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“A strongrunning game
and anemerging
defense arebuilding on
the stability ofa rock-solidprogram…”
– The Sporting News
“A strongrunning game
and anemerging
defense arebuilding on
the stability ofa rock-solidprogram…”
– The Sporting News
• Despite the loss of quarterback Michael Vick, AthlonSports picked Virginia Tech No. 3 in its preseason Top 25.Four Tech players were named to the second team of themagazine’s All-America squad. Junior tailback Lee Suggswas named to the second-team offensive unit, while seniortackle David Pugh and senior linebacker Ben Taylor werenamed to the second-team defense. Senior André Davis wasthe second-team punt returner. Athlon picked Tech to win theBIG EAST Conference and rated the Hokies as having theleague’s best tight ends and wide receivers, best defensiveline and best linebackers.
• The Sporting News ranked the Hokies No. 6 in the nationheading into the season and also ranked several players andgroups among the best in the nation. Tech’s defensive line wasrated the fourth-best in Division I-A, while the receiving corpswas picked ninth-best. Tailback Lee Suggs was selected as asecond-team All-American and named the publication’spreseason choice for BIG EAST offensive player of the year.Following is a list of the Hokies who TSN ranked nationally:
Player Pos. RankLee Suggs RB 4 (10th in Heisman Trophy)Willie Pile FS 5André Davis WR 6 (6th in Biletnikoff Award)David Pugh DT 6Jarrett Ferguson FB 7Carter Warley PK 7 (7th in Groza Award)Ronyell Whitaker CB 9Ben Taylor ILB 10André Davis KR 11Browning Wynn TE 15Chad Beasley DT 19
• The Sporting News ranked the Virginia Tech coaching staff the best in the BIG EAST for the fourth-straight year. TSN alsorated the Hokies tops in the league in overall defense and special teams and second overall in offense. Tech’s wide receivers wereranked No. 1 in the conference along with its defensive line and linebackers.
• Lindy’s listed Tech 14th nationally in its preseason publication. Four Hokies – Lee Suggs, André Davis, David Pugh and BenTaylor — were named second-team All-America by the magazine. Meanwhile, the Tech receiving corps was rated 10th-best inDivision I-A. Individually, the following Tech players were ranked nationally:
Player Pos. RankLee Suggs RB 3 (4th in Doak Walker Award)André Davis WR 3 (also #3 all-purpose player; 3rd in Biletnikoff Award)David Pugh DT 4Ben Taylor ILB 5Nathaniel Adibi DE 14
The Hokies inPreseasonPublications
“Suggs is as modest as heis talented, and as
humble as he is strong.”– Athlon Sports
College Football 2001
To keep up with Lee Suggs’ accomplishments throughout the season, visit www.hokiesportsinfo.com/suggs
2001 Virginia Tech Football 21
The Virginia Tech footballteam may have lost its leadingman, but there is certainly agood enough cast remainingto help the Hokies maintain aspot in the national spotlight.
After helping Tech to back-to-back 11-1 seasons and apair of Top 10 finishes,sensational sophomorequarterback Michael Vickdeclared himself eligible forthe National Football LeagueDraft and eventually becamethe No. 1 overall pick by theAtlanta Falcons. Vick is one offive offensive starters from lastyear’s Gator Bowl
championship team that Techhas to replace. The other fourare all offensive linemen.
“We went into springpractice with two major areaswhere we needed someanswers,” head coach FrankBeamer said. “First, weneeded to see how ouroffensive line was going tostack up. We’ve got themakeup to be good. We’re notquite there right now, but Ithink we will be there whenthe season rolls around.
“The other key thing wasthe quarterback situation,”Beamer added. “Any timeyou’ve got a question mark atyour quarterback position, thatis a critical issue.”
During the spring, all theattention at quarterback wentto the Hokies’ two returnees,redshirt junior Grant Noel andredshirt freshman JasonDavis. Noel moved into theNo. 1 spot with a solidperformance and is expectedto open the season as theHokies’ starting quarterback.Three incoming freshmen —Bryan Randall, Chris Cliftonand Will Hunt — will join Noeland Davis when practice
resumes in August and will begiven an opportunity tocompete for playing time.
Beamer believes theHokies have a good situationfor a new quarterback.
“I think the good thing forus is we are going to have agood team around ourquarterback,” he said. “Eventhough there are a lot of newnames on the offensive line, Ibelieve it is going to be agood, athletic line. We havegood wide receivers and tightends. And I’m not sure there’sa better tailback-fullbackcombination in the countrythan Lee Suggs and JarrettFerguson.”
Another plus will be theTech defensive unit whichreturns nine starters from ayear ago and figures to beone of the Hokies’ fastestgroups to date. The Hokieshave four All-BIG EASTdefensive picks back, alongwith a pair of freshman All-Americans.
The main emphasis ondefense during the spring wasfilling the rover and whiplinebacker positions. One ofthe few significant positionchanges of the spring foundsenior Kevin McCadammoving from free safety,where he was the No. 2 manlast season, to the roverposition vacated by All-BIGEAST selection Cory Bird.
Some of the biggestnames on defense, includingstarting linebackers BenTaylor and Jake Houseright,missed all or portions of thespring due to injuries. All ofthose players are expectedback for preseason practice.
Talented senior linebackers Jake Houseright (41) and Ben Taylor (40) return to help anchor anexperienced Tech defense after missing spring practice with injuries.
Hokies Working Hard toStay in the National Spotlight
Continued on next page
22 2001 Virginia Tech Football
Center Steve DeMasi is the lone returning starter on theoffensive line.
Their absence during thespring opened the doorfor many of the Hokies’younger players to get addedattention.
“Even if they weren’t hurt,the veteran guys who hadalready proven themselveswere only going to get somany reps,” Beamer said. “Ithink a large part of spring isseeing where a lot of youryounger players are in relationto your program and findingout which ones are going tostep up and play for you. Ithink we accomplished that.”
Beamer feels strongly thatthe 2001 team will continue
OutlookContinued from page 21
the string of successes thathas carried the Hokies toeight straight bowl games.That feeling isn’t basedsolely on the team’s talentlevel, it goes more to theheart of Tech’s lunch pailtradition.
“I think the best thingabout this football team sofar has been its work habits,”Beamer said. “In early-morning workouts, duringwinter lifting and throughoutthe spring our kids workedreally hard. When you finishup your bowl game and goright back to work, andyou’re working even harderthan before, I think that’s apretty good sign.”
The 2001
OFFENSEThe loss of quarterback
Michael Vick and four veteranoffensive linemen hasn’t takenall of the bite out of the VirginiaTech offense. Among the sixreturning starters are record-setting running back Lee Suggsand big-play receivers AndréDavis and Emmett Johnson.
Tech’s offense also returnsJarrett Ferguson, one of the topfullbacks in the BIG EAST, andBrowning Wynn and BobSlowikowski, perhaps the besttight end duo in the league.
The job of rebuilding theoffensive line has beenfacilitated by the return ofcenter Steve DeMasi and thepresence of talented tacklesAnthony Davis and MattWincek. DeMasi started all 12games last year for the Hokieswhile Davis and Wincek haveseen valuable playing time astop reserves.
Behind center, the Hokiesknow there is only one MichaelVick and won’t be expecting thesame from their nextquarterback. During the spring,offensive coordinator andquarterbacks coach RickeyBustle looked for consistencyand play-making ability fromreturnees Grant Noel andJason Davis.
Overall, Bustle felt one ofthe most important goals of thespring was to determine thechemistry of the new playersand mesh it with the chemistryof the team.
“We got an opportunity todevelop our new players,”Bustle said. “As an offense, wedetermined our strengths andweaknesses and began findingthe chemistry that works bestfor us. We’ll continue to buildfrom there when practiceresumes in August.”
