Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 9 No. 5 | May 2017

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22 Inside Hokie Sports
Most Tech fans and even
media members who cover
the Virginia Tech football
program spent much of the
spring focusing on the Hokies’
depth issues at the receiver
and defensive line spots.
That was certainly
understandable, but the
situation at tight end bears
just as much scrutiny.
The position features one
player—Chris Cunningham—
who saw a moderate amount
of action at the spot last
season. He played in 12
games, starting two of them.
Colt Pettit, a converted offensive lineman, was the only other tight end to play last season, and
he worked just as an extra blocker.
Chris Durkin, who spent last season at tight end, transferred out of the program, and then
the coaching staff moved Xavier Burke from tight end to defensive end shortly before the start
of spring practice to shore up that spot. Burke played some at defensive end in high school, so
moving the rising redshirt sophomore was a logical decision.
All that left James Shibest, the tight ends coach, trying to get his inexperienced group better
this spring in hopes of finding one or two dependable players to insert in the Hokies’ various
packages this fall. Cunningham’s experience probably gave him a slight edge coming out of
spring practice.
As a redshirt freshman a year ago,
Cunningham caught six passes for 48
yards, but four of those receptions went for
touchdowns. He became an underrated red-
zone threat.
“He is understanding the offense better,”
Shibest said. “He is getting a little bit more
instinctive. He just has to keep going, keep
getting tougher and keep fighting.
“You see glimpses of a guy that can do
everything that we are asking of him. He
just has to continue to grow and gain some
confidence. He needs to believe that he is
going to go out there and win each rep. He’s
moving in the right direction, and we’ve been
happy with him. It’s hard to be patient at times with these guys, but he is still young.”
The staff hopes Cunningham merges into an all-around threat, but they want to use Pettit in
short-yardage and goal-line situations, or when they simply want to pound on a defense late in
the game. Pettit’s experience in that area should be beneficial to him and Tech’s offense.
“He is there to block people,” Shibest admitted. “He is running around better, and he looks
better. We just need some guys right there, and he did help us at the end of the year last year.
We need that physical guy at the line of scrimmage when we get in that personnel grouping.”
Shibest and the rest of the staff really like Dalton Keene, a freshman who graduated from
high school early and enrolled in January for the spring semester. Keene played a bunch of
positions on both sides of the ball while in high school, but the staff pegged him as a tight end
right away.
Keene looks the part at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds and with a frame to get even bigger. But he
impressed the staff both with his toughness and his overall athletic ability this spring.
“He looks a little raw,” Shibest said. “He is almost like a newborn giraffe out there the way he
moves at times, but he is strong and athletic. We are going to need him … He is going to have to
play next year, just looking at it right now, so we are glad he had this early start.”
Casey Harman and Cole Blaker, two Southwest Virginia natives, also figure into the mix, and
the other tight end signees from this past February—Lecitus Smith from Georgia and Drake
Deluliis from Charlotte—will get a close look starting in July.
Overall, the Hokies feature youth and inexperience at tight end heading into the fall. But the
good news is that their talent may be able to overcome that.
Cunningham HEADLINES a group
of young, inexperienced tight ends
by Jimmy Robertson
2017(in numerical order)
29 Dalton Keene (6-4, 225, Fr.)
42 Cole Blaker (6-3, 200, Fr.)
80 Casey Harman (6-3, 245, r-So.)
80 Colt Pettit (6-3, 298, r-So.)
85 Chris Cunningham (6-2, 236, r-So.)
Tight Ends
KEENE
DALTON