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BLACKSBURG, VA. – During the offseason, Virginia Tech coach Brent Pry asked the Hokies a simple question about what it would take to get this program to where it needs to be.
How many of you have won championships?
“Only the former players can put their hands up. Jesse (Price) and Pearson (Prioleau) and Xavier (Adebi) and those guys,” Pry said. We didn’t really understand as a team how much we had to invest and pour to win a championship. … This is what we have to do in camp. These are things that we need to reform and establish and mark. We still have a lot of work to do,” he said.
Pryor’s first August camp as Virginia Tech’s head coach gets underway Tuesday, with the Hokies feeling better about who they have on the roster but still have plenty of question marks to answer before they open the season Sept. 2 at Old Dominion.
Ok, back from last summer vacation. It’s time for August camp. Here’s what it is #Hockey Tap:
– Today: players report
– Tuesday: First practice (4:10 start)
– Wednesday: First media presence w/Brent Pry and players
– Friday: practice and 2nd media presence— Andy Bitter (@AndyBitterVT) August 1, 2022
As Tech takes the practice field, here’s a big, positive question for all of the Hokies’ position teams:
Quarterbacks
Positive: Virginia Tech appears to have a good handle on the quarterback position, although the top two options are transfers, with Grant Wells leading the way when camp opens. Wells has a big arm, which should open up the downfield passing game that was lacking last year. The Hokies were tied for 106th nationally in passing plays of 10 yards (91) and slightly better (63rd with 42) in passes of 20 yards or more. Wells’ starting Marshall ranks 20th and 25th nationally in those categories.
The big question is: Will Wales be careful enough on the ball, especially at this competitive level? Wells’ 22 interceptions in two years with the Thunder, including 13 last year, are tied for most in Conference USA. He threw two picks on four separate occasions – all against Team 5 contests. How does it protect against large and fast ACC defenses?
Running back
Positive: The class is finally at a manageable size, down from 10 players over the summer to 6 now. And while the Hokies are still tweaking things — Keshawn King and Chance Black will get some receivers as receivers — there could be a nice No. 1 option in Malachi Thomas, a 6-foot, 197-pound sophomore who rushed for 440 yards. And three touchdowns last year, mainly in a three-game span against Syracuse, Georgia Tech and Boston College. Now that he’s spent a year in the college weight room, there should be high hopes for Thomas in Year 2.
The big question is: Does a new start give new hope to long-time players? Jalen Holston averaged just 3.8 yards per carry last year despite being in his sixth year. Keshaun King has explosiveness that catches your eye, but he was hit and miss at four years old and nowhere near the 340 yards he rushed for as a freshman. Can a new offense and coaching staff unlock these two?
Wide receivers
Positive: You can see the top three options for hockey success. Caleb Smith looks like a freshman in the spring. Da’Wayne Lofton is the preferred pass rusher of the offense. And Jadan Blue was a 1,000-yard receiver with Temple a few years ago. If things stack up, there are three capable receivers in the starting lineup that will make this passing attack tick.
The big question is: Who else can contribute? Receiver depth has been a problem in Blacksburg for years, and this year isn’t shaping up to be much different. Jaylen Jones is a promising sophomore like Lofton. Stephen Gosnell is a North Carolina transfer who was finding his way in the spring. Dalan Wright has shown flashes in practice but has been inconsistent. That’s the next wave of receivers the Hokies will turn to, which isn’t quite established.
Caleb Smith enters 2022 with 37 catches in three years. (Jim Dedmon/USA Today)
Tight ends
Positive: There’s experience here, with Drake DeUlis in his sixth year and Nick Gallo entering his fourth, so the Hokies should have a more physically developed duo at tight end. With offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen coaching tight ends, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him use them more in this offense, especially if Tech tries to establish a running game.
The big question is: Is there anyone really flexible on the scene? The Hokies have had Dalton Keene and James Mitchell do something on the field in recent years. There may not be such a player on the roster. DeIuliis has six job offers. Gallo has a bit more pass-catching chops, catching 14 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown last year, though that’s still fairly limited. Maybe former quarterback Connor Blumrick or a youngster like Dae’Quan Wright could bring a little spark to the tight end’s passing game.
