Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 20, 1990 TAG: 9005200050
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
"It's a fascinating place," said Marshall, Virginia Tech's offensive coordinator, who said he sometimes camps out in the school's library when waiting to visit with recruits.
But Marshall's attachment to the 92-year-old, 650-cadet military school isn't rooted in history; it's rooted in the future. Marshall, who recruits FUMA for Tech, this year signed two sergeants and two privates first class - otherwise known as fullback Mike Hodges, tailback Lee Greene, defensive back Tyrone Drakeford and linebacker Kenny Brown, respectively - who are likely to make an impact at Tech next year.
Greene played for FUMA's high school team and is highly regarded by the Hokies' staff. Hodges, Drakeford and Brown played one year for FUMA's postgraduate team and won't be treated as regular first-year guys.
"We'll expect more of them, and the good thing about it is they're just freshmen," Marshall said, adding that landing prep school athletes has its advantages. "They're a year older, they've gone through the military stuff. You know what you're getting a little bit more. You get a more disciplined athlete, and maybe they're a little more focused than a kid coming out of high school."
High school players sometimes opt to spend a year at Fork Union or other prep schools because they haven't met Proposition 48 academic requirements, or to gain another year of competition before moving up to the college level.
At Fork Union, about 35 miles southeast of Charlottesville, cadets earn military rank based on leadership ability displayed during day-to-day activities that include military drills and two-hour mandatory study halls each day. That's how the Tech-bound quartet earned their titles. And recruiting a Fork Union kid isn't exactly a gamble. Former FUMA cadets include Vinny Testaverde, Don Majkowski and U.S. Air Force Gen. John Chain, who is in charge of the U.S. Strategic Air Command base in Omaha, Neb. That post, a FUMA spokesman said, involves commanding the United States' nuclear forces.
Nothing that elaborate will be required of Marshall's recruits, at least not in the next four years. Just a few yards gained and some tackles made would do. FUMA postgraduate coach John Shuman said he thinks all four of the new Hokies have the ability to play next fall, and said it's no coincidence that Tech landed all four. Marshall, he said, knew which Blue Devils the Hokies wanted and let them know they were priority recruits.
Most importantly, Shuman said, Marshall knew when and how he could get in touch with the kids, and when he couldn't. It usually involves calling the school's guard house, leaving a message and waiting for a return call between dinner and study hall. Sometimes, Shuman can have a player by the phone during a 50-minute mid-morning break each weekday; but on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the cadets have a mandatory chapel that takes up half that time, Shuman said.
"Only certain times of the day are available for people to talk to them," Shuman said. "You've got to understand when's the best day and when you have the quality amount of time.
"[And] when they see Coach Marshall from Virginia Tech called, they'll get on the hammer pretty quick."
One reason: FUMA's postgraduate team plays Tech's junior varsity team in Blacksburg each year. Shuman said his players' familiarity with Tech's campus sometimes gives the Hokies an edge. Last year, Shuman said former Blue Devil and current Tech quarterback Will Furrer stopped by to see the team and Shuman asked him to make a short speech about how Fork Union helped him succeed.
Marshall said those yearly visits by FUMA's team are invaluable.
"Sometimes a kid, like anybody, has a preconceived notion," Marshall said. "If you can get them on campus, maybe that can erase that preconceived notion. . . . It's almost like an unofficial visit that's an official visit."
Tech didn't sign any Fork Union players in its three previous recruiting classes under Frank Beamer and had just one walk-on, center Andrew Moss. Marshall said part of the reason for that was because the Hokies' football probation cut the number of scholarships Tech could give. In Beamer's first year, the NCAA allowed him to give just 17 of a possible 30 initial scholarships (the limit is now 25) because former coach Bill Dooley was found by the NCAA to have exceeded total scholarship limits by 36 over a three-year period. Since the probation ended last November, this is the first year Tech can return to the NCAA limit of 95 scholarship players after having been held to 85 grants because of the sanctions.
This year, three walk-ons - ex-Radford High School player Keith Palmer, former Blacksburg high player Will Ferrell and Allentown, Pa., native Tally Hair - are scheduled to join the four signees in Blacksburg. Marshall wasn't planning on a bonanza, although he said Tech's staff rated Hodges and Greene as the top players at their respective positions that the Hokies would pursue.
"I didn't expect to get four," he said. "I thought I'd be lucky to get four. If there were four prospects at the same high school, I probably wouldn't try to recruit them all. You can't give them the time individually."
It's different at Fork Union, which attracts students from 35 states and 17 foreign countries, a school spokesman said. Marshall said that although the players are at the same school, a recruiter can treat them individually because of their diverse backgrounds. Of the four who signed with Tech last winter, Brown is from Richmond, Drakeford from South Carolina, Greene from Maryland and Hodges from New York.
Marshall said he usually clears his calendar when he visits Fork Union. When the recruits are in class or otherwise unavailable, Marshall said he'll talk to administrators, get the players' transcripts, watch film, spend time in the library or even work out. It adds up to a lot of time spent, and in Tech's case this year, it isn't time wasted.
by CNB