2017 TE Drake DeIuliis Hoping to Fill the Bucky Hodges Role in Justin Fuente's New Offense

At 6'6" and 215 pounds, Drake DeIuliis knows he doesn't look the typical tight end to take the field for the Hokies. Luckily, that's just what Tech's coaching staff is counting on.

The Charlotte's Providence HS product committed to the Hokies on April 22, and he told The Key Play that one of the most important factors in that decision was what he heard from Justin Fuente and the rest of the coaches about the unorthodox way they see him fitting into the new offense.

"I'm not going to be one of those guys gaining 50 pounds, playing at 280, blocking the entire game, and when the coaches told me how important the position was and how versatile it would be, it really struck home with me," DeIuliis said.

Indeed, instead of trying to beef up his blocking skills, he's hoping to follow in the footsteps of another tight end that's played all over the field for the Hokies.

"They're going to use a lot of tight ends, two to three almost every down, they said, and they compared me more to Bucky Hodges," DeIuliis said. "I'll play out in the slot, out wide, H-back, pretty much just a very versatile player, which is awesome, I love to do it. It was an awesome decision to be in that offense in a few years."

But DeIuliis didn't simply take these assurances from the Hokies on faith — he got a chance to see how Fuente's new offense would work in person with a visit to Blacksburg in early April.

"I actually got to see a practice for the first time since I hadn't seen one before, and they're doing a great job," DeIuliis said. "It's a high-intensity practice and I loved it."

He noted that TEs coach James Shibest's energetic style was a big reason that practice seemed so intense.

"He's very hands on, he's not scared to tell you his mind, and he cares about his players a lot," DeIuliis said. "He's just good at being a coach, he knows when to yell and when not to yell, and he's great at what he does. He's very energetic and his voice carries well, he knows what he's doing. Just a very special man."

DeIuliis got a chance to sit down for lunch with both Shibest and Fuente after practice wrapped up, and said he came away with the sense that they were both "great people."

Once DeIuliis returned home and started mulling over his options, he said he kept coming back to that visit, thinking about how close he felt with both coaches.

"I thought about it for a while, I debated between them and South Carolina, and it came down to just family values in the coaches and the relationship they've instilled in me over a period of time," DeIuliis said. "So then I talked to my family, prayed about it for a while, and just gave the coaches a call."

He dialed up Shibest and Fuente to let them know the good news, and it seems they took it pretty well.

"Coach Shibest just about jumped out of his chair he told me and Coach Fuente was the same," DeIuliis said. "It was an awesome decision, I'm very happy I did it."

Now, he's itching to get back to Blacksburg for good, since he thinks Southwestern Virginia is already starting to feel like home.

"I just felt over time, the last few times I've been there, it feels like the closest thing to home in college, the fan base there, the coaches, the staff, everything about the university has those traits that I'm looking for," DeIuliis said. "It's just a special place that I'd love to be able to call home."

However, he'll have to wait a little bit yet before he can join the Hokie family for good, as he isn't planning on enrolling early even though he made his commitment so early in the cycle.

"The coaches are really big on me finishing out my senior year playing basketball so I'm going to do that, and once that's over, it's over and I'm ready to be a Hokie football player," DeIuliis said.

Yet he's still planning on taking a few more trips to Tech to tide himself over between now and next summer. He was originally thinking of heading to the spring game until he realized he had a camp that weekend, but he thinks a summer visit is definitely in order.

"I'd love to get down there in a couple weeks or a month or two, I'll talk to my parents and get a date set," DeIuliis said. "I want to get back down there as much as possible before I come down there for good."