Virginia Tech Hokies 2020-2021 Team Preview

I follow three teams in college football - the Wyoming Cowboys, the North Carolina Tar Heels, and the Virginia Tech Hokies. I graduated from Wyo, I grew up a UNC fan, and I started liking the Hokies right around the time the team was helmed by Marcus Vick. Why? I loved the color combination of maroon and orange. This is what initially drew me in to Hokie football, and since then, I've followed quarterback Tyrod Taylor, running backs Ryan Williams and David Wilson, tight end Dalton Keene, and cornerback Kyle Fuller into the pros. I was also a big fan of Frank Beamer as head coach and Bud Foster as defensive coordinator. Both have since retired, so now it's time for the next man up, which means it's time to preview the team for the season ahead.

QB - Hendon Hooker - Junior
Hooker came in midway through 2019 when starter Ryan Willis went down with injury. He started 8 games with the Hokies, leading them to an 8-5 overall record. In those games, he completed 99 passes on 162 attempts for 1,555 yards, with 13 touchdowns and 2 interceptions and a 61.1 completion percentage. He averaged 9.6 yards per attempt, which is not bad at all, but he has to make better reads in his third year . He'll have plenty of guys to throw to in 2020, and will use his arm, and his legs to his advantage, which accounted for several of his end zone visits.


RB/KR - Keshawn King - Sophomore
Only a freshman in 2019, King will look to right his first year pedestrian numbers this season. On 79 attempts, he accumulated 340 rushing yards, averaging 4.3 per carry, but only resulting in 2 touchdowns. The Hokies have always boasted solid running backs, and King will likely fit that bill in the end. The coming season will be a pretty good indicator.






WR - Tre Turner - Junior
Turner led the Hokies in receiving yards last season with 553 to go with 4 receiving touchdowns and 1 rushing touchdown. The offense didn't boast a lot of scores through the air, but that has to change in 2020. Turner should be the lead guy in that department as quarterback Hooker develops more as a passer. Turner's on-field presence and his chosen number channel a young Marvin Jones Jr., which is certainly a comparison Turner would love to live up to.



WR/PR - Tayvion Robinson - Sophomore
Robinson had a decent freshman campaign in 2019 with 31 receptions for 404 yards and a score. When Turner gets blanketed by the defense, it will be Robinson that Hooker will look for in the passing game. He also did well on the ground with 132 rushing yards, proving the young Hokie a double threat that can see the team to a top finish in the Coastal Division. .




WR - Kaleb Smith - Sophomore
Kaleb Smith will be the third option at receiver with the transfers of fellow pass-catchers Phil Patterson and Hezekiah Grimsley. In 2019, he had 9 receptions for 121 yards and a score. The Hokies don't have great depth at the position this season, especially with Grimsley entering the transfer portal, so Smith will really have to develop quickly to fill the role.





WR - Evan Fairs - Graduate Transfer
Coach Justin Fuente lost several players to the transfer portal, two of whom were wide receivers. The presence of grad transfer Evan Fairs helps rectify the loss a bit. Last season in his senior year at Kansas, he only had 1 reception for 21 yards. That had to have been disappointing, so he'll be looking for a fresh start with the Hokies. He had his best year with the Jayhawks in 2017, when he caught 24 passes for 335 yards and a touchdown. Those are likely more realistic expectations for his 2020.



TE - James Mitchell - Junior
James Mitchell is not your average tight end. Used as a sort of full back at times last season, he actually had more rushing touchdowns (4) than receiving touchdowns (2). He was used as a goal line back, rushing for 1 to 2 yards on plunges into the end zone, but he also managed 21 receptions for 361 yards. He could be a major producer this season, especially if the coaches keep getting creative with his usage.





DE - TyJuan Garbutt - Junior
Garbutt's freshman and sophomore years were nearly identical. In 2019, he had 13 solo tackles, 18 assisted tackles, and a sack. He actually regressed a little from his first year in 2019, where he had 18 solos, 13 assisted, a sack, and a pass defended. These are solid numbers to build on in a time when the Hokies will need him most.







