I know 2018 was a disappointing season overall, and it stinks to break the streak of consecutive winning seasons. But in the spirit of the new year, I am already starting to look forward to the potential of this team in 2019, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how some players develop after a season (and offseason) under their belts.
Who are the players you are most looking forward to seeing take the next step in 2019? This can be returning starters, guys who redshirted, or even new recruits. Use whatever criteria you want (best returning starters, guys who you think will make the biggest leap forward, etc.), and feel free to just name a couple or go all out and make a top 10!
For me, it's the guys I'm really excited that are coming back. In 2018 we had almost no returning stars. 2019 should be different. I think these guys will potentially be All-ACC next season:
1) Tre Turner (the biggest playmaker on the team, could be dominant in 2019)
2) Dax Hollifield (played well as a true freshman, already has great size)
3) Ryan Willis (I think he's the clear starter, but would like to see him hit the weights hard this offseason)
4) Rayshard Ashby (could help anchor a REALLY good LB group in 2019)
5) Damon Hazelton (he's got the athletic ability, now he needs to learn to use it consistently)
Comments
Dalton Keene, QP, Darrisaw, and i'm sure i'm missing more
I think you'll have to wait another year for QP, which is fine. He has 100% of the playbook down and is ahead of Willis in terms of checks and calls and things like that. Just needs to refine his QB technique. Accuracy is still an issue for him.
Whoa, big if true. If Foster can get the defense sorted (big if), then a well rounded QP takes the program to a new level.
Big play Tre
King.
The Turner - gonna have a big year.
Farley - think he's gonna take a giant step forward and start to use his raw athleticism and body control to become a lock down corner.
I don't know if you meant to type "The Turner" instead of "Tre Turner", but I think he's done enough this year to indeed warrant being called "The Turner". Well done! +1
Tha Turner
The Turner, The Burner, The Touchdown Earner!
(In boxing ring announcer voice)
I totally read that to the tune of The Joker by Steve Miller Band.
Scoring touchdowns in the sun ...
Your the sweetest thing I ever did see...:)
I actually thought Farley's tackling was much improved yesterday. Once he gets coverage down, he could be a bigger DeAngelo Hall.
Caleb Farley.
QP.
I don't know about excited, but certainly happy for BPT, McClease & King (if nothing bad happens). Dax is another (but he needs to stop making boneheaded plays). That's about it for now.
Webb, Farley with a chance to properly learn the position
You might be disappointed with the Webb expectation.
If he handles the 2nd achilles like he did the 1st, then he should be ready to rock by fall camp.
Nolley, Big Play Tre, Darrisaw
#freenolley
Big Daddy Dax
King, Fuga....other d-lineman. I can't remember names.
Dax and tre both made big strides as the year went on
All of them because no matter how bad it gets it's still an honor to watch and support those players who get a privilege I never did.
For the record, I upvoted both of you.
I did too but only one made me LOL at my desk.
How is this comment not plaid?
It hasn't received the requisite 100 or more upvotes.
All the Hokies
Hunter.
Hunter turning the corner and finding a position in the defensive backfield would really help the defense round back into typical form.
Hunter will be a RB, I hope he and King are beasts.
I thought that rumor had been quashed.
A decision on his position hasn't been finalized. He played scout team RB almost exclusively during the season, but was back on D during bowl prep.
Having him take back the whip job would be huge for the defense IMO. Ladler really really regressed there this season, and we could use him for depth at FS with all of DD's health problems.
Ladler was painful to watch in run support against Cincy. Literally, i tried to take aspirin to make it hurt less.
Yeah he got dragged 9 yards bt the QB once.
Bourbon didn't numb the pain very much either.
Crazy cause he was killing it early in the season. He played big and aggressive against FSU.
Any prediction on where he ends up? I don't have a feel for his RB potential. I really hope he ends up on D
Gun to my head, id say he ends up back on D, but that's just a gut feel. Really need him to regain his confidence there.
Thanks - hope so as well
Dwayne Lawson
Drew Harris, Joshua Stanford & Holland Fisher.
1) Hunter - good investment. He will take a step forward.
2) QB's - I don't think anyone is a clear starter. It could be any of 3 (Hooker seems odd man out)
3) King and Tayvion -2 freshman with speed and big time wiggle which we sorely need.
4) Nadir Thompson - raw athlete who had to sit and could contribute if healthy at CB.
5) Dejuan Ellis - elite speed and will be a factor in the slot and return game.
6) Keshon Artis - he is underrated in fans' minds and will challenge the Lb rotation.
7) J.R. Walker - DB with NFL potential, but needs some polishing.
8) Dax - needs lots of polishing. I think he could lose a spot if he doesn't get lots better on filling his gap. I don't think he is a backer and we are over-loaded at Mike and need someone to play backer with better instincts - hope he steps up big as he obviously has big potential.
