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One of the newest Hokies, Caleb Farris, is one step closer to living his dream of running out of the tunnel as a member of the Virginia Tech football team. Farris has long been a fan of the Hokies, and committing to Tech has been something he has dreamed of for as long as he can remember.

“I cannot wait for the first time I run out of that tunnel with a Virginia Tech uniform on,” says Caleb Farris, “I can’t even imagine the emotions I will feel.”

Farris attends Rockbridge County High School in Lexington, Virginia, which is a little over an hour away from Blacksburg. With more than a few relatives and friends who have attended Virginia Tech, becoming a Hokie has been something he has always dreamed of. So much, in fact, other schools had shied away from offering him a scholarship, because they had heard rumors of Caleb loving Virginia Tech.

“It got a bit frustrating at times,” says Farris’ mother, Robin. “For whatever reason, a rumor got out to a bunch of other schools that Caleb was definitely going to Virginia Tech, and that was before Tech had even offered him a scholarship. We heard more than once that the school wanted to wait and see what Tech did before they would offer him a scholarship.”

VTInsider.com spoke with Caleb Farris about his commitment to Tech and about how he sees himself fitting in on campus.

“I am one step closer to my dream. I had offers from Marshall, East Carolina, and a bunch of other schools were recruiting me. Word got out that I was a Tech fan and schools kind of backed off from offering me. Boston College and Maryland pretty much knew that I was going to commit to Tech, and in the end that’s what happened. I have always had a spot for Virginia Tech in my heart. My house is only about an hour-and-a-half from Blacksburg and I have been going to football camps there for a few years now. I have some aunts and uncles who went there so they have always been a school that has interested me. They are a top ten program in the entire country so to be committed to play there is an honor.”

“Blacksburg being so close to home played a big part in my decision. It is kind of like a home away from home. My family would have supported me no matter what school I picked, but the fact that my parents can come see me play every home game is going to be special. I like the coaching staff a whole lot, I just feel very comfortable at Tech.”

“I am about 6-foot-4 and I am being recruited to play guard. I am a little short to play tackle in college, but that is where I am playing at Rockbridge, so anything is possible. I am also a very good long snapper, so I am hoping that maybe I can get on the field early on special teams to long snap for the kicking game. I am very comfortable handling the ball and I feel as if I can move anywhere across the line wherever coaches want me to play. Most likely though I will be playing guard or center.”

“Coach Billy Hite the running backs coach has been my main recruiter. I have been in contact with him for a while now. (Offensive Coordinator) Bryan Stinespring has visited my school a few times, and (offensive line coach) Curt Newsome visited once. I have also spoken to Coach (Frank) Beamer a few times. Coach Hite was the first one to introduce me to Coach Beamer. He did not tell me that I was going to meet Coach Beamer, he kind of surprised me with everything. Coach Hite just told me that we were going to meet someone and when I got into the office it was Coach Beamer sitting behind the desk, so that was a great experience. I have visited his office a few times, I would say I have sat down with him and talked or watched tapes about three or four times all together.”

“Almost every coach that has seen my film says that they love the way I pull and the way I get to the second level onto linebackers. The guards at Tech pull a lot, so I think I will fit in really nicely up there. That is one of the main reasons I picked Virginia Tech because I can see myself playing guard for them and pulling out in the run-game. I consider myself a pretty good athlete, ready for anything, but the feedback I have gotten from coaches tells me that they think I can pull left or right and fit right in. I have also talked to a few of the lineman there and us O-lineman are all the same, we just love to run block and pop somebody in the mouth. I am ready to get out there and get something done, you know.”

“I am also friends with Mark Shuman who also committed recently, and we are looking forward to the day when we get to play alongside one another on the line. I am also getting to know Nick Acree, from Fork Union Military. It is pretty cool that Tech has started off this year’s recruiting on the interior, with the offensive and defensive linemen.”

Farris will be graduating from high school and then taking some time to prepare himself for college before enrolling at Virginia Tech.

“What I am doing is similar to a grey-shirt year, but I am the one who chose to do it, not Tech. I will be graduating from high school in June of 2010. Then I will have the summer to lift weights and digest the playbook. I will then enroll at Tech the following January. It’s not a greyshirt year, I am opting to do this. I want to give myself a little extra time to mature mentally and physically. Because I will only be seventeen years old this upcoming season, I want to have a little time to catch up to the rest of my class. This will also help me towards getting my masters degree, as I will have some credits before I enroll in school. I want to major in Business so this will help me get things going towards my degree.”

“I dream of playing in the NFL, but I know that you cannot just plan to play in college and then go pro. I am there to get my education and to also play football, not the other way around. I have heard to many stories of guys going to school thinking that they will be in the NFL in three or four years and then because of injuries or whatever reason they don’t make it and then they have nothing to fall back on. I have been blessed with my size and my athletic abilities, so I am using those blessings to further my education and set me up for later in life.”

Family is also extremely important to Caleb.

“My parents have been there for me the whole way through. From little league football to freshman year and JV football, all the way up to this point. They have been driving me to practice and supporting me at all of my games, so I am happy that they will get to see all of this hard work pay off. Having them in the stands watching me in college is going to be a dream come true. I am looking forward to that college atmosphere. Here in Rockbridge everything stops when the football team is playing, and I am looking forward to that same atmosphere at Tech.”

VTInsider.com would like to thank Caleb’s mother Robin for providing us with these great pictures of Caleb on the day he committed to Virginia Tech.









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Dan Hilbert covers football recruiting in Virginia. He can be reached at [e-mail]. If you are submitting a recruit, please include players name, high school, primary position and the best way to get in contact with the player.