Sources informed me earlier tonight that #Hokies QB Mark Leal has decided to leave the football program.— Kyle Bailey (@TheClubhouseKB) November 5, 2014
Can confirm what @TheClubhouseKB the is reporting: #Hokies QB Mark Leal has decided to leave the program.— Hokies Journal (@HokiesJournal) November 5, 2014
Update: The full statement from Virginia Tech is below.
Virginia Tech back-up quarterback Mark Leal met with head coach Frank Beamer today and has decided to leave the football program to pursue a professional opportunity. The redshirt senior from Greenacres, Florida, has already graduated with a degree in sociology.
Brenden Motley, who was the No. 1 quarterback exiting spring practice, will become the No. 2 quarterback behind Michael Brewer.
Leal played in 11 games for Tech, completing 34-of-57 passes for 411 yards and three touchdowns.
Comments
Whatever the situation is, thank you to Mark Leal for being a team player for all these years. I'm sure he would have liked to see the field more, but undoubtedly he played a role on the sidelines and behind the scenes to contribute to the team. Best wishes to Mark in whatever the future brings.
Absolutely, Thank you Mark for being a consummate team player and Hokie all these years. Best wishes for success in all your future endeavors!
When first reported I was afraid Leal was leaving for negative reasons. From what it seems, I wish Mark the best of luck with his opportunity.
Doesn't matter, he's still the best QB on the team.
All kidding aside, good luck to him and all his future ventures
i really wish him the best. hes been a solid hokie for years now and as a 5th year sr im sure he wants to begin life after college. i hope motley is ready to step up in case brewer goes down...
I don't blame him!
Wait, judging by this gif, are you telling me his 'professional opportunity' is playing Lando Jr. in the new Star Wars movie? If so, jealous.
When Han's skills start to falter, the Rebel Alliance demands the skills of Lealdo Calrissian. He is, as they say, "A New Hope."
Sounds to me like he made a very good life choice. Football is great, and you can only play for so many years, but if you get an opportunity to start a career you can't choose football over that.
Best of luck to Mark Leal. A good team player . Next man up for the Hokies .Brenden Motley will have to step up as the new back-up QB.
I have great respect for players like Mark and Juju, who are always a bridesmaid and never a bride. When young men stick with a program for that long and stay committed to it's success, helping in whatever way they can, it really speaks volumes about their character. Best wishes Mark.
Good luck Mark. Must be a hell if an opportunity. Thanks for the willingness to be there all these years.
Best of luck Mark. Seems like he has a very successful and hopefully happy future ahead of him. The Ultimate Hokie.
Congratulations and best of wishes pursuing his career. I'm proud that our players are successful outside of football.
And that's a impressive and very efficient stat line! Would have liked to see him play more.
You have been a trooper, best of luck kid wherever you end up.
Welcome to the Leal world kid. Terrible puns aside, I hope everything works out well for him.
not surprised at all, wish him the best. Hopefully this opens the door for Motley to see some significant playing time.
Well done in everything you've done for us, Mark, and thank you.
Time to go pro in something other than athletics. Best of luck to him.
Would love to hear Beyer's perspective on this.
Sounds like a great opportunity for his future and I know Hokie Nation wishes him nothing but the very best. He sounds like a genuinely, nice, likable team guy. Surprised to see him leave, but he definitely contributed to this team in ways many of us will probably never know. Always sad to see a guy go tho :(
Thank you, Mark. I know you were the #2 from day 1, but since that day you have acted with the composure and professional behavior that I and everyone I know expect from our starter. You may not have gotten too many opportunities out on the field for whatever reason, but what I will remember from you is that touchdown against Miami this year, keeping the streak alive. Best of luck in your future endeavors.
Brendan, get ready. You are now the most popular guy on the team not named Fuller.
I don't envy whoever his supervisor becomes. Imagine constantly being told Leal would be a better manager
Boss: "so let's start your employee review."
Leal's Supervisor: "Great, I think I have really done some good work this past year. I increased revenue, maximized efficiency. I started...."
Boss: "How about the Leal guy? I hear he is doing great things."
Supervisor:"Who? Oh, you mean Mark? yeah, I guess. He only started last week so I haven't had time to see...."
Boss: "Precisely, been here a week and he's making a big impact. I hear talk of him being a good candidate for the Regional Manager position."
Supervisor: "well, he really hasn't... Wait, what?!... I ... I thought that's what I was being reviewed for."
Boss: "Yes yes, you're doing a fine job. These years you've been with us and consistently performed or overperformed have been invaluable. But there's something about this Leal guy. The buzz about him is compelling."
Supervisor: "Mark is a great guy but he literally has 5 days of experience. I am sure he will be capable, but he's never managed the team for a full project delivery yet and really just needs some experience thrown his way so he can improve first."
Boss: "Yes, that's what I have heard as well. He is quite capable. It's settled then, we'll move him up to Regional Manager. Now back to your review... yes, yes.... you're doing great. keep up the good work."
Supervisor:
This is the best post I've read in some time. I wish I could give MOAR LEGS!
Best of luck and completely understandable. And his last play was a TD pass!
That's right! He went out on a high note, maybe the best play of his Hokie career. Quite the way to end things.
"Professional opportunity" most likely = Dude got a job.
Hopefully the start of a coaching career. Everything I've seen and heard about him shows the maturity and attitude you want in a Coach
Maybe he's accepted an offer to become a regular columnist at thekeyplay.com
I hear the pay and benefits are
second tonone.Actually, decent chance he becomes an agent.
Yep. Leal knew, far better than some, that there is life beyond football. Congrats to him for it, and for moving on into 'the real world'. He doesn't need to be in football to succeed in life. He'll do just fine.