Probably Tre and King. I would say Dax, but he's playing out of position at Backer and today really showed that. He can't cover receivers. I think the most interesting position to watch is at Mike LB. We are overstocked there and we have maybe our best Mike playing another position. There just are not enough spots for the people there, especially if the JUCO guy comes in and takes the Backer spot....which is his more natural position.
I agree on the Mike spot. I think 1 or 2 of those guys needs to train to be a backer in the off-season or you will have attrition as Ashby, Artis, Dax, Rivers are all arguably better suited for Mike.
I don't think Amare has a chance to play backer for what it's worth. He will have to train incredibly hard and I don't think the staff is sold on what his positions fit is yet.
Rivers isn't a mike. He's a backer
Based on? He plays backer in the system now as the early season assessment was Ashby and he were the best two and Ashby can't play backer. Rivers (to be fair - when healthy) hasn't shown the ability to move laterally fast enough to play backer. I don't see him making the cut there next year.
My point is I believe he would be a better player at Mike although I don't think it will happen.
Rivers has the best lateral movement for the backer position. I don't think he has the heavy shoulder needed to play the mike . Rivers injury just didn't help him this year .
I agree- Rivers is much better in coverage than Dax. I know everyone is high on Dax and his enthusiasm, but he was crushed in coverage in this game. I think he is out of position- Rivers seems much more comfortable that him at backer.
I've thought that Rivers at backer and Dax at mike might be ideal going forward. I know Ashby had a lot of tackles this season, but he wasn't getting as many TFLs and being as disruptive as I would like out of a starting mike in Bud's defense. If Dax can figure out how to fill gaps properly, I'd like to see him start.
Rivers is awful. He shouldn't be on the field.
Ashby also had 9.5 TFL, which is a good amount for a Mike, especially a true sophomore that didn't have a DT group good enough to consistently occupy blockers and give him a free path to the ballcarrier. Look at the average TFL in a season for all of our previous starters Mike:
Motu: 9.2
Williams: 9.0
Tyler: 12
Taylor: 10.5
Hall: 8.7
Obviously Jack Tyler had an incredible year, but other than him, Ashby was right in line with the other Mikes that we've trotted out there. His problem is getting caught up in trash and not filling the right gap, which will both improve with time. We haven't seen Dax at Mike yet but I'm very confident that the combo of Ashby and Dax is far better than that of Rivers and Dax.
That's really unfortunate to hear about Rivers, I think we were really excited when we managed to flip a 4* LB from a "big dog"
I think getting him was an emotional victory in recruiting, but I have yet to be impressed with his work on the field. Early in the season he performed on an average level. He was basically invisible on the field. Never did anything spectacular, but didn't really screw up so badly he stuck out. But, I think that was the peak of the season for him. Aside from the interception in the bowl game, I was mostly disappointed in his play.
Dax and Tre are the future. QP is a prayer and a wish that I hope comes true. A few LBs and DBs are in the mix with some TEs.
I'm not worried about RB, I think we are set there. Those guys look good.
It really is refreshing here on TKP. Over on TSL you can hardly go two threads without someone mentioning Beck as the next great Hokie, future Heisman candidate, future NFL hall of fame, etc.
Don't look too deep, Bobby. /kinda s
Actually forgot about Beck. My son asked about him today....I don't know if he will be any good but his speed is definitely need on the field....
If we're talking speed then I think Ellis definitely has to be in the mix.
Beck must have some severe issues that even with the new redshirt rule, he never got any play time.
He was technically on a track scholarship this year, which meant he couldn't see a snap or his scholarship would've been allocated towards the football team. One of the ways we are able to stay under the 25 limit last cycle.
Thanks, I honestly didn't know that. I thought he was on the team.
Serious question, is this one of the ways that teams (assuming this happens beyond just VT) make the numbers work?
Yup
I'm most looking forward to any kind of disruptive defensive front 7 next season. We can do alot defensively if we can create disruption at the LOS every single time.
Here's to hoping our recruiting efforts and those who redshirted this year pay off in victories next year and the years to come.
+1 for the optimism. Just don't look at the DL depth...
Jalen Holston. I believe he takes a few steps forward and becomes the big scary part of the duo with DeShawn McClease.
I almost listed him, he really passed the eye test today.
In my opinion, he could use some lower body mass and a real running back number, but he might be our best chance at an elite RB in the next couple of years.
He looked so much better in the bowl game, I never understood went he got reps last year, but he had some nice runs and that catch was really nice too.
Quincy Patterson. I am still supportive of CJF, but do not understand how QP only sees 5 pass attempts and 9 rushing attempts this entire season with the new redshirt rule.
Because Willis was the better option to win football games.
I agree, but there was a lot of opportunity to find more playing time than that with four games to use over a 13 game season. I think CJF should have used a lot more latitude, especially when Willis was not lighting the world on fire by any means, and QP is supposedly the future of the QB position.
Quincy looked lost on almost all of his passes. He was not ready to do anything but run.
That's the impression I got from the limited sampling of one completion, and that's why I wanted to see more of him. He had pretty rave reviews as a passer on the HS camp and all star circuit. If his passing is really that bad at this stage, the road ahead may be rougher that I thought. While they're great, quality kids, I really don't see Willis or JJ getting us back to the next level. Hope we're wrong about QP's passing, and hope I'm wrong about JJ and Willis.
High school camp is miles behind P5 football. I think the coaches used Quincy well this season. I would have liked to see him play a bit more, but we really weren't in a position to play him. At the time of the William and Mary game he was 4th on the depth chart and after that, there was really no time for extended drives.
He didn't have a Spring last season either, so he's only been in the system 6 months. He's so raw and I think a lot of people put unrealistic expectations on him because of a Trent Dilfer sound byte that's supposed to be headline grabbing (I've worked with the producer of the Elite 11 show and I know the behind the scene process of that show and know how they get sound bytes like that and it's to hype the kids up to make the show more watchable.)
I'm usually more of a realist than optimist, but I honestly see our QB situation as a major bright spot heading into 2019.
We have 2 returning QBs with basically an entire year's experience starting at the P5 level. Not many teams can say that. JJ had success with a decent team around him, and Willis came "this close" to leading his team to a winning season with a historically bad defense. We also have a great project in QP that shouldn't have to play until 2021 (I'm penciling in Willis as the starter in 2019 and JJ in 2020).
In my opinion, getting the defense shored up is the No. 1, 2 and 3 priority heading into the 2019 season. I'm not concerned about QB at all.
My sentiments exactly. I don't think we'll necessarily be world beaters on offense but I think we'll be good. My concern lies far more on the defensive side of the ball where we need lots of guys to take big steps forward.
Agreed, JJ looked good in his brief appearance this year, Willis learning to make the reads would help him, but he was good enough. Both of them pushing each other and progressing naturally leads me little worries on offense.
+1 on this post. Thank you for focusing on the positive for next year!! Sure some shit sucked this year but we have plenty of good things to look forward to in 2019.
Tre, Dax, QP, Caleb, Hunter, Wheatley, Rivers, Keene.....there's a big gap between the 1st 4 and the 2nd group....
Payoute
Is it just me or did Payoutes footwork look odd? His catch looked great.
It was reported he has a bum ankle.
Not the entire excuse as I agree it can be better but should be considered
Thanks. I'm not worried about him, his catch was nice and clean which to me is more important.
QB competion winner. I like the skill set Willis brings but he has to reduce the head scratching plays. Jackson for his knowledge and experience in the offense. I'm not liking that it keeps being reported that Patterson has accuracy problems. After 3 years of Logan Thomas I don't care how smart and athletic you are if you can't throw with accuracy you shouldn't play. As for Hooker there has to be a way to get his athleticism on the field and QB may not be it.
Also looking for the cornerback that beats Farley out. It shouldn't be hard. He may be a good athlete but is a terrible cornerback.
Lamar Jackson would like a word. Sometimes you need to put up with some growing pains and get talent on the field.
I tend to agree. While JJ and Willis have both been pretty solid, I think we have already seen both of them play pretty close to what their ceiling is. Hopefully, and by many accounts, QP has potential for a higher ceiling and I hope we can start to see his development progressing on the field sometime next season.
For me it might be the OL. Darrisaw is a future star and Silas and Lecitus both played their best games of the season yesterday. Curious to see what we do at C and RG.
This is a big point and has a chance to help the team take a huge step forward. Our ability to improve here could help everything from the offense and QB production to recruiting RB's by building a brand on offense that involves O-lines people want to play with over time.
I think this group has the best chance to take the biggest step forward.
Not sure we'll see much progress in 2019 simply due to youth. Here are a couple of scenarios that we might see:
LT: Darrisaw (tSo)
LG: L. Smith (rSo)
C: Hoyt (rJu)
RG: Harris/Culver (rFr)
RT: Dzansi (rSo)
That's a really young group. Even if you consider Darrisaw a rSo, theres still only one true upperclassmen across the board, and that's tough to overcome simply from a physical standpoint. Would be nice to have Tyrell Smith as a utility man.
LT: Darrisaw (tSo)
LG: L. Smith (rSo)
C: Harris (rFr)
RG: T. Smith (rSr)
RT: Dzansi (rSo)
Having some seniority with Smith on there is nice, but it's rare for coaches to trust a player that young at center.
LT: Darrisaw (tSo)
LG: L. Smith (rSo)
C: Harris (rFr)
RG: Culver (rFr)
RT: Dzansi (rSo)
Don't see this happening, but if you go young then you might as well go young. This is the highest upside group to me, but communication issues could be a real problem here with so much inexperience on the field at the same time.
This is where Plantin leaving really hurt us. He was slated in at RG for next year and would've allowed us to potentially move Harris to C later in the season if Hoyt continued to struggle at center, while keeping Tyrell Smith as the utility guy.
Either way, I don't see the OL taking too much of a step up from 2018 (at least early on). 2020 should be lots of fun though.
That's fair. I may be getting slightly accelerated as I am bullish on the overall talent level albeit mostly young to very young. I don't get Plantin leaving and his general attitude about it.
If the current guys with experience stay healthy, we get some Hilgartrification and work on it I do believe this group can be a big bright spot in 2019. I see your point and I could see inconsistency stemming from needing more mental and physical development as a whole being an issue at times - especially if we go with one of the younger scenarios your outlined.
2020 and beyond could be very fun if we continue to recruit and develop the same type of O line talent we have in the program thus far.
I'm eager to see if Hooker puts himself in the QB mix.
Also I think Wheatley has some big-play potential on returns and sweeps.
Be interesting to see how his dad getting fired by the Jags has any effect on him.
whos dad?
Wheatley.
nice didn't know he was with the jags.
Well he isn't anymore.
Dax & Tre
Rambo
Devon Hunter
Keshawn King
QP
And JJ. Yesterday was the end of my honeymoon with Willis.
I'm just curious as to what Willis did yesterday to end the honeymoon. Personally, thought he was pretty good this year and earned the spot to be #1 heading into the spring. I know others see it different, but some people seem to think he was pretty bad yesterday, and I'm curious to know why.
I've had some time to think about it and rewatched some games, and I realized that while he did probably the best job anyone could've asked him to do this year, there is a ceiling to his ability and he'll still turn the ball over more than JJ.
I'm not really sure how much higher JJ's ceiling is than Willis's, but if it's even a little higher he should be starting, at least until The Prince That Was Promised is ready.
This is completely fair. I tend to agree that JJs ceiling might be a little higher, but I think Willis gives us the better chance to win games with a shakey defense. I think the offense is a bit more dynamic with him back there and is more explosive, which I think is needed to win games with a bad defense. On a normal Hokie defense, give me Jackson all day.
I'll be fine with either, but think Willis should be commended for what he brought to the team this year. He made some plays that won us some games. Also made some plays that hurt/could've hurt us.
End of the day, I think Willis did enough for JJ to have to earn his job back for QB1.
I agree with you that Willis was good enough to make JJ or QP have to beat him out for the top spot, but I don't think Willis will be the starter next year because of the mental mistakes. I think he has a million dollar arm and a 10 cent head. He struggled reading defenses and with the read option and a third year QB should have the game slowed down by now and be able to handle the mental side of the game.
The head is something that can be fixed, a million dollar arm is something that doesn't come by all the time
Willis makes some bad decisions, he takes sacks he shouldn't , he stares down receivers, he doesn't make the right reads on the read option. As a Jr. he has similar stats as Jackson did as a frosh. I would argue that Willis had a better skill players around him than Jackson had last year.
Jackson had more YPG, better YPA (barely), better com than legion percentage, and a lower int to attempts ratio. Willis wins in TDs, however there were lots of great plays that Tre, or Hazelton took to the house when we didn't have as many of those plays last year.
Willis is the clear starter? Why? He made bad decisions and took a ton of sacks. He showed flashes sure but those mistakes cost us games. Jackson makes way better decisions even if his arm strength isn't as good.
This. And leadership.
To me, the single biggest problem with VT football right now is poor on-field leadership. I think last years defense was really hurt with Mooks situation. And another leader, Mihota, was just a shell of himself returning from injury. Unfortunately, I don't see great leaders on D next year either. Dax is too hyper. Hewitt isn't a good enough player. Floyd was so bad this year. Ashby? Deablo?
On O, JJ is the most popular guy on the team. Pre-game, he talks to every single player. This is his team. RW has very little support from his teammates. We know what happened last summer. Just don't see leadership out of Willis
I think Rivers is the steady/stable to Dax's hyperactivity. Rivers isn't as showy but obviously Bud likes him to keep rotating him in. His M.O. isn't to rotate his Lb's.
I agree with this. Rivers personality seems like the Kam Chansllor mentality, the I'm gonna do my job at full speed and get back to the line and do it again and again, he's not the best on the field but he's consistent. Dax is a whole different breed, he's an energizer seeing him live Monday was something else he pumped the crowd up like no other player I remember, and he's better than rivers but it'll take both to be great
Rivers is not good. He is slow and not in the right gap many, many times. I would highly doubt he plays next year - a backup at best, and possibly gets passed by there.
Where are you seeing that JJ is the most popular player on offense? Quite honestly, from what I see on TV, I think Willis is a better on-field leader than JJ. Willis may not always make the best decisions, but he physically embodies the "will it and it will" attitude. I don't see that with JJ -- seems like when things are not going well, he shows negative body language and doesn't do much to spark his teammates (e.g. ODU debacle before he got hurt, if you care to re-watch that nightmare).
I don't know what you are referring to over the summer in regards to Willis, but I'd like to be enlightened.
Being liked and being an on-field leader aren't mutually inclusive. JJ is adored in the locker room, probably the most universally liked player on the team, outside of maybe House or San Denmark. But anyone that watches both he and RW play see that the latter is the more fiery on-field leader. Does that mean is a better leader? Not for every team. Is that the kind of leader this team needs? I believe it is. If we were laden with tons of loud, aggressive senior leadership then someone of JJ's demeanor may be better for the team, but unfortunately we don't have that luxury.
