Virginia Tech released the initial depth chart for the Hokies' 2016 football season on Monday morning.
Wyatt Teller, Tech's best offensive lineman, is still working as the Hokies' No. 2 left guard behind Colt Pettit. Fuente divulged that information last week and noted Pettit was outperforming Teller.
Fullback Sam Rogers is Tech's No. 1 running back ahead of Travon McMillian. McMillian had a breakout redshirt freshman campaign in 2015. He rushed 200 times for 1,043 yards (5.2 YPC) and seven touchdowns. Although, Justin Fuente has been up and down on the 6-0, 205 pound C.D. Hylton product (Woodbridge, VA).
#Hokies coach Justin Fuente said with a smile on his face RB Travon McMillian "has had a really good summer." #ACCKickoff— Norm Wood (@normwood) July 21, 2016
Fuente noticeably tepid on analysis of McMillian. On RBs: "We have a lot of work to do there." #Hokies— David Hale (@DavidHaleESPN) July 26, 2016
Bucky Hodges is listed as a No. 1 wide receiver, Hodged flexed out wide plenty often in 2015. Tight end is spearheaded by a pair of redshirt freshman: Chris Cunningham and Xavier Burke.
Mook Reynolds is Tech's top Whip, in perhaps what is a Kyle Fuller-like Nickel role.
Comments
interesting stuff..no matter..i trust the coaches
Send a message against Liberty... shore it up and be ready for the Vols
I like it
Run Rogers 25 times. That will show them both that we mean business.
I don't care that they are coaches and I am not, if Sam Rogers gets more carries than Travon McMillian, thats a bad call. Only possible explanation for Wyatt is disciplinary or effort or something.
Sam Rogers at tailback while McMillian rides the bench (if this comes to fruition) will be more detrimental to our runningback recruiting than anything an opposing coach could say about us.
Or the fact that Sam has a better grasp of the offense then Travon does, at the moment and Fuente is more confident with Sam than Travon. I am almost positive there will be a rotation here. Not crying over spilled milk before the first play is even ran.
I think when it's settled McMillian will get more carries, but I completely disagree with pretty much any reasoning that would suggest Sam Rogers is a P5 starting tailback.
I'm wondering if it's a function of offensive style. Rogers is more of an H-back, and given some of the things he's said, it's more of a "I'm a Swiss army knife kind of player." There's no slot there for that position, so I wonder if it's more an observation that Sam is more integral to the offense than anything else. Travon may be the top RB, but Sam might get the ball in a greater variety of ways.
I agree with this. We will most likely see Sam and Travon on the field at the same time often whether its one of them in the slot or taking the place of the TE spot and blocking. The default "depth chart" template doesn't have a spot for "playmaker".
Not even that. Sam will be at tailback, and Travon (or McClease) will be in the slot moving in a jet sweep motion.
I think we all just need to be open minded to how we define positional roles under this new offense.
I think McMillian may get more carries and will produce more yards, but Sam will be on the field for more plays and I think that's how Fuente sees the depth chart.
There is a lot of discussion about who is on the field, packages, formations, etc.
But your point is a strong one:
Ummm I'm not sure that I understand this opinion. Are you saying it's a bad call not matter the final score? No matter if Rogers runs for a buck twenty? The logic here is extremely flawed if you are judging this strategy without regards to the outcome.
We're talking about a guy that has never had 100 yards from scrimmage in game. McMillian did it 6 times last year. McMillian also had more rushing yards than Rogers career best (59 yards) 9 times last year. Its reasonable to project he will never be a guy that runs for 120 and that McMillian is the guy we want to have more touches.
That's a fair point. However I'm still guessing this argument won't hold up if McMillian indeed gets less carries and we are winning by comfortable margins. My point is that the argument without regards to outcomes does not seem reasonable. Scheme may, in fact, increase the distribution of carries and still be very effective without McMillian getting the most carries. I think most of us would be OK with that.
lets say sam does run for 120. how many yards do you think are left on the field that McMillian would have picked up with the same blocking, play calling, contributing factors to sams 120. I admire sams effort when running the football but I would not want him as my RB#1 in all honesty.
