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BLACKSBURG--There were plenty of skeptics when Thomas McClelland announced his intention to play football as a walk-on at Virginia Tech.
He's too small, some said.
He's not fast enough, others insisted.
McClelland proved them all wrong by suiting up for seven of the Hokies' 13 games, including the Insight Bowl in Phoenix, as a freshman. Now, however, it appears that if The Free Lance-Star's 2002 All-Area co-Player of the Year wants to continue his football career, he'll have to do it somewhere else.
McClelland met Thursday with Virginia Tech running backs coach Billy Hite, who informed the Stafford High School graduate that he had been dropped from the football program and would not be invited back when the Hokies open their 2004 preseason camp in August.
"It was a big surprise," said McClelland, a 5-foot-11, 197-pound tailback. "I thought I had proved myself. I guess I hadn't."
McClelland, who rushed for more than 2,500 yards and led Stafford to the 2002 Division 5 state championship game as a senior, didn't carry the ball during his first season at Virginia Tech. He played exclusively on special teams, recording seven tackles (five solo).
But with star tailback Kevin Jones having left school a year early to enter the NFL draft, and the top candidate to replace him--junior Cedric Humes--walking with crutches after suffering a broken leg last month, McClelland did plenty of running during Virginia Tech's spring workouts.
He led all rushers with nine carries for 33 yards in the Hokies' first full-contact scrimmage on April 3, then finished with 62 yards on 10 carries in
another scrimmage four days later--an effort that prompted Hite to praise McClelland's knack for breaking tackles in a position evaluation on Beamerball.com.
"I thought he made the most of the opportunity he had there," Stafford coach Roger Pierce said. "He was doing really well for himself."
McClelland's momentum was interrupted, however, when Hite moved highly touted freshman George Bell from fullback to tailback midway through spring practice. With Bell taking up carries in a rotation with juniors Mike Imoh and Justin Hamilton, McClelland had precious few opportunities to make a further impression on the coaching staff in practice.
He carried the ball just twice during last Saturday's Maroon-White game at Lane Stadium, gaining a total of eight yards.
"[Hite] said I wasn't mentally there all the time, but I wasn't there because I wasn't getting any reps," McClelland said. "Every guy on the team, whether he's on scholarship or a walk-on, needs a little attention from the coaches. It's hard to get any better when you're just standing off to the side watching."
Hite was unavailable for comment yesterday.
Despite his obvious disappointment, McClelland insisted he holds no grudges against his former coaches or anyone else associated with the Virginia Tech football program.
"I know I can compete at this position on this level, but I'm not going to cry about it or badmouth anybody," he said. "It was a great opportunity. I understand some of the choices [the coaches] made. I don't necessarily agree with them, but I'm just going to move on."
It's still too early to know when or where McClelland plans to move, if at all.
NCAA rules prohibit McClelland from contacting any other schools until he is given an official release from Virginia Tech. Should he transfer to another Division I-A program, he'd have to sit out two semesters before being eligible to play.
He said he'd like to continue playing football, but would be comfortable remaining as a student at Virginia Tech if nothing else materializes. He also said Hite invited him to try out for the team again in January, but indicated that he'll pass on that offer.
At the moment, McClelland is focused on his final exams and physical therapy.
He had a torn labrum in his right shoulder repaired during an outpatient procedure last week in Blacksburg.
"I don't know what Thomas wants to do," said Pierce, who spoke briefly with McClelland on Thursday. "But he's always been a guy who has stepped up to the plate and taken on challenges. Whatever he does, I'm sure he'll do it full throttle."
To reach JIM McCONNELL: 540/368-5045 jmconnell@freelancestar.com