No. 2 DT likes Hokie fans, coaches

Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, the No. 11 player in the country out of Oklahoma City (Okla.) Southeast took his third official visit of the recruiting season to Blacksburg last weekend to witness the Hokies 30-3 victory over North Carolina. Did the five-star prospect come away impressed with Virginia Tech?

"I thought it was going to be a little bit busier of a town, but it's kind of laid back there," he said. "They have a great fan base though and really care about their football team. I like that aspect, the game, atmosphere there and the team.

"I got up there on Friday afternoon and most of my visit I just hung out and chilled with the players and coaches. My host was Jonathan Lewis and he was really cool and laid back. Most of the time we didn't talk about football and I noticed that we are both alike in a lot of ways including playing in the All-American game coming out of high school. The big thing that he told me was that the staff has been together for 19 years and that means they have really good chemistry."

On Sunday, the Rivals100 prospect took in the academics and got to sit down with the coaches.

"Coach Wiles is a really down to earth guy like all the coaches and they are really cool," he said. "Coach Beamer is a really smart coach and has a passion for the game. I like that he also tells you the truth and won't lie to you."

McCoy enjoyed taking in the Hokies victory that sealed up the Coastal Division.

"It was really cool and the team bonded well together especially after halftime making the adjustments to win the game," he said. "The atmosphere there was crazy and I just got a feeling of how exciting it is for a game. On defense, the line is really quick and they get after the ball and don't do as much reading instead just attack and that's my style too, I like getting after the ball."

The No. 1 player in Oklahoma rated his trip to Virginia Tech a nine.

"There were some points that I didn't like as much about it," he said. "I'd still say that everyone is even right now."

Asked to compare the visit to Notre Dame and Southern Cal, McCoy said it was comparable, but he didn't want to say the exact differences.

The No. 2 defensive tackle in the country has two more officials coming up.

"I'm going to LSU on December 9th and then to Miami on December 16th," he said. "I've always liked Miami since I was a kid and they continue to talk to me all the time. I like LSU because they are winning right now and have a young team. Also if you watch the NFL lately, the Bears defensive line coach coached them last year and so obviously they know what they're talking about."

Schools including Oklahoma, Nebraska and Tennessee didn't receive officials from McCoy, but he confirmed they are still in the running too. The defensive line prospect plans to announce his decision sometime between the Army All-American game and Signing Day.