Virginia Tech Football: Five Bold Way Too Early Expectations for the 2025 Season
Fifth the most likely, 1st the boldest.
5. Under 115 rushing ypg allowed
4. Hokies lead the ACC in total sacks
3. 3 All-ACC Hokies offensive players
2. 425+ ypg
1. Kyron Drones 3:1 TD/Int ratio
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I read this as AI Hokies on SI, which, given that it's SI, is probably accurate.
And then I read the article, and am more convinced that it's AI. Very poorly written.
And other sentences that I had to really concentrate to parse. Who the fuck is writing for SI these days?
SI, more like AI amirite?
While probably AI, it's no dumber than most sports media. Just goes to show you that editors are still needed.
We're a few months away from Stephen A shouting at a hallucinating chat bot.
TBH a hallucinating color commentator might actually be enjoyable every now and again though.
For Collinsworth, hallucinating would be an improvement
ESPN personalities have to be the most worried, how hard is it to create a couple of bots that just shout at each other, thats like 90% of their programming.
[INTRO MUSIC FADES OUT]
JACK:
Welcome back to SportsCenter After Hours! I'm Jack Malone—voice of reason and classic crew socks —and across the desk—
TINA:
—I'm Tina Reyes, lover of high performance high socks, and ready to drag Jack into the 21st century.
JACK:
I'm just gonna say it—LOW SOCKS ARE SUPERIOR. If you're wearing high socks in 2025, you're either a third grader or stuck in a 2004 time loop!
TINA (cutting in):
ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW, JACK?! HIGH SOCKS ARE THE GOLD STANDARD. EVER HEARD OF STYLE? SUPPORT? LEG DOMINANCE?
JACK:
LEG DOMINANCE?! Tina, this isn't a medieval joust! It's SPORTS. Low socks mean speed, freedom, aerodynamics—
TINA:
AERODYNAMICS?! THEY'RE SOCKS, NOT F-16s! You sound like a guy who puts ketchup on pasta!
JACK:
AT LEAST I DON'T LOOK LIKE I'M AUDITIONING FOR A ROLE IN HOOSIERS! Every time you walk in with those socks halfway up your femur, I lose vision in one eye!
TINA:
THAT'S BECAUSE HIGH SOCKS INTIMIDATE WEAK ANKLES LIKE YOURS! You ever seen LeBron in no-shows? NO! BECAUSE HE'S A LEGEND, NOT A LIFEGUARD!
JACK (mocking):
"Oh look at me, I need my socks to hug my calves or I can't shoot free throws!" Give me a break!
TINA:
Better than you, rolling your ankles just thinking about cardio. Low socks are for people who quit before halftime.
JACK (slamming desk):
I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL, TINA!
TINA (standing up):
THEN BRING A PAIR OF HIGH SOCKS TO YOUR FUNERAL. I'M DRESSING YOU IN NIKE ELITES!
JACK:
OVER MY COLD, LOW-SOCKED BODY.
TINA:
YOU GOT IT!
[PRODUCER IN BACKGROUND]:
Okay! Okay! We're going to commercial! COMMERCIAL!!
[THEME MUSIC SURGES AGAIN]
JACK (still yelling off mic):
They don't even protect you from turf burn!
TINA:
YOU WOULDN'T KNOW TURF BURN IF IT HIT YOU IN THE SHIN, CARGO SHORTS!
Heck if they can get something as good as Neurosama they would have better content than they have now.
Bwahahahahaha.
This would be an incredible SNL skit.
I just went to Chat GPT and gave it the following prompt: Can you give me 5 bold predictions for the 2025 Virginia Tech football season
This is what it spat out:
Look familiar?
lol. Chat GPT a year behind.
Every SI article.
I once again motion to have SI banned as a source for discussion topics.
Chat GPT is also just going to pull from its sources, which is probably the wider internet, so it probably literally just pulled from that article.
Possible, yes if you're logged into GPT it does browse the current web for sources, but SI has already been noted on multiple occasions to publish AI articles.
Its an absolutely garbage website and business.
Oh, I have no doubt that they're using AI in some form for articles, just that they probably didn't just type the prompt into Chat GPT, and publish that.
