Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 13 No. 1 | August 2020

inside.hokiesports.com 19 300 Technology Drive Christiansburg, Virginia 24073 www.inorganicventures.com European distribution center located in Santander, Spain Two of our PhDs as well as eleven key members of our service, production, and business teams hold degrees from Virginia Tech. When you’ve got the right talent in place, there’s no limit to how far you can go. Makers of the world’s most accurate Certified Reference Materials Proud to support the Hokies’ teams. Because the Hokies are such a big part of ours. 300 Technology Drive Christiansburg, Virginia 24073 www.inorganicventures.com European distribution center located in Santander, Spain Two of our PhDs as well as eleven key members of our service, production, and business teams hold degrees from Virginia Tech. When you’ve got the right talent in place, there’s no limit to how far you can go. Makers of the world’s most accurate Certified Reference Materials Proud to support the Hokies’ te s. Because the Hokies are such a big part of ours. 300 Technology Drive Christ ansburg, Virginia 24073 www.inorganicventures.com European distribution center located in Santander, Spain Two of our PhDs as well as eleven key members of our service, production, and business teams hold degrees from Virginia Tech. When you’ve got the right talent in place, there’s no limit to how far you can go. Makers of the wo ld’s most accurate Certified Reference Materials Proud to support the Hokies’ teams. Because the Hokies are such a big part of ours. 300 Technology Drive Christiansburg, Virginia 24073 www.inorganicventures.com Europ an distribution center located in Santander, Spain Two of our PhDs as well as eleven key members of our service, production, and busin ss teams hold degrees from Virginia Tech. When you’ve got the right talent in place, there’s no limit to how far you can go. Mak rs of the wo ld’s most accurate Certified Reference Materials Proud to support the Hokies’ teams. Because the Hokies are such a big part of ours. 300 Technology Drive Christ ansburg, Virginia 24073 www.inorganicventures.com Europ an distribution center located in Santander, Spain T o of our PhDs as ell as eleven key members of our service, production, and business tea s hold degrees from Virginia Tech. When you’ve got the right talent in place, there’s no limit to how far you can go. Makers of the wo ld’s most accurate Certified Reference Materials Pro t support t Hokies’ tea s. Be s the Hokies ar s a big part of ours. Euro w f ur Ph w a But he, by no means entered August as a lock for the job, as the staff dipped into the transfer market during the offseason, and Jalen Holston returns, all of whom provide serious competition for King. OTHERS IN THE MIX Holston certainly brings size at nearly 220 pounds, and he shows flashes at times. But the young man simply hasn’t been able to stay healthy, missing nearly all of last season with an injury and parts of his previous two seasons with injuries. Tech’s staff added three transfers in the offseason in Kansas graduate transfer Khalil Herbert and Rutgers transfer Raheem Blackshear, along with junior college signee Marco Lee. Herbert, a Florida native, rushed for 1,735 yards during his career at Kansas, including a 187-yard performance this past fall against BC, and he averaged 5.4 yards per carry for his career. Blackshear, who is hoping to be eligible this season, played two seasons at Rutgers and accumulated 2,239 all-purpose yards, moving between running back and receiver. Lee, the biggest of the group at 225 pounds, rushed for 820 yards and five touchdowns for Coffeyville Community College in Kansas last season. Terius Wheatley and Tahj Gary also will get their opportunities. All have dealt with injury issues in the past. INTERESTING FACTS • In 2019, Tech’s tailbacks combined to rush for 1,311 yards and nine touchdowns, but only 383 of those yards return for 2020. • McClease had 10 carries of 20 yards or more last season. King was the only other Tech running back with a rush of more than 20 yards (a 54-yard run vs. Furman). • King’s 54-yard run was the Hokies’ second- longest rush of the 2019 season (Tré Turner, 57 yards vs. Wake). • Herbert, Blackshear, and Holston all have at least 100 rushing attempts in their careers (led by Herbert, who rushed 320 times while at Kansas). • Tech tailbacks combined to catch 21 passes for the Hokies in 2019. 2020 OUTLOOK For the fourth consecutive season under head coach Justin Fuente, no Tech tailback eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark. Yet maybe that comes as no surprise in today’s college football, as just five rushers in the ACC finished with more than 1,000 yards a year ago. Even without a dominant tailback, the Hokies used a combination of tailbacks, quarterbacks, and receivers to rush for 2,289 yards — a number that ranked fifth in the ACC. Tech’s staff, though, needs to sort out the mix. Fuente likes to play a lot of players, but the coaches won’t be playing four or five tailbacks extended reps. There are a lot of questions with this group — maybe more than at any other position. Can King live up to his talent, or Holston stay healthy? Who among the newcomers will stand out? So many questions makes things a little challenging for new running backs coach Adam Lechtenberg. He hopes to find answers rather quickly. BOLD PREDICTION Tech’s tailbacks combine to rush for 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns this fall. Keshawn King