One day after the top-rated running back in the country – Chris Tyree out of Thomas Dale in Chester – made his pledge to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, another talented ball carrier from the state of Virginia put a halt to his recruitment.

On Friday afternoon at Maury High School in Norfolk, three-star tailback C.J. Beasley gave a verbal commitment to the Virginia Tech Hokies out of the ACC.

The 5-foot-10, 170-pound athlete from the Class of 2020 had narrowed down his list of ten offers to the Hokies, fellow ACC member Pittsburgh and Tennessee out of the SEC. Others that offered him included Coastal Carolina, East Carolina, Liberty, Old Dominion and William & Mary.

As a junior, Beasley rushed for 1778 yards and 19 touchdowns on 147 attempts, an average of 12.1 yards per carry. He also had 18 receptions for 424 yards and four scores to go with seven returns for 207 yards (29.6 average per return). His 2409 all-purpose yards and 23 touchdowns in many ways exceeded expectations, considering all the other weapons on the Maury offense.

"An explosive, tough, gritty and dynamic playmaker," is how Maury Head Football Coach Dyrri McCain described Beasley.

In addition to his talents on the football field, Beasley also is an accomplished track athlete. He qualified for the state track meet as a hurdler after taking first place in both the 110 and 300 meter events at the regional track meet earlier this week.

Virginia Tech has now four commitments in the Class of 2020. Beasley is the second in-state pledge for the Hokies, joining Westfield QB Noah Kim.

Beasley helped the Commodores go from 4-7 overall in 2017 to 12-2 last year, reeling off eight straight victories following their 49-35 loss to Lake Taylor. After doubling up Indian River 42-21 in the Region 5A Championship, the Commodores saw their season end in the State Semifinals in a 71-28 loss to Highland Springs, which went on to win its fourth straight state title. It was Maury’s deepest playoff run since 1972 when they lost to Annandale, 17-8, in the State Championship.

Matthew Hatfield serves as Publisher for VirginiaPreps.com, part of the Rivals.com Network, and is a regular contributor to the ACC Sports Journal. Check out Hatfield’s Twitter page for more sports related updates, and you can also read his work in the Suffolk News Herald. To contact Matthew, please e-mail hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com, and don’t forget to listen to him weeknights from 6-7 PM on The 757 at 6 as well as every Saturday at 10 AM to Noon on ESPN Radio 94.1.