Some quick hitters from Virginia Tech’s football media day Saturday. This is basically just a regurgitation of stuff I got today. Come back later to find some more goodies. Found out today that Ryan Williams, who is obviously not happy with being dropped to third on the depth chart, could be in the mix at quarterback in the Wild Turkey formation. I also talked to Logan Thomas about possibly winning the No. 2 QB job this preseason and RB David Wilson about his snappy wardrobe and charitable spirit.

*Strength coach Mike Gentry was practically gushing about the team’s offseason work. He called this past offseason one of the best summers the team has ever had in terms of strength and conditioning work.

*The Hokies appear to have more depth on the offensive line this season. One of Tech’s top reserves, 6-6, 284-pound left guard Greg Nosal, is probably good enough to crack the starting rotation. In fact, offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring called him “an additional starter” during his comments to the media Saturday.

*Stinespring really talked up freshman tailback David Wilson, mostly for what the Danville native does off the field. The young man wore a shirt and tie to school every day his senior year at George Washington, and he told reporters Saturday that he plans to wear a shirt and tie every day to class at Virginia Tech.

Wilson also took mission trips during spring break his junior and senior years of high school to help people in devastated areas rebuild their homes. He made a trip to Mississippi to help rebuild homes in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and helped build Habitat for Humanity homes in South Carolina last year.

Another interesting note on Wilson. He did eight uninterupted back flips in front of reporters Saturday. He said he learned how to do the gymnastics moves when he was a kid. His dad saw someone do it on TV and said it would be cool to learn to do something like that, so the young Wilson went out in the back yard and learned how to do it in a day.

Sounds like the young man can do anything he puts his mind to. He says he’s going to play this season. Care to count him out?

*The backup quarterback job is still open; according to quarterback coach Mike O’Cain. Ju-Ju Clayton has much more experience than any of the other reserve QBs, and he has a better knowledge of the playbook, but it sounds like Brookville grad Logan Thomas could still win the No. 2 spot with an impressive preseason practice. Stay tuned.

*We all know defensive end Jason Worilds is a stud. He could have a monster season if he can stay healthy. Bud Foster gave Worilds quite the compliment Saturday when he called the player a mix between Darryl Tapp and Corey Moore, two of the best defensive ends to ever come out of the program.

*Foster said he thought Virginia Tech was gaining a reputation for producing great defensive ends like Southern Cal has gained with running backs and Penn State with linebackers. Hard to argue when you consider the ends who once played here: Bruce Smith, Cornell Brown, John Engleberger, Moore, Tapp and Chris Ellis, among many others.

*Speaking of Bruce Smith. The former Hokie will be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame tonight. Hokies coach Frank Beamer, director of athletics Jim Weaver, school president Charles Steger, assistant coach Billy Hite and equipment manager Lester Karlin all planned to hop on a plane later today to get to Canton, Ohio, for the induction ceremony.

*Foster said 5-11, 210-pound whip linebacker Cody Grimm is probably pound for pound the best football player on the defense.

*Now that Stephan Virgil has moved to the more challenging boundary corner position, the Hokies are trying out a group of guys for Virgil’s old field corner spot. Rashad Carmichael is listed as the starter, but he’s being pushed by Cris Hill and Eddie Whitley.

*Gentry said of free safety Kam Chancellor: “There’s usually one guy on the football team that nobody will mess with and is the most mature and toughest and most respected, and I put Kam Chancellor in that mold. He is a man and he came in the door a man, and he has only just maintained and improved himself.”

Guess who is carrying the lunch pail to and from practice? You got it – Chancellor.

*Beamer insists the outcome of the season opener against Alabama won’t make or break the season. He points to 2007 when Tech lost badly to LSU and still was in position to make the national championship game. Had the Hokies not lost in the last seconds to BC that season, they probably would have made it to the title game.

*Beamer doesn’t seem bothered by high expectations. In fact, he has set some high expectations himself. He said Saturday that he thinks this year’s punt block and return team will be the best he’s ever had. “I plan to have Marcus Davis there, Xavier Boyce there, (Jarrett) Boykin there, D.J. Coles may be there, and these are all 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 guys that are athletic, and in blocking kicks, the faster you can get from here to there … and then if you’ve got some long arms to reach out there, you’ve got a chance to block kicks. And then those guys block people in open space all the time at wide receiver, and that’s what punt returns are, so I fully expect to have our best Pride and Joy team ever here at Virginia Tech.”

*Some even quicker hitters from Tyrod Taylor’s interview session today.
###He expects to have a better rapport with his receivers, especially on the deep ball. He spent a significant amount of time working on that in the spring and summer with his receivers.
###He doesn’t expect to run as much this year, because of all the offensive playmakers and experience around him. The less he runs the better because that will keep him out of harm’s way. He has missed all or part of five games in the last two seasons with ankle injuries.
###He spoke on the phone with Michael Vick shortly after Vick was released from prison. It was a short conversation. Vick told him to have fun out there in spite of all the expectations piled on his shoulders. That seemed to work for Vick 10 years ago when he quarterbacked the Hokies to the national championship game.
###Tyrod spent time in the summer working at the Manning Passing Academy and was able to learn from Eli, Peyton and Archie Manning. He referred to Archie Manning as Mr. Archie. Not sure if that was required of all the camp counselors.

A QUICK BASKETBALL NOTE. Tech assistant AD Tom Gabbard took media members on a tour of the Hokies’ soon-to-be opened basketball practice facility. The place is gorgeous. It has two practice courts, locker facilities for both the men’s and women’s teams and offices for both teams’ coaching staffs, among other creature comforts.

Here’s a link to Virginia Tech’s athletic Web site, which includes a story and pictures of the new facility.

http://www.hokiesports.com/wbasketball/recaps/20090807aaa.html
Deron Washington’s famous layup over Duke’s Greg Paulus in 2007, the one that elicited some colorful chants by Tech’s fans the last couple of years, is immortalized by a giant mural that flanks the facility’s main staircase. I haven’t driven by the front of the building recently, but I’m pretty certain you can see the picture through the windows.

That reminds me. The Detroit Free Press did a nice article on Deron recently as he tries to make the Pistons’ roster. It includes a picture, from a different angle, of the Paulus layup. There’s also a YouTube clip of Deron’s best dunks and blocks. The Paulus layup is shown from many angles.

Here’s a link: http://www.freep.com/article/20090712/SPORTS03/907120631/