"With a strong linebacker corps".... LMFAO- this dude has no clue. Yeah- call me whatever but none of those are happening. Especially 115 yards rushing per game. Drones -could- blow up, but if he throws more, he will throw more INTs. Behind this OL- the offense won't be good or explosive. I have no idea where they are getting the sack nonsense.
You're literally getting mad at AI generated content
At least he's consistent
Ignoring the fake, AI writing, a Virginia Tech offense will average 425 yards per game?.
AI aside, those predictions are quite bold. If those things happen then the new coordinators are very good (better than we thought) and the last ones were very bad (even worse than we thought).
And if all those things happen and we still go 6-6, LOLLLLL
The alleged "author" (I would argue that they are more of a review publisher) of the article is a very recent VT grad. The allegations of AI use to write would not surprise me at all given the adoption of AI tools by students and the comparisons to the prompt fed to ChatGPT.
My five not so bold (or optimistic) predictions......
1. The below will be reason enough for VT to keep Pry.
2. The offense and defensive will show notable improvement as the season goes on.
3. At least two transfers will be better than expected and make a difference.
4. We will look like contenders in the ACC before a key injury derails the team.
5. We will improve on a our win loss record from last year.
I'd probably be pretty happy with just #2 and #5 both occurring. That would be enough, I think, to hold onto Pry. 7-6 with clear improvement as the year goes on is probably enough for me. 8-5 with 1 of those wins being the bowl game coupled with improvement during the year and I'll be really happy.
As Pry has been told anything less than 7-6 he is packing his bags, I hope that is the minimum the team achieves. I want him to succeed.
Sauce? any AD that would paint a coach into a corner and a lame duck is an idiot.
Just people I know at work with spouses inside the department. Let's be honest, how many people have been calling Whit an idiot anyway?
It's gotta be 7-6 with 7 regular season wins and a top 30 high school recruiting class and a proven QB coming in to replace Drones (or Drones returning after a great season, but I feel like that's unlikely).
Regardless, I don't think 7 wins in a vacuum cuts it. We'll see.
I think Cam Seldon is flying under the radar. I think he will surprise folks once we find ways to get him the ball.
"We will look like contenders in the ACC before a key injury derails the team."- So no legit depth for the 10th straight season. great.
Sounds like 12- 0 is the prognosis
13-0 Bay beee
Sounds right. An undefeated ACC champ getting left out of the playoff for a 6-6 $SEC team.
AI garbage aside, I really do hope Drones can thrive in the new offensive system and with a hopefully better O-line. We need that first-year Drones spark back lol.
Montgomery knows offense, and knows how to move the ball. There is no question. The question is can we execute it? And that comes down to a mix of talent and preparation. Drone's weakness is touch on the short/medium pass and accuracy. So if he can't execute that better, it takes a chunk of montgomery's playbook away. His strengths are extending the play and the deep ball. We have a real OC that knows how to use that- IF the OL can protect.
Have we been watching the same team? Or do you just mean throwing the ball deep, not a catchable deep ball?
There's bold, then there's homerism. These predictions (AI, or otherwise) toe that line. For reference, I looked up how we did in these categories in 2024.
5. Under 115 rushing ypg allowed Gave up 160 ypg on the ground in 2024
4. Hokies lead the ACC in total sacks Hokies were 5th in 2024, with 37 sacks (leaders had 43)
3. 3 All-ACC Hokies offensive players Hokies had 1 total offensive player; 0 first team offensive players, 1 second teamer (Tuten) and 0 3rd teamers.
2. 425+ ypg 2024 Hokies posted 368 ypg
1. Kyron Drones 3:1 TD/Int ratio 2024 Drones had 10:6 TD:INT, so, just shy of 2:1.
On the surface these are absolutely bold. With the departure of our entire OL and Tuten, I don't know how anyone (AI or otherwise) could possibly smoke enough to think our offense will improve markedly as is suggested here. Defensively I'm less sure what to expect but reducing our rushing ypg allowed by nearly 30% and increasing our Sack numbers by about 20% are tall, tall orders.
I would be pretty shocked if the team achieves even just one of these. I guess we'll see what happens.
Comparisons to years prior are more irrelevant now than ever. 70% of the 24 team is no longer here.
you're absolutely right - and that's kind of why I put that in. How could we possibly expect to improve dramatically with almost an entirely different team?
