Before the recruiting process began for him, Patrick Kearns admits Virginia Tech was not on the list of schools he seriously considered. That changed quickly, though, after the Hokies offered the Darlington (Rome, GA) offensive lineman a scholarship on May 14 earlier this year.

“To be honest, I never thought about going [to Virginia Tech],” Kearns said. “When I went there for the first time, I thought it was a cool place. I visited for the first time on June 5. Then I found out more about Coach Searels and built a good relationship with him.”

Virginia Tech made Kearns’ final four, which he revealed in early July. He committed to Tech on Saturday, July 25, while attending the “Beamer’s Barbecue” recruiting event in Blacksburg. Kearns says he is “pretty pumped” to be a Hokie.

“The week before I committed, I kind of had it in mind that Virginia Tech was the place for me,” Kearns recalled. “I decided about three or four days before that I wanted to commit. My parents wanted me to go up one more time to make sure. I saw the campus again that Friday night (July 24). I felt good about it. On Saturday, I went to the barbecue and committed to Coach Beamer and Coach Searels.”

Making his commitment “was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Kearns said. “It’s fun to be able to share that with my parents. Not many people get to do that.”

The 6’5”, 270-pound rising senior discussed what gave Virginia Tech the edge over home-state Georgia Tech as well as Kentucky and NC State.

“I really liked the town of Blacksburg,” he replied. “It’s a beautiful place. It’s a small town much like where I’m from. Another thing, aside from football, is the academic support is second to none from anything I’ve seen. The (academic) facility is the nicest I’ve ever seen. I’ve been to some pretty high academic institutions. They have great people at Virginia Tech there to help you. It’s very organized. That’s something I like. They are not going to let you fall to the wayside. They are going to stay on you and make sure you are successful.”

Kearns continued: “Coach Searels, he’s a Georgia guy and from right around the area. He’s a coach I’d like to play for. He’s up front with you. He’ll be the first to tell you if you did something right. He’ll be the first to tell you if you do something wrong, and then he’ll correct you. That’s something I’m looking for.”

Kearns’ ascent to being a major college recruit is an interesting one. He measured in at 6’3.5”, 210 pounds his sophomore season. While almost 6’5”, Kearns weighed in at only 230 pounds his junior season. The talented lineman’s play in the 2014 season was “dominant” according to Darlington head coach Tommy Atha, who added that Kearns also impressed many with a standout performance in the Rising Seniors All-Star game last December.

After the 2014 season “I started focusing on getting bigger and looking more like a college prospect,” Kearns said.

Mission accomplished. Kearns is now up to around 270 pounds and says he “feels faster than when I was 230 or 235. I made it all good weight. There is no fat at all.”

Kearns plays offensive tackle for Darlington. Coach Searels likes him initially as a tackle as well; however, Kearns showed well at guard in the Rising Seniors game and is open to playing any position on the offensive line.

In terms of his strengths and weaknesses, the Peach State standout broke those down.

“I’m a pretty good run blocker. That’s my forte and what I’m good at right now, and that’s what I think caught the eyes of most of the coaches,” Kearns said. “I’m working on my pass blocking, especially my quick step. We don’t do it a lot at my high school.”

Kearns is one of two offensive line prospects that have committed to Virginia Tech in the class of 2016. Look for the Hokies to take at least one more offensive line prospect in this class.