by Andy Hilton, recruit757
#27 Menchville Kicker Dillon Christopher (Photo: Joe Barnes/recruit757)
Menchville kicker Dillon Christopher impressed fans and college coaches alike when he booted a 60-yard field goal last fall to set a new VHSL record. Now in the offseason, Christopher is gathering college interest and taking visits. This past weekend he made a trip to Virginia Tech’s Junior Day. What did he think of the visit?
Dillon can boast the stamina and leg strength of a soccer player with the accuracy of a seasoned kicker. The coaching staff at Virginia Tech was onto him before he ever kicked the record setter. Now that he’s becoming a hot commodity, the Hokies’ staff want to be sure to maintain their status as a frontrunner for Dillon when he commits as a member of the 2013 recruiting class.
Saturday’s Junior Day in Blacksburg was impressive, right down to the last second victory by the basketball Hokies over ACC rival Georgia Tech. It was a full day for Dillon and the rest of the visiting recruits.
“We met all the coaches. Then we went to watch a introductory video about Tech, and Beamer talked,” explained Dillon. “We went on a bus tour around campus, then we went to the gym on campus. We went to Lane Stadium, went in the VIP area and talked about academics. The staff there is motivated to help the players get on the Dean’s List.”
Criminal Justice is one of Dillon’s interests for a degree program and Virginia Tech has been a favorite of his since his childhood. Early on, he dreamed of a soccer scholarship with the Hokies, but now he only has football on his mind.
The tour of the facilities and meetings with the coaching staff really impressed Dillon.
“We had lunch with the coaches, then we went to the locker room and they showed us everything we get when we go there,” Christopher said. ”We got to put on the jerseys and take pictures. Then we went to the team weight room and the agility room. From there, we went back to the auditorium, had a closing video and met with our position coaches.”
Since Frank Beamer has a big hand in the special teams efforts at Virginia Tech, Dillon met personally with Coach Beamer to close out the day.
“He told me that he wants me to stay consistent in my senior season,” said Dillon of his conversation with the head coach. “If I miss, he wants it to be a close miss.”
While Dillon’s weekend made a strong impression, he’s hearing plenty from other schools and keeping his options open at this time. He’s getting heavy interest from Wisconsin, Old Dominion and James Madison, plus he’s started hearing from Duke lately. Christopher will attend Old Dominion’s Junior Day this coming weekend and has plans for a JMU Junior Day in March.
Scholarship offers are tough to come by for kickers, and an early offer for a junior kicker is even more rare. Then again, Dillon could be seen as a rare kicker. Any scholarship offer could result in multiple offers flowing his way.
Christopher summed up the situation rather plainly. “Tech is #1 right now, but anything can change if offers start coming.”
- Andy Hilton
