Virginia Tech Football: 2017 season preview, predictions

The Virginia Tech football program enters the 2017 season with some questions at quarterback but expectations are still high.

The Virginia Tech Hokies enter 2017 with the same question as 2016: who will be the starting quarterback? Jerod Evans, a junior college transfer, won the starting job last season.

Evans went on to pass for 3,552 passing yards, 29 touchdowns and rush for 846 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns in 2016. He fared well under first-year head coach Justin Fuente on their way to a 10-4 record. Year two will tell the story of Fuente’s ability to duplicate offensive futility in 2017.

Another question mark is the starting right side of the offensive line. With right guard Augie Conte and right tackle Jonathan McLaughlin gone, those positions are still open roles until the coaching staff says otherwise. It isn’t necessarily a bad thing either as it shows the Hokies developing depth at the offensive line position.

Defensively, Virginia Tech returns seven starters on another solid-looking Bud Foster led unit. The Hokies moved one of the Edmunds’ brother in a bigger role on defense which should bode well for all parties.

The Virginia Tech Hokies did well in 2016, falling to Clemson, eventual National Champions, in the ACC Championship game by a touchdown. So there shouldn’t be much panic in Blacksburg. The defense has the experience to carry the Hokies to another ACC Championship game.

Offense

The Virginia Tech Hokies offense was a great finish for quarterback Jerod Evans, wide receiver Isaiah Ford and tight end Bucky Hodges. Now with all of them gone to the NFL, Justin Fuente will have to use a combination of experience and a couple gambles to make ends meet in 2017.

Wide receiver Cam Phillips will play a feature role in the Hokies offense for sure but after him, there’s a huge dropoff in production, at least from last season. Wide receiver C.J. Carroll will probably see some time, but probably not in a featured role. Carroll caught 18 passes for 258 receiving yards in 2016.

A few players to look out for are tight end Dalton Keene and wide receiver Caleb Farley, both true freshmen. Keene and Farley were two breakout performers in the Hokies annual spring game this past April.

The offense will definitely be in search of new weapons next season. Two early enrollees could end up getting the starting nod by Sept. 3.

The battle for the starting quarterback position

The Hokies also have another quarterback battle on their hands entering fall camp. The leader in the early going was redshirt freshmen Josh Jackson. That was until the spring game happened, where Hendon Hooker, a true freshmen, went 10-for-11 for 115 passing yards and a touchdown pass to tight end Dalton Keene. Hooker also threw an interception in the game.

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Jackson went 3-for-7 with 59 passing yards in the game. Junior college transfer A.J. Bush, the third quarterback in the competition, was 3-for-5 with 60 passing yards in the game.

Hooker may already have the poise it takes to lead the Virginia Tech Hokies offense. He’s sure to still be in stiff competition with Bush and Jackson. However, the early connection with Keene possibly helped put the offense in his favor.

Jackson does have a year under his belt of digesting the playbook and Fuente’s philosophies to his credit. After all, he did redshirt last year. So it’s hard to give Hooker the nod right away.

Bush is another possible candidate. He’s already spent two seasons on the Nebraska Cornhuskers roster before transferring to a junior college. Now as a redshirt junior, he has an opportunity to become a starting quarterback for an ACC program in quick rebuild mode.

Defense

The Virginia Tech Hokies returns seven starters from a defense that allowed 22.8 points per game last season. Losing three starters on the front-four hurts. Ken Ekanem, Woody Baron and Nigel Williams will be missed.

However, plugging in Tim Settle, Ricky Walker and Trevon Hill isn’t too hard to do. The trio combined for 19.5 tackles for loss in reserve roles last season. Settle only had 17 total tackles last season, seven of those tackles were for a loss. With more snaps this season, it will be interesting to see what all three can do with starting roles.

Another intriguing player is former four-star safety recruit Devon Hunter. It will be interesting to see if he can break into the lineup before the season opener. He has an opportunity to challenge Reggie Floyd for the rover position in the secondary this fall.

The Hokies defense has the experience to be good in 2017. With early tests against West Virginia and Clemson, they could be on the receiving end of a solid ranking with wins.

With linebackers Andrew Motuapuaka and Mook Reynolds roaming the field, teams may have a hard time throwing the ball against this team before it’s all said and done.

Terrell Edmunds at free safety

The free safety position was held down by Chuck Clark for the past two seasons. Now with Clark gone, coaches have moved Terrell Edmunds to the position.

The position is different from the rover position as it focuses more on one-on-one coverage and is more of a leadership position. The free safety is also responsible as a play-caller on defense along with the mike linebacker.

Edmunds, who was second on the team in tackles last season (101) and first in interceptions (4), shouldn’t have a difficult time adjusting. He looks like he’s just beginning to find his role out there after starting 13 of 14 games in 2016.

Next to his brother, Tremaine, who is a starting linebacker, Terrell should have a big season in 2017. Putting his coverage skills to good use will be key to the defense’ success in the upcoming year.

2017 Virginia Tech Schedule and Predictions

Justin Fuente enters his second season with some question marks at key positions. The starting quarterback will have a lot impact of the success of the offense in 2017. The defense will still be ready to lead the charge back to the ACC Championship.

The Miami Hurricanes are the media’s early favorite to win the Coastal Division but the Hokies are a close second. They have some tests on their schedule before they face Miami on November 4 too.

The Virginia Tech Hokies season opener against the West Virginia Mountaineers is set to be a good one at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.

If they can squeak out some close victories over the Pittsburgh Panthers and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, they could get to the ACC Championship without having to beat the Hurricanes. The Hokies are predicted to win nine games, according to Bovada.

Prediction: 10-2 (6-2 ACC)

The Hokies could see another wins in 2017, this time in the regular season. Winning two out of three of their games between the Clemson Tigers, Miami Hurricanes and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets is paramount to their success. The Hokies lost last season to the Yellow Jackets 36-26 at home. That game on Nov. 11 will certainly have an impact in the Coastal rankings.

Anything less than a bowl berth could be considered a failure for the Hokies. Granted they only return five starters on offense but the defense should be good enough to keep them within striking distance week in and week out.

There are a lot of expectations with incoming recruits that could put this offense over the edge. Hendon Hooker is one of those recruits and if he gets the starting nod, coaches are sure to let his playmaking ability shine.

Next: NFL Mock Draft 2018: Way-too-early edition

Another player to watch is Caleb Farley. After practicing on both sides of the ball in the spring, he made a name for himself in the spring game as a wide receiver. He’ll play a role in any success the Virginia Tech Hokies will have this season.