DE - Emmanuel Belmar - Senior
As a junior, Belmar had pretty decent numbers, boasting 19 solo tackles, 20 assisted, with 4 sacks. He seems to be the more active between he and counterpart Garbutt, so the Hokies will be looking for his lean, mean pass rush to come early and often in 2020.









DT - DaShawn Crawford - Senior
Most of the tackles and sacks will come by way of Garbutt and Belmar, though Crawford had a solid 2019 season he'll look to build on. Last year for the Hokies, he had 14 solos, 13 assisted, with a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and an interception.









NT - Jarrod Hewitt - Senior
Jarrod Hewitt had pretty good junior numbers, posting 15 solo tackles, 18 assisted, with 4 sacks and a forced fumble. That makes for some active work in the middle on the defensive side of the ball, but Hewitt will look to double those stats in his last go 'round as a Hokie.









LB - Dax Hollifield - Junior
As a sophomore, Hollifield racked up 21 solo tackles, 46 assisted, 2 sacks, 3 interceptions, and a forced fumble. Those are great numbers for a well-established senior, let alone a sophomore. Number 4 will be a much needed centerpiece to this defense in 2020.









LB - Rayshard Ashby - Senior
Ashby, on the other hand, is the hallmark. He will probably be the first Hokie player taken in the 2021 NFL draft. Last season, he put up video game numbers, posting 60 solo tackles, 59 assisted tackles, 5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and a pass defended. Those are some 1st to 2nd round types of numbers, so if he can duplicate that this season, we'll hear his name being called on Sundays.



CB - Jermaine Waller - Junior
Waller had a pretty solid sophomore campaign. He chalked up 33 solo tackles, 13 assisted, 1.5 sack, and 3 interceptions. He reminds me of former Hokie great Kyle Fuller, who is flourishing in the NFL for the Chicago Bears. Fuller played under the tutelage of Bud Foster, so it will be interesting to see if Waller can achieve what Fuller did in his time spent in Blacksburg.



CB - Caleb Farley - Junior
Farley had less tackles than Waller last season (14, 6), but he had more interceptions (4), and even returned one for a pick six. He also defended 12 passes to Waller's 10, proving that the more opposing quarterback's throw their way, the better chance they have to convert them into turnovers, Bud Foster style. I've always enjoyed watching Virginia Tech's defensive backs, and both Waller and Farley are upcoming juniors looking to add to their impressive 2019 numbers.



NB - Chamarri Conner - Junior
Conner is a nickelback, or the fifth defensive back on the field in passing situations. He had a good 2019, especially for a sophomore, with 45 solo tackles, 23 assisted, 5.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception. The Hokies will be counting on the numbers to climb in a 2020 chock full of opponent pass attempts.







FS - Deablo Divine - Senior
Divine and Conner had similar numbers in similar categories, except that Divine had a lot more tackles, both solo and assisted. Those whopping numbers come in at 42 each, while he helped them with a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and an interception. With a name like Deablo Divine, he's the salty and sweet, the bad and the good, the player opponent offenses can take lightly at their own peril. He's an absolute terror, and will cause havoc in the ACC Coastal.



K - Brian Johnson - Senior
Brian Johnson has been the main guy for the Hokies for a couple of years, and in his junior season, scored his highest percentage of field goals made (82.6). Johnson's longest last season was a 54-yarder, and if he can dial up a few more of those up in 2020, he may find himself playing on Sundays.




Offensive Outlook: Hendon Hooker and Keshawn King are still developing as passers and runners respectively. I think the largest chunk of the Hokie success this season will come from the receiver position. King could break out at running back, but I think at least early on, Tre Turner, Tayvion Robinson, and possibly even Evan Fairs and James Mitchell will be counted on mightily in the passing game. Depending on what kind of depth the Hokies have, Mitchell may again be counted on as a goal line full back.

Defensive Outlook: The linebackers are the brightest spot on this defense. The numbers Rayshard Ashby and Dax Hollifield put up last season were staggering. The defensive backs were solid too, led by cornerback Jermaine Waller. The Hokies really look to favor well against the run and the pass, and it will be interesting to see if they can live up to the hype and move their way past my other team, ACC Coastal rivals North Carolina.