Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 12 No. 5 | May 2020

inside.hokiesports.com 25 Before the game or after , Preston’s Restaurant is a delicious place for a new game-day tradition. Start with our fresh breakfast buffet. Order lunch or dinner from our mouth-watering a la carte menu of seasonal cuisine. And don’t forget the Valley’s best brunch, every Sunday at Preston’s. Make Preston’s Restaurant your game-day tradition. @PrestonsRestaurant @PrestonsIVTSCC 540.231.0120 | www.InnatVirginiaTech.com 901 Prices Fork Rd, Blacksburg, VA 24061 (inside The Inn at Virginia Tech) Reservations recommended. A delicious game-day tradition. either this fall or in early 2021. Like most players coaches and fans, Hoffman feels optimistic about the Hokies’ chances whenever play resumes. After all, Tech returns a bunch of starters and a lot of high-end talent from the 2019 squad. Hendon Hooker, James Mitchell, Tré Turner, Rayshard Ashby, Caleb Farley and others are potential All- ACC choices. Hoffman hopes to be mentioned in that category, but more importantly, he hopes to see the Hokies pile up some W’s whenever the season kicks off. “When I came in, a lot of the film I watched was of that 2018 season, which everyone knows was not the best,” he said. “A lot of the guys were young, freshmen and sophomores. In 2019, you can see where the experiences from the 2018 season helped them grow, and I feel like it’s just a snowball effect after that and it’s only going to get better. “But it’s not going to get better on its own. That’s the thing that Coach [Justin] Fuente was preaching to us when we were at Tech and working out and all that. It’s still going to take work. Just because you have experience, it doesn’t mean anything, but it definitely helps if you’re putting that work in and you have experience. You’re bringing more and more guys along, and you’re getting comfortable in your position. I do think we have a good team coming back. It’s a good group of guys … I’m confident we’ll be really good.” For sure, Hoffman is ready to turn the page and get ready for the next chapter in his life. After a few bumps in the road, his story appears positive looking ahead. His mom continues to make progress in her recovery, he continues to do well academically, he feels great, and he knows the return of football is a matter of when, not if. Hoffman’s axing of a small tree briefly appeased his boredom at the time, but perhaps it was symbolic. He’s spent the past year chopping away—and now he’s hopefully cleared the way for a bright future. Brock Hoffman has overcome a lot to become a contender for a starting job on a Tech offensive line that features depth and talent.