Hokies Send Out a Slew of Offers to 2017 Prospects Following June Camp Session

No matter how much the college football landscape has changed over the nearly three decades Frank Beamer has presided at Virginia Tech, a call up to the head Hokie's office still sends chills down the spine of any high school athlete lucky enough to earn the invitation.

Even with the recruitment process moving increasingly online, Beamer still seems to prefer delivering offers face-to-face, and he got plenty of chances to do just that following the team's prospect camp on the weekend of June 13-14.

In particular, the Hokies put a major focus on the class of 2017 at the camp, handing out a bevy of offers to rising juniors once workouts had concluded, as the team tries to get in on the ground floor with many of the players who will define the next recruiting cycle.

The team put a particular focus on defense with the latest round of offers, making their longtime interest in several prospects official.

"I was really surprised that it finally came," said Jake Lawler, a defensive end from Charlotte, N.C.'s South Mecklenburg HS. "I'd been in contact with Virginia Tech for a long time before this."

Lawler first visited Tech for the team's spring game back in April with another teammate that also holds a Tech offer in 2017 CB Jacobe Clement. He says that visit together was "very helpful because we could see how we'd both fit in," but he also relished the chance to get a second look at the team's facilities, especially with the new indoor facility opening its doors.

"I thought it was beautiful, it looked amazing," Lawler said. "It felt great knowing I could play there someday."

When his time at camp in the new facility was over, Lawler says it was Shane Beamer that led him up to his father's office to make the offer, praising the speed and quickness he showed on the defensive line during camp drills.

"They told me they thought I was one of the top competitors there, that I was just dominant during the one-on-ones," Lawler said. "They said that after the second practice, they didn't need me to go anymore because they'd already made the decision on me."

The younger Beamer serves as Lawler's primary recruiter, but he says he also hears plenty from defensive coordinator Bud Foster. The pair are currently pushing for Lawler to return to campus in early August or for the vaunted Ohio State game, and Lawler thinks he'll "probably" make it for that contest, even as he fields offers from programs closer to home like UNC, Duke and N.C. State.

Foster is also keeping an eye on a player in one of his main recruiting areas in Northern Virginia that just earned an offer at camp.

DE Tyjuan Garbutt of Fredericksburg's Riverbend HS got a pledge from the staff as Foster, Beamer and DL coach Charley Wiles huddled up to praise his camp performance.

"They saw a lot of good things with me, both when I went to linebacker at first, and then when I worked at defensive end," Garbutt said. "I tweaked my groin a little bit at one point, but they said they liked that I continued to compete and didn't let that stop me."

Garbutt says his performance at DE was more indicative of where he'll end up playing should he come to Tech.

"They say I'll probably be a DE, I play outside linebacker in high school, but we run a 3-4," Garbutt said. "I'm basically a DE on the weakside, going after the quarterback."

Like Lawler, Garbutt had seen campus before, visiting for a Junior Day in February and a spring practice session earlier this year. Even still, Garbutt says the trip to see campus was still plenty worthwhile.

"Everytime I go there I see something new," Garbutt said. "I really like the Hokie Stone on all the buildings around campus, I think it's beautiful."

The campus atmosphere and interaction with the coaching staff has Garbutt saying he's "very interested" in the school, even though he has plenty of other suitors. Programs like Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Michigan State and UVA have all offered him so far, while he says he's also getting interest from schools including Clemson, North Carolina and N.C. State.

But despite all that other interest, Garbutt is still planning a quick return trip to Tech. He's hoping to come by on July 26 for the Hokies' next gathering of recruits on campus.

"They say it'll be a like a big picnic for all the players and family there," Garbutt said. "But they also want me at the Ohio State game."

Garbutt says he'd be happy to oblige that particular request.

But the Riverbend player isn't the only defensive prospect from Northern Virginia the team took notice of at camp.

The Hokies are also the first school to show interest in safety Devante Smith of Stonewall Jackson HS, a school that's produced Tech commits in each of the last three recruiting cycles.

"I was really excited because it was my first offer," Smith said. "I know they've got a good school down there."

DB coach Torrian Gray has taken the lead in recruiting Smith, and told him on their trip to Beamer's office that his 6'1", 185-pound frame could make him an excellent fit in Tech's defensive backfield someday.

