Hokies Host 2016 Recruits Cameron Brown and Carlos Basham for Spring Visits

Projecting where a high school junior might play on the football field roughly three years down the line is the coaching equivalent of playing the lottery.

Yet the Hokies' coaching staff haven't shied away from the challenge this spring, inviting a bevy of recruits to spring practice that have potential as both defensive ends and linebackers depending on how their bodies develop.

So far, the team's made strong impressions on a pair of these OLB/DE prospects in Cameron Brown of Potomac, Md.'s Paint Branch HS and Carlos Basham from nearby Northside HS in Roanoke.

Brown and Basham were making their first visits to Tech when they stopped by campus on April 4 and April 7 respectively, and both are considering returning to Blacksburg after enjoying their first trips.

"At first I thought Tech was just another offer, but the visit really changed my mind," Brown said. "I really liked what I saw, the practice I got to see was intense."

Loved my Visit to VT today #hokies pic.twitter.com/c3SAavp9jX— Cameron Brown (@freakky21) April 4, 2015

Brown certainly does have his fair share of offers to sift through. He's rated a 3-star prospect by the 247Sports Composite ranking and is mulling 21 different offers from schools like Penn State, Notre Dame and USC. Even still, his early interactions with Tech's staff have encouraged him to give the Hokies a closer look.

"I really liked Coach (Bud) Foster, he just spoke honestly," Brown said. "He's probably my favorite coach I've talked to so far."

Foster offered Brown back in mid-February, but Basham is still waiting on an offer from Tech. Only Old Dominion has offered him so far, but his trip to Blacksburg has him agitating for the Hokies to become the second school to extend him a scholarship.

"I liked campus a lot, just the way it was all spread out and the way it was set up," Basham said. "Seeing spring practice was really cool, plus they took me into their defensive line meeting room after practice."

He notes that he's gotten to spend plenty of time with recruiting coordinator Bryan Stinespring when the Hokies visited Northside a number of times last year, but the staff still wants to see him bulk up a bit before offering.

"They said they definitely want to see me get bigger," Basham said. "Then, maybe an offer could come towards the end of December."

If Basham is able to add that extra size, he thinks he could play defensive end at the next level. He says currently stands at about 6'4" and 235 pounds, a size that would likely move him to linebacker at most schools, but could allow him to stay at defensive end at Tech given Foster's proclivity for speedy edge rushers.

Yet standing up to play linebacker wouldn't be completely unfamiliar territory for Basham, but he does note that he "mostly played with my hand on the ground last year."

Brown is in a similar position. At 6'5" and 210 pounds, he could go in either direction depending on how his senior season develops.

"If I don't put on weight, I'd stay at linebacker, which is where I played like 90 percent of the time last year," Brown said. "I like using my athleticism like that, but I could also be a defensive end if I do get bigger."

Brown thinks his combination of height and athleticism make him a strong candidate to stay at linebacker.

"I think that combination gives me a boost there," Brown said. "Just how I get around the field and can read the game."

If he does stick at linebacker, Brown wants to improve his abilities in coverage, but a move to DE would have him refining his pass rush moves.

"If I do go to defensive end, I'd want to make sure I get my hands stronger, my technique sharper," Brown said.

The Hokies will get another chance to check in on both players' progress in the coming months after earning their pledges to return to Tech down the road.

Brown says he yet to set a specific date to come back, but he "definitely" wants to take another visit, and the coaches assured him he could stop by whenever he pleased.

As for Basham, his close proximity to Blacksburg means that he's considering taking multiple trips to see campus again.

"They invited me to the spring game and said I could have tickets for any real game that I wanted," Basham said. "But I also want to go for one of their one-day camps this summer, probably in mid-July."

Those future visits will give the staff another chance to evaluate where both players stand and make their odds in playing this particular game of chance just a little more favorable.

"It's all about getting my weight up and my technique down right now," Basham said.