The addition of Chris Beatty to WVU’s coaching staff paid dividends immediately last year, when the Virginia native went into the talent-gorged Tidewater area and scooped Logan Heastie, one of the top wide receiver prospects in the nation. This year Beatty made quick work at perennial power Varina High, gaining early verbal commitments from running back Trey Johnson and lineman Marquis Wallace, a couple of potential stars. Here’s the latest on the duo of future Mountaineers:

Johnson, a 5-foot-10, 166-pound running back with blazing speed, is enjoying a monster senior season. Since coming back from a broken hand for Varina’s third game, Johnson is averaging 290 yards per game on just 17 carries. He’s posted the fourth and fifth-highest single game rushing totals in the history of the Central Region, which has produced droves of college and NFL players, and his 11-yard-per-carry average is believed to be the highest in the region’s history.

“I’ve had a lot of [recruiters] come in here and tell me he’s the best East of the Mississippi,” said Varina coach Stu Brown, who said Johnson compares favorably to former Varina star Michael Robinson -- the Big 10 Offensive Player of the Year at Penn State in 2005 and now a member of the San Francisco 49ers.

“We’ve been fortunate to have some players go on to play on Sundays, and he’s better than them,” Brown said.

When Johnson visited West Virginia last summer for camp, he posted a 4.38 40-yard dash. Mountaineers head coach Bill Stewart didn’t believe it, so he had Johnson run again. The time on Stewart’s stopwatch: 4.31 seconds. WVU immediately offered a scholarship to Johnson, who recently posted electronically recorded bests of 4.38 in the 40 and 43 inches in the vertical leap.

Despite missing what amounts to two games, he’s posted 12 runs of 60 or more yards, and his lowest single-game total is 270 yards on 16 carries.

“He’s something,” Brown said. “You just don’t teach that speed. He never wanted to run track, but he decided he wanted to race the kid who had won the region last year. He beat him, and he beat him out of a two-point stance because he didn’t even know how to get in the blocks.”

Looks can be deceiving, though, Brown said. Despite Johnson’s blazing speed, he does most of his damage running up the middle and doesn’t like to run sweeps and tosses. Brown estimates that 15 of his 17 carries per game are between the tackles.

“Trey is more of a downhill guy that gets into the secondary quick,” he said. “We run a one-back, shotgun spread, so they know they’ll have a guy they won’t have to teach a lot about the system. He’ll have to learn the terminology, but he already knows the system. He’s a West Virginia type of player. He’s that type of running back.”

The only question with Johnson relates to academics. He’s got a ways to go before he’s qualified academically, and Brown said there’s a significant chance he’ll need to spend next year at a prep school before enrolling at WVU.

Wallace, meantime, is no slouch himself. A 6-foot-4, 292-pound offensive tackle, he’s constantly searching for a defensive player to maim, the coach said.

“Marquis is very aggressive. He’s a linebacker in a 292-pound frame. He plays the game like a linebacker. That pancake [block], he wants one every play,” he said, adding that Wallace is one of the best offensive linemen Varina’s ever had.

“Fundamentally, he’ll tell you he still has work to do. But he’s not just looking to block, he plays mad and [overpowers defenders]. That’s a pretty good technique if you’ve got it in you. And Marquis is a very intelligent football player.”

Wallace has trimmed down from 312 pounds and would ideally play his college ball in the 285-pound range. He’s extremely strong, Brown said, and the only question as to whether he can make an early impact on the field is whether he’ll be able to adjust immediately to the speed of the college game.

“If he red shirts, it’s because they have depth there ahead of him,” Brown said, adding that Wallace should have no problems qualifying.

Virginia Tech traditionally has a stronghold on the Tidewater’s talent flow, but Beatty has taken a chunk out of that, making WVU a player for the region‘s top prospects. How has he done it?

“The kids can relate to him. And a lot of recruiters will try very hard to build themselves up or badmouth the competition. Coach Beatty does none of that. He’s probably too honest. You can tell he genuinely cares for the kids,” he said. “That’s big for our kids. We’ve got some tough kids and they’re looking for a family atmosphere. That means a lot.”

Brown was similarly effusive in his praise for WVU head coach Bill Stewart.

“He’s an amazing man. He’s a man of character,” he said. “I love everything he does. He loves his kids and he’s passionate about what he does. He’s a disciplinarian. He disciplines these kids. There sometimes can be a misconception about West Virginia.”

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