Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 12 No. 1 | August 2019

22 Inside Hokie Sports RECEIVERS by Jimmy Robertson 2019 RECEIVERS DEPTH CHART (in numerical order) 6 Hezekiah Grimsley (6-0, 185, Jr.) 8 Phil Patterson (6-2, 195, r-Jr.) 9 Luke Bussel (6-1, 210, Fr.) 11 Tré Turner (6-2, 190, So.) 14 Damon Hazelton (6-2, 215, r-Jr.) 34 Tink Boyd (5-10, 180, r-Fr.) 40 Travis Williams (6-3, 212, r-Fr.) 45 Jacob Van Landingham (5-11, 203, r-Fr.) 80 Kaleb Smith (6-2, 207, r-Fr.) 81 Darryle Simmons (6-2, 212, r-Fr.) 83 Tayvion Robinson (5-10, 186, Fr.) 85 Jaden Payoute (6-1, 206, Fr.) 87 Jacoby Pinckney (6-1, 210, Fr.) 88 Elijah Bowick (6-1, 216, Fr.) 94 Conner Dusenbury (6-0, 175, Fr.) 97 Keondré Banks (5-11, 185, So.) PLAYER TO WATCH Tech’s staff always held big expectations for Tré Turner, but tempered those expectations going into last season because of his slender frame and because of a feeling that he needed to adjust to the college game. Turner, though, adjusted rather quickly. As a true freshman, he morphed into a big-time playmaker for Tech during the latter part of the season. He started the final five games, and during that span, he caught 16 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns. For the season, he caught 26 passes for 535 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 20.6 yards per catch. Toward the end of the campaign, opponents started scheming to stop Turner, but he still managed to enjoy some success. Cincinnati played him tough in the Military Bowl, but he hauled in a 40-yard reception, and he rushed for 23 yards on a jet sweep. His speed makes him a great option on jet sweeps—he carried the ball eight times for 101 yards in that role in 2018. Turner’s 20.6 yards per catch ranked among the top five nationally among FBS true freshman, and the staff expects more of that this season. He and teammate Damon Hazelton give the Hokies two deep threats—ones with the ability to make this offense head coach Justin Fuente’s most explosive since he arrived in 2015. OTHERS IN THE MIX Hazelton joins Turner as expected starters and is coming off a season in which he led the Hokies with 51 catches for 802 yards and eight touchdowns—all team bests. At 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, he stands as the biggest receiver on the roster. Injuries limited him toward the end of last season, but if stays healthy, he could enjoy a banner year. Hezekiah Grimsley and Phil Patterson also return, and the staff wants each to play a more prominent role this season. Grimsley appears entrenched at the all-important slot position after a season in which he caught 31 passes for 382 yards and a touchdown. Patterson shows an ability to make the incredible catch—check out last season’s snag at Duke – but needs to be more consistent. He caught 12 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown last fall and hopefully can at least double those numbers this season. Fuente is high on two receivers who took redshirt seasons in 2018—Darryle Simmons and Kaleb Smith. Simmons and Smith both stand 6-2 and weight more than 200 pounds, so they certainly bring size to the position. Also, Elijah Bowick, who enrolled in January, could enter into the equation. He caught 1,400 yards worth of passes and 17 touchdowns as a senior last fall at Myers Park High in Charlotte. INTERESTING FACTS • Four receivers who caught passes last season return for this season, and three of the four started at least five games in 2018. The four have combined to play in 75 games in their careers. • Those four receivers caught at least 12 passes last season, with three of them catching at least 25 passes. • Turner recorded 13 plays of at least 20 yards (10 receptions, three rushes) in 2018. Of those 13, six went for at least 40 yards. • Hazelton registered three games of at least 100 yards receiving last season, including a career-best 154-yard effort against Old Dominion. He caught a career-best 12 passes in the Hokies’ loss to Notre Dame. • Hazelton caught 35 passes and six touchdowns in the Hokies’ first seven games of last season, but hauled in just 16 passes and two touchdowns in the final six games primarily because of injuries. • Hazelton’s eight touchdown receptions last season ranked third in the ACC and his 802 yards ranked eighth. • Grimsley caught at least one pass in every game that he played last season (11 games) and at least two passes in nine games. 2019 OUTLOOK The staff’s continued recruiting emphasis on the receiver positions over the past three recruiting classes have these spots looking like strong points for the squad heading into the season. The Hokies feature a nice blend of experience, with juniors like Hazelton, Grimsley and Patterson, and talented youth, such as Turner, Simmons, Smith, Bowick, Tayvion Robinson and Jaden Payoute. Tech threw the ball 449 times during Fuente’s inaugural season, and given the strengths of this offense—a veteran quarterback in Ryan Willis (assuming he wins the job) and these receivers—the Hokies easily could surpass that total this season. And more importantly, this core could produce big results. The experienced receivers, though, need to stay healthy until that younger bunch gets some game reps. If everything goes to plan, the Hokies could feature one of the best receiving corps in the ACC. BOLD PREDICTION Both Turner and Hazelton finish with 1,000 yards receiving this season. Tré Turner