Best wishes to you Mark, in whatever you do next. You'll always be a Hokie in our minds!
It is TOUGH to get a job right now for anyone, especially seniors. This is awesome news for him and I want to thank him for everything he's done and want to wish him the best.
At first, this bummed me out but knowing why this happened pumped me up. So happy for him now and it must be one heck of an opportunity to leave the team. Toast to Mark!
LOL @ JAWBS
Good guy, great team player , hard worker, a fine representive of the university . Best wishes for the future.
ITT: is why I read TKP. Damn, it must be hard as an 18 year old to pick a school to play for. Damn it must be hard when you work your hardest but still play second fiddle. Damn it's hard to find a job even after the great education Tech provides.
Cure The Steve Miller Band. Best of luck Mark. You were a class act. You ARE a Hokie.
Any fan of Blue Mountain State knows that backup QB is best position in the world. Thank you for all your years of being our Alex Moran.
Best of luck in the rest of your life's journey
Thank you Mark Leal! Thank you for being the essence of a Hokie! Thank you for working HARD, without getting much glory. Thank you for putting in the time & the effort to make your team better. Thank you for never complaining about the amount of your playing time or your level of publicity. Thank you for grinding and giving football your every last bit. Thank you for playing your heart out those times you were on the field. Thank you for providing inspiration to others. Thank you for getting your degree. Thank you for realizing that there is indeed life after football.
Mark, I wish you all the best in life, you have already proven that you have the ability and the desire to succeed in what ever you do. Please remember that you will ALWAYS be a Hokie, and you will ALWAYS be remembered fondly, and that you will ALWAYS be welcomed back along the sideline when you visit in the future.
Here's to YOU, Mark Leal!
Thank you for your service, Sir.
Hopefully we can get you back here on TKP sometime in the future to continue to enjoy Hokie football.
Congrats Mark! You're free to accept the cashe!
In all seriousness - best of luck to Mark - he was truly one of our MVP's.
Kenny Powers always gets a leg.
Hope he does well in whatever opportunity has come his way. Thanks for being a great team player.
The wheels just keep turning, and if you aren't moving, you just get run over. Congratulations to Mark on being a great Hokie and a great student, and knowing when to move on. And I wish the very best of luck to him on all his future endeavors - it sounds like he's off to a promising start.
I still say he coulda been the best TE to have ever suited up for CFB.
Wait, did I do that wrong...?
Congratulations to Mark on finding a job in this economy. I hope it is everything that he has wished for. I appreciate all of his hard work and dedication in being the backup for 4 1/2 years to a Hokie Team and Nation.
Mark did a wonderful job in preparing for life and a job in the way that the system is intended. He came to Tech on a scholarship to play sports and get an education that would prepare him for the rest of his life. He achieved that goal and that makes him a true victor.
Thanks Mark! Good luck to you!
I read elsewhere that he was offered an internship that will most likely lead to a full time position.
Was it at Loeffler Screens, Inc?
nah. Logan Thomas Trucking Company.
Nope, Reliable Backup Data Storage Solutions, Inc.
Rumor it was Clipboard Holdings LLC specializing in secure signal transfer.
Hahaha. Nice.
Best of luck to Leal!
Looking forward to Motley & Crew taking center stage in 2016 for the Battle at Bristol. It's gonna be Louder Than Hell in that Theater of Pain!
#YeahIsaidIt
Best of luck entering into the working world, Mark! Also, I hope we get to see Motley take some meaningful snaps this year, just to improve the QB competition in the spring.
I talked to him the other night and it seemed as if the CFL or Arena league had at least crossed his mind. But dang, you gotta feel for the guy
While I could see him trying out for a team, I'm guessing it would be tough given he has very limited game film for their scouts to look at on him.
Youre right, that and according to Andy Bitter he's leaving to pursue a dream job in Richmond so I'd assume football is out of the question at this point
Welcome to TKP, have a leg!
I'm very happy for him that he could get that opportunity and respect that he put his future first given his position currently. One thing that me and a coworker were discussing is that this job, especially if it is in fact an internship, couldn't wait a few more weeks to get him? I have no idea what this job is or the field it is in but most employers can work with you on a start date.
Dr Leal is there to make them Heal?
I feel this is a good deal, for real
I bet Leal sealed the deal with a wonderful spiel. Over a nice meal of veal.
(Bonus points if you didn't mispronounce anything.)
Why does the start date matter? Because it's inconvenient for some fans? How about we are just happy that the young man has begun life in the private business world on a good note? Gossiping about whether or not he will stand on the sidelines with a clipboard for another month seems pretty selfish. Let's instead show maturity and actual appreciation and praise him for moving on with his life outside of football.
When did I ever say it is inconvenient for fans? I was thinking more inconvenient for Mark. He has already graduated but most companies would let you finish your semester before having you come start. I have posted in here that I am very happy for him and his opportunity and I respect that he was able to make the hard decision to put his future first. I don't appreciate completely fabricated meanings from my or anyone else's posts.
Perhaps Leal was ready to go ahead and collect a paycheck prior to the holidays, instead of just working out and wearing a uniform that wasn't going to assist him in his personal career any longer. That was my point. I don't understand why anyone would question that. It was Leal's choice, and posts questioning that seem to miss the point.
Mark, congratulations, and thank you.
I'm glad you called Blacksburg, Virginia home for the last few years and I'm glad you will continue to call this state home. Enjoy Richmond, and cheers to a long, successful career.
I've heard these reports and now I'm super curious what the job is.
Assistant (to the) Regional Manager?