Also, he is referencing the TOTS fight between Bradburn and Willis. The effect of that incident is way overblown though. The team moved past it long ago and couldn't be less of an issue at this point. There are more hurtful things said during a game or in the locker room. Most like Willis and enjoy playing with him.
FWIW, I think Willis is our starter next year. I heard some things pretty recently that led me to believe that JJ did not win the QB competition as convincingly as we were led to believe, and a mid-season change would have been very possible.
Valid point about JJ's leadership. He's not loud, but he is popular. You are certainly right that they are not the same thing.
But I think you are selling RW's issues short. He gets very little support on the sidelines. He walks off, after good or bad plays, and basically nobody approaches him. I saw Keane do it a few times, but usually well after the play (and I think that reflects well on Keane more than Willis). Watch the UVA celebration, Willis is running around with Seisay and that's it. Besides that moment where Chung said, "Good job running down that guy you threw the ball right to" in the UVA game, moments where he celebrated or was consoled by his teammates were almost nil. As one insider on TSL said, "He's made his enemies on this team. He's gotta live with it."
That's why I said "most" like him. He's not the most popular guy on the team, but he's also not the most hated. What you need is the best motivator, whether that's through having someone that fires the team up, or through someone that gives the team a quiet confidence. You think everyone in the Chargers loves Phil Rivers after he screams at them for 3 hours straight? No, but it works for them. It's not about being liked, it's about leading your team in the way that gives them the best chance at success.
Just now seeing this -- good point on being popular and a leader are not necessarily the same thing. I was once told that successful teams are not necessarily teams where everybody likes each other.
For me personally, if I see a guy bust his ass it will make me want to work even harder. I feel that Willis does have that effect. Not saying that JJ isn't a hard worker, but it just seems Willis brings more fire.
Definitely hoping the team can develop to foster a culture where people can call each other out and not take it personally. Marcus Davis (I think) said in 2012 when VT was struggling that the team used to be able to say someone needed to step their game up and the response would be "you're right, I need to get better". But during 2012, the response was like "whoa". If the team is like this, I agree that a QB like JJ will work well.
nm
BPT, King, and wishing and a hoping QP. After the DL big question mark, the other question mark that no one is discussing is who the heck is gonna return punts next year, since no one did this year. After Savoy packed in it, all I remember is designated fair catcher Hazelton. I see Tahj Gary as an outside hope if he heals up. About the only future Greg Stroman I see out there is Wheatley, who looked really good on the kickoff return team, but don't remember him returning a punt all year.
I think we could see Ellis there if he can prove to coaches that he has the hands for it
Grimz, Tayvion, and Ellis would be my guess as the three options there next year.
Tayvion has the skill-set to be a 4 year contributor here like Greg was (him almost taking one to the house at OSU was fun to see live as I was told to sit back down by several Buckeye fans). Ellis to me has the most upside here, but my guess is Tayvion becomes the #1 option - the guy is just an athlete.
Gaines. He was well on his way to being a complete DE in Foster's system when he got injured. ACL timelines & recoveries can vary widely, but I would be excited about our DL if he can make a complete recovery in time for fall camp.
Hopefully with the rehab he can put on some more weight. He was getting pushed around once Hill was gone and offenses could focus on taking him out of the game instead of having to worry about walker and Hill.
If he can put on weight, hone is technique and maintain his quickness he definitely could be all ACC next year.
JRob, NAW, Blackshear
isn't NAW probably going pro ?
It's 2019 and he's still playing for VT
man surprised this hasn't been up yet....
but in reality I'll be excited for QB battle in the fall. Will be more excited if it's willis or QP but happy with JJ as long as he can get his feet out of quicksand when he scrambles. Willis is way quicker and has better pocket presence imo.
Hunter, Farley, Dax on defense. Hopefully King can make an immediate impact at RB or anyone at RB really. Even if it's sill mcclease. He did well in the bowl game.
I'm excited to see them in their underwear after they get Hilgartrified
Eugene Asante and Doug Nester!
I want to see what Jalen Holston is capable of doing.
The offense is poised to incrementally improve at every position, with the OL, WR, and QB groups returning with a year's worth of experience. With the departure of Stephen Peoples, someone is going to have to come in and take over those reps. Holston passes the explosiveness eye test for me. If he can run down hill with the same determination and consistency that Peoples had, the offense could get a big boost in the run game.
I like McClease, but think he's already shown his ceiling.
McClease looked good, but Houston looked like a beast against Cincy. First time I'd seen Houston consistently put together that combo of speed and power. Looked very good.
Hoping that you mean "Holston" and your phone is just doing an autocorrect.
