ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, December 19, 1995 TAG: 9512190054
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
Group AA player of the year Byron Thweatt returned home from his second of two recruiting visits Sunday and made an oral commitment to a school he hadn't visited officially.
Thweatt announced that he will sign with Virginia, while Virginia Tech received a commitment from a quarterback.
David Meyer, a 6-foot-4, 190-pounder from Ramsey (N.J.) High School, picked the Hokies over Syracuse and Cincinnati. He played in only five games this year before suffering a season-ending collarbone injury.
Coach Steve Hyman said Meyer, the 15th player to commit to the Hokies, has made a full recovery after leading Ramsey High to a 5-0 start. Meyer passed for 639 yards and eight touchdowns and rushed for 228 yards and four touchdowns.
``He has a real strong arm and is an excellent runner who can handle the option as well as make the three- and five-step drops,'' Hyman said. ``He's a real student of the game who took videotapes of his own throws.''
Tech quarterback coach Rickey Bustle recruited Meyer, who passed for 2,235 yards and 21 touchdowns and rushed for 824 yards and nine touchdowns in his career.
Meyer was a starter for the boys' basketball team at Ramsey High, located 15 minutes north of Giants Stadium, and also ran sprints and hurdles for the track team. His fastest time for 40 yards is 4.5 seconds.
Thweatt, a running back and defensive end for Matoaca High School, went to Boston College from Dec.8-10 and was at Tech this past weekend. He had been to UVa informally on numerous occasions.
``I think he wanted to look at Tech to make sure he wasn't making a mistake,'' Matoaca coach Pat Manuel said. ``He had been [to UVa] during the spring and gone up to some games. Plus, his girlfriend is in school up there.''
Thweatt (6-2, 215) rushed for 1,398 yards and 24 touchdowns this past season, but is expected to play defense for Virginia. He had 75 solo tackles and six sacks.
Thweatt is the latest in a line of Matoaca standouts to head to Virginia, joining football player James Farrior and basketball player Harold Deane. Farrior led the Cavaliers in tackles this past season.
``He's very similar to Pottsy [Farrior],'' Manuel said. ``Pottsy had a big rushing year as a senior; Byron had a big rushing year as a senior. Pottsy has played linebacker in college; Byron probably will play linebacker. They're similar in size.''
Thweatt is one of three Virginia recruits who were ranked among the top 10 prospects in the state before the season. The Cavaliers have a total of nine commitments.
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