Offensive LineThe departure of four
veteran starters and a topreserve gives offensive linecoach Bryan Stinespring goodreason to be concerned. But
don’t expect the young Techassistant head coach to panic.Stinespring and his playershave always met challengeshead on.
Gone are starting offensivetackles Dave Kadela andAnthony Lambo who had 35and 24 consecutive starts,respectively. Graduation alsoclaimed starting guards MattLehr and Josh Redding, alongwith backup Joe Marchant.Lehr had 27 straight starts tohis credit and Redding 24.Marchant started six gamesduring the 1998 season andsaw action in 11 games lastyear.
“We lost good players, aswell as experience, but thecupboard isn’t bare,”Stinespring said. “We have agood nucleus coming backthat mixes some provenplayers with some talentedyoung players who haven’thad the opportunity to provethemselves yet.
“I felt we had a productivespring,” he added. “Ourprimary goal was to get ouryounger guys some quailtywork against our defensiveunit and see how theyreacted. We were able to dothat. We also got people intheir best positions andgained some versatility.”
The Hokies’ lone returningstarter is rising senior SteveDeMasi, who will once againanchor the center position.DeMasi is a real competitorwho has developed into atough, physical player. Hisexperience and knowledge ofthe system will make him avaluable leader along theoffensive front.
Last year’s backup atcenter, Jake Grove, is stillavailable for duty, but willconcentrate most of his effortsat guard this season. Redshirtfreshmen Bob Ramsey andTravis Conway are othercandidates at the position.Ramsey, who can also playguard, showed promise atcenter during the spring andcould work his way into thebackup duties.
Despite the loss of Kadelaand Lambo, the tackle spotswill be in good hands.
2001 Virginia Tech Football 23
Stinespring feels stronglyabout returnees AnthonyDavis and Matt Wincek.
“Anthony and Matt aremore than ready to step inand take over the tacklespots,” he said. “Having themhas been like havingadditional starters.”
Davis, a 6-4, 314-poundjunior, will start at left tackle.He possesses excellentstrength and size, and movesextremely well. Wincek, a 6-5,284-pound senior, is slated tostart on the right side, but hasthe versatility to play eithertackle spot. He is tough,experienced and athletic.
One player who got plentyof attention in the spring isredshirt freshman Jon Dunn.At 6-7, 320, Dunn has achance to make an impact inthe fall. He could challengeWincek at right tackle as hegains experience.
Working behind Davis onthe left side will be a pair ofredshirt juniors, 6-5, 287-pound Tim Selmon and 6-3,285-pound Thenus Franklin.
The picture at guardrevolves around the health ofpotential starters Grove, LukeOwens and Jacob Gibson,who missed part or all ofspring workouts.
One of the key issues willbe the status of Grove, whoperformed extremely well atthe right guard position duringthe spring. If he can stay awayfrom the back problems thathave nagged him in the past,it will be a big plus for theHokies. The 6-3, 272-poundredshirt sophomore bringsoutstanding strength andaggressiveness to the line.
One of the backups forGrove will be newcomerJames Miller, who enteredschool in January. The 6-5,291-pound freshman puthimself in position for playingtime with his strong work ethicand attitude during the spring.
Owens, a 6-3, 310-poundredshirt junior, missed theentire spring after undergoingsurgery to repair a tornanterior cruciate ligament inhis knee. He is the mostexperienced player at theguard positions and has been
cleared to return to action. Heis expected to compete for thestarting job at left guard andcould also serve as thebackup on the right side.
Gibson, a highly-promising6-4, 293-pound redshirtsophomore, underwentarthroscopic knee surgeryduring the off-season butreturned for the second half ofspring practice. He has showngood potential and possessesthe ability to win the battle atleft guard.
Another player battling forplaying time will be AnthonyNelson, who is coming off hisbest spring yet at Tech. The 6-4, 313-pounder could join inthe battle with Owens andGibson for the starting jobwith a good summer ofpreparation.
Sophomore walk-ons MattFindley and Jeff Werner willhelp provide solid depth at theguard positions, as well ascenter.
“We have enough talent tobe successful,” saidStinespring. “Our off-seasongoal is to get stronger to makesure we’re physically andmentally ready to take onwhatever faces us thisseason.”
Tight EndsThe Hokies have a good
mix at tight end where twoexperienced veterans arejoined by three promisingunderclassmen. The veterans– seniors Bob Slowikowskiand Browning Wynn – areconsidered co-starters at theposition, and give the Hokiesone of the best tight endcombos in the BIG EAST.
Slowikowski has madesteady improvementthroughout his Tech career.He played in every game lastfall, including starts againstWest Virginia and Syracuse.During the WVU game, the 6-5, 247-pounder hauled in a72-yard touchdown pass, thelongest on record for a Techtight end.
Wynn, who originallyjoined the Tech squad as aninvited walk-on, earnedsecond-team All-BIG EAST
honors last season. Hestarted 10 games and caughteight passes for 167 yardsand one touchdown. Wynnwas the first Tech player toreach the Elite Athlete level inthe strength and conditioningprogram. His work ethic andtoughness have helped himdevelop into an outstandingblocker and clutch receiver.
“I have a tremendousamount of confidence in bothBob and Browning,” said tightends coach Danny Pearman.“They have done everythingwe have asked them to do toimprove as players. Now, weneed them to take onleadership roles.”
Pearman couldn’t ask forbetter examples for hisyounger players, redshirtsophomore Keith Willis andredshirt freshmen JaredMazzetta and Mike Jackson.
Pearman is expecting bigthings from the 6-5, 240-pound Willis, who lettered lastseason while seeing reserveaction in 10 of the Hokies’ 11regular-season games. Willisgained Pearman’s attentionduring Tech’s practicesessions at the Gator Bowland kept it during winter andspring workouts.
“I’ve been impressed byKeith’s attitude and steadyimprovement,” Pearman said.“He has a great opportunity toshine and make some in-roads at the position.”
Mazzetta and Jacksonalso will get a goodopportunity to show what theycan do. Pearman waspleased with the progressboth players made duringtheir redshirt year.
Bob Slowikowski (87) is one of the Hokies’ experiencedveterans at tight end.
Continued on next page
24 2001 Virginia Tech Football
OutlookContinued from page 23
QuarterbacksThe process of picking the
successor to Michael Vickbegan with spring practice. Allthe snaps during the springwent to redshirt junior GrantNoel and redshirt freshmanJason Davis with Noel movinginto the top spot. Whenpractice resumes in August,Noel and Davis will be joinedat the position by incomingrecruits Bryan Randall, WillHunt and Chris Clifton.
Noel, the only player at theposition with any actual gameexperience, is expected toopen the season as theHokies’ No. 1 quarterback. Hehas played in a total of sixvarsity games completing 5 of12 passes for 59 yards withno interceptions ortouchdowns. The 6-1, 224-pounder played a career-high24 snaps during the secondhalf of the Hokies’ win atCentral Florida in 2000.
“Grant did a lot of the goodthings you’re looking for froma quarterback during springpractice,” said Rickey Bustle,
the Hokies’ quarterbackscoach and offensivecoordinator. “He is still workingto improve his passingaccuracy, but he showedmaturity and toughness anddid a good job in our offense.
“Grant doesn’t have a lot ofexperience from thestandpoint of playing time,”Bustle added, “but he doeshave plenty of wisdom frombeing around our offensivesystem for three years. He’s aguy who has shown he canmake plays when things breakdown.”
Things have beenhappening fast for Davis, whoentered Tech in January 2000,just a month after completinghis final high school season.He went through springpractice a year ago andworked with the scout squadwhile redshirting in the fall.
“This has been a newexperience for Jason,” Bustlesaid. “With Michael leavingearly, Jason’s timetable wasaccelerated. He made somegood throws during the springand performed well in thespring game. He just needs tobecome more consistent, play
within his abilities and makeplays.
Davis will continue tocompete for playing time whenpreseason camp opens inAugust. He will be joined inthat competition by theincoming freshmen.