How many carries will Rogers need to get 120 yards?
25-30
1
I think it's worth noting there is no "fullback" position on the depth chart. Not sure if Fuente's offense doesn't use one but they could have just grouped the FBs and HBs together here when in reality both Rogers and McMillian will be on the field at the same time often, with McMillian getting more carries.
I don't want to belabor what's already been discussed below, but I just gotta say...I don't think any of those people will be "riding the bench" in this offense.
Looks like the depth chart for the Passing Set plays. Fuente has said that his depth charts are play set/sequence-group dependent. I expect the run-friendly plays depth charts list Travon as the starter.
Good to see Nijman weighing in at 3 bills.
Edit: Surprised not to see Durkin in the two deep at TE/H-back
Sports hernias can be a very tricky things to predict for a time table.
I think Durkin was battling some injuries through camp...he may be behind just for that reason
I wasn't aware, probably should have TKP'd harder during the offseason.
Wow, both the Teller and McMillian news continues to stump me. But, I'm not there. I trust Coach Fuente and what he needs to do to make this the best team possible. Having said that, I hope to see both Teller and McMillian get back to their #1 depth chart status.
Is anybody else happy to see that our DE's are of a size where they might actually play DE in the NFL?
As for Teller, we all know he is a star athlete. But if he can't play with the others as a unit, maybe he should be second string.
Agree on the added beef up front!
Would be curious to see the comparison of the 2-deep across the front total weight compared to last decade!
he's been our best OL the last two years. He's played with these guys plenty. This just seems to be something they are doing for motivation reasons. They did the same last year. Have a strong feeling this is the last year we see wyatt in a VT uniform.
Can't speak on the last year in a VT uniform part, but can confirm the reason for depth chart being what it is
Agreed on Teller. I guess that's the world we live in though. We blame the coaches when our kid isn't where we think they should be on the depth chart. Maybe CJF is trying to establish some accountability. Certainly the naysayers will never think it's the kids fault.
Either way it just comes across as disrespectful to the effort of Pettit to work his butt off to crack the starting role and and CJF as he tries to put his stamp on the program.
I still can't believe that these new coaches couldn't see the talent in Lawson and forced him to transfer! He's the victim here! /s
Well done. Lol
Wait.......... Lawson transferred?????? But he wasn't supposed to leave till next year when he declares for the draft....
That assumes the sizes are accurate...because listed sports heights/weights rarely have a variance of more than, say, +/- 10%.
Rodgers in the two deep at corner already? I have no idea what to make of our secondary.
Also was hoping Floyd would be somewhere in there too
Probably because Adonis Alexander is suspended for the first game.
I think that is walk-on Curtis Williams holding the Alexander spot warm for a week.
Rodgers is a great looking athlete, I was hoping to see him get some time at CB this year. Good late recruiting season pickup.
And Williams?
Even with Adonis, disappointed to not see Duwayne Johnson in the 2-deep. Had to look up Rodgers and Curtis Williams.
One thing that jumped out to me... Curtis Williams & Tyree Rodgers as back-up CBs. Very interesting to not see Ladler / Johnson.
I agree the RB situation is "interesting" as well, but I feel the offense will be so variable that the name listed here could be considered the "starter".
Ladler is coming off of a very serious knee injury, right? They'll be playing it safe with him.
I would imagine that Mook would play corner if they had to.
Also, Adonis coming back in week 2 will help with the depth. Stroman probably becomes your backup.
Correct on Ladler, but he's over a year removed from that injury (I think). Was hoping to see him get back on the field this year though! Very highly recruited guy until that injury...
Definitely agree, no rush though.
man, we do have some beef up front! I like it!
