Two new players joined Virginia Tech's football team yesterday for the start of the spring semester. 2007 signees Courtney Prince and Alonzo Tweedy are officially Hokies. They are enrolled in classes, they will participate in offseason workouts, and they'll be eligible for spring practice. In other news, OL Matt Welsh and LB Andrew Bowman are not slated to return to the football team.

Prince, who was listed at 6-2, 252 when he signed, is a defensive tackle from Gwynn Park High School in Maryland. He is a former teammate of current Virginia Tech cornerback Rashad Carmichael. With time in the weight room, Prince is expected to get bigger and develop into a formidable defensive tackle for the Hokies. He'll likely redshirt this year, though with the lack of defensive tackle depth he'll be given a fair chance to earn playing time.

Alonzo Tweedy was listed at 6-2, 185 when he signed last February. He is from Hermitage High school in Richmond, VA and is a likely whip or rover for the Hokies. He'll probably begin his college career at the whip position, where there isn't as much incoming depth. Like Prince, Tweedy is also expected to redshirt this season.

2008 commit Ben Barber, a wide receiver, was expected to enroll at Virginia Tech this January as well. However, it doesn't look like he has qualified at this point, and his status as a future Hokie is up in the air.

As usual, there will be attrition in Virginia Tech's football season this offseason. The first two names that have been mentioned are linebacker Andrew Bowman and offensive guard Matt Welsh. Neither player is expected to be a member of the team for the 2008 season. It was reported on BeamerBall.com yesterday that neither player is "expected to participate in the 2008 season."

Both are former 4-star recruits who didn't pan out. Bowman was a hard-hitting linebacker from Hermitage High School in Richmond. He chose Virginia Tech over offers from Tennessee, UVA and Purdue. Bowman never developed the lateral movement needed to play at the ACC level.

Welsh got some playing time early this year, splitting time at left guard with Richard Graham. After Nick Marshman moved back to guard, Welsh's playing time faded away. He is a former 4-star offensive line recruit who chose Tech over Tennessee, UVA and West Virginia.

Welsh has already graduated, and Bowman is on track to graduate after the spring semester. Bowman is currently recovering from knee surgery.