Running BacksWith starters Lee Suggs
and Jarrett Ferguson returningat tailback and fullback,respectively, the Hokies canconcentrate much of theirfocus on developing depth atboth positions.
“I feel very good about bothpositions with Lee and Jarrettback,” running backs coachBilly Hite said. “Basically,spring practice came down togetting a lot of young playerssome repetitions and findingbackups.”
Suggs is coming off arecord-setting sophomoreseason. The 6-0, 204-pounderwas the leading scorer in theDivision I-A ranks with anaverage of 15.27 points pergame. He was named the Co-BIG EAST Offensive Player ofthe Year and shattered Techseason records for rushingtouchdowns (27), totaltouchdowns (28) and points(168). Suggs led the BIG EASTin rushing with 109.7 yards pergame and turned in the third-best single-season rushingmark in school history with1,207 yards on 222 carries.
Ferguson is a completeplayer who entered the Techprogram as a walk-on andfigures to leave as a four-yearstarter. He has averaged 5.4yards per carry and 12.5 yardsper reception during his career.Ferguson also rates as aformidable blocker who hashelped the Hokies establishnew BIG EAST season rushingtotals each of the past twoseasons.
Hite knows what Suggs andFerguson can do, but heexpects both of them tocontinue striving to get better.During the spring, Suggsworked to improve his blockingskills and passing routes whileFerguson took on more of aleadership role.
With the starting spots set,and Hite on the lookout forplayers to fill the No. 2 spotsat both positions, there shouldbe plenty of competition.
One player who staked aclaim to the No. 2 spot duringthe spring was redshirt juniorKeith Burnell. Burnell had abreak-out spring, earningMost Improved OffensivePlayer honors in the spring.He was named the offensiveMVP for the spring game afterrushing for 182 yards and twoTDs. During 2001 winterworkouts, Burnell tied Suggsfor the fastest 40 time on thesquad at 4.28 seconds.
One of the other topcandidates for playing time inthe backfield, senior WayneWard, did not participate inspring practice. Ward hasworked at both tailback andfullback during his Techcareer.
Competition for thetailback position should beeven more interesting inAugust with the arrival of astellar recruiting class thatincludes prep All-Americabacks Kevin Jones, JustinHamilton and Cedric Humes.Jones, from Chester, Pa., wasrated the No. 1 high schoolprospect in the nation bynumerous recruiting services.
The leaders for the No. 2spot at fullback are seniorWayne Briggs and redshirtsophomore Doug Easlick.
Briggs has shown steadyimprovement during his timeat Tech and appears ready tostep up. He tied for the teamlead in the bench press duringthe off-season at 425 poundsand has earned Super IronHokie honors seven times.Briggs lettered this pastseason as the No. 3 fullbackand a starter on specialteams.
Easlick, a convertedtailback, has shown thepotential to be an outstandingplayer. He bringscompetitiveness and anaggressive style to theposition.
Hite has high expectationsfor Josh Spence, a redshirtfreshman with a great workethic. Spence proved to be a
Junior Grant Noel heads into the season as Tech’sNo. 1 quarterback.
2001 Virginia Tech Football 25
powerful runner last fall as atailback on the scout team. Hemoved to fullback for springpractice, but was sidelinedearly by an elbow injury. At 6-1, 221, he has already added16 pounds to his frame sincelast August and has a chanceto figure into the fullback race.
Hite also will take a closelook at three players who areredshirt sophomores —Marvin Urquhart, Joe Wilsonand Ryan Angelo. All threehave good athletic ability andwill get a chance to show whatthey can do.
As a group, the runningbacks should be one of Tech’sstrongest positions, literally aswell as figuratively. Seven ofHite’s players — Briggs,Burnell, Ferguson, Spence,Suggs, Urquhart and Wilson— earned Super Iron Hokiehonors during the spring.
Wide ReceiversWith everyone returning
from last year’s three-deeproster, receivers coach TonyBall will have plenty ofexperience and talent to workwith.
“Our experience shouldgive us a chance to expand,”Ball said. “We want to createcompetition at both positionsand develop our depth at theflanker position.”
Ball gave each playerindividual goals to focus onduring the spring. The playersalso set individual goals oftheir own. Those goals rangedfrom improving fundamentalsand running routes to learninghow to participate and handlethemselves off the field inmeetings and film study.
“As a group, our goal hasbeen to get better at runningwith the football after thecatch, improving our driveblocking techniques andcontinuing to get better inman-to-man combat at theline of scrimmage,” said Ball.
Last year’s leadingreceiver, Emmett Johnson,returns at the split endposition. The 6-3, 206-poundrising senior, grabbed 34passes last fall for 574 yardsand three touchdowns. He
has the speed, size andathletic ability to impact agame.
The Hokies have a definiteimpact player at the startingflanker spot in senior AndréDavis, who has averaged 21.3yards a catch during his Techcareer. Davis was slowed byankle problems late lastseason, but still managed 24catches. He showed hisversatility when he finishedsecond nationally in puntreturns with an average of 22yards per return. Hiscombination of speed andexperience make him a big-play threat.
Redshirt junior ShawnWitten, who moved into theNo. 2 spot behind Davis,combines experience withgood instincts and surehands. He has been one ofthe Hokies’ most dependablereceivers the past twoseasons and has workedextremely hard to becomemore than a possessionreceiver.
Another talented receiver,redshirt sophomore ErnestWilford sat outspring workoutsfollowingsurgery fortendonitis in hisright knee.Wilford, whose6-5, 211-poundframe makeshim aformidabletarget, isexpected towork at the No.2 split end spotbehindJohnson. Hestarted fourgames atflanker lastseason andcaught 12passes for 141yards.
Ball will takea close look atfour players tosee where theyfit in therotation. Thegroup consistsof redshirtsophomore
Ron Moody, redshirt freshmanRichard Johnson, redshirtjunior Terrell Parham andwalk-on redshirt sophomoreChris Shreve.
Parham showed bigimprovement in the spring andhas a chance to make animpact in the fall if he remainsfocused. Moody, who sawlimited action in seven gameslast season, enjoyed a goodoff-season program butsuffered a setback in thespring when he missed timewith an ankle injury.
The newcomer of thegroup, Richard Johnson, hascreated excitement in the Techcamp with his talent andquickness. Johnson, a formerhigh school quarterback, hasgotten stronger bothphysically and mentally, but isstill learning how to be areceiver.
“We will keep a close eyeon how these playersperform,” said Ball. “We wantto see if they can develop intoplayers who can give usquality minutes week-in andweek-out.”
The 2001
DEFENSEConsidered one of the best
year in and year out, VirginiaTech’s defense should againbe among the nation’s best in2001. Just don’t expect thedefensive unit you saw on thefield in spring practice to bewhat you’ll see when theHokies line up to faceConnecticut on Sept. 1.
The big story in springpractice was the absence ofsome of the defense’s topplayers, including All-American linebacker BenTaylor, who missed spring ballto recover from off-seasonankle surgery. Other notableswho missed spring practicewere linebacker JakeHouseright (knee) and safetyWillie Pile (shoulder).Cornerback Larry Austin(knee), lineman Chad Beasley(foot), tackle David Pugh(ankles) and cornerbackGarnell Wilds (knee) all hadsurgeries in the past year.
Despite what seemed tobe bleak news on the injuryfront, defensive coordinatorBud Foster could have one ofhis best defenses if everyonereturns, as expected, for fallpractice. Scheduled to returnare nine starters, including All-BIG EAST picks Taylor, Pugh,Beasley and cornerbackRonyell Whitaker. In addition,defensive end Nathaniel Adibiand cornerback Eric Greenwere both named to TheSporting News Freshman All-America team.
If the replacements forCory Bird at rover and PhillipSummers and Nick Sorensenat whip linebacker can comethrough, the Hokies have thedepth and experience to onceagain be a defensive force onthe national level.