I'd have to disagree with your assessment and the stats back it up. McClease had almost double the ypc (7.8) on 13 carries than Holton's (4.0) on 10 carries. The run game wasn't quite as effective when McClease left the game.
josh jackson
I am ready to see what this team can do with a little experience under its belt. We saw some flashes toward the end of the year that we have the capability of being a high powered offense when the plays aren't broken up by our own execution errors. With some of the pieces we have coming in and some of the guys who will be ready to step up next year, things could be really fun.
I'm looking forward to a defense that isn't in its own head trying to do the simple things every day. We were so, so young that Bud told the bowl announcers our playbook was essentially scrapped early and we went to pure basics, because that is all we could mentally grasp. The spring and summer should go a very long way to helping fix these issues.
All in all, I think there is a hell of a lot to look forward to next year. This was just a bad year that we knew we would have struggles with due to inexperience that was worsened by injuries and dismissals of upperclassmen. Watching the bowl, I saw a team that can be good. I saw coaching that put us in the right spots. Once we're executing, we'll be where we want to be.
Tre Turner. Dude will be a beast... but this morning's tweet raises an eyebrow...
This...saw that tweet come through and now I'm concerned. I know attrition is to be expected but hopefully not one of our best receivers...
Came here for this. I really hope he's just showing appreciation for his first year
I really hope so as well. I had heard from some 336 peeps that he was a little unhappy earlier in the year, but hopefully his involvement in the last few games turned that around...
The tech football accounts both retweeted it so not really concerned.
Another reason I don't have twitter.
I'll add a name I don't think has been mentioned, Kumah. The guy is a beast, with another year in the strength program idk how corner's are supposed to cover him, much less tackle him. Him, Turner, & Hazelton.... watch out.
Not here to argue whether Kumah is a beast--he is. But at some point, we need more from the WRs, not just move the chains guys and jump ball artists. Small sample but illustrative: compare WRs on the playoff teams. ND has a stable of huge, slow jump ball artists (like Kumah and Haze). Clemson, Bama, and even OU WRs, on the other hand, had game changers--explosive guys that can separate and burn. Turner provided that the last couple of games, but we need at least 1 more of those, and I just don't think Kumah, Haze, or Grimz provide that. Hope Payoute or Robinson or Ellis or someone can fill that void.
I really like Kumah a lot. Seems like he wins basically any jump ball, and makes nice adjustments to wayward passes. Quietly a beast on the outside in my opinion.
Everyone not named Ricky Walker, Steven Peoples, Kyle Chung, Yosuah Nijman, Braxton Pfaff, or Vinny Mihota
(it is insane that our entire roster only had 6 seniors)
Whats even crazier is looking back at the 2015 and 2014 recruiting classes:
Only 8 of the 21 recruits of 2015 class made it to the end of this season
Only 2 of the 26 recruits of the 2014 class
I dont know if thats normal, it looks very light compared to classes adjacent. Having only about 1/5th of your potential senior/rs-senior pool either be studs and leave early or not even just not panning out but not even being on the roster seems abnormal.
Well Chung and Pfaff were both from the 2013 class haha. It does seem like a low number though. 2014 was totally snake bitten as a class
heard a rumor that hooker didn't travel with the team for the bowl game? can anyone confirm or deny? and anyone know if it was of his choosing or the staffs?
He was on the sidelines in street clothes due to illness I believe. I seem to remember seeing that on Bitter's Twitter.
Edit: Here, tell you rumor source to #getBETTER
QP being the backup was probably why we didn't see a run package with him in short yardage situations. IIRC QP was put into those situations earlier in the year instead of Hooker because Hooker was the backup.
it wasn't a source, just something I saw on facebook and didn't notice during the game but I couldn't see anyone confirm yes or no. thanks for clearing it up though! appreciate it.
He was sick.
For me, after this year, ALL I care about is Defense, Defense, Defense and getting back to having a VT Bud Foster Defense/ Lunch Pail Defense/ Top 10 ranked defense. I think it will take some time, probably at least 2 years, and that we need a lot to go our way in player development and future recruiting, but that is really all I care about. For offense, we have recruited well at WR, OL, TE, and possibly QB the last few years (although I'm disappointed that Hooker hasn't made any noise and I wish QP had gotten more playing time), and our RB recruiting hasn't lit the world on fire by any stretch, but to me I just want the DEFENSE across the board to make a huge leap forward. For decades our Defense has been what VT has been known for so I just want to get back to that, so I want to see the following players take the next step (or a huge leap forward):
1. Porcher (to me the biggest position of need on the team is DT and of current players with experience he seems to have the most potential upside or chance for huge growth in the biggest position of need)
2. Crawford (not on team yet I know, but it's the biggest position of need on the team and we need him to be an immediate contributor in the 2 deep so he better learn scheme quickly)
3. Fuga (not on team yet I also know, but it's the biggest position of need on the team, hope he also can handle the leap from HS to Div1 football and contribute at DT as a FR [I included him instead of other new DTs because he has size where they do not])
4. 3rd year DEs: Debose, Proctor, and Garbutt - we need all 3 of these guys to take a huge step forward and turn into disruptive playmakers (is it possible?, not sure, but it is likely necessary with only Belmar and recovering Gaines at DE next year)
5. 2nd year DLs: Adams and Becton (hope they can make a leap as well as both are desperately needed, especially if 3 above them do not take next step).
