By Marty Gordon
Two members of this year’s state championship team from Radford High School have announced plans to be part of the first-year program at Roanoke College.
Seniors Charlies Davis and Brandon Thompson helped lead Radford to this year’s Class 2 state championship.
Davis (5-10, 201) was named this year’s all-county/all-city defensive player of the year with 157 tackles including 62 solos. He was also the state’s defensive player of the year and had 18 tackles in the Riverheads title game. Davis is expected to play linebacker in the new Old Dominion Athletic Conference program.
Thompson (6-3, 196), who is also expected to play linebacker at Roanoke, was named to this season’s second team All-Region C squad. He had 89 total tackles this season including 36 solos and three sacks.
When choosing a college, Davis said it came down to where he would enjoy playing football as well as college.
“Roanoke checked both of those boxes for me,” he said. “The new coaches’ energy and dedication that they brought to recruiting made it the deciding factor in my choice of Roanoke College. Also, the fact that I’ll be on the first football team at Roanoke College in 80+ years is not only an exciting challenge, but I feel it is an honor.”
Thompson says he chose Roanoke because of the coaching staff.
“Every time, I talked to them they asked how I was doing and how my grades were and how life was in general,” said Thompson. “Another reason is because when I stepped on campus it felt like home the coaches made it feel like home, and it was a small campus and it seemed like everyone knew each other and that’s the type of environment I like. It’s also not too far from home but just far enough to where I can learn to be on my own.”
He also said it will be great to play beside his high school teammate in Charlie Davis.
“It’s like a dream come true we’ve both been talking about playing football in college since we were little. Now, we get to do it together,” Thompson said.
Roanoke College announced in June it had raised $1.3 million toward adding a football program and will compete as a club team in 2024 with the goal of becoming a varsity sport in 2025. The team will play at Salem Stadium, which hosted the Division III national championship from 1993-07.
Roanoke will play in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC).
A short time after the announcement, Roanoke hired former Virginia Tech assistant Bryan Stinespring.
Mike Giancola has been hired as the associate head coach and defensive coordinator for the Maroons.
Roanoke College hasn’t had a football team since 1942, when it was forced to disband the program because of the constraints of World War II.
Beginning as a graduate assistant at Tech, Stinespring was hired into his first full-time coaching role under Frank Beamer in 1992, when he became director of sports programs. He went on to spend 26 years on Beamer’s coaching staff. He also has coached at the University of Delaware, Old Dominion University and University of Maryland, and he just wrapped up a stint at Virginia Military Institute.
In Stinespring’s time at Virginia Tech, the program won seven conference championships and advanced to 23 consecutive bowl games. The Hokies earned invitations to eight BCS bowl games, including the national championship game in the 1999 season. Stinespring was primarily the team’s tight ends coach for his final 10 seasons (2006-15) in Blacksburg. Stinespring spent three years as the recruiting coordinator and tight ends coach after an 11-year role as offensive coordinator from 2002-12.
Last month, Mitch Ferrick joined the Maroons as the offensive coordinator to begin 2024. He previously served as assistant tight ends coach at the University of Wisconsin for one season. Prior to that he served in the same capacity at the University of North Carolina, where the Tar Heels were crowned ACC Coastal champions.
Ferrick spent three years at Division II, Texas A&M-Commerce and previously served as an offensive coach for multiple positions at Bridgewater College.
The Roanoke plan is to also add varsity cheerleading and marching band programs. The goal is to recruit 50 football players, 50 band members and 30 competitive cheerleaders as part of the fall 2024 entering class.
Thompson said it feels great to be a part in building a program from the ground up and knowing the players will be part of the history books. “It is an amazing feeling.”
“At Roanoke, I hope to accomplish a championship and to build a bond with everyone on the team that will last forever and to have fun with everyone while doing it. I hope we can send a message to everyone saying that we mean business and we aren’t going back down from anyone,” Thompson said.
Davis feels a little nervous. “It’s going to be a little nerve racking, but the coaches and the Roanoke College athletic director are dedicated to making this program an elite program, and that’s my goal as well.”
“I hope to make Roanoke’s program a team that people respect sooner than later. Personally, I plan on putting in the work and make a name for myself as a college player. I hope to get individual accolades, but my main focus will be the success of the team,” Davis added.
Thompson hopes to major in business at Roanoke, while Davis is leaning toward sports therapy.