“We had a very productivespring,” Foster said. “Weimproved in areas we neededto in order to create depth.
“I feel good about thisgroup and like their attitude.We’re athletic, bigger andEmmett Johnson will be one of the Hokies’
main receiving targets in 2001. Continued on next page
26 2001 Virginia Tech Football
OutlookContinued from page 25
stronger and the experience wegained last year will be a plus.This defense is going to playfaster because we know whatto do. We have a tradition andhigh expectations here and Ithink these guys want to upholdthose.”
Defensive LineTwo seasons ago, defensive
line coach Charley Wiles jokedhe could sit on the porch in arocking chair and let the quartetof Corey Moore, JohnEngelberger, Nathaniel Williamsand Carl Bradley make him lookgood.
He should be in a similarposition this year as all fourstarters along the defensivefront return, along with somesolid depth at each position.
“We return just abouteverybody and that’s exciting,”Wiles said. “We have someexperience, but we’re still a wayfrom being where we want tobe. We got stronger and biggerin the off-season and hopefullythat will pay off this fall. Theeffort is there and we play hardand that’s half the battle.”
Last year, no one expectedTech’s defensive line to be verygood. This year, people areexpecting big things.
“The expectations don’tchange year to year for us,”Wiles said. “We want to play ata certain level. We were younglast year and you have to takethat into account, but there’s acertain level all coaches expecttheir kids to play at whetheryou’re a senior or freshman.Hopefully with a year under ourbelt and the experience comingback, we’ll be able to have agreat year.”
Leading the way up front willbe first-team All-BIG EASTselection David Pugh. Thesenior ranked sixth in theconference among linemen intackles with 57 and led theteam in quarterback sacks withfive. He had off-season anklesurgery, then hurt his kneeduring the spring and missedcontact work.
Joining him up front on theline will be second-team all-
conference pick, Chad Beasley.The senior led Tech’s defensivelinemen in tackles and was fifthin the conference amonglinemen in tackles with 58. Hehad surgery on his foot duringthe off-season and also sawlimited work this spring. BothBeasley and Pugh should beready to go by fall.
“David and Chad are two ofthe best tackles in the country,”Wiles said. “They are the corefor us up front and they areplaymakers. They’re two bigkids who are athletic and makeplays and that’s huge on thislevel.”
Channing Reed, KevinLewis and Dan Wilkinson allbattled it out in spring practicefor a spot on the depth chart.All three enjoyed successduring the spring. Reed andLewis were named the team’smost improved defensiveplayers and Wilkinson wasnamed one of the mostvaluable defensiveplayers in the annualMaroon-Whitegame.
Reed saw action in 10regular season games in 2000,posting 21 total tackles and asack. Lewis, who was a truefreshman last year, played ineight games, recording 15tackles. Wilkinson played inevery game, recording 23tackles, one tackle for loss and2.5 sacks.
“Those three are all comingalong and pushing each other,”Wiles said. “We have a realbattle with them.”
Both starters at the endspots return, as do bothbackups. Nathaniel Adibi andLamar Cobb combined for 92tackles, seven tackles for lossand six sacks. Adibi wasnamed a first-team freshmanAll-American by The SportingNews after posting 45 tacklesand five sacks. He will teamwith Cobb to once again form a
great tandem on the ends.Cobb, a junior who was
named one of the twotop defensive
hustlers in thespring, tied for
the team lead with 10quarterback hurries and had47 tackles last year.
“We expect them to makemore big plays this year,”Wiles said. “I think we held upand got a lot of ties, but weneed to win more one-on-onesituations and have more of apresence in the passinggame.”
Joining them on the endwill be Jim Davis and ColsColas. Davis was one of threetrue freshmen to play lastseason and responded with 28tackles and 3.5 sacks. He alsohad sacks on consecutiveplays in the Toyota Gator Bowl.Colas, who had an outstandingspring session, possessesblazing speed for the positionand had 20 tackles in 2000.
“Jim probably made themost big plays for us at endlast year and he has greatpotential. Hopefully he’llcontinue to mature and comeon for us this year,” Wiles said.“Cols has a lot of ability. Duringthe spring, he became moreinstinctive and showed a greatattitude. He really has anopportunity to help us thisseason.”
Tackle Chad Beasley (94) and end Lamar Cobb (28) are expected to help form one of the topdefensive lines in the country.
2001 Virginia Tech Football 27
LinebackersBetween injuries and
graduation, the Techlinebacker corps wascompletely different for springpractice. Ben Taylor and JakeHouseright missed the springsession, but are scheduled toreturn in the fall. Taylor, whowas a semifinalist for theButkus Award a year ago, hadsurgery on his ankle.Houseright tore his ACL in theGator Bowl, but has beencleared to return to practiceand participated in summerworkouts.
“Both were out of contactwork all spring and we missedthem, but we’re excited aboutgetting them back this fall,”said Bud Foster, who handlesthe Hokies’ inside linebackers.“Ben’s a guy who I thoughtimproved as the season wentalong. He’s an exceptionalfootball player and we havehigh expectations for him. It’sdisappointing that he was hurt,but it allowed him to spendmore time in the weightroom.
“Last year was the firstyear Jake’s been healthy. Heshowed steady improvementand played his best game inthe Gator Bowl. I look for bothhim and Ben to be leaders forus and we’re expecting bigthings from them.”
Taylor, who was a third-team All-American last year,led the Hokies in tackles andearned first-team All-BIGEAST honors. He is anoutstanding football player withgreat range and a nose for thefootball. He is expected to playa key leadership role for theHokies this season at hisbacker position.
Vegas Robinson, MikalBaaqee, and Chad Coopersaw the most action at backerduring the spring in Taylor’sabsence. Robinson playedmostly on special teams in2000, but had two tackles fromhis linebacker spot againstAkron last year. Baaqee had agreat second half of springpractice and will battleRobinson for playing time.
“Vegas had a good springand is a very promising youngplayer. He combines good
speed and power and has achance to be a valuablecontributor this year.
“The last two weeks ofspring, Mikal showed as muchimprovement as anyone. Hehas a tremendous work ethicand attitude. He’s become amore physical player and if hecontinues to improve, he’llbattle for a spot on the two-deep.”
Cooper, who is still makingthe transition from a highschool safety to the backerposition at Tech, has showngood athletic ability andimprovement, but still hassome learning to do. The prepAll-America redshirted lastyear.
Houseright handles themike linebacker duties. Hefinished second behind Taylorin tackles and enjoyed his bestseason since coming to Tech.Houseright started every gameand finished the season with75 tackles. The senior givesthe Hokies another physicalplayer in the middle.
Competing with Houserightat mike linebacker is seniorBrian Welch. He filled in forHouseright in the spring andwas named one of the topdefensive hustlers of springpractice. He is a very capableplayer who saw action lastyear at linebacker and isexpected to be in the thick ofthings this season. Welchrated as one of the mostproductive reserves last year,registering 42 tackles.
Alex Markogiannakis andChris Buie used the spring tojockey for position on thedepth chart. Markogiannakisspent his time on the specialteams last season, but has puthimself in position for playingtime on the defense with agood showing during thespring. Buie, a sophomore,saw all of his playing time lastseason on special teams. Heis a strong athlete who bringsgood speed to the position.
“Brian had a great springand we expect him to be avaluable contributor,” Fostersaid. “He has great awarenessand instincts inside the tacklebox. I consider Brian and Jakeboth starters and it’s going to
be a battle between Chris andAlex for the third spot.”
Last year’s co-starters atwhip linebacker, PhillipSummers and Nick Sorensen,are both gone, leaving theposition wide open. T.J.Jackson, Deon Provitt,Brandon Manning and DirkTaylor all had repetitions atthe position in the spring.
