2011 Virginia Tech Spring Football: WR Marcus Davis Continues His Big Spring

Virginia Tech held its second "mini-scrimmage" and third scrimmage overall this spring Wednesday night. Flanker Marcus Davis was one of the top performers according to the official release, with three catches for 51 yards. He now has eight catches for 108 yards (13.5 ypc).

After making a name for himself in the second half of 2010, Davis has continued that momentum into spring and appears to have a good rapport with new starting quarterback Logan Thomas. Davis played well after second-string flanker Dyrell Roberts developed compartment syndrome in his left thigh after the Georgia Tech game.

With Roberts out for the spring, Davis maintained the No. 2 flanker spot behind Danny Coale and has responded to the opportunity to earn serious playing time for the 2011 season. The coaches said they were looking for Davis to "take another step and become a big-time contributor" this spring after he excelled during offseason strength and conditioning.

So far, so good and Davis is being rewarded for his successful spring. Wide receivers coach Kevin Sherman told the media Davis has moved up to Co-No. 1 at flanker alongside Coale.

The question becomes what to do in the fall if Roberts is able to return to 100 percent before Sept. 3. Davis, a converted quarterback, is tall and athletic and physically seems like he'd be better suited to play split end, a spot Jarrett Boykin has excelled at through three years at Virginia Tech.

But if Davis can't unseat Coale as the starting flanker and Roberts can return with his blazing speed as his back up, would it make sense to move Davis to the No. 2 split end spot and evenly distribute the four best receivers? Either way, it's a good problem to have if you're the Hokies and especially for Thomas.

If Roberts can't return, this whole argument is moot. But Davis, entering his third healthy season as a receiver, is positioning himself for significant playing time regardless of how the depth chart shapes out. And after Coale, Boykin and Roberts graduate he'll be THE guy in 2012.