Boyd and Heastie set to star at WVU
CHESAPEAKE, Va. - Last month, Hampton Roads four-star prospects Logan Heastie and Tajh Boyd surprised many with their joint pledge to West Virginia. The talented quarterback and wide receiver combo had mentioned a desire to play together despite the fact they never have officially played on the same team. In fact, the two players are on opposite sides of the water from each other, Heastie in Chesapeake and Boyd in Hampton.
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"We first became friends back during rec ball in middle school," Heastie said. "We played against each other, he was the star player on his team at Landstown Middle School and I was the star on my team at Salem Middle. I scored four times and we led 28-0 before I broke my shoulder in a game. He almost led his team back. Ever since then we've gotten to know each other better. Back then we were always trying to be the best and Tajh and I were ahead of the game. Most people weren't as focused as us.
"We went to a few camps together with our parents. I remember going to Virginia Tech with him when we were young."
While they were very familiar with each other, Boyd and Heastie's relationship developed significantly in the past year.
"We met each other again at the Ultimate 100 Combine in New Jersey at the end of my 10th grade year. Ever since then we've been hanging out together," Boyd said. "We are kind of similar in the way we act. We're best friends that hang out and talk about girls and it's been real cool. My parents get along with his parents."
Logan agreed.
"In the last year we really started hitting the camp circuit together. Our parents were good friends and we traveled together, now we're best friends. He comes over to my house and I go to his. This past weekend we hung out. We're with each other all the time now."
Over the past year the relationship has evolved from being friends to working out together and the possibility of even playing together at the next level entered the fray.
"In the past three to four months we've started really training together, we go to a personal trainer," the 6-foot-3, 194-pound wide receiver said. "I've done some training with him in football too. It's helped a lot with me being a wide receiver and him a quarterback. He tells me things that he'll see from his perspective and I'll tell him from a receiver's perspective. We're already working on our chemistry and he knows I like slants and fades.
"We had always talked about playing together. Then, recruiting got real serious and I told him I'd love to play together with him. He told me he'd like to play with me too."
Boyd felt the two were meant to commit at the same time to the same school.
"I don't know when it first came up, but certain schools were interested in him, Tennessee, Boston College and West Virginia. I was interested in those too and I know Logan is a receiver that can go and get it. I can't wait, we'll be able to room together in Morgantown. It'll be a great time out there."
Many high school prospects discuss the possibility of playing together in college. How did it evolve for Heastie and Boyd?
"Every weekend before we committed we were out of town, we went to Tennessee and the next weekend was to West Virginia," Heastie said. "Tennessee was awesome with their facilities and coaching staff. I wondered how West Virginia would compare to that.
"I knew they had lost their head coach and Coach Beatty was there. I went in to check it out to see what it was like with no thoughts in my mind about committing. When I got there it was the real deal. I watched spring practice and realized I can step right in this second and make an immediate impact. The facilities and campus were like no other.
"Tajh and I were with each other the whole time on that trip. But then I was watching game film with the coaches and Tajh pulled me aside. He told me he committed and his whole family was in there with Coach Stewart. After that, Coach Kelly turned to me and said if you commit, we won't do you wrong, we'll put you in the NFL.
"I believed and trusted him and my parents then wanted me to commit. They weren't pressuring me though. It was my decision and I pulled the trigger. I told Tajh and we celebrated with the coaching staff."
Boyd added his thoughts on the decision day.
"It was kind of weird, but felt right at the time," he said. "I decided and told Logan about it. I thought it was going to happen differently. I thought he'd pick his top school and see if they were on my list too, but we just felt the same way. At first, I thought maybe I shouldn't have made the commitment, but then I got up the next day, I knew it was the right thing."
Both players were very impressed with their visit to campus, especially meeting with the new Mountaineer head coach.
"The first thing I saw there was how the coaches greet you and how they want you. I like the fact that it's a new coaching staff. There are no favorites. I know there are a lot of politics at certain schools," Boyd said. "Also, some schools think they are too big to cater to you, but West Virginia is a big-time program too and right now they are ranked No. 6 in the nation. Finally, I knew it was right by the way my parents and brother felt. They all felt good down there.
"The first thing that jumped out to me was Coach Stewart," Heastie said. "He is one of the coolest head coaches I've ever met. If you meet him, you would never know he's a head coach because he is so down to earth and the staff he's got behind him is great. I love Coach Beatty to death and Doc Holliday and the rest of the staff is great as well. They all told me that if West Virginia isn't for you, then don't come. Plus, it's Morgantown. The fans love their football players."
After being opponents for their entire high school careers, the two talented prospects are excited to make the jump together to the next level.
"It's pretty cool. In high school we played against each other and on the next level I'll play with him," Boyd said. "They see Logan and me as Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin. They wanted to get three guys that day, Damien Thigpen as Emmitt Smith. I hope we can get him there too. We'll have an air threat and a ground threat and we should be able to put up some great numbers."
Now verbally committed, the two plan to return to Morgantown on April 19th for the Mountaineers spring game.
"That should be a lot of fun," the quarterback said. "We're going to get t-shirts made up with Boyd and Heastie coming to WVU."
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