Jackson’s experience paidoff, helping him come out ofspring ball as the No. 1 man,but he was followed closely byProvitt. Jackson was a starteron the kickoff team and sawaction in nine games last year.He had eight tackles on theyear. Provitt, who was astarter on the special teamslast season, brings good sizeand speed to the spot. He sawaction on over 130 plays ayear ago, registering eighttackles.
Manning got a lot of repsduring spring practice andmade the most of hisopportunitues. He will have achance to compete for playingtime.
Taylor’s only varsity actioncame against Rutgers lastseason, but he contributed aninterception in both jayveegames.
Defensive SecondaryWith the return of senior
Larry Austin andsophomore Garnell Wildsfrom knee injuries,secondary coachLorenzo Ward will havefour corners who couldplay at any time in asecondary which shouldbe among the tops in theconference.
“Our depth will be abig plus for us becausenow we have some kidsplaying for us with gameexperience,” Ward said.
Leading the way atcornerback is RonyellWhitaker, who was asecond-team All-BIGEAST pick last year. Thejunior had 61 tackles andfive interceptions on theyear as he saw action inover 750 plays. Whitakeris slated to start the
season at the boundarycorner position.
Wilds will back upWhitaker at the boundaryspot. The redshirt sophomorereturned from knee surgery toenjoy a good spring practiceand should be a solidperformer for the Hokies thisfall.
“Ronyell knows he canplay with anybody,” Ward said.“He had a tough assignmentin the bowl game [Clemson’sRod Gardner] and he did agreat job against him. Therewas a great size disadvantageand Ronyell held his own.”
Austin, like Wilds, injuredhis knee during the seasonbut came back strong forspring practice. Austin willstart the season as the No. 1man at the field cornerposition.
Joining Austin at the fieldposition will be sophomoreEric Green, who was forcedinto action last year as a truefreshman and responded withfour interceptions and a team-high 12 passes broken up. Hewas named a second-teamfreshman All-American by TheSporting News.
Continued on next page
Cornerback Ronyell Whitaker wasa second-team All-BIG EAST pickin 2000.
28 2001 Virginia Tech Football
OutlookContinued from page 27
At safety, starter Willie Pilereturns after sitting out contactwork in spring practice whilerecovering from shouldersurgery. Pile led the team ininterceptions with five andadded another pick in theGator Bowl.
Pile’s absence opened thedoor for young redshirtfreshmen Vincent Fuller andMike Daniels to get plenty ofexposure to the position.Fuller, a great athlete with tonsof potential made a strongpush for playing time behindPile and also spent some timeat corner in the spring. Danielsalso enjoyed a good springand impressed the coacheswith his physical style of play.
“The good thing about thisis Willie got all the footwork [ofspring practice], but none ofthe contact,” Ward said. “Asfar as tackling, he got better asthe season went along and heshould be fine once fallpractice comes around.
“I was very pleased withVincent. Right now, he’s gotmore range than anyonewe’ve got. He can run withanyone.”
The rover spot wasthe biggest questionmark of the
secondary heading into thespring, but senior KevinMcCadam eased the coaches’worries with a great spring.
“I thought Kevin enjoyed avery good transition,” saidposition coach JimCavanuagh. “He has learnedto make decisions morequickly. He’s tough and hasgood coverage skills. I expecthim to be a good leader forus.”
McCadam, who played atsafety last year, moved to therover spot this spring andcame out of the session asthe No. 1 man. The risingsenior made a run at thestarting job last year beforesuffering a high ankle sprainin a preseason scrimmage.He ended up making 28tackles on the season as theNo. 2 man at safety.
Billy Hardee, whopracticed at safety andcornerback last year, willmove to the rover spot whenpractice opens in August. Hestarted Tech’s last threegames on the corner last yearand finished the season with34 tackles, two tackles forloss and two passes brokenup. Hardee is a hard-working,
physical player whounderstands the game.
Also competingfor the playing timeat rover will beMichael Crawford,Chris Krebs andSam Fatherly.Crawford saw briefaction at rover lastseason on the wayto lettering as aspecial teamsplayer. He showedoutstanding effortduring the springand became morecomfortable at theposition. Krebs hasbeen a mainstayon Tech’s specialteams the pastthree years andposted eighttackles on theyear. Fatherly wasredshirted last yearand is still learningthe rover position.
by back problems. Warley wassecond-team All-BIG EASTlast season as a freshmanwhen he was the fifth-leadingscorer in the league with 77points. Warley kicked withback pain throughout the 2000season before taking thespring off to rest. Warley’sabsence during the springprovided a golden opportunityfor Jon Mollerup who was theNo. 2 kicker last season.Mollerup impressed thecoaches with his strong leg,kicking a 52-yarder in thespring game.
The Hokies return two Top20 punt return men from lastyear’s team, which finishedfirst nationally in punt returnsas a unit. André Davis rankedsecond in the nation with anaverage of 22 yards perreturn, while Ronyell Whitakerwas 16th with an average of14.4 yards.
Redshirt freshman RichardJohnson appears to be theleading candidate for kickoffreturn duties. Davis, tailbackLee Suggs and rover MichaelCrawford also are among thepool of candidates.
After blocking more kicksthan any other Division I-Ateam during the 1990s, Techcarried the tradition over tothe new millennium with eightblocks during the 2000season. Six of the sevenplayers who blocked kicks forthe Hokies last season areslated to return.
The 2001
SPECIALTEAMS
Spring practice producedplenty of competition on specialteams despite the facteveryone was back but kickoffreturn man André Kendrick.
The competition wasespecially tight for the puntingduties with last year’s starterRobert Peaslee and redshirtfreshman Vinnie Burns leadingthe way. Peaslee started everygame last season and endedup with a 35.3-yard average.He also doubled as the Hokies’holder for field goals and extrapoints. Burns, however,emerged out of spring ball asthe No. 1 man after averagingover 46 yards per punt with anaverage hang time of 4.6seconds.
“We’re going to continue todo a lot of punting duringpreseason practice,” says headcoach Frank Beamer, whoseinvolvement with special teamshas made the Hokies’ specialteam units among the nation’sbest. “Vinnie Burns reallypunted well over the last twoweeks of spring and showedgood consistency. He will needto maintain that consistency inAugust in order to hold on tothe No. 1 spot.
“We need to punt the ballbetter this season and ourplayers are aware of that.There’s still going to be plentyof competition.”
The competition won’t stopwith the punters. Beamer alsoexpects competition for thesnapping duties and even forthe place-kicking job.
Last season, Ken Keisterhandled the snaps for bothplacements and punts. Thisyear, he will be challenged forone or both of those duties byredshirt freshman TravisConway.
One of the biggestquestions for the Hokiesheading into the season is thehealth of place-kicker CarterWarley, who has been plagued
Place-kicker Carter Warley
Willie Pile posted a team-high sixinterceptions from his free safety spotlast season.
