranked the No. 51 player in the Mid-Atlantic Region by Tom Lemming's Prep Football Report ... Contributed 87 tackles and five interceptions as a junior ... Posted 12 tackles against Chantilly in the district championship game ... Finished his career with the most tackles by a defensive back (190) and a school-record 11 interceptions ... Helped Coach Mike Skinner's team to three consecutive district and region titles ... A three-year letterman in baseball ... Won all-district and all-region honors ...

Personal: Blake Davis Warren ... Born 10/10/82 in Fairfax, VA ... Son of Don and Irene Warren ... Brother, Brett, is a sophomore linebacker on the Hokie squad ... Majoring in apparel, housing, resource management.

- INTEGRITY - SERVICE - HONOR - EXCELLENCE - STRONG TOGETHER