The Virginia Tech Hokies have one of the best coaching situations in the country. They have the young and imaginative head coach, Justin Fuente, who is a great teacher of quarterbacks and a very effective shaper of offensive concepts and designs. Then they have defensive coordinator Bud Foster, one of the better defensive strategists in college football. These two men helped Virginia Tech reclaim its place as ACC Coastal Division champion after several years of missing out on that goal. The Hokies lost to Georgia Tech in the ACC Coastal race in 2012 and 2014. They lost to Duke in 2013. They lost to North Carolina in 2015. A four-year drought gnawed at everyone in the program, so the division title in 2016 was very sweet. Now the program will try to sustain that momentum and use it to bolster recruiting and feed into a revival which can match the Frank Beamer years a decade ago, when Virginia Tech was an annual national power.
How Did They End 2016
The Hokies wobbled in a loss to Georgia Tech, failing to take care of the football on a day when they were very sloppy. Virginia Tech should never lose at home to a team with less talent, but that’s what happened against Georgia Tech. The Hokies, however, thanks to North Carolina’s struggles in the month of November, were able to win the ACC Coastal anyway. They made sure they did not back into the division title when they beat rival Virginia in late November. The Hokies then lost the ACC Championship Game to Clemson and its dominant offense behind Heisman Trophy finalist Deshaun Watson, but they bounced back in the Belk Bowl, overcoming a huge early deficit to storm back and beat the Arkansas Razorbacks. Virginia Tech has a lot of reason to feel good about its long-term future.
The short term, however, might be more complicated.
Offseason Changes
Quarterback Jarod Evans declared early for the NFL Draft – receiver Isaiah Ford and tight end Bucky Hodges also left for the pros. This offense is missing several important pieces. How will Fuente and the rest of the offensive staff account for these departures? It’s a big question, but many will point out that Evans was not supposed to be as good in 2016 as he turned out to be. Fuente did remarkable work with Evans, so the hope is that he can do the same with the next quarterback he brings into the fold.
Team X-Factor
Quarterback Josh Jackson is the man of the moment. If he can be receptive to what Fuente says and apply lessons seamlessly and effectively, Virginia Tech might not suffer as much as a number of people think it will. Getting good performance out of the quarterback spot can enable this Virginia Tech season to come together a lot better than many of the experts think.
What To Expect From The Hokies This Year
Virginia Tech’s offense will very likely struggle in September. The key will be the ability of this team to buy into its coaching and turn the corner in early October, when the ACC schedule kicks in. If Virginia Tech can do that, a repeat of the division title is possible.
Record Last 5 Seasons
2016: 10-4
2015: 7-6
2014: 7-6
2013: 8-5
2012: 7-6
Schedule & Outlook
The Hokies will have a challenging schedule through and through. They won’t have to deal with Florida State but they will see West Virginia in Week 1. They will have three easy games before moving on to host Clemson on September 30th. They’ll have to finish up their schedule with three of their final four games on the road, so it won’t be a breeze. This team could be in the neighborhood of 10 wins if they can beat Clemson. If not, seven to nine wins is where they should be.
Justin Fuente’s coaching ability is good enough to turn Josh Jackson into a high-performing quarterback. That being the case, Virginia Tech will defend its ACC Coastal title. The Hokies will lose to a stronger team from the ACC Atlantic in the ACC Championship Game.
Regular Season Win Total Prediction: Over 9
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