It's pretty easy to be impressed by incoming running back Cole Beck. The 2018 signee from Blacksburg High is the Roanoke Times athlete of the year.
Beck's multi-sport exploits are familiar to VT fans by this point - he rushed for 1,620 yards and 27 touchdowns, and caught four receiving touchdowns as a senior. Leading his team to a 10-2 record in his final high-school go-round, he was hardly responsible for their playoff exit, rushing for five touchdowns and catching another in a 33-32 playoff loss to rival Salem.
He also finishes as one of Virginia's fastest high school sprinters of recent vintage. His 10.37-second 100-meter dash was fastest in the state this year (No. 22 nationally), and he was third-best in the 200-meter with a 21.28-second time.
Beck will have to bulk up to continue his success at the college level - his speed is impressive regardless of context, but at 6-0, 174 pounds, he'll have to be stronger to not get beaten up by repeated hits by college-level athletes. He could also adjust by playing defensive back (which he dabbled in as a senior, partially in preparation for the possibility of ending up there at the next level), where sheer mass isn't going to be quite as important on a down-to-down basis.
The three-star was ranked the No. 10 prospect in the state and the nation's No. 21 running back. One thing is abundantly clear, though: Beck has the skills to make an impact for VT, and as early as this Fall.
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