Virginia Tech DT Pheldarius Payne had a ridiculous season. Among FBS players with at least 20% of total snaps, his 89.9 DEF grade from PFF is:
- No. 3 among DTs
- No. 11 among DLs
- No. 21 among all players
Five games above an 80.0 and a sixth at 79.5.
#Hokies
Mansoor Delane’s early PFF grades from yesterday:
- DEF: 90.1 (No. 5 in country among all defensive players who played significant snaps, No. 1 among CBs)
- COV: 89.6 (No. 4 in country among all defenders, No. 2 among CBs)
For the season he is the No. 2 CB in the ACC.
#Hokies
Virginia Tech increased WR coach Fontel Mines’ salary from $275,000 to $425,000 and gave him a two year extension. He also now has retention bonuses each of the next three years.
#Hokies
In 2021, Virginia Tech announced plans to renovate Cassell Coliseum that they projected (at the time) to cost $75M.
Today, Texas A&M will spend the same amount to buy out their coach.
Liz Kitley is one of the greatest Virginia Tech athletes ever.
It’s been 26 years since VT retired a basketball jersey (Allan Bristow, 1998) and 37 since a women’s jersey (Renee Dennis, 1987).
Kitley’s jersey deserves to hang from the rafters of Cassell Coliseum.
#Retire33
What a game from Liz Kitley. Her sixth 30-point, 10-rebound game of the season. That’s the most in D1 this year and is tied for the 4th-most in a season over the last 10 seasons, per
@ESPNStatsInfo
Virginia Tech comes away with the 61-56 victory over Duke.
In 2005, Virginia Tech traveled to Duke for the first time in the ACC.
They lost 100-65. VT got called for 33 fouls. Duke attempted 49 (!) free throws. Greenberg got ejected.
Welcome to the ACC, indeed.
Tonight, VT vs. Duke for the ACC Tournament Championship.
Let’s ride.
“Blacksburg, Virginia. Folks we go to noisy stadiums all around the country and I’m not sure we’ve been in a scene where fans are any more pumped than they are right here tonight…They are jumping, they are screaming, and it’s been this way, for the last 30 minutes.” RIP
Just got the sad news that my friend Ron Franklin has passed away.
If you’re a sports fan, you knew Ron Franklin and his amazing voice. Incredibly talented and knowledgeable and very nice and gracious. RIP.
🙏🏻✝️❤️
Virginia Tech is favored in 4 out of its last 5 games, per
@totally_t_bomb
, with a 9.5% chance of an at large bird.
If VT were to win all five - flip the Pitt game on Sat - they would increase their at-large chances to 71.1% and be a projected 11 seed among the last four byes.
Missouri Southern WR/TE Dwayne Lawson might be the most interesting man in the 2023
#NFLDraft
.
Former 4-star QB recruit who backed up Hendon Hooker at Virginia Tech. He’s 6–7 and 235 pounds and runs in the 4.4-4.5 range. Source tells me he’s generating serious NFL interest.
🧵 6 stats about the Virginia Tech running game 🧵
#Hokies
1. OTs Parker Clements (48.0) and Xavier Chaplin (49.5) are No. 84 and No. 85 out of 88 P5 offensive tackles in run blocking. (PFF).
As a team, VT forced 158 missed tackles this year (121 on rushing plays, 37 on passing).
Last year, they forced just 82 as a team.
Bhayshul Tuten forced 61 himself (T-6 in the P5, No. 2 in the ACC), which is a Virginia Tech record.
Keshawn King led VT last year with…19.
@ChrisVannini
Texas ran 813 non-garbage time plays this year, over 13 games, for an average of 62 potentially scriptable plays per game.
Assuming a decent amount of non-regular down and distance plays, 40 plays is almost the entire game
i hope by putting this much effort into a promo, and by placing it in premium spots on the mothership this week, that means they're going to do a bit better on the production of the entrance than they did vs. UNC.
Congratulations to Virginia Tech Women’s Basketball Coach Kenny Brooks and the entire
@HokiesWBB
team on advancing to the Final Four for the first time in program history!
Virginia Tech’s new 10-year multimedia rights contract with Playfly Sports includes annual baseline guarantees cumulatively totaling $77.35M. It includes escalators that could make it worth as much as $112M over the 10 years or $150M over 13.
#Hokies
I recently found this 8 mm film of a football game at
@virginia_tech
@HokiesFB
around 1960. I'm pretty sure my dad took it. I recall the grassy slopes and no stands. Note the upperclassman cadets gradually moving down to the sidelines.
Virginia Tech’s offense will open the year against the following defenses:
- Vanderbilt: No. 115
- Marshall: No. 105
- ODU: No. 110
All aboard the hype train for this offense.
* BUY: A&M and Iowa State
* Also buy: Michigan and Bama, probably (but that's not as fun)
* Memphis: top G5
* B1G: closer to B12 than SEC
* Main takeaway: It's Georgia and everyone else
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, I MADE 2024 SP+ PROJECTIONS FOR YOU.
NCAA recommended rule changes:
- Players ejected for targeting can remain on bench
- No more than two players with the same number
- Officials jurisdiction starts 90 minutes prior to kickoff (it’s 60 now)
- Replay must be finished in less than two minutes
Keylen Adams is Virginia Tech's third commitment who is ranked in the top 10 in Virginia, according to the 247 Composite (Adams, Johnson, Wiggins).
