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Hokies offer scholarship to 2018 RB Cole Beck

By Mike McDaniel

BLACKSBURG, VA - OCTOBER 20: Members of the Virginia Tech Hokies celebrate with the Corps of Cadets following the victory against the Miami Hurricanes at Lane Stadium on October 20, 2016 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Michael Shroyer/Getty Images)
BLACKSBURG, VA - OCTOBER 20: Members of the Virginia Tech Hokies celebrate with the Corps of Cadets following the victory against the Miami Hurricanes at Lane Stadium on October 20, 2016 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Michael Shroyer/Getty Images) /
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The Hokies offered a scholarship to 2018 Blacksburg running back Cole Beck, but are they too late in the game for the speedster?

The Virginia Tech Hokies offered 2018 running back Cole Beck a scholarship on Saturday night (finally). It is the 28th offer for the local 3-star running back from Blacksburg High School.

At 6’1″, 185 lbs., Beck holds good size at his position to go along with his blazing speed. Beck has been clocked at around a 4.3 time for his 40-yard dash and appears to play even faster than that on film.

For the Hokies, this has been a strange situation to follow. The team has seemingly struggled almost every year at running back since David Wilson departed following the 2011-12 season, so one would have thought Beck’s offer would have come much earlier than it did, especially considering he plays high school ball about four miles from Lane Stadium.

Historically, the Hokies have gotten in the mix much earlier for prime targets, especially local players, so the reasons why Beck had not received an offer until now remain unknown.

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On July 3rd, Beck narrowed his list down to five schools, which is a milestone for many recruits on the road to a verbal commitment. The list included North Carolina, East Carolina, Virginia, Louisville, and Pittsburgh.

On a related note, Beck’s cover photo on his Twitter profile contains a picture of the Pittsburgh Panthers running out of the tunnel, with his name etched across the back of one of the jerseys.

It will be interesting to see whether or not Beck will give the Hokies serious consideration this late in the game, or if he instead opts to commit to one of the five schools who have recruited him harder throughout the process.

If Beck heads to one of the other five destinations, he could prove to be the one who got away, as the Hokies may end up facing him on the field in the coming seasons. The Hokies play North Carolina, East Carolina, Virginia, and Pittsburgh annually, while they face Louisville on a more limited basis.

Beck has not yet announced a decision date, but it is safe to assume that a college decision will come down from him at some point this fall.