6. Barno (I know he's new but he's college ready so I included him here, and I think his best chance to make a difference on D is as a pass rushing specialist/stand up DE - so I hope he can quickly learn scheme and that Bud figures how to get him on the field, either as a DE or blitzing Backer).
7. Dax (he needs to win the starting Mike position this offseason)
8. 2nd year DBs: J Waller/ C Conner/ N Thompson/ A Chatman/ DJ Crossen (they've got 1 year in of mixed playing time/game experience/etc and now it's time for at least a few of these guys to take a HUGE leap forward - and hopefully compete or secure starting spots at CB/Whip)
9. Farley (hope he takes a huge leap in improving his toughness and tackling)
Note: I've moved on past Hunter (actually hope he stays at RB); he was SO NEEDED this year to be a breakout player on D and that was probably biggest disappointment this season for me; I mean if he couldn't start on this year's D, I just don't think he'll be a difference maker on D at VT. I hope Gaines and Burke get healthy and both come back strong for their SR years and I hope Hewitt and Belmar steadily improve but I just don't see ALL ACC potential at any position on our DL (Gaines is closest but he's just too small and he'll be a SR coming off ACL injury). Maybe in a few years from some Fr or new recruits but that won't be in 2019. Also, I didn't mention Webb (because I don't want to jinx him), and I really hope Watts/Quillen both get passed on depth chart, not by one DB but by multiple DBs. Deablo/Ladler/Rodgers should all be at FS and Floyd/N Peoples at Rover and I'm fine with incremental improvements with these guys (as long as they play their best fit positions). Not sure what to think of our LB situation as we seem to have good young talent at Mike, but not sure if we have any true difference makers yet at Backer or Whip (note: I think Dax is a Mike and Ladler is a FS (so who else can play Backer and Whip in a dominating fashion rather than just being serviceable - big question mark IMO). I sort of cheated and mentioned almost the entire Defense, but after this year...we actually really need the entire D to take the huge step forward. Wheshew...sorry about long post.
This is where I am. Whoever is playing DL is who I want to see. DL play this year was terrible, and after Trevon was excused, never were able to get pressure on the QB. Not tackling and not getting pressure by the DL made a bad secondary look even worse. It doesn't matter if we have a backend of All-ACC DBs, if the QB gets 5-6 seconds to throw, they'll give up plays.
Do we need to worry about QB attrition? All of this talk about how we have a deep QB bench has me worried. If QP really won't play until 2021 is he going to stay on the team?
I will be shocked if Hendon Hooker is on the team next year as he seems like the odd man out in the QB shuffle. Looks like a 3-horse race with QP, JJ, and Willis.
Any thoughts if Hooker could move to RB, WR, or TE?
Usually they will do any position you pay them enough for.
This is indeed true but I believe we're talking football here.
Not a chance. He is a QB all the way whether he plays for us or not. I think folks should keep an open mind on QB development as it takes time with most. This year will be interesting to see who progresses and how much. Certainly seems as if someone will be off person out, but nothing has been decided.
Agreed on the development part, players get better, so why not wait and not anoint now.
All the 2nd year or r-So DL need to make an impact. Proctor, Garbutt, Dobose, Becton, and Porcher all had varying levels of hype and most were pretty highly rated out of HS. None of really seemed to make an impact. Based on their profiles they have all gained needed weight, so hopefully another offseason with Hilgart gets them ready to take over. Gaines off an ACL and Belmar is sad at the DE spot. We had NO sacks against Cinci....
#70 for cincy was destroying Belmar start to finish. Non factor. Garbutt and Proctor need to step up their games- both have the size, now learn the defense and make plays. Becton needs time- shouldn't have to be thrust in right away.
I'm afraid that whoever I say I'm excited about will transfer.
I'm really excited about *looks over list of opponents top players.
Let's see if it works.
Darryle Simmons. I think he was a 4-star WR, look forward to seeing him play next year.
And I would like to see Chamarri Connor get some actual reps at safety, and not just garbage time.
Turner, Dax, Patterson in some capacity- see what he can do, Ellis, and perhaps Caleb Steward can be peoples with more burst.
unpopular opinion: Josh Jackson will be good next year
I think everyone hopes whoever plays QB next year will be (very) good.
If that's Josh Jackson, I'll be 100% thrilled!
You've basically seen what JJ is and will be for the rest of his career. Sure, he can improve incrementally simply due to experience, but he's basically tapped out physically and has had a full grasp of the playbook since his redshirt season.
I guess i don't see the downside? He knows the playbook, runs the option well, and makes great decisions? Sure he may not be physically dominant as Willis, but he does the aforementioned three better than Willis right?
Here's hoping JJ continues to do well.
