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From Oscar F. Smith High School in Chesapeake, Greg Boone had big dreams. At 6"3", the fine folks at Rivals.com ranked him the #36 "Athlete" in the country. His natural position was QB and safety in high school. When he arrived on campus, he was redshirted. Coach Brian Stinespring asked him to change position, and Greg was intrigued. "My redshirt year I was moving around on the scout team for bodies in the bowl game. I started playing a little tight end that week vs. Louisville. That next year we still had Marcus Vick and Sean Glennon. He (Stinespring) asked if I wanted to get on the field faster, and If I didn't like it, I could switch back to qb." So Boone made the transition to tight end. With his size and athleticism, it was a natural fit. Boone was pushing close to 300 pounds, but had the agility of a tiger. Witness this:
That's a 6'3" 289 pound guy doing a back handspring. I'm 6'4 and 250. It's a stretch for me to get out of my wife's Honda Pilot. With the evolution of the Wildcat offense, it became a no brainer for the coaching staff to dabble in exotic formations and lineups. That's when the "Wild Turkey" was born. It was simple. We have a quarterback who is 290, can throw the ball, has good hands, and is an athlete. Run a little read option, change the pace of the game, and we are golden. As a witness to the "Wild Turkey", I was impressed. I had seen enough of the I-formation and vanilla offense. This was a spark that my team needed. I had the privilege to connect with the original "Wild Turkey", and without further ado, here is the 10 on 10 with Greg Boone:
RH: When is the last time you were at Lane Stadium as a fan?
GB: Probably about 2 years ago, I took my little cousin to the UVA (VT) game and we had a blast.
RH: You're really funny on Facebook. Who do you get your sense of humor from?
GB: I have no clue who I get it from really, I guess it just comes with the territory.
RH: Last time you talked to Brian Stinespring?
GB: I talked to Stiney probably a couple weeks ago. We still stay in touch with each other.
RH: What's the last movie you saw?
GB: Last movie was Fast 7. I love all the fast and furious movies. This one had Jason Stratham in it, so you know there was a lot of action.
RH: The last time anybody bought you a shot of Wild Turkey, and where were you?
GB: No one has ever bought me a shot of Wild Turkey. I don't even drink, if we're talking about alcohol.
RH: Who was the best pool player on your team(s)?
GB: I stayed away from the pool table so I have no clue. If you asked who was the best gamer on the team, I would win that hands down. I even held our Hokies down at the A.C.C. convention in Raleigh my senior year. Beat every school in attendance. We played EA college football. You had to use your own team.
RH: Frank Beamer is like...(fill in the blanks)
GB: Aw man. Coach Beamer. It's kind of hard to say what coach is like. Real cool. Mellow guy. I had to take coach Beamer steak my senior year at The Farmhouse. Sorry coach! Inside joke on that one for sure, he knows what I'm talking about though.(SIZZLING)
"He always wants you to do things the right way. The Hokie way."
Greg Boone on Frank Beamer
RH: What do you think the biggest problem facing current players is?
GB: I really couldn't tell you the biggest problem because I don't really know these guys. Probably the best piece of advice I could give is to hold everyone accountable for all actions inside the classroom and on the field.
So there you have it Tech fans. The original "Wild Turkey" has spoken. I had a great time catching up with Greg, and let me tell you something about him. He is one of the funniest guys I have had the pleasure to speak with. Do yourself a favor and follow him @gb757 , and while you're at it follow me!
@roybhatfield