Johnson shines at VT camp, happy to be a Hokie
Virginia Tech's one day camp was so successful last summer (following the event
the Hokies received more than a dozen commitments!) that this year the Tech
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staff scheduled two one-day camps. This past weekend many of the state's
top prospects from around the state, as well as numerous out of state prospects
were in Blacksburg. Later next month, another group of top prospects will
arrive in Blacksburg.
The one day camp allows the Virginia Tech staff to do two things. One,
they are able to evaluate prospects up close and in person which can often lead
to an offer Secondly
the staff is able to spend time with prospects and allow the prospect to learn
how they would fit into the Hokies' future plans.
Virginia Tech fans that follow recruiting certainly recall the landslide
number of commitments following the 2006 one day camp. Commitments came
fast and furious and most of the prospects had attended the one day camp.
This year is no different and with aforementioned success of last year's
event, the Tech staff scheduled two one-day camps for this summer, one of which
was this past Saturday. From talking to various athletes and other sources,
the following in-state prospects stood out:
Perhaps the most talked about in-state prospect
at the camp had already ended the suspense around his recruitment, and VT fans
are happy that Stafford linebacker Jake Johnson
is already in the fold. Johnson who had previously committed to Virginia Tech
over two weeks ago after receiving offers from Maryland and Virginia.
Johnson started to see his stock really take off after his performance at the Liberty
Combine last month, and certainly other offers would have been
forthcoming if he had not made an early commitment to the Hokies. Last
season, Johnson earned all-district honors at linebacker with his performance.
He racked up 125 tackles, 27 for losses, nine sacks, one safety and two
interceptions. Johnson was excited about his performance at Tech this past
weekend indicating he received high praise from the coaches and was listed among
the most impressive (in-state or out) prospects in attendance.
VirginiaPreps.com was able to catch up with
Johnson on Tuesday night and the linebacker was more than anxious to talk about
his experience last Saturday in Blacksburg. In what might be a big
understatement, Johnson said "I think I did pretty well on
Saturday." So well in fact that some observers have indicated that it
would not surprise them if Johnson played as a true freshman at the
"Mike" linebacker position. "Coach Foster said he was real
pleased with my speed and strength," Johnson went on to say. "I
got some good feedback from Coach Beamer which was cool," Johnson
added.
Asked what attracted him to Virginia Tech and
Johnson replied; "The defense, it is has been rated among the top defenses
in the country and I want a chance to contribute to that," and Johnson
added "Coach Foster is one of the top defensive coaches in the country and
I want a chance to play for him."
When asked about how he measured up with his
peers on Saturday Johnson said "I think I did very good, there were several
backs that got upset when they could not catch a pass against me, one running
back was so frustrated he lined up five times to try and catch one on me - and
he couldn't."
Johnson was not the only top prospect in
attendance at the Tech camp on Saturday. Click
here for updates on the following prospects: Hylton's Eric Martin (VT
commit), Monacan's Justin Gilbert, Norview's Klinton Ruff, Brooke Point's Isaiah Hamlette, Smithfield's Dyrell Roberts, Ocean Lake's Marcus Davis, Edison's Ben Barber, and Salem's (Va. Beach) Lyndell Gibson - LINK
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