We're not out there buying the best players and coaches so I just don't see how it's possible to argue for any amount of improvement (let alone 20-30% improvements) with a completely new and different (and in all likelihood less talented) roster
The point of the comparison is to show how much of a gap these predictions expect us to close from the previous team - but now we've got a completely different team and unless they're a lot better (and there is absolutely no reason to believe they will be anything but the same or worse) there's no way we're going to touch those lofty goals.
While I agree with you, one could make the argument (I would not) that Monty, Sief, and the new strength team will help this team improve despite the talent dropoff.
I just don't see how any rational fan (is that an oxymoron?) can expect this team to win >7 regular season games
Sief has done literally nothing of note ever, but I hear what you are saying.
But he also hasn't proven himself to be a bad DC yet either! #glasshalffull
Same, it just seems like the assumption that we will be
bakMaking the Leap got kicked down the road a year from last year.Anything is possible, but I too would be surprised if the 2025 Hokies do one single thing on this list.
Gotta figure this is the only one that is remotely possible, given Monty's system. The other's seem quite unlikely.
I think we could sit here and hem and haw on this one
on the plus side, Monty has a track record and it's only asking for a ~15% improvement in output
on the other hand, we have a completely new OL and lost our best player to the NFL
All things equal, do we think Monty could squeeze another 57 yards out of the same exact players against the same exact competition? Maybe?
But the reality is he has to do it without Tuten, and with a completely new OL that hasn't played together yet. Drones will need to improve pretty drastically just to maintain the type of production we saw in 2024. Can he connect the dots under Monty? Maybe?
I really think there are too many unknowns. I'm on board with looking at the coaching changes as potential upgrades (granted, the previous coaches weren't hard to upgrade from) and taking a #glasshalffull view from that perspective. However, the reality is they are facing an uphill battle with a turned over roster.
I guess the good news is our schedule might actually be easier this year. In non-con we swap Marshall and Rutgers for SCAR and Wofford - probably about a wash there. In the ACC we swap Stanford(16), BC(9), Cuse(4), Clemson(2) and Duke(7) for NC State(10), Wake(15), Cal(14), Lville(5), and FSU(17). (2024 final standings in ()) so our 2025 schedule looks...easier?
and then you factor in that that brand new OL might wind up being the strength of the offense, simply by virtue of not being turnstiles.
Unless Drones takes the step forward we were all hoping he'd take a year ago, it could be another vintage Virginia Tech offense.
Data over the last 5 or so years that continuity on the OL is drastically overrated (relative to pure talent). Discussed it here.
Not saying this line is going to be great, but I wouldn't be shocked if it was improved.
I'll take talent over continuity anywhere anytime.
this is a fair point - that said, I think since we don't have a great track record at bringing in talent, continuity is where we can make the most impact. I'd be happy to be wrong. I'll just be pretty shocked if our OL in 2025 is markedly better than our OL in 2024
It could be a difference for us in men's hoops- except the entire roster leaves every year.
This week's TV Guide has us picked as the most likely team to argue over mayonnaise brands with their diabetic dad. Good article on the superiority of cake over pie in that issue as well.
None of that matters. Ice cream takes the cake. Takes the pie too. It elevates everything!
Well, maybe not mayonnaise, but that is mayonnaise dragging down the ice cream and not the other way around.
You could make ice cream out of the mayo.
Hot take: Dipping French fries in mayo is hella better than ketchup
Can we all just get along and use fry sauce?
Malt vinegar on fries FTW........
Hotter take: Poutine is absolutely delicious and should be something on every bar menu in the states
Is this a hot take? I don't personally like Poutine, but I feel like I am very much in the minority.
There are two many eh poutines out there as it is. I often feel like it's the cruller of the fry world. I dont eat it often but when I do I kind of wish i'd chosen another donut. Now occasionally it's fantastic and the best choice I've made all week, but that is few and far between.
Thats a hard no, dog... Mayo is great on a BLT, Ham sandwhich and steak and cheese and literally nothing else. Certainly not fries- gross. Gravy (poutine) is much better on fries.
Tuna salad, especially to make it a spread for a sandwich
Correct- Forgot that one.
Instead of mayo, try greek yogurt, and a scoop of salsa instead.
White gravy on fries for the win.
Is Terion Stewart at Virginia Tech now, if not what has happened to him?
I know he wasn't enrolling until summer. I think he's in campus but I don't remember where I read it.