From the sidelines
Marty Gordon
NRVsports@ourvalley.org
Okay, I have not written a lot lately about Virginia Tech football, but the days are counting down to the preseason and opening week, and I think people need to get excited. Not only has Coach Fuente been reeling in the big fish from North Carolina, he has been gaining a lot of attention with “committed” recruits.
I have said all along if quarterback Quincy Patterson is as good as onlookers say, there would be a chance he would change his mind and not come to Blacksburg. But I think Fuente has done such a good job of selling the program that Patterson will be here in 2018.
Patterson also publicly stated this past weekend that he is excited about the engineering program at Virginia Tech. Many people now believe he is legit and won’t quit on becoming a Hokie, and we’re not talking about MC Hammer here.
Let’s sit back and take a look at this kid. The 6-3, 236-pound signal caller is from Chicago, a place that has not produced a lot of these elite QB’s, but Patterson is the exception to the past, present and maybe the future.
His stock is rising quickly after attending two national elite football camps this month. He has been compared to current-USC quarterback Sam Darnold and has been called a future NFL star.
Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves, but he is a three-star QB that is rising. Already most people list him as a 4-star. By the time he gets to Blacksburg, he might be a 5-star.
Already national scouts and many beat reporters say he could win multiple Heisman’s. Yes, I said Heisman’s. The only time Virginia Tech received that type of attention was with another signal caller by the name of Michael Vick.
Now given, Hokie fans probably expected a national title before the big award like the Heisman. But Patterson provides a glimpse into the crystal ball.
This past weekend, Patterson told several sports writers he is 100 percent to the Hokies, even saying he was recruiting others to follow him to Blacksburg.
His junior year he rushed for 880 yards on 87 carries including one for 100 yards, and passed for close to 1,000 yards.
Patterson is expected to light up the scoreboard this fall as a senior, and maybe Hokie fans need to buy some insurance for the youngster so he will get to Blacksburg in one piece. We have seen what a running quarterback goes through and here’s to hoping he stays healthy.
He also plays basketball and baseball and is considered a top athlete in those sports too.
Virginia Tech has also received a commitment for 2018 from a running back. Jacksonville, Florida, three-star Caleb Steward announced Tuesday that he is headed to Blacksburg.
This past season, Steward carried the ball 190 times for 684 yards. He chose the Hokies over South Florida and Wake Forest after receiving 19 other offers.
The Virginia Tech and West Virginia Athletics Departments announced Friday that the season-opening football contest between the two schools has been moved to 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 3.