2001 Virginia Tech Football 29
Total Lettermen: 63; Lost 19/Returning 44(Starters in CAPS)
OffenseLost (13) Returning (17)
SE EMMETT JOHNSON,Derek Carter TE BROWNING WYNN,
*Bob Slowikowski,Keith Willis
DAVE KADELA, OT Anthony Davis,ANTHONY LAMBO Matt WincekJeff HartzogJOSH REDDING, OG Luke OwensMATT LEHR,Joe Marchant
C STEVE DeMASI†Jake Grove
MICHAEL VICK, QB*Dave MeyerCullen Hawkins FB JARRETT FERGUSON,
Wayne BriggsAndré Kendrick TB LEE SUGGS,
Keith Burnell,#Wayne Ward
Anthony Thibodeau, FL ANDRÉ DAVIS,Mike Donahue *†Ernest Wilford,
Shawn Witten
DefenseLost (6) Returning (24)Franklin Bowser E LAMAR COBB,
NATHANIEL ADIBI,Jim Davis, Cols Colas
T CHAD BEASLEY,DAVID PUGH,*Dan Wilkinson,Channing Reed,Kevin Lewis
PHILLIP SUMMERS, OLB #T.J. Jackson*Nick Sorensen, *Deon ProvittTee ButlerBenny Wolfe ILB BEN TAYLOR,
JAKE HOUSERIGHT,Brian Welch,#Chris Buie
CB RONYELL WHITAKER,LARRY AUSTIN,*Eric Green,*†Billy Hardee,Garnell Wilds
CORY BIRD ROV #Chris Krebs,#Michael Crawford
S WILLIE PILE,†Kevin McCadam
SpecialistsLost(0) Returning (3)
PK CARTER WARLEYP ROBERT PEASLEEH ROBERT PEASLEE
DS KEN KEISTER
*Also saw starting time in 2000#Lettered mainly for play on special teams†Has moved to another position for 2001 season
(Depth chart is subject to change)
OFFENSE (Multiple) DEFENSE (4-3)SE 18 Emmett Johnson (6-3, 206, Sr.)* DE 28 Lamar Cobb (6-2, 226, r-Jr.)*
19 Ernest Wilford (6-5, 211, r-So.) 99 Cols Colas (6-0, 239, r-So.)
LT 57 Anthony Davis (6-4, 314, Jr.) DT 94 Chad Beasley (6-5, 292, r-Sr.)*65 Tim Selmon (6-5, 287, r-Jr.) 70 Kevin Lewis (6-1, 280, So.)
LG 60 Jacob Gibson (6-4, 293, r-So.) DT 71 David Pugh (6-3, 271, r-Sr.)*or 74 Luke Owens (6-3, 310, r-Jr.) 53 Channing Reed (6-2, 311, Sr.)
67 Anthony Nelson (6-3, 313, r-So.) or 54 Dan Wilkinson (6-1, 258, r-Sr.)
C 61 Steve DeMasi (6-3, 278, r-Sr.)* DE 83 Nathaniel Adibi (6-3, 253, r-So.)*64 Jake Grove (6-3, 272, r-So.) 95 Jim Davis (6-4, 251, So.)
RG 64 Jake Grove (6-3, 272, r-So.) OLB 23 T.J. Jackson (6-1, 214, r-Jr.)74 Luke Owens (6-3, 310, r-Jr.) 3 Deon Provitt (6-1, 209, r-So.)
or 76 James Miller (6-5, 291, Fr.)
RT 58 Matt Wincek (6-5, 284, Sr.) ILB 41 Jake Houseright (6-3, 237, Sr.)*79 Jon Dunn (6-7, 320, r-Fr.) or 34 Brian Welch (6-0, 232, r-Sr.)
TE 93 Browning Wynn (6-3, 232, r-Sr.)* ILB 40 Ben Taylor (6-2, 235, Sr.)*or 87 Bob Slowikowski (6-5, 247, r-Sr.) 6 Vegas Robinson (6-0, 233, r-So.)
or 45 Mikal Baaqee (5-10, 218, r-Fr.)
QB 11 Grant Noel (6-1, 224, r-Jr.) FC 24 Larry Austin (5-9, 187, r-Sr.)*15 Jason Davis (6-1, 196, r-Fr.) 1 Eric Green (5-11, 177, So.)
FB 27 Jarrett Ferguson (5-9, 222, r-Sr.)* FS 35 Willie Pile (6-3, 197, r-Jr.)* 43 Doug Easlick (5-11, 226, r-So.) 8 Vincent Fuller (6-1, 178, r-Fr.)
or 47 Wayne Briggs (5-10, 247, r-Sr.)
TB 22 Lee Suggs (6-0, 204, r-Jr.)* ROV 5 Kevin McCadam (6-1, 219, Sr.)20 Keith Burnell (6-0, 202, r-Jr.) 25 Billy Hardee (5-11, 196, r-Jr.)
FL 88 André Davis (6-1, 194, r-Sr.)* BC 2 Ronyell Whitaker (5-9, 192, r-Jr.)*26 Shawn Witten (6-0, 194, Jr.) 17 Garnell Wilds (5-11, 193, r-So.)
PK 49 Carter Warley (5-11, 184, r-So.)* P 38 Vinnie Burns (5-11, 177, r-Fr.)or 97 Jon Mollerup (5-11, 202, r-Jr.) 89 Robert Peaslee (6-0, 192, r-So.)*
2000 Lettermen& Returning Starters
Virginia Tech's highly-successful special teams make use of players whoalso start on offense or defense, such as tailback Lee Suggs (22) andsafety Kevin McCadam (5).
*Returning starter
30 2001 Virginia Tech Football
No. Name vl Pos B’date Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown High School H.S. Coach83 Nathaniel Adibi 1 DE 1/25/81 6-3 253 r-So. Hampton, Va. Phoebus Bill Dee30 Ryan Angelo - FB 10/23/80 6-1 230 r-So. Spring Hill, Fla. Springstead Pat McCoy24 Larry Austin 3 CB 5/17/79 5-9 187 r-Sr. Norfolk, Va. Norview David Heath45 Mikal Baaqee - LB 12/20/81 5-10 218 r-Fr. Columbia, Md. DeMatha Bill McGregor94 Chad Beasley 3 DT 11/13/78 6-5 292 r-Sr. Gate City, Va. Gate City Nick Colobro47 Wayne Briggs$ 1 FB 1/24/78 5-10 247 r-Sr. Windsor, Va. Windsor Joe Jones46 Chris Buie 1 LB 11/16/79 6-0 223 r-So. Tampa, Fla. Armwood Sean Callahan20 Keith Burnell 1 TB 1/8/79 6-0 202 r-Jr. Chesapeake, Va. Western Branch Lew Johnston38 Vinnie Burns - P 2/2/82 5-11 177 r-Fr. New Orleans, La. St. Augustine Anthony Biagas28 Lamar Cobb 1 DE 1/11/80 6-2 226 r-Jr. Hurt, Va. Gretna Robert Prunty99 Cols Colas 1 DE 5/16/80 6-0 239 r-So. Plantation, Fla. South Plantation Dan Margurit62 Travis Conway - C/DS 6/3/82 6-4 269 r-Fr. Richmond, Va. J.R. Tucker Rusty Curle33 Chad Cooper - LB 6/10/81 6-2 205 r-Fr. Herndon, Va. Oakton Pete Bendorf92 Mark Costen - DT 3/13/81 6-3 250 r-So. Virginia Beach, Va. Kempsville John Bowles21 Michael Crawford 1 ROV 2/20/81 5-11 205 r-So. Baltimore, Md. Patterson Roger Wrenn31 Mike Daniels - FS 9/18/81 6-0 187 r-Fr. Fairfax, Va. Fairfax Tom Verbanic88 André Davis 3 FL 6/12/79 6-1 194 r-Sr. Niskayuna, N.Y. Niskayuna John Furey57 Anthony Davis$ 2 OT 3/27/80 6-4 314 Jr. Victoria, Va. Central-Lunenburg Chippie Chappell15 Jason Davis - QB 2/4/82 6-1 194 r-Fr. Sevierville, Tenn. Seymour Gary Householder95 Jim Davis@ 1 DE 10/4/81 6-4 251 So. Highland Springs, Va. Highland Springs Randy Stokes61 Steve DeMasi 2 C 11/24/79 6-3 278 r-Sr. Virginia Beach, Va. Cox Reggie Garrett52 Jon Dunn - OT 12/12/81 6-7 320 r-Fr. Virginia Beach, Va. Tallwood Thad Harold43 Doug Easlick - FB 12/4/80 5-11 226 r-So. Marlton, N.J. Cherokee John Scott29 Sam Fatherly - ROV 6/13/81 5-10 203 r-Fr. Williamsport, Pa. Williamsport Tim Montgomery
Matt Felber - PK 10/25/79 5-8 182 r-Sr. McLean, Va. Randolph-Macon Dick Allansen27 Jarrett Ferguson 3 FB 1/23/79 5-9 222 r-Sr. Goodview, Va. Staunton River Bob Gray
