Head Coach: Brent Pry is entering his 3rd season with a 10-14 record. He was tasked with getting the Hokies back to prominence after some down years and after a strong finish to last season it appears he may be on the verge of doing just that.
Program Outlook: Before Dabo Swinney got things going at Clemson, Virginia Tech was the team that would consistently win the ACC each year. Clemson’s rise coincided with the Frank Beamer era trailing off and eventually the Hokies dropped back in the pecking order. The Fuente era started strong but slowly they started to look further from what we’d expect out of a Virginia Tech team. Now their fans are waiting to return to that level, the expanded playoff era would be a good time for that to happen, but it’s more challenging there’s never been more competition for the under-the-radar recruits in the state.
How does the 2024 Roster look?: Virginia Tech has more production back than just about anyone in the ACC, making them a common “sleeper pick” in the ACC. The Hokies have one of the most exciting QBs in the nation in Kyron Drones, he’s a unit of a human being and can run it well. To take the next step he needs to work on improving his accuracy, especially fitting the ball into tight windows against tougher competition. Their top back Bhayshul Tuten returns looking to build on the season he had last year, they also have solid depth behind him if he needs a breather. Just about everyone who caught a pass returns, this unit is led by Da’Quan Felton and Jaylin Lane. 4 starters are back on the offensive line and this unit should continue to improve as a result. Virginia Tech’s defense is beginning to look more like a vintage Hokies defense. They have a tenacious pass rush led by Antwaun Powell-Ryland and Cole Nelson, Nelson is quite the athlete. He had a carry for 18 yards last year, I don’t know what the situation was or how he ran for that many yards but I’m amazed they didn’t try that again another time. The issue for the Hokies was they got absolutely gashed by opposing ground games, especially against the tougher teams on their schedule. The Hokies hit the portal for help on the interior to improve. The linebackers and secondary look more like what you would expect from this program. If there’s one thing that needs improvement it’s that the secondary could stand to force some more turnovers. Special teams are progressively becoming a strength as well the Hokies have a strong kicking game.
Screenshot from fbschedules.com1
2024 Schedule Thoughts: This schedule is favorable but it’s not without it’s challenges. There’s many points that can trip the Hokies up. They open the season on the road against a revamped Vanderbilt team, and they play Old Dominion on the road, a place that’s been a house of horrors for the Hokies, they’ve yet to win there and lost both in very bizarre games. The home games are grudge matches as both Marshall and Rutgers beat Virginia Tech last season. They avoid a lot of big hitters in ACC play since they don’t have to face Florida State, NC State, and Louisville. It’s a challenging start with back to back road games. Their biggest game will be Clemson but it’s at home, that will be an electric atmosphere with the crowd behind them, but…watch for that trap game at Syracuse the week before. The Hokies ACC hopes hinge on them taking care of business, and maybe some Lane Stadium magic.
Vegas Projection: Virginia Tech’s win total is set at 8.5 with the odds geared slightly toward the under. Vegas sees improvement but sees the Hokies get tripped up on the road a couple times. They’re 5th in ACC title odds at +1000.
2024 Best Case: Armed with so much returning talent the Hokies are primed to return to the Big stage in a big way. Kyron Drones improves as a passer and is such a unit of a human being that he becomes a nightmare for defenses to stop. Virginia Tech rolls through their non-conference slate 4-0 to set up a huge undefeated Friday night showdown with Miami FL. The energy in the leadup to the game is palpable as it’s dubbed as one of the biggest Friday night games ever, Hurricanes fans are excited already saying “The U is back.” Then Virginia Tech shows up and stomps them, it becomes a statement 41-10 victory for Virginia Tech under the lights in front of the nation. The Hokies then do what they need to do, they avoid any letdowns in the next 4 games to set up their next huge matchup against Clemson. It’s a back and forth battle but behind the arm and legs of Drones the Hokies take down the Tigers to stamp their authority on the conference. They close out the regular season with easy wins and set up an ACC championship with Florida State. The Hokies end up crushing the Noles to earn a 2 seed and the accolades come in. Drones wins the Heisman but the journey isn’t done yet. Virginia Tech beats Michigan in their first round matchup then takes down Texas to reach the national championship. The Hokies find Ohio State not Georgia waiting for them. Their defense frustrates Will Howard all game and Drones makes some huge plays, the biggest being a long TD run in the 4th quarter to put the Hokies up 14 and they hang on to that lead to win their first ever national championship, after a long time lost in the wilderness Virginia Tech has put themselves on top at the right time.
2024 Worst Case: Drones doesn’t develop as expected as a passer, the Hokies don’t improve against the run and end up surprisingly sloppy as a team. Their troubles quickly become apparent after a 2-0 start when they lose to Old Dominion on the road once again. They follow it up with a loss to Rutgers and a loss to Miami FL. Things truly get bad when the Hokies go on the road and turn it over 3 times in a stunning loss to Stanford. The disappointing season means they enter the Clemson game just clinging on to bowl eligibility hopes and once they’re blown out by the Tigers they no longer have a shot. In fact the Hokies also lose the last 2 including to Virginia who ends up making a bowl themselves. Suddenly Virginia Tech is once again further than ever from being good again.
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