Hokies get commitment No. 2

Virginia Tech picked up its second commitment in two days from Lincolnton (Ga.) Lincoln County tight end Brandon Barden. The 6-foot-5, 211-pounder received the offer today from the Hokies on a visit to Blacksburg and accepted on the spot.

"Brandon told me before he left that if Virginia Tech offered, he'd probably commit on the spot. This morning he called me after he received the offer and told me he was committing to Virginia Tech. He sounded very excited about it all," Lincoln County head coach Larry Campbell said. "He is still up at Tech now with his mom. I know for some reason he's always wanted to go to Virginia Tech and has been a fan of them for a while.

"I know another big draw for Virginia Tech is the school of engineering. He likes that they are well-known for that degree and I know he plans to pursue that in college."

Did anything else draw Barden to commit to the Hokies?

"I know the stability of Frank Beamer there had a lot to do with his decision too," he said. "He also liked being recruited by Torrian Gray. Coach Gray did a great job recruiting Georgia and gave a unique perspective of the school since he's a new coordinator at the school."

Campbell thinks Virginia Tech has a very good talent on their hands.

"He is a highly recruited kid that received offers from Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, Kansas State and others. Georgia, Clemson and Georgia Tech were looking hard at him as well and probably would have offered at camp," he explained. "Brandon is an all-around student athlete and probably one of the most sought after kids in state that Georgia missed out on and they don't lose out on too many."

Once Barden gets to Tech, the coaching staff plans to change his position to tight end.

"I know Beamer liked him a lot because of his versatility, but he will be a tight end because they are planning to put some weight on him once he gets there," he said. "He has pretty good speed at 4.6-seconds and size, 6-foot-5, 220-pounds.

"I personally don't know much about him at tight end since he plays quarterback for me, but I can say he is a much better receiver than a blocker right now and overall he's a winner. He led our team to 12 wins in a row and the state championship."