Alex Koma is covering today's media day in Blacksburg. The first surprising story of the day is that Travon McMillian has been moved to running back.
Frank mentions the #Hokies have moved QB recruit Travon McMillian to RB already— Alex Koma (@AlexKomaVT) August 9, 2014
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Wat?
FTFY
I think you mean TE? /sarcastica
May be fast, but is he getting on the field over M. Williams, Shai, JC Coleman, and Edmunds?
I see him becoming a Joel Caleb.
Could we use him on kick returns?
I would definitely like to see us give the athletes on the roster a serious look at handling returns.
He did a video interview with TSL where he said he was getting repetitions at kick returner.
Not exactly sure what I'm looking at, but leg.
Does she have any eligibility (for NCAA football that is)? She looks as sturdy as some of our linebackers.
Lucado is a good dude.
Say what you will about Britney.
But if you are my age, the "Toxic" video speaks to you. And you don't really hear anything else.
Some other bullets-
Beamer specifically called out Isaiah Ford, Cam Phillips, and Shai McKenze as freshmen standouts. He also praised Andrew Motuapuaka (who I bet will be starting over Chase Williams before the end of the season and I have said that since the spring) and freshman kicker Carson Wise from Blacksburg.
I haven't been this excited about the offensive talent of a recruiting class since the eddie royal, josh morgan, justin harper, branden ore, george bell, sean glennon class
Really?
Name another class of offensive players that you were excited to see on the field as freshman and beyond? There was a depth of offensive talent with the 2004 class that's very impressive for Virginia Tech standards. Having a chance to play with MV2 may have had something to do with it.
Eddie Royal and Jeremy Gilchrest were the best Wide Receivers in the state. Josh Morgan and Justin Harper were big bodied receivers with extensive offers. Talk about fulfilling a need after Ernest Wilford's senior year.
The injury really derailed his career, but George Bell was one of the best running backs available - broke all kinds of records in high school. Brandon Ore had a lot of hype after people saw what he was capable of once he got to Blacksburg.
Sean Glennon - say what you want about him - was the top QB in the state.
And we're all hoping the big difference between then and now is the OC.
Sounds like bad news regarding the health of Edmunds and Williams.
I don't think so. Edmunds has practiced every day unless I have missed something.
I've also heard he has been limping around a bit....just seems like this move is to get bodies at RB until Travon moves to DB.
So wait-so far we have Edmunds, Williams and Shai that are NOT at 100%??? Just use JCC, JC and the other dude (who's name currently escapes me at the moment).
Jerome Wright or Daniel Dyer? Or DJ Reid?
Reid! Yeah.
"Beamer specifically called out Isaiah Ford, Cam Phillips, and Shai McKenze as freshmen standouts. He also praised Andrew Motuapuaka"
Funny how everyone sees things differently, ha. That quote right there is sooo sweet to hear, to me.
Ford, Phillips, and McKenzie, on paper anyway, have the potential to be offensive juggernauts. When is the last time we had that? Beamer liking what he is seeing is a huge deal to me. And French has outlined the importance of Motuapuaka coming along. I'm running hot with this good news.
I'm with you.
It seems Tech's had a lot of 'seniority rules,' but I've noticed other teams will take dynamic freshmen and put them out on the field.
It may be that we haven't had the talent versus an attitude change, but I'm stoked if some of the new guys have shown up to play.
Jeez that makes 4 freshman running backs. How is that gonna work?
My guess is how Parker got on the field against UCLA. Whether he's in motion for a sweep/option, setting up a middle or bubble screen, or even just taking off down the field, his presence is something that defenses will have to account for, which is something we haven't had for a while.
I wonder if there's any correlation between this and the Mangus transfer. Based on timing and everything.
This.... this just makes no sense to me.
I know, I know. The coaches know better blah blah blah....
We all know that him sticking at QB was the longest of long shots -- but I really don't think it's in our interest to have yet another Joel Caleb situation here -- guy is too good not to recruit, but then we can't find a consistent place to use him.
I just feel like this sort of scenario is bad for future recruiting, bad for team morale, and most importantly, bad for kids who could have gone and started on another team.
I don't see the big deal will McMillian. One of 10 QBs, or one of 10 RBs...he's a true freshman. He has time. We have 120 guys out there looking for 22 starting spots, with more coming next January.
This is life.
he has time, but one of his projected positions (CB) is one we need depth at.... not RB. Why not start him there? We have Fuller and Facyeon for just this and next year then they are gone. Riley and Clark are the ONLY CBs left on our roster with experience, and Riley is a Jr. This year the only legit CB recruit we added was Stroman. We can get real thin real quick at that position, and if that's where he is headed, why not give him the extra months of practice time instead of burying him at RB where there are too many people competing for a limited number of snaps as it is? It would be different if the thought was he would ever contribute at RB, but he has the same likelihood of that as contributing at QB now.
You're saying Fuller and Facyson will enter the draft after their junior year?
Edit: if we keep Mook and the rock committed I think we'll be ok at CB
Well, more important though. Let's say one or god forbid both get hurt. Who's next? A big pile of nobody, that's who.
you're saying they wont?
I am kind of torn on this. The kid wanted to be a quarterback, and his mechanics and execution in the read option game was probably the best of the three freshmen. I wasn't sure if he had the arm strength to be a DI guy, but I do know his dream was to be a quarterback.
