Virginia Tech Football: Can Justin Fuente right the ship in 2021?
The first few seasons of the Justin Fuente era have not gone to plan in Blacksburg, to say the least, leading to the question: can Fuente finally right the ship in 2021?
Virginia Tech football is entering 2021 coming off of its second losing season in three years under Fuente. After going 19-8 in Fuente’s first two seasons in Blacksburg, the Hokies have gone 19-18 over the last three years, including 14-12 in ACC play.
Let’s preview the 2021 season for the Hokies, starting with the offense.
Can Braxton Burmeister boost the offense in 2021?
The Virginia Tech offense in 2021 will look a bit different than it did a season ago. Hendon Hooker has made his way to Knoxville and will finish his career at Tennessee while leading rusher Khalil Herbert is off to the NFL after being drafted by the Bears in the sixth round of this year’s draft.
Taking over for Hooker will be former Oregon quarterback Braxton Burmeister, who made his debut as a Hokie last season. In six games, he completed 56.5 percent (48-of-85) of his passes for 687 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. His best game of the season came in the Hokies’ finale against Virginia, completing 15-of-22 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown.
The running back situation is a little bit murkier compared to the quarterback room. Raheem Blackshear is the leading returning rusher with 243 yards last season, however, Jalen Holston had the better yards per carry average last season at 4.7. It’s likely that we see those two split the first-team carries early in the season until one or the other really establishes themselves.
Last season, the offense was led by the ground game, where it averaged 240 yards per game. The passing game lagged quite a bit behind the rushing attack, only averaging 201 yards per game. While they hope Burmeister gives a boost to the passing game, he’ll need reliable weapons to get the ball to through the air.
The good news is the Hokies have a trio of quality receivers and their top three targets from last season in Tayvion Robinson, Tre Turner, and tight end James Mitchell returning. The bad news is, beyond those three, the depth at the receiver position(s) is bleak. Herbert and Blackshear were the only other players to total 100 or more receiving yards last season.
If the Hokies experience any injuries at wide receiver or tight end, it will be intriguing to see if anyone can step up into a starting role and perform at a strong level.
On the offensive line, the Hokies return an experienced group but also lost five offensive linemen this offseason. It may not be a well-oiled machine early in the season but within few weeks, the Hokies’ offensive line should be around where they’re expected to be heading into 2021 thanks to the experience they still are returning despite the departures.