Well, time to take a deep breath, wait and see. Believe French covered some of the change in roles the HCF requires of his backs vs. traditional. Seemed like H-Back took a very expansive (with blocking being very important) and pivotal role in the offense that was far more than take the ball and run for daylight. Under those circumstances, SMFR may be the better fit. Regardless, am confident that HCF will find ways to get the ball to his playmakers. No clue on Wyatt, though. Deep breath.
Who the hell is Cunningham? It's seriously the first time I've seen his name.
you haven't been reading my snap chat reviews- 240lb redshirt freshman tight end from Florida. He is the best pass catching tight end on the roster. Bucky is a wide receiver from now on.
Love your stuff but I know how limited the Chats have been. Should have never questioned your ability to pull something out of nothing.
Not surprised by Cunningham being the top guy at HBack/Tight End. If he can block, he fits the mold the best. Durkin could also be an impact guy at that spot, but those hernia injuries are tricky and it is impossible to know how far along he is in recovery. I am stunned that Peoples wasn't listed as the 2.
I have said my piece about Teller. On tape, best guy period. I am not in a position to speculate why he isn't playing. The same thing about McMillan, although given the way that Fuente used tailbacks at Memphis I wouldn't be shocked if both guys are not on the field a bunch.
Scrolling down from your previous comments I literally thought, I wonder if French is surprised Peoples isnt listed as the 2 deep.
Im guessing thats more of a 'cant fit our offenses roles into this sheet very well' - Id have to think he sees the field the way Fuente has talked about him.
I think that reasoning also goes into Rogers being listed at HB1. Either way Im pumped for Saturday.
Expect the staff to Settle on positions like PR before the Battle at Bristol.
He should've really thrown us off the scent and penciled in Lawson as QB1.
When Teller breaks the huddle as QB we'll all be surprised.
Well played, Mr. Fuente, well played.
Are the constant Lawson jokes the new QB to TE jokes?
Are you saying that Lawson transferred because of the QB to TE jokes? I hadn't thought of that before but you may be on to something.
Or TE2.
Now that it's official, I really like Edmunds at Rover and Mook at Nickelwhip. That placement, and given their skill sets leads me to believe that Coach Foster plans to make good on his zone coverage promise, and we could see lots of picks this year ala 2009 and 2010.
Two big time athletes to help clean up Motus mistakes, if he makes any
Huelskamp up to 222, hoping to see him get some reps in place of Motu this year. Good tackler, beats blocks.
I would prefer to see none of Huelskamp this year. That means Motuapuaka is playing well, as I expect he will.
If he's playing hopefully it means we're blowing people out, so personally i'd like to see him play a lot.
Man, Mook is pretty light for a LB. That whip must be more like a nickel.
The People's Champion will hopefully see a bunch of time. I can't wait to see him in action.
We have a corner tipping in 14 Lbs. heavier.
My opinion is that it's a Nickel/Whip hybrid. We line up Shegog when they are a run heavy team and we need a Whip, but throw Mook out there against the UNCs and such who are throwing often and we are in need of a Nickel.
Horse on a treadmill
Must....have....
I just think we will see lots of subs especially on offense. Maybe the honor if starting is "not so much" here. Got to memorize them numbers.
I'm brought back to a time when Panthers fans gnashed teeth about whether it should be DeAngelo Williams or Jonathan Stewart listed as starter when they both ran for 1100 yards a piece. Feels like a somewhat similar situation here. Both guys will get their time, I'd be willing to bet on it.
Putting on an old coaches hat on i am concerned about UT and Pitt pounding the middle with big backs and then using quickness outside to the strong side if this is the defensive team they face. Tech better be able to out quick beef in the middle. And Tr. Edmunds will need to be better than good.
THINGS. JUST. GOT. REAL.
Now to play the waiting game to see who is actually on the field.
It is strange how much a depth chart gets me really amped. I would say I need help, but I'm guessing most people on this site are the same, so we are in good company.
From the press conference -- one special teams player will be wearing the 25 jersey each week to honor CFB. It'll be a rotating thing, announced on Thursdays
Thats the coolest thing I have heard yet. Brought a small tear to my eye.