"They really like my size and athletic ability," Smith said. "He told me they'd want me to play a little of both (corner and safety) but I'd mostly be a safety. That's mostly what I do in high school, but this year coming up I'll play a little corner too."

Smith says he valued the time he got to spend with Gray during the camp, largely thanks to the vaunted position coach's calm nature.

"He's really patient with all the DBs," Smith said. "Everyone makes mistakes, but he helps you work through them."

Gray has helped recruit Stonewall players like Smith for the last several years, successfully enticing CB Greg Stroman, DT Tim Settle and DB Reggie Floyd to the commit to the team over the last three years.

Now those players are giving Gray a hand when it comes to convincing Smith to keep the streak alive.

"I talk with Tim and Reggie a lot, they're always telling me how it is down there," Smith said.

But Smith got a chance to learn about the campus firsthand on his trip to camp, and said he particularly enjoyed the new indoor facility.

"The new facility is really nice, there's so much room in there," Smith said.

Yet Smith showed up too late to get a full tour of the campus. That's part of the reason why he's planning to join Garbutt on July 26 for a second visit.

The Hokies are also trying to add another prospect from a Maryland school they've recruited nearly as much as Stonewall over the years.

DeMatha Catholic is home to current starting WR Cam Phillips and hotly pursued 2016 WR Tino Ellis, but now OT Marcus Minor can add his name to the list of players at the school with an offer from Tech.

Minor says he got the good news at a conference with Beamer, OL coach Stacy Searels and WR coach Zohn Burden, who's assumed Aaron Moorehead's old role as the primary recruiter for the area.

"I was so surprised and excited," Minor said. "There's always that excitement when you get an offer."

Minor says it was his performance in the one-on-one drills against the defensive linemen that ultimately convinced the coaches to extend the offer.

"They kept an eye on me the whole time during the drills, Coach Searels pushed me really hard," Minor said. "They said my technique was really good in the one-on-ones, I did a lot of them, even when I got tired."

While Phillips was on hand at the camp to help out Burden with the wide receiver drills, Minor says his work with Searels kept him too busy to have much more than a quick chat with the DeMatha alum.

"We talked a little when I got there, he got to show me around a little, but we didn't talk for too long," Minor said.

With Minor standing at 6'4" and 283 pounds as just a rising junior, the Hokies are surely hoping Phillips will get more opportunities in the future to get in Minor's ear about Tech.

At the moment, Temple and East Carolina are the only schools to offer Minor, but he notes that's already hearing overtures from West Virginia, Pittsburgh and Rutgers as well.

Minor hopes to visit each of the three schools that have offered again soon, but admits that he'll give preference to events at DeMatha at this point in the process.

"I might head down for a game (at Tech) this season, but if I'm free during the rest of the summer, I might go again," Minor said.

While the four aforementioned players earned their offers from camp on the spot, one only got the good news once he left Blacksburg.

LB Rayshard Ashby's coach at Chesterfield, Va.'s L.C. Bird HS got a call on June 18, several days after camp wrapped up, from Tech's staff sharing news of the offer.

"Coach (Shane) Beamer called my coach, who called my dad and let me know they offered," Ashby said. "I was so excited, I just got a really big smile on my face. I really appreciated it."

Ashby was particularly excited to hear the news because the Hokies marked his very first offer. He says the team couldn't help but extend a scholarship pledge once Foster got a chance to see him play linebacker.

"They said they knew I could play linebacker for them, that I'm just a pure LB," Ashby said.

Ashby says his time working with both Foster and Cornell Brown has likewise convinced him of the team's worthiness.

"They're both such great coaches and so cool and laid back," Ashby said. "They really try to get to know you, they're definitely big on family."

While Ashby didn't get a chance to see either of the Bird alumni on the current roster at camp (CB Shawn Payne and LB Deon Clarke), he did get to spend some time with another player from the Richmond area that's joined the VT family.

"I got to speak with C.J. Reavis a little, he was on a seven-on-seven team with me, so that was cool," Ashby said.

Like the Stonewall and DeMatha alumni, the staff will also be counting on Reavis to help sway Ashby. While the Hokies are his only offer right now, he says Duke, N.C. State, Wake Forest and Marshall have all shown interest so far.

Ashby doesn't expect to return to Tech's campus this summer, but will "probably go for a game" this season.

If he does, it seems like a good bet he won't be the only 2017 prospect that camped with the Hokies to stop by Blacksburg that day.