Class of '23 Profiles: Takye Heath
Richmond to VT is back
That's the biggest takeaway from Brent Pry's first year as Virginia Tech head coach. And when you talk about high school football in capital of the Commonwealth, it begins and ends with Highland Springs.
On May 22nd, Virginia Tech picked up a pledge from speedy Highland Springs athlete Takye Heath. Heath is a 5”10” 165 lb. outside skill player who can play on both sides of the football at the next level. He is ranked as the #28 ranked player in Virginia by 247Sports.com.
In June of 2021, the Hokies, then led by Justin Fuente, offered Heath as a DB. This was Heath’s second P5 offer, his first was by Duke the day before. Other programs to offer him included Virginia, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Maryland, and Boston College.
With Heath being so close to campus he and his teammates would make visits to Blacksburg frequently. He never used his official visit but his longest stay in the ‘Burg occurred after a 7v7 tournament in June. After the visit Heath believed that, “Coach Pry will get Tech football back to where we once were.”
Highland Springs has been a Class 5A talent machine for decades. The Springers won the Region 5 Championship over Maury this season in dominant fashion, and Heath had a key interception with a 50 yard return that helped the Springer pull away late in the first half. His burst of speed and good ball skills is the major reason why many of the areas Power 5 programs have offered Heath. As you can see in the clips below, Heath can reach top speed in a flash and shows top tier agility in his route running.
Takye Heath with Springers 3rd pick against Maury. @byronsjones @VaPrepsRivals @gohshsfootball @RecruitingHSHS @kyeheath1 pic.twitter.com/AI3m9stH4y
— Danny Lewis (@CRF4Dan) December 10, 2022
Takye Heath 5 pass from Khristian Martin with 49 seconds left in half. Extra point missed. Highland Springs 18, Maury 7 pic.twitter.com/7HF2wSsMML
— Larry Rubama (@LHRubama) December 10, 2022
How are first-year coaches like Virginia Tech's Brent Pry doing on the recruiting trail? @adamgorney digs into the numbers and how Pry and the Hokies landed key targes like WR Takye Heath: https://t.co/XOKeaK6AlB pic.twitter.com/Nedpiv1y4h
— Rivals (@Rivals) July 7, 2022
This commitment helps set a clear path for the once strong Richmond to Virginia Tech pipeline. Highland Springs is coached by former VT safety and Grad Assistant, Loren Johnson. While Heath’s small frame may scare away some, he plays with real aggression on defense and is electric with the ball in his hands. With some time in a collegiate strength program, Heath projects as a quick burst, possession based slot receiver.
He joins Dante Lovett, Krystian Williams, Thomas Williams and others as players who could play both sides. That is a great problem to have as the skill sets are similar and the positions can be switched around later in their careers, something that Brent Pry and the current staff have had no issues with early in a player’s career.