I love how Fuente has honored Coach Beamer, I dont think that transition could have gone better, from both parties, unsurprising, Ive heard Beamer has been nothing but a stand up act.
I love that. I'm not thrilled that ESPN will talk it to death though.
Edit: Better gif.
I was hoping that they would have a captain each year that wore 25, but I like this as well.
This is brilliant. Well in, CJF
I'm not crying. I'm not crying. I'm not crying. I'm not crying. Damnit.
First reaction
I guess I have to give Fuente/Cornelsen/Vice the benefit of the doubt but me no likey.
I say don't get too wrapped up in position nomenclature WRT McMillian. He's our explosive back, Rogers is not. He'll play plenty.
Ludwig is punter. Wondering if slye will take some. Is santamaria gone? Looks like we got a freshman back up
Slye took reps in practice to be prepared in case of an emergency. Ludwig will punt and the backup is a walk on that probably won't travel with the team. I would only expect to see slye punt if Ludwig gets hurt on the road.
Don't be surprised to see Rogers getting some punts in as well
I heard Danny Coale is making a comeback as our punter
My educated guess based on Rogers' being atop the RB chart is that this new offense is going to make extensive use of passing to the RB as an option. Having an H-back and Rogers on the field at the same time gives us the ability to send one of them to each side of the field, covering up the the "follow the H-back" weakness that defenses could key in on in Fuente's Memphis designs.
I'd be interested to hear French's thoughts on this.
Fuente must have thought of pass-catching RBs then watched this clip and penciled rogers in.....
Reminds me a bit of this:
We were also 120% on 3rd down that game.
Pretty interesting to see a recently converted WR is in the 2-deep at Rover. I'm glad to see he grasped the position well.
Apparently he's a real head hunter.
was alleyne at rover or free. he's not listed due to suspension.
pretty sure he was at free
I'm not too surprised, since we've seen freshmen come in and play in the secondary right away as Freshmen, Alexander was starting at one of the Safety spots last year and it seems like we've had at at least one of the three corner spots pretty frequently as well. Newsome has had several years of strength and conditioning that those younger players hadn't had and is used to playing against D1 level competition in at least some roles.
I'm surprised by some of the moves that this depth shows, but I'm going to wait until I see the on-field product before I can make any statement or opinion about it. We've been so excited about Fuente, his offense, and what our guys can do in it that we freak out when we see guys like Travon or Teller on the 2nd team. I expect both those guys to play quite a bit, so we'll see what happens. Although I can't lie... Stroman as a starting corner scares the crap out of me!
Mook is the new Kyle Fuller... I CAN"T WAIT FOR MORE OF THIS
Hell yes!
I remember during Mook's recruitment he specifically mentioned them seeing him as someone who could fill the "Kyle Fuller" role...makes me happy to see that coming to fruition.
Fuller didn't play whip against GT that year. He played ass-kicker.
He played the grim-reaper to the souls of all the GT faithful in that stadium that night, with the exception of Paul Johnson, since that knee-targeting turn-of-the-last-century sumbitch don't have no soul, and probably laughed the loss off all the way to the bank.
FIFY
I really hope Mook has been practicing this....
I'm not getting too worked up about Teller. I suspect it is a disciplinary thing and we will see him after the first drive or first quarter. Opening against a FCS opponent gives the staff a bit more Liberty with things.
As for RB, I suspect that we will see plenty from both of them. Sam may just have a better grasp on the offense right now. With as much as I've heard about the H-back being a big role in Fuente's offense I was a little surprised it didn't have its own spot on the depth chart.
It is there. It's just labeled as tight end
They finally listed Bucky's correct height in the depth chart! They just forgot the unit of measurement.
They got it right, 6 yards and 7 millimeters.
Even regarding that, you don't see McClease (sp?) on the depth chart, but from what I've been able to tell, he should play prominently based on Fuente's scheme. Bottom line is the starting line up is just that - a starting line up. Other than the OL and QB, the other positions will switch out a lot (heck, maybe even the OL too!)