Matt Findley - OG 11/11/80 6-1 284 r-So. Woodbridge, Va. C.D. Hylton Bill Brown77 Thenus Franklin - OT 2/2/79 6-3 285 r-Jr. Clewiston, Fla. Clewiston Al Morrell8 Vincent Fuller - FS 8/3/82 6-1 178 r-Fr. Baltimore, Md. Woodlawn Reggie White
60 Jacob Gibson - OG 1/29/81 6-4 293 r-So. Rocky Mount, Va. Franklin County Jerry Little1 Eric Green 1 CB 3/16/82 5-11 177 So. Clewiston, Fla. Clewiston Al Morrell
64 Jake Grove 1 OG/C 1/22/80 6-3 272 r-So. Forest, Va. Jefferson Forest Ed Landis25 Billy Hardee† 1 ROV 6/30/80 5-11 196 r-Jr. Winter Haven, Fla. Winter Haven Maxie Hunter41 Jake Houseright 3 LB 1/4/79 6-3 237 Sr. Gate City, Va. Gate City Nick Colobro80 Mike Jackson - TE 4/27/82 6-3 241 r-Fr. Mason, Ohio Archbishop Moeller Steve Klonne23 T.J. Jackson 1 LB 10/10/79 6-1 214 r-Jr. Delray Beach, Fla. Olympic Heights Willie Dadaro18 Emmett Johnson 3 SE 3/17/80 6-3 206 Sr. Chesapeake, Va. Western Branch Lew Johnston12 Richard Johnson - FL 6/17/82 5-10 189 r-Fr. Baltimore, Md. Milford Mill Academy Reggie Brooks55 Ken Keister 1 DE/DS 8/13/80 6-1 229 r-Jr. Radford, Va. Radford Norm Lineburg37 Chris Krebs 3 ROV 1/5/79 6-1 195 r-Sr. Burke, Va. Robinson Nick Hilgert
Virginia Tech’s 2001 Football Recruiting ClassName Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown High SchoolJames Anderson 6-2 210 LB Chesapeake, Va. Deep CreekCurtis Bradley 6-3 285 OL Summerville, S.C. SummervilleReggie Butler 6-6 310 OL Keswick, Va. MonticelloChris Clifton 6-4 200 QB Chesapeake, Va. Deep CreekAndrew Fleck 6-4 240 DL/TE Edmond, Okla. Santa FeBrandon Frye 6-4 225 DL Myrtle Beach, S.C. Myrtle BeachDeAngelo Hall 6-0 190 DB Chesapeake, Va. Deep CreekJustin Hamilton 6-3 210 RB Clintwood, Va. ClintwoodKevin Hilton 6-2 255 DL Silver Spring, Md. Good CounselCedric Humes 6-2 200 RB Virginia Beach, Va. Princess AnneWill Hunt 6-1 205 QB Springdale, Ark. SpringdaleKevin Jones 6-1 205 RB Chester, Pa. Cardinal O’HaraJeff King 6-5 245 TE/DL Pulaski, Va. Pulaski CountyFred Lee 5-10 175 WR Harrisburg, Pa. Bishop McDevittDanny McGrath 6-2 270 OL Herndon, Va. HerndonJason Murphy 6-3 255 DL Baltimore, Md. Edmondson WestsideChris Pannell 6-5 240 DL Staunton, Va. Robert E. LeeBryan Randall 6-2 205 QB Williamsburg, Va. BrutonTim Sandidge 6-2 275 DL Madison Heights, Va. Amherst CountyJordan Trott 6-4 230 LB Torrance, Calif. LoyolaD.J. Walton 5-10 195 DB Woodbridge, Va. C.D. HyltonBlake Warren 6-2 205 LB Clifton, Va. Centreville
2001 Virginia Tech Football 31
2001 Numerical Roster
No. Name vl Pos B’date Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown High School H.S. Coach91 Jason Lallis - DE 2/4/82 6-0 244 r-Fr. Mitchellville, Md. DeMatha Bill McGregor70 Kevin Lewis 1 DT 4/26/80 6-1 280 So. Richmond, Va. Varina Ed Bulheller48 Brandon Manning+ - LB 5/12/81 6-0 211 r-Fr. Harrisburg, Pa. Central Dauphin George Chaump39 Alex Markogiannakis - LB 1/22/80 5-9 208 r-Jr. Chantilly, Va. Robinson Mark Bendorf85 Jared Mazzetta - TE 6/4/81 6-4 245 r-Fr. Flemington, N.J. Hunterdon Central Jim Meert5 Kevin McCadam^ 1 ROV 3/6/79 6-1 219 Sr. Lakeside, Calif. El Capitan Dave Waastad
76 James Miller - OG 8/13/81 6-5 291 Fr. Pompano Beach, Fla. Ft. Lauderdale John Timmons97 Jon Mollerup - PK 11/15/79 5-11 202 r-Jr. Lyndhurst, Va. Stuarts Draft Tom Goforth82 Ronald Moody - SE 10/26/81 6-1 190 r-So. Chesapeake, Va. Great Bridge Noble Palmer67 Anthony Nelson$ - OG 2/18/79 6-4 313 r-So. Kingsport, Tenn. Sullivan South Lonnie Messick11 Grant Noel - QB 6/11/80 6-1 224 r-Jr. Ridgeley, W.Va. Frankfort Greg Phillips74 Luke Owens 2 OG 5/12/79 6-3 310 r-Jr. Grundy, Va. Grundy Greg Rowe9 Terrell Parham 1 FL 10/1/79 6-0 196 r-Jr. Bartow, Fla. Bartow Kenny Wells
89 Robert Peaslee 1 P 6/28/81 6-0 201 r-So. Pulaski, Va. Pulaski County Joel Hicks35 Willie Pile 1 FS 5/25/80 6-3 197 r-Jr. Alexandria, Va. West Potomac Dale Eaton3 Deon Provitt 1 LB 10/22/80 6-1 209 r-So. Warren, Ohio John F. Kennedy Tony Napolet
71 David Pugh 3 DT 7/24/79 6-3 271 r-Sr. Madison Heights, Va. Amherst County Mickey Crouch68 Robert Ramsey - C 4/13/82 6-2 305 r-Fr. Coraopolis, Pa. Montour Don Morgan53 Channing Reed^^ 1 DT 9/19/78 6-2 311 Sr. Trenton, N.J. Trenton Central Lawrence Parker6 Vegas Robinson - LB 5/19/81 6-0 233 r-So. Chesapeake, Va. Deep Creek David Cox
65 Tim Selmon++ - OT 8/7/78 6-5 287 r-Jr. Trenton, N.J. Hamilton West Keith HartbauerChris Shreve - SE 7/15/81 5-11 192 r-So. Mouth of Wilson, Va. Grayson County Bill Strong
87 Bob Slowikowski 3 TE 10/30/79 6-5 247 r-Sr. Pittsburgh, Pa. Central Catholic John Fiscetti42 Josh Spence - FB 12/8/81 6-1 221 r-Fr. Riner, Va. Floyd County Winfred Beale22 Lee Suggs 2 TB 8/11/80 6-0 204 r-Jr. Roanoke, Va. William Fleming George Miller40 Ben Taylor 3 LB 8/31/78 6-2 235 Sr. Bellaire, Ohio Bellaire John Magistro
Dirk Taylor - LB 12/25/79 6-0 197 Sr. Penn Laird, Va. Spotswood Eric BaylorJeff Thompson - DE 5/26/80 6-4 245 r-So. Midlothian, Va. Clover Hill Ted Salmon
36 Marvin Urquhart - FB 8/16/80 5-11 265 r-So. Chesapeake, Va. Western Branch Lew Johnston32 Wayne Ward 3 TB 5/29/79 5-11 209 r-Sr. Plant City, Fla. Plant City Todd Long49 Carter Warley 1 PK 2/14/80 5-11 184 r-So. Richmond, Va. Fork Union Mickey Sullivan34 Brian Welch 2 LB 7/17/78 6-0 232 r-Sr. Fairfax, Va. Oakton Pete Bendorf
Jeff Werner - OG 5/10/82 6-0 278 So. Yardley, Pa. Pennsbury Mike Elko2 Ronyell Whitaker 2 CB 3/19/79 5-9 192 r-Jr. Norfolk, Va. Lake Taylor Dan Newell
