Football at Virginia Tech: Where did the Hokies stand in ESPN’s post-spring rankings?
ESPN once loved Virginia Tech football. VT’s rise to prominence during the 1990s was due, in part, to the exposure ESPN gave the Hokies.
Unfortunately, Virginia Tech football hasn’t been the same in recent years. The last few years of the Frank Beamer era were challenging, but things really went south under his replacement, Justin Fuente.
Brent Pry was hired after the 2021 season, and his debut season couldn’t have gone any worse. But there were signs of hope. Pry made recruiting within the state of Virginia a priority again and worked to rebuild relationships with every high school. He also worked to heal relationships with the fans and community.
While things started rough last season, Tech won five of its last seven games, including a 41-20 win over Tulane in the Military Bowl. Pry did a fantastic job bringing back almost everyone this offseason and signing seven players from the transfer portal.
Everyone is taking notice. There is serious hype around the football team, and it looks like ESPN is buying in. ESPN recently released its post-spring top 25, including the Hokies at No. 21.
It has been quite a while since the Hokies were a legitimate contender in the ACC race, but that might change in coach Brent Pry’s third season. ESPN colleague Bill Connelly ranks the Hokies No. 1 in his returning production percentages — No. 1 on offense (95%) and No. 12 on defense (77%) — and Pry and his staff have done a good job of using the transfer portal to plug holes. The Hokies averaged 43 points over their final four games of 2022, a stretch in which they went 3-1. Quarterback Kyron Drones passed for 22 touchdowns and three interceptions and ran for 818 yards with five scores. He’s one of 11 starters coming back on offense. Pry shored up the defensive line by bringing in four transfers: Duke’s Aeneas Peebles, Oklahoma’s Kelvin Gilliam Jr., Alabama’s Khurtiss Perry and Western Community College’s Kemari Copeland. Virginia Tech’s nonconference schedule is more than manageable (Vanderbilt, Marshall, Old Dominion and Rutgers) and it doesn’t play Florida State, Louisville or NC State during the regular season.
No team in the Power Five returns more starters than the Hokies. Tech is deep at several positions, including wide receiver and defensive tackle. The Hokies have concerns, but there is plenty to be excited about and it begins with Drones. If Drones builds off his strong finish last season, he could be a high NFL draft choice next April. While VT wouldn’t want to lose Drones after this season, that would mean things went well.
How do you feel about Virginia Tech’s ranking? Too high, too low?
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