Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, August 18, 1993 TAG: 9308180009
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Scott Blanchard Staff Writer
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Long
Six days into fall workouts, Wilkins professes undying love to his position: Free safety.
"Ever since I was seven years old, I've been playing quarterback," Wilkins said Tuesday. "That was just my love. Things change."
They changed when Wilkins realized Maurice DeShazo had two years left as Tech's quarterback. Wilkins, whose speed and agility have wowed Tech's coaches, now is Antonio Banks' backup.
"They told me it was going to take some time to be a quarterback," said Wilkins, who was rated Florida's 54th best recruit - as a quarterback - by SuperPrep magazine. "I told them I wanted to play this year. I didn't want to redshirt."
Neither does Wilkins' cousin Larry Green, a highly recruited wide receiver who could've teamed with Wilkins as a strong pass-and-catch combination for the Hokies. Green has joined Wilkins as an anti-passer; he's practicing with the first team at cornerback.
It's another case of a shallow position drawing interest from multi-talented rookies.
"The fastest way I can help the team right now is at defensive back," said Green, from Boynton Beach. "Right now, it's open."
Defensive coordinator Phil Elmassian said Green suggested the move, and Elmassian - who entered fall practice without a starter listed opposite corner Tyronne Drakeford - likes what he sees.
"He's got excellent abilities, [he's] a very quick learner," Elmassian said. "He's going to have his good days and days when his mind will tie his feet up."
The 5 foot 9, 170-pound Green is one of several who could start.
"Right now they're trying a lot of guys at DB, because they said it was a need," Green said. "I guess I performed pretty good."
Elmassian has Torrian Gray backing up two positions, including free safety, and said he's trying to get Wilkins ready to play by the season-opener Sept. 4 against Bowling Green. To Elmassian, the free safety is the defense's quarterback.
The 6-4, 200-pound Wilkins smiles at the irony of ending up where some college recruiters kept telling him he would. And, he says, he doesn't want to go back.
"I'm having so much fun over there at defensive back," said Wilkins, who played safety in high school.
\ JENNINGS' WORRY: When Parade All-America tight end Bryan Jennings took his physical at Tech on Aug. 6, his heart skipped a beat - actually, it skipped a few here and there. Because of that, Jennings was held out of practice until tests were conducted at Montgomery Regional Hospital to make sure his heart was OK. It didn't help Jennings' state of mind that NBA player Reggie Lewis had collapsed and died July 27 after suffering heart problems.
"I was scared," Jennings said. "It turned out to be nothing."
Tech team doctor Duane Lagan said Jennings was given an electrocardiogram and an echocardiogram to check for any abnormality in the heart's chambers, wall thickness or valves. Everything was normal, Lagan said. Doctors also performed a sonogram, which allowed Jennings to see his heart beating via a television monitor.
"It could happen to anybody," Jennings said of the missed beats. "They said I could play. They really don't know what the problem was, so I still don't know what's up."
\ COLEMAN'S CLOSE CALL: Sophomore defensive end Hank Coleman remains affected by a three-vehicle accident in which he was involved last week. An 18-wheeler tried to pass him and a pickup truck on a two-lane road in Richmond and wound up crunching his car from the side; his car then hit the pickup truck. The three vehicles, Coleman said, flipped into an embankment as they left the road. The driver of the pickup truck was stuck in his vehicle until Coleman, who did not suffer any major injuries, broke the truck's windshield and carried him up the embankment.
"You start thinking of all the things you could've done that you didn't get a chance to do," he said of his thoughts while the 18-wheeler was grinding against his '81 Honda Accord. "It's given me a whole different perspective on life. I walk around with a smile on my face even more. I tell my mother I love her more."
"I still have dreams about it," said Coleman, who was wearing a seat belt. "It's a little hard to concentrate out here."
\ HODGES STATUS: Senior fullback Mike Hodges, still recovering from last season's knee surgery, hasn't practiced. He said if he isn't ready to play by the third game, at Miami Sept. 18, he probably will use his redshirt year and wait until '94 to come back. "I don't think it's really strong enough for me to run through tackles," he said. "I think I can help [the team] more if I can play 11 games at 100 percent instead of five games at 100 percent." Hodges had two unproductive years at Tech before averaging 4.7 yards per carry in six games as a reserve last year.
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB