Whitaker in Two Places At Once as Camp Starts

BLACKSBURG, Va., Aug. 6 -- Ike Whitaker walked downtown this summer to Ancient Arts tattoo parlor, just on the edge of the Virginia Tech campus, so he could commemorate his redemption. On his right forearm, Whitaker had scrawled in cursive ink, "Life is God's novel. Believe in my story."

And Whitaker's story, abridged, is this: He began drinking in 10th grade and continued, more and more heavily, when he arrived at Virginia Tech as a ballyhooed recruit from Northwest High in Germantown. He told himself he would stop. He couldn't. In December, at the end of his redshirt freshman season, Whitaker entered an alcohol rehab center in Roanoke. While the Hokies prepared for their bowl game, Whitaker changed his life.

Now, at 20, Whitaker enters his first sober season as a college player with a new outlook and, as of Monday morning, a new position. Whitaker is still the Hokies' backup quarterback behind Sean Glennon, but he will also play wide receiver, a move Coach Frank Beamer decided on Monday morning.

"Why not try to help out our team by playing receiver?" Whitaker said. "I'm a team player. It's not necessarily about me. It's not like I'm going to receiver for good. I'm still a quarterback at Virginia Tech. I'm not turning into a wide receiver."

Beamer has been enamored of Whitaker's athleticism and size since Whitaker arrived at Virginia Tech, and slotting him at wide receiver will give Whitaker an opportunity to showcase that. There is precedent in the case of Marcus Vick, who played wide receiver as a sophomore and led Virginia Tech to No. 3 in the polls as a quarterback the following season.

Whitaker is taking the same number of repetitions at quarterback during practice, albeit wearing a maroon jersey, not the yellow reserved for quarterbacks. He enjoyed his first day, he said, and used the 25 pounds of muscle he gained (he is 6 feet 4, 225 pounds). "I'm pushing around these little corners out here," Whitaker said.

"It's all part of getting your best players on the field," Beamer said. "I'd rather have him out there than standing next to me."

His weight gain is a product of healthy eating and consistent exercise. He said he feels sharper in practice. Wherever Whitaker falls on the depth chart, he would be pleased. It's possible he could find himself behind Glennon at quarterback for the next two seasons, giving him one season as the starter at best.

Whitaker said transferring would not enter his mind. When he got his new tattoo, he framed it around a design: The "VT" logo etched on a football, surrounded by flames.

"I'm here to stay, definitely," Whitaker said. "No matter what. I came here to stay. It's been a great place for me. Coach Beamer has been great. I just respect everything that's happened to me."

His rosy attitude stems largely from the way his life changed from last season, when he came to practices reeking of alcohol and skipped classes to nurse hangovers.

Whitaker surrounds himself with friends and teammates who don't drink, such as safety Cam Martin and running back Kenny Lewis. Lewis played minor league baseball for three years after high school, which makes him a 22-year-old sophomore with rare wisdom.

"It's a big brother-little brother situation," Lewis said. "Saturday nights, Ike's my movie date."

At first, Whitaker avoided places where others drank. He still avoids downtown, where students pack bars, but he attends parties at friends' houses. "It's just an awesome feeling to go out and have fun without drinking," Whitaker said.

"He's grown up," Lewis said. "He's more about schoolwork, more about football, more about getting things done the right way."

Hokies Note: Nick Marshman will move to starting right tackle to replace the injured Ed Wang, Beamer said. Wang had surgery on his ankle and will be out six to 10 weeks.