Oscar Smith running back Deshawn McClease chose to commit to Virginia Tech Tuesday over the University of Maryland as well as a number of other offers.
3-Star RB McClease Commits: Oscar Smith three-star running back Deshawn McClease held upwards of a dozen schol... http://t.co/Bp0mmcR7JB
— VirginiaPreps.com (@VirginiaPreps) July 15, 2014
#Hokies #FutureHokies #OscarSmith #2015 Deshawn McClease @saicko_slim #HokieNation show him love pic.twitter.com/cnawCX7SMx
— VT Edits (@VT_Edits) May 23, 2014
The 5'9", 175-pound running back finished with 1,558 yards and 28 touchdowns last season. He's a consensus three-star recruit and considered the 20th best player in the Commonwealth of Virginia by 247Sports.
McClease becomes the ninth overall recruit to commit to Tech and the first player in this class on the offensive side of the ball.
Clearly, he's been very productive for a strong program and has good speed though certain folks around these parts do look down on the fact he's essentially a J.C. Coleman clone from his diminutive size to attending the same high school.
There are many who have theorized that McClease was offered in the hopes of attracting standout defensive end Josh Sweat who is also from Oscar Smith, but I think McClease can be a productive player for the Hokies in some fashion.
While like Coleman he probably isn't an every down back, he can still find his way on the field as a return man or a change of pace guy on third downs. I've always maintained that if Tech can find a way to get these kinds of players the ball in open space they are valuable weapons.
There's no question that upgrading the talent level on offense has been the priority for Tech's staff since offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler came on board. I often think of Andre Kendrick with players like this. He was an undersized kid who played QB in high school bu Frank Beamer saw obvious talent and decided Tech would find a place for him.
Of course he went on to become a valuable contributor on the best team in school history. The moral of course being that you can't write guys off because they don't fit the mold at a certain position.
McClease was primarily recruited by Bryan Stinespring who once again proves his value recruiting the 757. We'll stay on top of recruiting developments as the commitments continue to pour in.