HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Spring Valley offensive lineman Doug Nester, one of the Mountain State’s top gridiron prosepcts over the last decade, signed Wednesday morning with Virginia Tech.
Nester’s decision to join the Hokies comes just three days after his decommitment from Ohio State, where he had been committed to since August of 2017.
“Virginia Tech just felt like more of a place that I’d call home,” Nester said. “I fell in love with the coaching staff and felt great about the players around me.”
Nester admitted the Ohio State program had a “different feel” to it since Buckeyes’ head coach Urban Meyer retired last month following a Rose Bowl win over Washington.
“I was fully committed until all the stuff happened with Urban Meyer,” Nester said, “so I started to open up my options a little bit.”
Nester took an official visit to V-Tech last weekend and thought Blacksburg, Va., was somewhat reminiscent of his hometown in Huntington.
“It’s a very small town feel, almost like the place I live now,” Nester said. “It seems to me like almost everybody knows everybody. The people were very polite everywhere. It’s a great place to be really.”
At 6-foot-6 and 312 pounds, Nester is a four-star prospect according to Rivals, which rates him the eighth best offensive guard in the class of 2019. He played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl last month in San Antonio, giving him a glimpse of what competition will look like at the next level.
“I definitely need to improve my pass protection a lot, just because I didn’t get many reps here doing it,” he said. “My run blocking, my hands, my feet and pad level are pretty much up to par.”
Nester was a standout two-way lineman for the Timberwolves, who finished 13-1 in 2018 and Class AAA runner-up each of the last three seasons.
“I’ve developed relationships here along the way and I wouldn’t give those back for anything,” Nester said. “I try to stay in contact with everyone that I’ve played with and it’s a great experience to know all your brothers. I’ve made friendships here that’ll lost forever and Spring Valley is a very special place for me.”