Adding Reamon to football staff could pay off for Hokies
Virginia Tech hasn't dominated recruiting in the 757 to expectations in recent years. A new coaching assistant could help change that.
With recent misses on Tidewater-area players like Teradja Mitchell (Ohio State), Khalan Laborn (Florida State), Levonta Taylor (Florida State), Josh Sweat (Florida State), and Quin Blanding (Virginia) in the past five classes alone, it's clear that the Hokies aren't always the top choice - in fact are rarely the top choice - for players from Virginia's coastline. VT hasn't landed the Tidewater's best prospect since quarterback Tyrod Taylor (Hampton High) in the Class of 2007. For a program that boasts Bruce Smith (Norfolk Washington) and Michael Vick (Newport News Warwick) among its most notable alumni, that's not good enough.
Enter Tommy Reamon Jr. While he hasn't yet been officially added to the staff (and his role will not directly involve off-campus recruiting, at the very least), he can build connections back to his home turf in Newport News. In fact, his father, Tommy Reamon Sr., was Vick's high school coach back in the late 90s - Dad now coaches at Landstown High. Building bridges back to the region should help VT overcome the likes of Florida State, Ohio State, and Alabama for many of the best players in their own state.
Reamon's expertise is not related solely to geography, though. The Old Dominion alum was a graduate assistant at Virginia, a coaching intern with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and a quality control coach at Miami before spending the past three years as the wide receivers coach at Christopher Newport University in Newport News. He's clearly climbing the coaching ladder fast, just five years removed from his playing days.
His playing background spans multiple positions: dual-threat quarterback, wide receiver, and tight end are all on the resume. He has worked with both tight ends and wide receivers during his coaching tenure. Serving as a quality control assistant with one of those positions is his likely role in Blacksburg.
When Virginia Tech makes his hire official, it will be interesting to see what role he plays for the team, and what level of involvement he'll have on the recruiting trail.