Since he stepped on the field at L.C. Bird, Rayshard Ashby has been one of the most dominant players in the Central Region. The linebacker, winner of two state championships and headed into his senior season made his college choice; Virginia Tech. The choice came this past weekend on a visit to campus.
“I wasn’t even planning on committing,” Ashby said. “I had thought about committing over the summer and it was going to be between Marshall, Maryland and Virginia Tech. I got a gut feeling and I went for it.”
The commitment came after a conversation with Bud Foster about the depth chart, and how the school wanted his services at linebacker for the next four years.
“There’s an opportunity to earn playing time early,” explained Ashby. “I remembered the good moments of my visit, and I could just picture walking into the stadium on game day.”
Ashby had offers from West Virginia, Marshall, Maryland, James Madison, East Carolina and Syracuse.
“It feels good to make this decision,” said Ashby. “Now I can focus on next season and focus on winning another state championship for L.C. Bird.”
The commitment/signing is the fourth in 2016 for L.C. Bird football players to Division I institutions. Jalen Elliott (Notre Dame), Kier Townsend (Rhode Island) and Kumonde Hines (Texas State) preceded Rayshard.
A junior, Ashby will have one more season left headlining the Skyhawks defense. He’ll play alongside Isaiah Moore, his classmate and defensive counterpart who’s picked up offers of his own from Old Dominion and Army.