That being said, he was one hell of a runner at the quarterback position. Hopefully this transition works out well for him. I will need to see him play before I say if this is a good move or not.
I thought folks were projecting him as a CB. McMillan to RB is an interesting move considering that CB depth isn't great beyond the two starters.
Agreed the only guy that is legit behind Kendall and Brandon is Riley IMO.
Maybe they want to see him with the ball in his hands right away. I'm thinking (possibly) punt and KO return man positions are being dangled out there for someone to grab some glory.
I wouldn't mind getting some explosiveness going on in that department, that's for damn sure.
Maybe I am reading too much into all of these reports, but I am getting the feeling we are actually looking to attack on offense?
Why RB? Wasn't he projected as a WR?
EDIT: many here say CB, but I had seen WR in a few spots as well.
If they're moving him to RB, they're definitely going to redshirt him (unless they plan to use him on special teams this year)...so I don't understand why people are complaining. He'll start off at RB and if the coaches believe they can find a better spot for him at another position, they'll move him during the season or during spring practice...it's not like they're forced to keep him at RB for the rest of his career.
At least this eliminates one of the three QBs from the "QB in waiting" pool.
We also have to think what if edmunds has a beast year and declares for the draft?? Might not be a terrible idea to get him a couple reps and sit in the meetings.
I like Edmunds a lot, but I'd be surprised if he is good enough to declare for the draft after the season. Depending on how he recovers from his injury and how much we rotate RBs throughout the season I think somewhere between 700-1000 yards and 8-12 TDs is a realistic expectation for Trey as of now.
Even with a record-breaking year (fingers crossed!) for Trey, I can't see him leaving early. RB just doesn't carry the same draft/money value it did in the NFL a few years ago. Even Carlos Hyde wasn't a 1st rounder as a senior and that
kidMAN was a monster.injuries to RB do happen in a long season. if he picks up the position quickly, that gives tech more depth at the position.
i hope a kid with his talent doesnt just get buried in the depth chart like caleb. were so deep with new talent at rb this surprises me a ton. i think hes def going to redshirt.
This is the same thought I had. It worries me a little but I guess I'll have to have patience to see where this goes.
Part of me doesn't want to see Caleb buried on the depth chart any lower than he already is. I really want to see that guy play.
So here is our RB list (in approximate order)...
Edmunds (rSo)
Coleman (Jr)
Williams (Fr)
McKenzie (Fr)
Caleb (rSo)
Reid (Fr)
McMillian (Fr)
Wright (So)
Dyer (rSr)
That is 7 4* athletes (at one position or another) at RB, with 6 of them being sophmores or younger.
Why not move him to WR or CB where he was projected? We already have too many RBs where there is no way some don't transfer in the next year or two (in addition to Mangus who transferred this year), whats the point of adding more? If we find out next year we are transferring another player to WR or CB for depth from a position they were a fit at (and hear about how much they are a team player) I'm going to go insane. Coaches supposedly know best, but this is just so hard to understand
Well it's because our running backs include:
1) A player who's coming off a broken leg
2) A freshman who is rehabbing an ACL injury
3) An undersized upperclassmen who hasn't proven he can be a 3-down back
4) A true freshman who's overweight
5) A converted quarterback
6) Joel Caleb
Situations can change daily. The idea that we have "too many running backs" is counting your chickens before they hatch. What happens if Edmunds's injury causes him to miss the first month of the season? What happen if Shai pulls a Ken Ekanmen and isn't useful for another 2-3 years? What if Marshawn Williams can't get pass protections down? What happens if there's a freak injury in training camp like what happen to Malleck or Van Dyke?
I thought he was for sure going to be moved to WR
I like the fact cfb gives the kids opportunities to get playing time in different positions that may suite their abilities better than what they where recruited for.
He was probably rated 77 at HB, but when you switched positions to CB it dropped him to 68
This comment brightened my day.
Just dangle a few of those off the goal posts in the endzone and watch Marshawn Williams score multiple touchdowns. GO MW. Go Hokies.
i can't wait!!!!!
A lot of 5-star athletes I've recruited over the years, turn out to be excellent Free Safeties.
Definitely wiping some spit off my computer screen after that one. Nicely done.
Seeing a lot of confusion/angst about the move to RB, when CB might've been "better." However, something keeps popping up in my head, and that was an interview by Lefty a couple days ago. He was really concerned throughout the beginning/middle of the season because he didn't have any healthy running backs he could rely on. Hence, the LT3 show. So let's look at it this way: he's got a guy coming off a major leg injury, another coming off an ACL, another who had hernia surgery a couple weeks ago, a small guy who sprained both ankles in camp last year, Joel Caleb, a walkon, a fullback and a big freshman. Did I miss anyone? If one or more of the injured guys doesn't get back quickly, or we have a couple guys go down mid-season, we could be in some trouble. This move might just be some insurance for this year, with maybe a plan to move him to CB a little down the road. Just a guess there.
Yes. Yes and yes
Why is this surprising? I think everyone knew way back that he was going to get moved somewhere.
when you recruit a lot of 4 star talent, then 4 star talent will be buried.
I'm surprised he got no real shot at QB. He's already the size of Brewer, and in his HS film he looks like a complete natural passer at QB but with the moves of Tyrod.