The tweets from Ryan, Norm, and Andy provide quite a bit of relief for me. Answers most of the questions I have about the chart.
Some of you are REALLY overplaying this Depth Chart... We will know what the "real" depth chart is on September 10th...
Knowing Wyatt personally, I wouldn't surprised if he is in the dog house for something he did off the field.
IT'S WHIP, MOOK! WHIP!
THERE'S NO FULLER IN THE 2 DEEP!!!!
No one has even mentioned that we have 3 WRs as our base O. I don't remember seeing that since, well, ever. And they aren't labeled SE and FL.
And one of them is Bucky!
* squeals*
Loving the fact that Joey Slye weighs in more than anyone in our 2-deep secondary and just behind our LBs.
He also weighs 4 additional pounds when punting.
He's a linebacker who also kicks. Footballs and asses.
I just want to say, this thread is why I enjoy TKP so much. It has it all. Great to read after a long day.
Jon, Mike and Andrew (IMG sports broadcast team) will be broadcasting from Hokie Villlage on Sat. with their new analyst, Willie Byrn. I can only assume they've added a musical review segment.
The look the opposing team's Centers and Guards will be priceless when they see a quick and nimble 330 lb giant come in to spell the starting Seniors. Simply ridiculous.
15-20 great snaps a game would make a huge difference
Right on. Really want a squeaky clean game vs Liberty. Minimal penalties, Zero injuries, get ready to pound UT.
As a fan of both the Hokies and the Flames I fully endorse this sentiment!
Man it's crazy not to see a Fuller anywhere on the depth chart.
It seems... emptier.
Well done
He looks like an ANIMAL.
I made another post somewhere about Teller and how I believed it was all just a great ploy by Fuente and Co to throw off UT. I'm not saying I'm right yet as we'll know for sure tomorrow night, but I have heard from #sauces on the inside that my theory is all but confirmed. Also, we all know from over analyzing but our defense was also very vanilla by design. Yes, UT was also very vanilla but I think they ended up showing more of their hand simply to escape defeat last week.
Can not wait for tomorrow.
Eh, I don't know that I buy the Teller thing. You want your guys to knock the rust off in the first week. It's not like Tennessee coaches don't know who Wyatt Teller is or what his primary responsibilities will be. Putting a good but rusty player in doesn't seem like a great idea.
I do think we had a restricted offense, mostly to drive home the fundamentals against a team you should be able to force your will upon. I'm sure there was some hiding of the playbook, but the Oline and receivers didn't intentionally block like crap. I'm sure we may even run a little bit quicker this game than against Liberty, but I don't think it will be breakneck speed. Your guys have to be comfortable with the system and absolutely know their assignments before going crazy fast and I just don't see how we can be there after a few months in the system.
I do think that our defense was a little vanilla, that we may see a few special tweaks for Tennessee, and that the defense will be shifting and moving more than the past few years.
Tennessee may have been vanilla on offense, but their oline didn't block like crap on purpose either. The major difference compared to our vanilla is that there is 3 years of film on this offensive system at Tennessee and one year with Dobbs as the QB. I'm sure they too will have wrinkles to throw in the mix, but it's not like they will roll out the Air Raid. Bud should have a decent idea of what Tennessee will bring to Bristol.
If you think Teller is a "good but rusty", you haven't been reading French's stuff. He's hands down our best OL and the rushing game was night and day better with him in the game last weekend. Nothing against Colt but he's not at the same level from what I've seen. Sure Teller has his shortcomings but you could find deficiencies with every player on the field.
I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I don't think we win tomorrow: still too many questions and too new of a system/coach but I definitely think we match up better than those blindly picking UT on "superior athletes" and expectations alone.
I have been reading French's stuff. Let me rephrase, "All everything but rusty". Yes, Wyatt is the best OL we have. His skill level doesn't change the fact that 60 snaps gets you in the groove better than 30. Outside of injuries and additional reps for the backup, I still don't see how benching him against Liberty helps the team. You aren't hiding him from Tennessee.