Offensive line
Positive: There is some experience in the projected starting lineup, with Silas DeZanci and Johnny Jordan returning for their sixth years and Kaden Moore and Parker Clements showing promise in their first year as starters last fall. Add in a widely respected coach like Joe Rudolph, who has drawn rave reviews from players in the program’s first eight months, and the rebuilding O-line appears to be in good hands.
The big question is: What happens if the starter goes down? It’s easy to envision a starting lineup of Dzansi and Clements, with Moore and Jesse Hansen at guard and Jordan at center. But who is next? Bob Schick is the oldest but has never played at the Division 1 level. In the spring there were walks in the reserves. There are some promising underclassmen — Johnny Garrett, Xavier Chaplin and Brelin Moore to watch — but they’re still freshmen, with a lot to learn. If Tech ends up in that second group, it might as well be a hair.
line of defense
Positive: There are men who have been through some wars. Taijun Garbutt is in his sixth year on the edge, Norrell Pollard is a two-year starter on the inside, Mario Kendricks and Jaylen Griffin have plenty of experience under their belts and Josh Fuga was a rotation player last fall. Physical and emotional maturity is important in the Bulls, and the Hokies at least have some veterans up front.
The big question is: Who is the subject of the article? There are certainly some good pieces, and the younger players like Cole Nelson, C.J. McCray and Wilfred Penn are ones to watch. But Tech has had few difference-makers on the defensive line in recent years. The Hokies haven’t had a defensive lineman average more than seven sacks in a season since Ken Ekanam had 7.5 in 2016. If Tech is going to make it back from the quarterback this year, it probably should be a team. Effort
Alan Tisdale is trying to hold down the starting linebacker job. (Reinhold Mattay / USA Today)
Linebackers
Positive: There’s experience and then some at the linebacker positions, with Dax Holifield making 37 career starts and Alan Tisdale with 18. Even some of the best backup options have been around for a while, with Keshaun Artis in his fifth year and Dean Ferguson in his fourth. That might not seem like much, but as he transitions to a new defensive system, some veterans running the show should help Pryor install his vision.
The big question is: Did something sit outside of Holyfield’s mic? Pry said that with the Hokies at Sam’s position rather than him at will, converted safety Keonta Jenkins will lead the field, while Tisdale will dominate but will be pushed hard by redshirt freshman Jayden Keller. Tisdale has experience on his side and one of the more complex spots on the defense, but Keller, who has caught the coaches’ eye, could be tough to keep off the field.
Second stage
Positive: At the back end are some bowlers on one team. Dorian Strong and Armani Chatman are returning starters at cornerback, Brion Murray is a veteran option, and Chamari Conner, although new to the traditional safety position, is not new to playing, having been a three-year starter at tight end. Plan. Nasser’s people, though often overlooked, are a permanent veteran on the other side of security. Overall, this looks like the most stable position group on the roster.
The big question is: How is the next wave shaping up? DJ Harvey and Elias Howard are likely on the cornerback line (with Harvey as the top nickelback), and Jalen Stroman and Ne’Quie Hawkins are likely backups at safety. There isn’t much on-field experience from those players, which could come into play at a moment’s notice.
Special groups
Positive: The Hokies should feel pretty good about punter Peter Moore, who was All-ACC third team as a freshman last year when he averaged 44.5 yards per punt and was tops in the league with 24 punts of 50-plus yards. Having that in your back pocket as a special teams tool must be comforting for the new head coach.
The big question is: Who will be the poet? John Parker is gone after the 2021 season in which Romo made 81.8 percent of his field goals. Spring ball ended with redshirt junior William Ross and early enrollee John Love neck-and-neck for the job, a competition that will spill over into August camp. Neither attempted a field goal in a college game either, which should be a bit of a cause for concern.
(Top photo of Grant Wells: Courtesy of Virginia Tech Athletics)
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