Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 10 No. 5 | May 2018

inside.hokiesports.com 23 Most Virginia Tech football fans have spent the spring fretting over the situations at the linebacker, receiver and cornerback positions, but they also need to keep in mind that the Hokies lost one of the best punt returners in school history and their field-goal kicker. Greg Stroman averaged 11.3 yards per punt return and returned two for touchdowns this past season—and four in his career. A four- year starter at the spot, he leaves quite the void, and one that special teams coach James Shibest spent much of spring practice trying to fill. Among those who worked at the spot included Sean Savoy, Hezekiah Grimsley and Bryce Watts. “His [Stroman’s] ability to field the ball and his decision making, that’s the first thing,” Shibest said. “We got to find a guy we can trust who can do those things back there, with ball security reasons. “Whoever is back there, we are going to put the guy we trust back there first, whether he can make a play or not. That’s going to be the first thing. We are still working. A lot of the guys have not done it at the college level, and it will be interesting.” The situation at kicker is a little more settled, with Brian Johnson and Jordan Stout battling it out. Johnson, though, at least played this past season when Joey Slye was injured, and he made three of his four field-goal attempts. He also kicked off 12 times, placing six in the end zone for touchbacks. Stout, however, possesses a powerful leg. So Shibest envisions the competition continuing up to the season opener against Florida State on Sept. 3. “Field goal-wise, I think the competition will go through fall camp,” Shibest said. “Some days, they look really good and have ability, but being able to go out there in front of 70,000 people and perform … I’m glad Brian had the opportunity to do that late last year and get some experience with that. A good start with them guys helps as far as confidence and stuff, but them guys do have ability. It’s just a matter of going out on game day and executing that now.” The Hokies also broke in a new long snapper this spring, as longtime snapper Colton Taylor graduated. Oscar Shadley graduated from Golden Gate High School in Naples, Florida early and enrolled at Tech in January, and he performed without a hitch this spring. The Hokies do return punter Oscar Bradburn, who excelled this past season. Actually, the team played very well in all phases of special teams in 2017, but coming out spring practice, they remain a work in progress in several areas. Those areas are worth watching once practices resume in August. Special Teams Punters 91 Oscar Bradburn (6-1, 202, So) 92 Jordan Stout (6-2, 192, r-Fr.) Kickers 92 Jordan Stout (6-2, 192, r-Fr.) 93 Brian Johnson (6-1, 182, r-So.) Snapper 97 Oscar Shadley (6-0, 251, Fr.) Hokies still searching for answers at a couple of SPECIAL TEAMS spots by Jimmy Robertson