Reggie Floyd Chooses to Play Safety for the Hokies Based on Their "Big Reputation"

For the third year in a row, the Hokies have earned the verbal commitment of a player from Manassas' Stonewall Jackson HS.

Reggie Floyd, a running back/safety that's rated a 3-star recruit by the 247Sports Composite ranking, became the eighth member of Tech's rapidly growing 2016 class Thursday night when he announced his commitment on Twitter.

Just committed to Virginia Tech
#DBU #SANDMAN16 pic.twitter.com/Pf3g54hrvC— Reggie Floyd (@_ImThatDude20) March 5, 2015

Floyd's longstanding friendship with a pair of former Stonewall players turned current Hokies, incoming freshman DT Tim Settle and rising sophomore Greg Stroman, meant that he was taking at a look at the program from the very start of his recruitment process.

But Floyd says it was his visit to the team's Junior Day event on February 7 that helped him make up his mind.

"My parents and I have been talking about the right fit for me," Floyd said. "We went down for that Junior Day, toured the campus, learned about the academics, and it just seemed great. Plus Tech isn't far from home."

Defensive backs coach Torrian Gray was Floyd's primary recruiter, and he gave his future position coach a call before he made his decision public.

"I facetimed Coach Gray, and let him know, and he said he was really happy to hear that I was ready to commit," Floyd said. "He told me he was ready for me to help start recruiting other players in this class. Then I got to talk on the phone with Coach Beamer the next day."

The next step was to let Stroman and Settle know he'd be joining them in Blacksburg and becoming the fourth Stonewall athlete to commit to Tech since Ryan Williams kicked things off back in 2008 in the process.

"They were really excited," Floyd said. "Tim was calling me, he was screaming. He said he can't wait to be on the field and play with me again."

Floyd says it was the team's interest in Settle that first connected him with Tech's staff.

"Coach (Bud) Foster was the first one I met from Virginia Tech, he came to my school," Floyd said. "We talked when Tim committed. He came up and we got to go in my coach's office and talk."

From there, Foster introduced him to Gray, who took quickly took the lead in his recruitment. While the Hokies acknowledged his talent at running back, Gray saw his potential at safety, and chose to offer him at defensive back instead.

"Coach Gray always talked about much he liked my height and size at safety," Floyd said. "He said they thought I could be a great running back, but an even better safety. Especially playing under Coach Foster and himself."

But that's not all that drove his choice.

"Tech has a really big reputation for putting DBs in the league," Floyd sad. "Getting guys drafted in the first round, second round, and I wanted to be a part of that."

Several of Floyd's other suitors were planning to keep him on offense, and Stonewall head coach Darryl Robinson thought he was leaning that way instead.

"I got the sense that he was looking more at running back, and Tech offered him as a defensive back," Robinson said. "But it still makes sense, he knew Virginia Tech was really interested in him, there are two guys from our school there right now. It was a great choice for him."

The timing of Floyd's commitment also caught Robinson a bit off guard, but he reiterates that the choice still wasn't all that surprising.

"I always knew Virginia Tech had a special place in his heart, but I didn't know he'd make the decision so soon," Robinson said. "I found out along with everybody else when he tweeted it."

But now that he's made up his mind, Robinson believes he can play either position if he wants to at Tech. Floyd started right away on defense as a freshman at Stonewall, but then transitioned to offense as well, where he immediately impressed.

"He just has great determination, great hustle," Robinson said. "He tries to be the best on every play. He's always had that drive."

In his junior year, he started both ways and even put in some time at cornerback, but Robinson was wary of asking him to do too much.

"We try to keep folks one way as much as we can, but last year was the first year that he started at both (positions) because we needed him," Robinson said. "But I still tried not to play him as much on defense."

Robinson says the Raiders will need to him to start on both sides of the ball once more for his senior season, and he plans to increasingly depend on his leadership skills now that he's reached his final year.

"We want to lean on him a lot more for encouraging and getting the most out of his teammates, getting them to step up to higher levels," Robinson said. "And he understands the game well, so we'll be relying on him more in that area."

Floyd agrees that he wants to take on a bigger leadership role, and he hope that pays off with results on the field.

"I really want to try and make it farther in the playoffs," Floyd said.

Looking farther down the line, Floyd says he is considering enrolling early, but is still talking it over with his parents. In the meantime, he's hoping to visit Tech again for a spring practice session to get further acquainted with his future teammates.

Whenever does decide to join the team, it's clear that he'll bring plenty of talent with him to campus.

"Whether at running back or in the secondary, he's the complete package," Robinson said.