Layth Ghannam just needs his 鈥榞roup of guys鈥� at Virginia Tech
CHARLESTON, W.VA. (BVM) 鈥� Going into high school, many kids expect to hit some type of growth spurt. For some it is not super noticeable, for others it can be a few inches. For George Washington High School鈥檚 Layth Ghannam, it was eight inches over the course of one summer.
Entering high school, Ghannam went from 5-foot-9 to 6-foot-5 and put on up to 60 to 70 pounds, experiencing a complete body change.
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 easy,鈥� Ghannam said. 鈥淚 had to up my caloric intake by a lot. It鈥檚 not easy to maintain with agility and footwork everyday, but I love it.鈥�
With Ghannam鈥檚 clear dedication to his body and love of the game, it was evident that he would have a path to playing football beyond the prep level.
According to , he is the No. 1 player in the state of West Virginia. While he plays both sides of the ball for the Patriots, he will be an offensive lineman at the collegiate level鈥揳 position he relishes.
鈥淭o be honest, I love not having all of the recognition,鈥� Ghannam said. 鈥淧ersonally I don鈥檛 need any of it. I have my group of guys and that鈥檚 all I really need.鈥�
In the very near future, Ghannam will have a brand new group of guys when he heads to Blacksburg to play for Virginia Tech.聽
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— Layth Ghannam (@LaythGhannam1)
鈥淲hen I got on campus, it was just a beautiful place. That drew me to it immediately,鈥� Ghannam said. 鈥淭heir staff was just amazing to me. I felt like I was part of the team immediately.鈥�
One member of the Virginia Tech family that Ghannam has been familiar with for years is Wyatt Teller of the Cleveland Browns. He got the chance to talk with the Pro Bowl guard at the Hokies鈥� spring game this season.
With Teller once being in the shoes that Ghannam is in right now, it is a nice confidence boost for the West Virginia native.
鈥淚t puts it in perspective that those dreams are attainable and that I can really do this,鈥� Ghannam said.
When he gets to Blacksburg, Ghannam has a personal goal of cracking the starting five by his sophomore year. Ghannam is hoping to make enough of an impact for Virginia Tech to emerge as a NFL Draft prospect.
When he was a 5-foot-9 eighth grader, not many people likely would have said that these goals were realistic, especially as an offensive lineman. But now as an ACC commit, the sky will be the limit for what Ghannam can achieve.
