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Returning starters:
Joey Slye
(40 career games played), Colton Taylor
(18 career games played)
Starter lost:
Mitchell Ludwig
(32 career games played)
Projected new starter:
Oscar Bradburn
Top reserve:
Brian Johnson
Newcomer:
Bradburn
Breakout candidate:
Bradburn
Notes:
Slye earned first-team All-ACC honors
from league coaches last fall … Slye shares the
single-game and single-season record for field
goals made … Slye also holds single-season
records for extra points made and attempted
… Slye should become the first Tech player
since Don Wade (1981-84) to lead the Hokies
in scoring for four straight seasons.
QUICK FACTS
ON
TECH’S SPECIAL TEAMS
Though he finds himself on the cusp of
breaking Shayne Graham’s career scoring
record at Virginia Tech, Joey Slye gave a
brutally honest assessment of his 2016 season.
“It was a letdown for me, to be honest,” he
said.
Slye, who needs just 52 points to surpass
Graham’s all-time mark of 371 points set from
1996-1999, should break the record considering
he has scored more than 100 points in each of
the past two seasons. He scored 118 points in
2016, making 20 of his 27 field-goal attempts
and 58 of his 59 extra-point attempts. He also
led the nation with 73 touchbacks on kickoffs.
But his displeasurewithhis junior campaign
comes from missing six of his seven field-goal
attempts from 40 yards or longer. Contrast
that with his sophomore season when he
made 13 of 19 from that distance, including 13
of 16 from between 40 and 49 yards.
“I was consistent where I should be,” he
said of last season. “Inside of 40, I missed one
Slye
READY
for
big senior season
to cap his career
by
Jimmy Robertson
kick from 35 at Duke, but I was very consistent
where I should be. But inside of 50, for me
personally, I should be automatic, which I
felt like I was my sophomore year. Last year, I
was 1-for-6 [between 40 and 49 yards], so that
was a letdown for me. I should be a lot more
consistent there.”
Slyeworked in the offseasonwith his kicking
coach, Paul Woodside, and also with Graham.
A lot of his missed kicks went wide right, so he
made some tweaks with his technique.
He appears to have figured out the issue.
In the spring game, he put his powerful leg on
display, hitting field goals of 49 and 58 yards.
“I feel good,” he said. “I feel like in the
spring game I showed how hard I had worked.
“I just want to help our team. That’s why
I want to be more consistent in everything I
do. It’s not for personal goals. I want to win.
That’s the ultimate goal.”
Slye headlines a special teams group that
returns snapper Colton Taylor and returners
such as Greg Stroman, C.J. Carroll and
Henri Murphy. Stroman led the ACC in punt
returns (25) and finished fourth in punt return
yardage (221).
The unknown of the group is new punter
Oscar Bradburn, who takes the place of
Mitchell Ludwig. The left-footed Australian,
who played AustralianRules Football, enrolled
in January and spent the spring learning the
game. Now, Tech’s coaches want to see him
take the next step in his progression.
Also, Bradburn serves as Slye’s holder
on field-goal attempts. So Slye has a vested
interest in the young man and his confidence.
PUNTER
91
Oscar Bradburn
(6-1, 202, Fr.)
KICKERS
46
Joey Slye
(5-11, 213, Sr.)
93
Brian Johnson
(6-1, 180, r-Fr.)
SNAPPER
87
Colton Taylor
(6-1, 223, r-Sr.)
SPRING
•
2017
(In numerical order)
VIRGINIA TECH
SPECIAL TEAMS
20
17
PREVIEW
SPECIAL TEAMS
“I told him, ‘Don’t worry about hitting a
50- or 60-yard punt. We don’t need that as a
group. You’ll out-punt your coverage,’” Slye
said. “We’ve been working on placement and
all that stuff, and he’s getting used to it. He
looks good, so I’m excited for him.”
Slye is anxious to get his final season
underway. He enters the season aware of the
records, but his first three seasons left him
unfulfilled. He knows he possesses more—and
wants to put it on display to Hokie Nation.
“I really haven’t been able to have the year
that I feel like I can do,” he said. “I feel like I
should be in the 90 percent range [on made
field-goal attempts] on a consistent basis. I
want to show how good I am.”
JOEY
SLYE