JJ has a year as the starter. Willis has almost a year as a starter. if you don't know the playbook after 3 months of taking reps as the starter, you likely never will. adjustments and plays will always be added and removed, some of which JJ hasn't repped over the last 3 months.
JJ doesn't run the option well. he makes the read correctly. he does not run it well. Willis doesn't make the correct read often but runs the option much better.
JJ and Willis TD to INT ratio are actually in favor of Willis. So this whole JJ makes great decisions thing is in everyones head because coach Fuente said so prior to the season. from a bunch of CLOSED practices none of us really saw, before Willis had much knowledge of the playbook.
This narrative is starting to get to me. its based on NO factual info.
not aimed at you AXD just been hearing this over and over in different places and I don't see anything to back it up.
I think you're misinterpreting what I said in my original post.
When I said "Runs the option well" - I mean JJ makes good decision on when to keep and when to hand-off. Ryan does not do this. I'm not sure what you mean by "...but runs the option much better" about Willis. His entire year so far as the starter doesn't indicate this at all.
When I sadi "Makes great decisions" - I mean JJ knows how to distribute the ball well and consistently, and doesn't lock-on to any on receiver. Too many times we saw Willis lock-on to Hazelton and throw to him when there were other options open, whereas I can't recall JJ ever being like that at all.
Regarding what you said:
I actually don't know what you mean by this. Are you implying that by JJ not playing he doesn't know the playbook? That factually isn't the case as he's involved all the time with the team and preparation and has had a solid grasp of the playbook since he's been the starter. A clear indication of that are the number of checks and audibles he's able to do without any direction from the sidelines.
I don't see how a TD to INT ratio is indicative of making great decisions. In fact it plainly doesn't. What Fuente uses as his metric is (paraphrasing) predicted outcomes, or something like that. He doesn't care if every pass goes for a touchdown or not, but cares that the right decision is made and the correct ball is thrown.
Those are your facts. I didn't take what you said personally, and I don't have anything against RW either, but it annoys me how many "arm chair QBs" want to try and out-coach Fuente when he's re-iterated what I've said above and, quite frankly, has the best insight to make these kind of decisions.
Barely in favor of Willis, 25:10 to 24:9. Also JJ has thrown more passes. JJ throws an int every 45.4 pass Willis throws an Int every 40.4 passes. So yes JJ throws less TD he turns it over less often.
The downside is that he is pretty limited in what he can do physically. The 45 yard pass on the move to Dalton Keene in the UVA game? JJ can't make that play. The 12 yard scramble on the game winning drive against UNC? JJ isn't athletic enough to pull that off. Much more upside with Willis but there is also a lower floor. Depends on what your preference is in a qb I suppose. I'm more of a RW fan myself.
I know you've previously tried to temper these expectations, but neither of these guys have a ceiling that excites me too much. Still holding out hope that QP/Hooker light the world on fire in the spring.
Willis' physical abilities make me feel like he could make a huge jump in the upside if he can figure out some of the checks, get more instinctive on the read plays and he may even have more physical upside with another year of training - stronger, faster and more accuracy with reps.
I guess my question is will Willis put in the work now that he has had a taste of action and some success? I'm not suggesting he didn't work hard before, but now it is possibly more prescriptive and feels closer since he has been in the middle of the action.
I have thought that too. Never really got the feeling that he was going to improve from what we have already seen. Me thinks this is a RW or QP led team, most likely RW IMO
This infatuation with JJ is very confusing to me. The QB play the last 6 games of last season was horrible. Regardless of whether or not Willis makes the occasional bad decision, he puts the team in a better position to win with what we've got now. The same guys who swore JJ would be much better year 2 (his 3rd in the system) aren't willing to consider Willis may get better getting QB1 reps. Making the right read on an RPO can get better with experience. JJ isn't going to 'learn' the arm strength or legs Willis has.
Regardless, unless QP is some kind of elite level QB, which I don't think he'll be next year, finding players to play DT, DE, CB, S, and RB are all more concerning to me than getting better play out of what we saw with Willis coming off the bench this year.
JJ was hurt for those games and coaches didn't trust Willis, so JJ played. Given Willis' performance this year, if JJ is the starter next year, I doubt that you'll see him playing if he's not close to 100% healthy. As such, you won't see the drop off that you saw in 2017, when JJ was injured.
The coaches did not trust AJ Bush as Willis wasn't eligible due to transferring. JJ was playing with a broken bone in his foot and a shoulder issue.
My bad. You are 100% correct about it being Bush, not Willis.
The point remains that in 2019, an injured JJ won't be playing.
I get it and agree with QB depth we will be less likely to play a hurt QB as we have better options available.
I agree whoever wins the QB battle will be much improved. They'll have to be. I think this year is the first legit QB battle and whoever wants it will have to be better.
Josh even though he knows the playbook he made the wrong read or threw a poor pass enough times that if that's his edge, he'll have to be better.
Ryan can make any throw but he really will need to make better decisions if he's going to win the job.
And Quincy wins the Heisman with his first completion over 15 yards.
Landers Nolley