Looks like our alumni outreach activities are ramping up. Here's a quick recap from a few Twitter posts I rounded up. The former players got to attend practice today and spoke with Coach Fuente and Whit Babcock. From the posts I have seen, it was a well received event.
Fun time at our @VT_Football player reunion! Now off to Bristol to cheer on the #21 @woodbrothers21 VT car.#Hokies pic.twitter.com/yeXzwwlBuq— Scott Hughes (@ScottHughes17) August 20, 2016
MOOD When members of the family come home for & BBQ! Thanks @HokieClub for a great day. #ThisIsHome pic.twitter.com/PAlQ7nGc6f— VT Football (@VT_Football) August 20, 2016
Shout out to @ScottHughes17 for a great day for football alumni!— Dwight Vick (@vick757) August 20, 2016
VT football brotherhood is forever! @1AndreDavis @WillMontyNFL @joshuabredding @vtskin70 #Hokies #FTBLLAlumni pic.twitter.com/X50Ylk9ln7— Dwight Vick (@vick757) August 20, 2016
My son was so excited to meet my dude Bucky Hodges @Bucky757. Great catching up today Bucky! Keep working hard. pic.twitter.com/UTQF5M3TgU— Dwight Vick (@vick757) August 20, 2016
@VT_Football @WhitBabcock Thank you for bringing us back. #ThisIsHome pic.twitter.com/eEMe5xH1af— Derek Smith (@vtskin70) August 20, 2016
Comments
Great to see the former players welcomed back. Sounds like Babcock listened, great sign of a great leader.
Babcock is KILLING it!
It's the right thing to do, and I'm sure everybody had a great time. Really worth the effort.
Babcock is so good for this program.
Babcock is THE best for our university. I pray he is a lifer... I know we are always pointed in the right direction with him and Sands at the helm.
There needs to be a greater effort to get former players to games (and get them decent tickets or field access), such as homecoming, as well as spring events when the NFL Hokies aren't at camp.
I was at the scrimmage yesterday and Whit did mention that there will be one game (he didn't say which) that will have reserved tickets for former players. He also apologized for not making more of an outreach for this year's spring game so it sounds like we're about to see a lot more events like this in the near future.
Do you mind if I ask are you a recruit or family member?
No, not at all. My dad played center for Tech from '86 to '90 so he let me tag along and watch yesterday. And as much as I wish I was a recruit, I never got into playing football. Still love to watch it though!
so......
how did it look?
I'm no where near a football expert, but I'll do my best to give a quick analysis of the scrimmage.
First off, both offense and defense had their moments. Neither one was absolutely dominating the other and big plays were even between the two. A few things that stood out to me: The defensive line was getting good pressure against the starters on the o line. Given how good the o line is expected to be, I'd say this is reason for optimism during the season. Alexander and Edmunds looked very good at the cornerback spot with a number of broken up passes. As far as the quarterbacks, all 3 looked good but I will say I'd be surprised to see Jackson win the starting spot this year. He's obviously got talent and made some good plays, but he also had a bad interception and missed a wide open receiver downfield that would have been for a touchdown. But he could've just had a bad practice. Evans and Motley both looked solid and I thought there was a noticeable difference in Motley's confidence level compared to last year. I'm pretty confident we'll be in good hands with whoever the quarterback is this year. Oh, and Tmac had a (my guess is 60ish yard) touchdown run too.
nice!!
in the past it always seemed the defense dominated the offense but that was generally okay because we always figured to have a top-notch defense. I'm not sure if I should be encouraged that they're about even or concerned. I'm pretty excited to see what this team looks like though!
Thanks for the insider info! Very cool stuff and glad to hear pretty much all of this.
I knew it, Ive kept saying it, Evans is the starter and Heisman candidate the next two years and Josh Jackson takes it up his r-So year and immediately is in the running for Heisman and comes back for his senior year!!!!! and championships and championships and championships!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
via GIPHY
I can't help but notice... Talking about hopes for our offense being good and you post a gif of a Sixers fan going nuts... The juxtaposition is phenomenal
Ughhhh........well...............(looks up sizxers record).....but...(keeps looking).....AHA!
What if i told you it was the 2000s and it was a team that made it to the finals all lead BY A GUY WHO WENT ON TO WIN LEAGUE MVP
Carter-Williams is skeptical of your claim...
Allen Iverson forever
Was there a scrimmage today?
Yes. Which was a great day to invite player alums and their families. Gets them into something no one else has seen.
This is a great thing to see.
Anyone notice Bucky looks jacked?!
Mans triceps are outta control
I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by just how many players jacked up since the bowl game.
Lots of people think the QB whispering is Fuente's greatest asset, but really he wins games by having those kids in the gym and on the track every single day possible.
I expect to see a lot of "they kept it close through halftime, then we pulled away later" games this year.
I do find it interesting how many of the players are talking about how they are in the best shape they've ever been...I think Hilgart was a great hire and I'm excited to see what we can do with players who are in better shape now than they've ever been....
Did you notice that he's 6'7"?
6'7"... 7'6" ... same thing.
#whitness
Between this and Devon hunter revealing the Bristol unis, our program is killing it right now. 2 more weeks!
Great to see. I hope the reunions keep getting bigger.
This is every kind of awesome. Thanks VTGM!
Why the alumni just complaining this spring about how they feel forgotten by the school? Once again, this just proves the administration is actively listening to us. They get it, they really do.
So is Bucky Hodges just a supersized Adam Duritz?
Wknd
I hope so. A long December would mean no Hokie football until January.
Yeah. There's reason to believe Maybe this year will be better than the last
One more day up in the canyon...one more night in Blacksburg.