Hokies Ready to Host Multitalented "757" Prospects Phillip Patterson, Devon Hunter in Late July

Tech's coaching staff is running a full court press to get prospects down to Blacksburg the weekend of July 25-26, and they're putting a special focus on recruits in the Virginia Beach area.

The weekend will provide the coaches the chance to hold workouts for some prospects, but it will also help them show off their camaraderie at a barbeque with all the recruits to wrap up their visits.

So far, the team has gotten a number of prominent prospects to commit to making the trip down, but two from the "757" will undoubtedly get plenty of attention on the trip.

2016 WR/S Phillip Patterson of Bayside HS and 2017 ATH Devon Hunter of Indian River HS will both be heading up to Blacksburg from the beach for the gathering, and area recruiters Bryan Stinespring and Zohn Burden will both be keen on showing them around campus and helping them get comfortable with the other coaches.

The visit could prove especially meaningful for Patterson, who's rated a 3-star recruit by the 247 Composite ranking. Not only has he named the Hokies among his top six final schools — along with Penn State, Duke, ODU, UNC and Wake Forest — but he's also set a decision date for August 1, immediately after his scheduled trip to Tech.

I am truly blessed to announce that I will be making my college commitment at Bayside High school on August 1st @ 1:00 in the Gym #BeThere— Phil Patterson (@og_patt) July 10, 2015

"I felt like I was getting closer relationships with all the coaches, and I didn't want to stall it out anymore," Patterson said. "I want to make my decision before the season, rather than still shuffling around to schools during the season."

While Patterson has had a chance to see most of the other schools in his top group, he has yet to visit Blacksburg. With his first visit to campus coming so soon before his scheduled decision date, he plans to try and take in everything about Tech in one fell swoop.

"I want to see the stadium and all the facilities, but I want to learn about more than just football, I want to see about their academics too," Patterson said.

Stinespring and Torrian Gray first took the lead in recruiting Patterson as a safety back when the team offered him in January, but recently it's been Burden leading the charge in getting Patterson to visit Tech.

"I make sure to talk to Coach Burden twice a week, at least, just to talk," Patterson said.

Patterson has had good reason to develop closer ties with the wide receivers coach in recent days. Although the Hokies initially offered him with the intention of playing him mainly at defensive back, Burden agreed to alter his offer this spring to include a shot at seeing time at wide receiver.

"At first they just wanted me as a DB, but then he said I had a chance to play both sides of the ball," Patterson said. "Now they're looking at me mainly as wide receiver, but I don't prefer one or the other."

With Burden established as Patterson's likely future position coach if he were to become a Hokie, he says he's looking forward to spending some quality time with him in late July.

"I know want to spend lots of time with Coach Burden when I'm there," Patterson said.

Patterson says he won't be working out at all when he heads to Tech, as he's still nursing a hamstring injury, but will mainly be aiming to take in the atmosphere on campus.

But Blacksburg won't be the only visit he makes ahead of his decision. He headed to Tennessee on Wednesday, with a trip to Georgia possible after that, and he says he hopes to see the rest of his top six schools before August 1.

"Hopefully I can get to UNC, Penn State, Duke and ODU coming up here," Patterson said.

Patterson says his top six schools all remain neck-and-neck at this point, but he hopes these upcoming trips will change that.

"It'll probably be that once I get on all these visits, I'll be ready to make my decision," Patterson said.

Like Patterson, Hunter is also planning on heading down for the weekend of July 25-26, even if the rising junior's decision is a bit farther off in the future.

But unlike Patterson, the trip won't be Hunter's first to Blacksburg.

Hunter, who's rated a 4-star prospect by the 247Sports Composite ranking, has camped with the Hokies for the last two seasons, stretching back to his days as an apprehensive rising freshman.

"I remember the first time I went down there as an eighth grader before starting high school," Hunter said. "I was just so nervous, and the coaches really calmed me down."

When he went back to Blacksburg last summer as a seasoned rising sophomore, Hunter officially got a scholarship pledge from the Hokies.

"When I got the offer, it was really special because it was one of my first," Hunter said. "They're definitely one of my favorite schools."

Hunter says he's gotten to meet with Frank Beamer on each of trips to camp, but it's been Stinespring that's been the constant in his recruitment.

"Coach Stinespring is the first one I met with the Hokies, he always just tells me to stay humble," Hunter said. "He's been there from the beginning."

But Stinespring's hardly the only one keeping tabs on Hunter. The team has been recruiting 2016 Indian River LBs Tavante Beckett and Jaquan Yulee (who's now an Alabama commit) for a while now, and stopped by the school this spring to see the pair and check in with Hunter at the same time.

"The whole defensive staff just came to my school, Coach (Bud) Foster, Coach Gray and Coach (Cornell) Brown, which was cool," Hunter said.

With coaches on the defensive side of the ball showing interest in Hunter so far, it seems the multi-talented rising senior would be bound to stick in the secondary if he picked Tech, but Hunter admits that nothing is set in stone just yet.

"I'm not sure where I'd be with them," Hunter said. "I know the defense wants me bad, but Coach (Aaron) Moorehead used to tell me when he was there that the offense wanted me, so we'll see."

Hunter says that uncertainty isn't unusual among the schools that have offered him.

"Lots of schools have offered me as DB, but some have been on offense, some want me to do both," Hunter said.

Hunter plays all over the field for Indian River, starting at both wide receiver and safety, but he says he's not confined to any one position.

"They just try to put me in spots where I can make plays," Hunter said. "I like having the ball in my hands. And on defense, I'm a competitor, I like lining up against the best player on the field, or even playing some linebacker."

This season was Hunter's first playing both wide receiver and safety, and he says his performance this coming year could change his future at the next level.
"I'll probably end up on defense, but it depends on this year," Hunter said. "If I have a really big year at wide receiver, that could change."

No matter where he ends up playing, there are dozens of schools interest in earning Hunter's commitment. He says he has "no favorite right now," but he is "interested in lots of schools," including Clemson, UVA, Maryland, Florida, Alabama, Auburn, Miami and Florida State in addition to Tech.

In addition to his visit to Tech this month, Hunter says he's also wants to get to Florida, Florida State and Miami in July, with trips to Penn State and Georgia possible later this summer.

Hunter is also fresh off his second visit to Tuscaloosa, meeting with Nick Saban and the rest of the Crimson Tide back in June.

#ROLLTIDE pic.twitter.com/1xemYzf4Sp— Devon Hunter (@devonhunter11) June 13, 2015

"I went down there with my teammate Jaquan Yulee, just getting to meet the staff and working with the coaches, it was great," Hunter said.

But while Yulee might be one voice in Hunter's ear selling stock in Bama, a pair of Tech's 2015 signees are keeping on him about the virtues of VT.

"I'm friends with DeShawn McClease and Trevon Hill, I work out with them, and they tell me about how it is down there all the time," Hunter said.

Those overtures, combined with plenty of attention from the coaching staff, have Hunter eagerly anticipating his visit later this month.

"The coaches tell me all the time how much they want me on campus, so it should be a great experience," Hunter said.