RT @Beamer_Ball: As many as 16 true freshmen may dress for the opening ballgame. / Record to play under Beamer is 11 (last year).— VT Football (@VT_Football) August 23, 2014
So, let's take a guess at who dresses? While lots of freshmen have been hyped by the staff, coming up with 16 is tough. I just took a look at Hokiesports.com, and some of the key freshmen have been assigned numbers, which is usually an indicator of who will dress for home games. Interestingly, Holland Fisher is still listed without a number, which may mean he is going to be redshirted. Here are the true freshmen who have been assigned numbers:
1) Isaiah Ford
2) Shai McKenzie
3) CJ Reavis
4) Greg Stroman
5) Marshawn Williams
6) Travon McMillian
7) Cam Phillips
8) Melvin Keihn
9) Andrew Ford
10) Ricky Walker
11) Vince Mihota
12) Chris Durkin
13) Joey Slye
14) Michael Santamaria
15) Colt Petit
16) Eric Gallo
The freshmen who are nor currently not assigned numbers: Holland Fisher, Raymon Minor, Billy Ray Mitchell, Shawn Payne, DJ Reid, Steve Sobczak, Jaylen Bradshaw, and Kendrick Holland (injured.)
Comments
Minor is going to wear #1 but I think he redshirts.
Surprised about Pettit and Gallo having numbers but not Billy Ray Mitchell.
I would redshirt Andrew Ford.
Ford will redshirt AND dress for every game. That's normal for QBs.
I can't believe they would not redshirt Andrew Ford. He needs a year of maturity, will be a good one when his time comes.
As long as he doesnt play he can redshirt. I expect him, as well as A. Ford, Durkin, and some of those O-linemen to redshirt. Only in emergencys will the coaches pull the redshirt off and play them.
Durkin might not. I wouldn't be surprised to see him in some goal line/wild turkey/Belldozer/Tebow jump-pass kind of things.
I am back and forth with this. I think Furkin would be the best wildcat option, but if he is only going to get a few snaps a game tops, is it worth blowing the redshirt?
I'd make a radical proposal. If they are bound and determined not to redshirt Travon McMillian, why not use him as a wildcat QB? He is a a great runner, does a great job with mesh point mechanics, and is a good thrower. I'd rather see him in that role than see Bucky used inside in the red zone and as a vertical threat slot guy than see him get beat up pounding for short yardage.
and, Joel Caleb could be another wildcat option. He was also a high school QB.
I really like this idea. Would love for us to find a way to use his athletic ability. Plus like you said, he was a QB so the threat of the pass would still be there.
Not to mention most of his high school film featured him run out of essentially a wildcat formation.
From my conversation with McMillian, it sounds like it there were a roll for him in the Wild Turkey, it'll be as the guy coming through on sweeps, not as the quarterback.
Another radical proposal: Not Run The Wildcat!
Yes. Let's run the wild turkey instead.
He's redshirting unless an absolute emergency is needed. Same goes with Durkin IMO. They may dress for some games though.
I would think Fisher would dress for special teams anyway, over two freshman kickers?
When you have no proven kicker, and your defensive backs are the strength of the team, it makes sense to me. If he needs a little more time to develop, that's fine since the secondary is so strong.
You have one scholarship kicker upperclassmen already. You might as well dress him as a backup. If you think the two freshman are the best kickers but only one can play, you might as well redshirt the other unless the starter gets hurt. Fisher already has a year at Fork Union or whatever, you have senior safeties so you need to get some young secondary guys on the field even if only special teams.
I'm still waiting on the announcement of the starting PK, but with everything we have so far, Kristensen is not the guy. It's down to Slye or Santamaria. I wouldn't doubt we see both of them on the field at some point this year, because it's not clear that one of them is definitively "the guy." Just saying, it's not surprising to have multiple freshman PK this year. It's unusual, but that's the situation we're in right now. If Fisher is being held back for some reason, I trust that Bud knows what he's doing, and Fisher is buried on the depth chart right now. I get the ST argument, but there's a ton of freshman talent all chomping at the bit to get on the field. Time will tell.
I wonder if the shirt means they are looking at Fisher as a LB and he needs just a little more time to pick up the idiosyncrasies of those spots?
Or maybe there's guys like Bonner, Jarrett, Frye and Greene ahead of him at Safety right now.
OK...this looks like a whole lot of confusion about dressing or redshirting.
At this point, I'm only interested in who goes straight for the football when given that option.
#MooreheadTestingTricks
in 2015, Josh SweaT will play . hopefully its for the hokies.
I'd hope that Holland Fisher and Raymon Minor wouldn't redshirt so that they could make an impact on special teams. I love the idea of getting those 4 star defensive athletes on coverage teams.
I'd think that Andrew Ford would definitely redshirt. Chris Durkin might have missed too much time with the ankle in fall camp to be the wildcat QB. Saw that Motley was in the wildcat practices as well as Hodges so I'd think maybe they would have that covered.
My guess:
1) Isaiah Ford
2) Shai McKenzie
3) CJ Reavis
4) Greg Stroman
5) Marshawn Williams
6) Travon McMillian
7) Cam Phillips
8) Melvin Keihn
9) Ricky Walker
10) Vince Mihota
11) Joey Slye
12) Holland Fisher
13) Raymon Minor
14) Billy Ray Mitchell
15) Eric Gallo
16) Michael Santamaria
Braxton Pfaff, although gray shirted, is a true freshman and he will dress.
Welcome to The Key Play, Mr. Pfaff!
Thanks, I love the key play, Go HOKIES !!!
1) Isaiah Ford
2) Shai McKenzie
3) CJ Reavis
4) Greg Stroman
5) Marshawn Williams
6) Travon McMillian
7) Cam Phillips
8) Melvin Keihn
9) Andrew Ford
10) Ricky Walker
11) Holland Fisher
12) Chris Durkin
13) Joey Slye
14) Michael Santamaria
15) Raymon Minor
16) Braxton Pfaff