Lloyd is taking a greyshirt this fall: James Wood grad will attend Va. Tech in spring semester

By Tommy Keeler Jr. -- tkeeler@nvdaily.com

WINCHESTER -- Andrew Lloyd has been waiting all his life for the opportunity to play football at the Division I level, now he just has to wait a little longer.

Lloyd, who graduated from James Wood in June, is taking a greyshirt this fall and will not attend Virginia Tech. However, he will enroll there for the spring semester and take part in spring practice in 2010. By taking the greyshirt, Lloyd has six years to use up his four years of eligibility. College athletes are allowed a five-year calendar to play four seasons, the calendar begins once a player is enrolled.

Lloyd was offered a preferred walk-on as a kicker, but when coaches told him he could take a greyshirt he decided to that instead.

"I decided in the spring that I was going to Virginia Tech," Lloyd said. "I turned down scholarship offers from Bowling Green and UAB. I really wanted to kick at Virginia Tech.

"If I would have taken the preferred walk-on then I would've had to enroll in the fall and I would have wasted a year of eligibility. When they offered me the greyshirt it just seemed like the right thing to do."

Lloyd said he got advice from Virginia Tech starting punter Brent Bowden.

"He told me the greyshirt was the way to go," Lloyd said. "He said 'take your time with it.'"

In his senior season at James Wood, Lloyd made 33 of 34 extra-points and helped lead the Colonels to an 8-3 record. Lloyd hit seven field goals, including a school-record 47-yarder.

Lloyd said he will attend Lord Fairfax Community College this fall, before transferring to Virginia Tech for the spring semester. Lloyd said he feels greyshirting will give him an advantage over his competition. Lloyd plans on working out with his kicking coach, Shenandoah University special teams coach Fred Penciaro, throughout the fall. Penciaro has coached many top kickers throughout the country over the years, and still works with NFL players Josh Brown, Neil Rackers and Shayne Graham.

The Hokies, who are expected to start the season as a top-10 ranked team, currently have three kickers listed on their roster. Only one of the three is a senior. Lloyd said he is hoping to come in during the spring and take the starting spot.

"They told me that if they pick you to be the starter in the spring it's an automatic scholarship," Lloyd said. "If I don't get it I'm just going to have to work hard the next few years to try and get it."

Lloyd said when he was younger he loved playing soccer and always thought that he would want to play that in college, but his love for football grew as he got older.

"Kicking has just always come easy to me," Lloyd said. "Plus, the fans just get more into it and there's more excitement in football."