The Portal, Transfers, Dismissals, and JUCOs: A Numbers Look

As we all have learned, The Portal giveth and The Portal taketh away.

Hokie Nation has felt the sting of a transfer at an all too frequent a pace.

Gone are Josh Jackson, Sean Savoy, Eric Kumah, Sam Denmark, DeJuan Ellis, Chris Cunningham, and D'Andre Plantin from the offense, as are Trevon Hill, Darius Fullwood, Nate Procter, Rico Kearney, DJ Crossen, and Bryce Watts.

New are Braxton Burmeister and Brock Hoffman. However, I feel that we'd be remiss in not counting Damon Hazelton, Ryan Willis, Jeremy Webb, Amare Barno, Brion Murray, Deshawn Crawford, and Jaden Cunningham in the mix, as I believe they would not have been pursued if the transfers out were not considered.

So, statistically what have we lost/gained:
QB:
Lost: Jackson 3971 total yards, 32 TDs, 10 INTs, in 16 games played
Gained: Willis 3070 total yards, 28 TDs, 9 INTS, in 12 games played
Based on the bodies of work, I would consider this "switch" to be a wash. Four more games by Willis would project to a very similar statline, and adding in a guy like Burmeister might even tip this to a net plus.

WR/TE:
Lost: Kumah, Savoy, Denmark, Ellis, Cunningham 1971 combined yards, 25 combined TDs, 86 combined games
Gained: Hazelton 806 yards, 8 TDs, 13 games played.
Hazelton has passed the combined production of Savoy and Denmark in half the games. Given that he has at least 1 year left, possibly two, I can easily see him eclipsing the combined output of the lot that we lost, even factoring in the depth at the position as it currently stands. Gonna give a net plus, as Hazelton is able to replicate the production of four players, freeing up four other spots on the roster for production.

OL:
Lost: Plantin
Gained: Hoffman
Both would have been battling for, if not winning outright, starting jobs this year (especially if the NCAA gained a brain and actually let us know Hoffman's status for the upcoming season). Net wash.

DL:
Lost: Hill, Fullwood, Procter 97 tackles, 20 TFL, 11.5 sacks 47 games played
Gained; Crawford, Cunningham 0 games played
This is a little difficult to assess, as I don't know if any DT combo at VT ever achieved the stats listed above, but the pair do have 48+ games remaining in their VT careers, so it will be possible to look back to see how this plays out. Net minus just for lack of data

LB:
Lost: Kearney 35 tackles, 2 TFL, FR in 10 games
Gained: Barno no games played
Also difficult to assess, but I feel that given Barno's athleticism, I would expect him to get better than 3.5 tackles per game throughout his career. Net neutral

DB:
Lost: Crossen, Watts: 29 tackles, 1 INT 25 games played
Gained: Webb, Murray: no games played
If Webb had been able to play last year, Watt's numbers would have been dramatically reduced. Murray being able to play the NB definitely helps out the case for the newcomers being able to produce at a higher clip. Net plus

2.5 position groupings effected by the portal/transfers that have been net positives
2.5 position groupings effected by the portal/transfers that have been net neutral
1 position grouping that is a net minus, granted in the grouping that we are thinnest and most concerned of those who have been affected by transfers.

EDIT: Added Ellis to WR