17 Garnell Wilds 1 CB 6/8/81 5-11 193 r-So. Tampa, Fla. Hillsborough Earl Garcia, Jr.19 Ernest Wilford@ 1 SE 1/14/79 6-5 211 r-So. Richmond, Va. Armstrong/Franklin Otis Brayboy54 Dan Wilkinson 1 DT 11/14/78 6-1 258 r-Sr. W. Palm Beach, Fla. Palm Beach Lakes Bill Bolinder86 Keith Willis 1 TE 12/14/80 6-5 240 r-So. Norfolk, Va. Norview Carleton Thomas44 Joe Wilson - FB 7/22/81 6-1 261 r-So. Newport News, Va. Warwick Tommy Reamon58 Matt Wincek 3 OT 9/12/79 6-5 284 Sr. Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Coughlin John Joseph26 Shawn Witten 2 FL 5/18/80 6-0 194 Jr. Elizabethton, Tenn. Elizabethton Dave Rider93 Browning Wynn 3 TE 12/3/78 6-3 232 r-Sr. Jonesville, Va. Lee Allen Kinser
$ also attended Hargrave Military Academy (Va.); @ also attended Fork Union Military Academy (Va.); † also attended Florida Southern College; ^ also attendedGrossmont [Calif.] CC; ^^ Montgomery [Md.] College; + attended the U.S. Air Force Academy Prep School; ++ also attended Peddie School (N.J)
1 Eric Green .................... CB2 Ronyell Whitaker .......... CB3 Deon Provitt ................. LB5 Kevin McCadam........ ROV6 Vegas Robinson ........... LB8 Vincent Fuller ............... FS9 Terrell Parham .............. FL
11 Grant Noel ................... QB12 Richard Johnson .......... FL15 Jason Davis ................ QB17 Garnell Wilds ................ CB18 Emmett Johnson .......... SE19 Ernest Wilford .............. SE20 Keith Burnell ................. TB21 Michael Crawford ...... ROV22 Lee Suggs .................... TB23 T.J. Jackson ................. LB24 Larry Austin .................. CB25 Billy Hardee ............... ROV
26 Shawn Witten ............... FL27 Jarrett Ferguson ........... FB28 Lamar Cobb ................. DE29 Sam Fatherly ............. ROV30 Ryan Angelo ................. FB31 Mike Daniels ................ FS32 Wayne Ward ................ TB33 Chad Cooper ................ LB34 Brian Welch .................. LB35 Willie Pile ..................... FS36 Marvin Urquhart ........... FB37 Chris Krebs ............... ROV38 Vinnie Burns ................... P39 Alex Markogiannakis .... LB40 Ben Taylor .................... LB41 Jake Houseright ........... LB42 Josh Spence ................ FB43 Doug Easlick ................ FB44 Joe Wilson ................... FB
45 Mikal Baaqee ............... LB46 Chris Buie .................... LB47 Wayne Briggs ............... FB48 Brandon Manning ......... LB49 Carter Warley ............... PK52 Jon Dunn ...................... OT53 Channing Reed ............ DT54 Dan Wilkinson .............. DT55 Ken Keister ............ DE/DS57 Anthony Davis .............. OT58 Matt Wincek ................. OT60 Jacob Gibson .............. OG61 Steve DeMasi ................. C62 Travis Conway ......... C/DS64 Jake Grove .............. OG/C65 Tim Selmon .................. OT67 Anthony Nelson ........... OG68 Robert Ramsey .............. C70 Kevin Lewis .................. DT
71 David Pugh .................. DT74 Luke Owens ................ OG76 James Miller ................ OG77 Thenus Franklin ........... OT80 Mike Jackson ............... TE82 Ronald Moody .............. SE83 Nathaniel Adibi ............. DE85 Jared Mazzetta ............ TE86 Keith Willis ................... TE87 Bob Slowikowski .......... TE88 André Davis ................. FL89 Robert Peaslee .............. P91 Jason Lallis .................. DE92 Mark Costen ................. DT93 Browning Wynn ............ TE94 Chad Beasley ............... DT95 Jim Davis ..................... DE97 Jon Mollerup ................ PK99 Cols Colas .................... DE
32 2001 Virginia Tech Football
Hometowns of Hokies From Virginia
ArkansasSpringdale
Will Hunt
CaliforniaLakeside
Kevin McCadamTorrance
Jordan Trott
FloridaBartow
Terrell ParhamClewiston
Thenus FranklinEric Green
Delray BeachT.J. Jackson
PlantationCols Colas
Plant CityWayne Ward
Pompano BeachJames Miller
Spring HillRyan Angelo
TampaChris BuieGarnell Wilds
West Palm BeachDan Wilkinson
Winter HavenBilly Hardee
LouisianaNew Orleans
Vinnie Burns
MarylandColumbia
Mikal BaaqeeBaltimore
Michael CrawfordVincent FullerRichard JohnsonJason Murphy
MitchellvilleJason Lallis
Silver SpringKevin Hilton
New JerseyFlemington
Jared MazzettaMarlton
Doug EaslickTrenton
Channing ReedTim Selmon
New YorkNiskayuna
André Davis
OhioBellaire
Ben TaylorMason
Mike JacksonWarren
Deon Provitt
OklahomaEdmond
Andrew Fleck
AlexandriaWillie Pile
BurkeChris Krebs
ChantillyAlex Markogiannakis
ChesapeakeJames AndersonKeith BurnellChris CliftonDeAngelo HallEmmett JohnsonRonald MoodyVegas RobinsonMarvin Urquhart
CliftonBlake Warren
ClintwoodJustin Hamilton
PennsylvaniaCoraopolis
Robert RamseyChester
Kevin JonesHarrisburg
Fred LeeBrandon Manning
PittsburghBob Slowikowski
YardleyJeff Werner
Wilkes-BarreMatt Wincek
WilliamsportSam Fatherly
South CarolinaMyrtle Beach
Brandon FryeSummerville
Curtis Bradley
TennesseeElizabethton
Shawn WittenKingsport
Anthony NelsonSevierville
Jason Davis
West VirginiaRidgeley
Grant Noel
FairfaxMike DanielsBrian Welch
ForestJake Grove
Gate CityJake HouserightChad Beasley
GoodviewJarrett Ferguson
GrundyLuke Owens
HamptonNathaniel Adibi
HerndonChad CooperDanny McGrath
Highland SpringsJim Davis
HurtLamar Cobb
JonesvilleBrowning Wynn
KeswickReggie Butler
LyndhurstJon Mollerup
McLeanMatt Felber
Madison HeightsDavid PughTim Sandidge
MidlothianJeff Thompson
Mouth of WilsonChris Shreve
Newport NewsJoe Wilson
NorfolkLarry AustinRonyell WhitakerKeith Willis
Penn LairdDirk Taylor
PulaskiJeff KingRobert Peaslee
RadfordKen Keister
RichmondTravis ConwayKevin LewisCarter WarleyErnest Wilford
RinerJosh Spence
RoanokeLee Suggs
Rocky MountJacob Gibson
StauntonChris Pannell
VictoriaAnthony Davis
Virginia BeachMark CostenSteve DeMasiJon DunnCedric Humes
WilliamsburgBryan Randall
WindsorWayne Briggs
WoodbridgeMatt FindleyD.J. Walton
