Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 9 No. 3 | January 2017

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9
by
Jimmy
Robertson
With 2017 here, Tech football
program in similar position as
last year
The New Year’s celebration for Virginia
Tech faithful began early this past year, as
their beloved Hokies made a historic rally to
win a bowl game, Buzz Williams’ bunch led
from start to finish in upsetting Duke, and
the women’s basketball team kept its record
spotless—all before the big ball dropped in
Times Square.
A fall full of accomplishments left Hokie
Nation feeling euphoric about the possibilities
and eager to take on all challenges. Then Jerod
Evans made his decision to punt on his senior
season and make a run for the NFL—and that
came as a sucker punch to those in orange and
maroon.
Yet all the best to Evans and to Isaiah Ford
and Bucky Hodges, who also made the same
decision. Their decisions came as no surprise,
though, considering their years of consistency
and overall bodies of work.
But Evans plays the position of the most
importance. He not only obviously led the
Hokies in passing, but also stood as the
team’s leading rusher, accounting for nearly
4,400 total yards and 41 touchdowns. So his
departure begs the question—where is this
program headed in 2017?
Will the Hokies be able to build on their 10-
win season and their third straight bowl win?
“I’m not saying that we’ve arrived or
that we’re back,” Tech coach Justin Fuente
cautioned shortly after the Belk Bowl win and
before the Evans decision. “I’m not saying any
of those things, but for this season and that
group, they worked toward getting Virginia
Tech back some of the recognition and the way
that Virginia Tech football has been thought
of. They’ve earned some of that back.”
The truth is this—the Hokies find
themselves in a similar position as last
January. They were coming off a bowl win
and getting prepared to search for an answer
at quarterback— albeit with new coaches at
the helm. The confetti had settled long before
Fuente named a starter out of the trio of
Evans, Brenden Motley and Josh Jackson.
Jackson now goes into the offseason as the
leading contender for the position, though
expect him to get some competition from an
early enrollee. Jackson reminds some of Bryan
Randall—around 6-foot-1, 215 pounds, smart
and probably a better runner than thrower at
this point in his young career.
The key may be finding him some help. Cam
Phillips represents a good starting point, and
the Hokies need Travon McMillian to become
that feature tailback again. The Hokies get
Deshawn McClease back from injury, and
Chris Cunningham shows promise as a tight
end, along with receivers Divine Deablo and
Eric Kumah. Steven Peoples probably assumes
that SamRogers role, and look for Kyle Chung,
Parker Osterloh and Tyrell Smith to battle for
the vacancies on the offensive line created by
the departures of Jonathan McLaughlin and
Augie Conte.
“We’re going to have some huge holes to fill
moving forward,” Fuente admitted.
But all those guys played this past season,
and the rest of the squad figures to be solid.
Defensively, the Hokies finished in the top
20 nationally in total defense (340.7 ypg),
and seven starters return. Tim Settle and
Ricky Walker were quasi starters this past
season, easing the losses of Woody Baron and
Nigel Williams. Trevon Hill and Houshun
Gaines will battle to replace Ken Ekanem.
That leaves the rather large task of finding
someone to replace Chuck Clark— the
quarterback of the defense.
Both kickers return. Expect Joey Slye to
be better with distance kicks, and Mitchell
Ludwig to add length to his punts.
Arguably the best news for Tech is that
many of its ACC Coastal Division foes need
to find quarterbacks as well. Pittsburgh lost
a bunch of seniors, including its quarterback.
Georgia Tech, Miami and Virginia also will
be looking, as well as North Carolina, which
saw Mitch Trubisky forgo his final season and
make himself available for the NFL Draft.
All this uncertainty makes for an interesting
offseason for Fuente and his staff, and yet
Tech’s faithful fans should be confident. A
year ago, media members picked the Hokies
to finish fifth in the Coastal—and they won it.
Fuente and the staff obviously know how to
get a team ready.
“We kept getting better and better from
the spring through the summer, and we kept
getting better through the fall,” defensive
coordinator Bud Foster said after the Belk
Bowl. “You’re seeing the end result right now.
The work ethic and the commitment of our
kids, that’s why we are where we are.”
Rest assured, there wasn’t a lot of time for
this staff to sip champagne and reflect on 2016.
The future is just around the corner.