Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 11 No. 1 | August 2018

inside.hokiesports.com 23 Season Preview 2 18 WIDE RECEIVERS TECH receivers ready to take offense from good to GREAT by Jimmy Robertson QUICK FACTS ON TECH’S WR’S Returning starters: Sean Savoy (12 career starts), Eric Kumah (eight career starts) Starter lost: Cam Phillips Projected new starter: Damon Hazelton Top reserves : Phil Patterson, Hezekiah Grimsley, C.J. Carroll Newcomers: Tre Turner, Peter Muskett, Nicolas Conforti, Kaleb Smith, Armani Chatman, Darryle Simmons, Tre Coghill III, Justin Hairston Breakout candidate: Hazelton Notes: Four of Tech’s returning receivers started games a year ago … Tech’s returning receivers combined to catch 105 passes last fall … Five of Tech’s returning receivers caught at least nine passes in 2017 … Savoy’s 53-yard touchdown reception against BC was the longest reception by a Tech receiver last season … Savoy’s four touchdown receptions were the second-most ever by a Tech freshman, his 39 receptions were the third- most ever by a Tech freshman, and his 454 receiving yards were the fourth- most ever by a Tech freshman … Hazelton started seven games at Ball State as a true freshman a year ago … Hazelton caught at least five passes in five of the 11 games he played in last season. WIDE RECEIVERS August, 2018 (in numerical order) 6 Hezekiah Grimsley (6-0, 185, So.) 8 Phil Patterson (6-2, 202, r-So.) 11 Tre Turner (6-2, 187, Fr.) 14 Damon Hazelton (6-2, 222, r-So.) 15 Sean Savoy (5-9, 192, So.) 37 Nicolas Conforti (5-11, 195, r-Fr.) 38 Tre Coghill III (5-10, 173, r-Fr.) 39 Sean Daniel (5-9, 180, r-Jr.) 47 Justin Hairston (6-0, 177, r-Fr.) 80 Kaleb Smith (6-2, 206, Fr.) 81 Darryle Simmons (6-2, 212, Fr.) 83 Eric Kumah (6-2, 225, Jr.) 86 C.J. Carroll (5-8, 173, r-Sr.) 87 Nick Reisenweaver (6-1, 195, r-So.) 88 Samuel Denmark (6-0, 187, r-So.) 90 Corey Thomas (6-4, 233, So.) Sean Savoy Brad Cornelsen, the chef of the Hokies’ offense, whipped up a pretty good dish last season, as the Hokies’ offense averaged 28 points per game and ranked in the top 60 nationally in both rushing offense and passing offense. The ingredients included a solid freshman quarterback, a record- breaking receiver and a quality offensive line. But the dish lacked something, a certain type of spice. Damon Hazelton hopes to provide that this season. Looking for a change after a rather nice freshman season at Ball State, Hazelton transferred to Tech last year and sat out the fall while meeting NCAA transfer requirements. He hopes to provide some sizzle to a group of Tech receivers who played well at times and struggled at others. “The main thing that led me to transfer were just wanting to play on a bigger stage,” Hazelton said. “I needed to change the environment I was in to make sure I was becoming the best player I could be. I wanted to be around a different culture, around a team that was going to challenge me.” A ripped 6-foot-2, 222 pounds, Hazelton certainly looks the part, and he is the most productive receiver on Tech’s roster even though he hasn’t played a game at Lane Stadium yet. As a freshman at Ball State in 2016, he caught 51 passes for 505 yards—numbers better than any returning Tech receiver from a year ago—and led the team with four touchdown receptions. He hopes to exceed those numbers this season, albeit in a different colored uniform. “Obviously, I have a unique skill set, but to this offense, I can be someone that the coaches can depend on, can rely on to make big plays,” Hazelton said. “I hope to do whatever the coaches need me to do and just contribute to this team and win. That’s the biggest thing. I just want to win. Whatever it takes to win, that’s what I’m focused on—doing whatever it takes to win and giving everything that I’ve got.” Tech’s coaches desperately wanted to see Hazelton this spring during spring practices. They wanted him to become acclimated to the offense and wanted to see him exhibit some big-play potential. But he missed spring practice with an injury, one that left everyone feeling a sense of disappointment. “This spring was super tough,” Hazelton admitted. “I sat out the season, and spring was the time for me to go. It was like, I finally get a chance to get back out there, and unfortunately, the injury happened. It was tough, but I’ve just got to trust the plan, trust God’s plan for me and my life and stay positive every single day and make the best of every situation.” In spite of the injury and not being able to see him in action, Tech’s coaches remain optimistic about Hazelton and his potential, along with the abilities of several other receivers. Sure, the Hokies lost CamPhillips, the program’s all-time leader in career receptions and career receiving yards, but collectively, they should be able to make up for Phillips’ departure. The group includes returners Eric Kumah, Phil Patterson, Sean Savoy, Hezekiah Grimsley and C.J. Carroll—all of whom played a significant amount in 2017. Savoy caught 39 passes for 454 yards and four touchdowns as a true freshman last season, while Kumah caught 28 passes. Grimsley caught 10 passes combined in the final two games last fall, and Patterson hauled in seven passes in the bowl game. Hopefully, Carroll—the lone senior among the receivers—can get healthy and make a difference as a slot receiver. Tech’s coaches hope big plays come with experience. A year ago, Tech’s receivers caught just two passes of 40 yards or more. Hazelton expects to help in that area. “That’s one of the things that coaches tell you. They challenge you,” he said. “They’ll say, ‘The offense failed to do this last year,’ or ‘The offense came up short too many times,’ or ‘didn’t win 50-50 balls’ … things like that. “I take that to heart. I feel like whatever the coaches call, whatever they dial up, we should be able to do it. I don’t like the feeling of not coming through for your team. I take the challenge head on and try to work on those things so we won’t come up short anymore.” In other words, he thinks he could be the missing ingredient—one that takes Cornelsen’s dish from good to great.