2016 LB Victor Greene Bonds with Bud Foster, Picks the Hokies

It's safe to say that Bud Foster knows a thing or two about linebackers after spending the last few decades working with the position.

That means that he has an especially keen eye for the players he thinks can fit his unique system, and there's little question he saw the right qualities in Victor Greene of Spotsylvania's Courtland HS.

Greene received only one offer, courtesy of Foster and the Hokies, but the defensive coordinator's persistence and personality convinced Greene that Tech would be the right choice for him.

"It was just all about the recruiting with Coach Foster, he did a great job," Greene said.

Greene, rated a 3-star recruit by the 247Sports Composite ranking, made the decision to become Tech's eighth commit of the 2016 class Friday. The news was clearly music to Foster's ears.

"I talked to Coach Foster around 1 this afternoon, and he said he was so excited, it just made his week," Greene said.

Considering that Greene is the first linebacker commit of the class, and just the third LB to commit in the last two seasons, it's easy to understand why Foster is so elated about Greene's decision.

But Greene's head coach at Courtland, J.C. Hall, says Foster probably never had much to worry about when it came to securing Greene's commitment.

"It wasn't a surprise at all from my perspective," Hall said. "I went with him to their Junior Day, I saw what a good time he had there."

Greene and Hall made the trip for Tech's event on February 7, and like so many other recent commits, Greene says it left an indelible impression on him.

"At the time, I was still thinking about if (Tech) had what I want, but that visit really did it," Greene said.

Greene previously visited Tech for a summer camp his sophomore year, and again for the team's win against Virginia, so it would seem that his third time in Blacksburg was the charm.

Hall says he has no trouble believing that.

"They do things the right way there, there's a reason they've been to all those bowls in a row," Hall said. "Everything just fell into place when we went up there, and he decided to pull the trigger."

Greene also got a chance to check out some of the other aspects of the school, which clearly impressed him as well.

"They have a really good psychology field, and that's what I'm trying to major in," Greene said. "Plus it's so close to home."

But Hall notes that Foster was a big part of making the day special for Greene, and directs all the credit his way for the rising senior's decision.

"Coach Foster has had this area for a while, and he let me know his interest in Vic since his sophomore year," Hall said. "So this isn't some off the cuff thing, his communication with both of us throughout the process has been key."

Hall has plenty of praise for Tech's defensive boss, but he stresses he didn't try to put an undue pressure on Greene about his choice.

"I've known Coach Foster for years, but ultimately this had to be Vic's decision," Hall said. "But he developed a really strong relationship him."

Even though Greene split his time between linebacker and running back at Courtland, it's clear that Foster's interest in him means that he's bound for the defensive side of the ball when he arrives on campus.

"At first, they were sure I'd be a linebacker, but as they kept seeing me play, they opened things up a little, so I could be an athlete instead, but he definitely thinks I'll be on the defensive side of the ball," Greene said.

Hall notes that he was certainly a strong performer as a runner, but his destiny does likely lie on defense.

"He's going to be on defense, whether that's as an outside linebacker or a safety," Hall said. "And he's got a heck of an opportunity there for that."

Greene says he's can hardly wait to start putting that opportunity to good use.

"I can't wait to go out onto the field, just run out of the tunnel and be part of the team," Greene said.

Greene isn't planning on enrolling early, so he'll likely have to rely on a few more trips to Blacksburg to ease his anticipation until next summer rolls around. He says he's hoping to return for a spring practice, or even the spring game, to spend more time with his future coaches.

But now that his commitment is out of the way, Hall wants to be sure he's focusing on his final season as well.

"There's nothing physically with him that worries me, but I definitely want to see him be a more vocal leader," Hall said. "We really want to see him lead by example this year."