Other years with at least 3 of the top 10 in VA since joining the ACC.
#Hokies
- 2017
- 2012
- 2010
- 2007
- 2005
- 2004
Virginia Tech submitted a picture of a maroon and a white jersey to EA Sports for the upcoming College Football video game.
VT also provided photos of Lane Stadium, maroon and white helmets, and 17 audio files.
@MattBrownEP
#Hokies
Heard a rumor the EASports College Football 2024 commercial is just going to be a pitch black screen and then all of a sudden you hear:
“BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP”
“Lee, what’s that sound?”
“Kirk, that’s the sound of the offense going in reverse!”
@MattBrownEP
I'm on "Under 50,000" watch for attendance in Blacksburg vs. Syracuse or Duke. Would be just the second normal game since 11/21/98 that VT draws fewer than 50k. The only time since was 2015 Pitt in the pouring rain.
The End of the Road
@VTScoop247
.
Here's what Virginia Tech submitted to
@EASPORTSCollege
to help build Lane Stadium and the gameday experience.
No "Stick it In."
Enter Sandman is not VT's property, but they at least told EA about it. Up to EA if they want to license the use.
#Hokies
@hokiesports
🤝
@PlayflySports
Virginia Tech Athletics & Playfly Sports Properties announce a 10-year enterprise & multimedia rights relationship.
For more details ⤵️
Alright, another Payne stat.
He finished with 24 stops (plays made at or behind the LOS). That’s T-107 among FBS DL.
The average snap count of the 106 players ahead? 598 snaps. Payne played just 287 snaps.
Payne averaged a stop every 11.96 snaps. That’s No. 1 among FBS DL.
FUN WITH SP+: I ranked the best programs of each decade, from the 1920s (Vandy fifth!) to the 2020s (Cincy 10th!). Who showed up on the most lists? Are today's powers any more dominant than yesterday's?
LOL, Twitter is no doubt all over this and I'm late to the party, but someone on the TSL message boards just pointed out that the sun is setting in the East in this photo(shop).
If they're going to use the NCAA Football audio, I have one request.
After an NC State false start...
Lee Corso: Beep. beep. beep.
Kirk: Uhh, Lee, what's that sound?
Lee: That's the sound of the offense going in reverse!
1,000 fans and 1,000 cut-outs in the stands. Skipper on the practice field. Band and cheerleaders at the baseball stadium. And crowd noise straight out of EA video games.
What will game day at Lane Stadium look like for Saturday's
#Hokies
football opener?
Shoutout Dorian Strong for finally getting a chance and picking off two passes.
He’s been one of the elite cover corners in the country but teams just do not throw his way.
Only 21 targets through 9 games before today is ridiculous.
Mild-mannered and polite, it was against Elizabeth Kitley's nature to get mad when teams played her physically.
Now? The
#Hokies
star gets angry and takes it out on opponents.
My column from on VT's constant after an ACC title-clinching win over UNC:
Mike Young kinda looks like Billy Bob Thornton as Coach Gaines from Friday Night Lights and I am ok with that. Being perfect isn't about that scoreboard out there.
SMU offensive lineman Marcus Bryant has entered the transfer portal as a grad transfer,
@On3sports
has learned.
He appeared in 13 games in 2023, earning All-AAC First Team honors. Allowed just one sack.
Based on my math + last year’s
@ESPN_BillC
formula:
VT Returning O: 89.94%. Would be No. 2 in FBS this year.
VT Returning D: 76.10%. Would be No. 22.
Total returning production: 83.02%.
Teams above 80% improve an average of 5.8 pts in SP+. Would elevate VT to No. 21 in SP+.
Couple other early PFF notes:
- Ty Garbutt: 89.9 DEF grade. Gives VT the top two DEF grade in the ACC yesterday.
- Keli Lawson’s 81.7 DEF grade is No. 3 among ACC LBs.
ESPN not going to break as Semisonic’s Closing Time plays while Tom Kim is taking a de facto bath in a creek after falling in the mud is incredible sports entertainment television.
Virginia Tech’s game at Louisville will be the 5th game they’ve played with legit championship implications since 2013.
#Hokies
1. 11/29/19: at UVA (39-30 L)
2. 11/4/17: at Miami (28-10 L)
3. 11/12/16: vs. GT (30-20 L, VT clinched before UVA still)
4. 11/2/2013: at BC (34-27 L)
Hello friends, this is your captain speaking. We have scheduled a Hokie Airlines flight for this evening - one way direct to Heartbreak City out of the Montgomery Regional Airport in Blacksburg, Va. Please remain near the terminal.
“To meet the challenges of today and the future, the department is launching its most ambitious fundraising campaign ever — a $400 million initiative called Reach for Excellence that impacts every sport and every future student-athlete at Virginia Tech...”
#Hokies
According to an Instagram post,
@thebennyspizza
will officially be sold inside Lane Stadium this fall.
The real combo is gonna be the Bennys slice in one hand and a Turkey leg in the other.
#Hokies
Hello folks this is your Captain speaking. Hokie Airlines has tentatively scheduled a one way flight to Heartbreak City. Departure time approximately 4:00pm.
Always interesting stuff on
#Hokies
eBay, like this 18 foot banner hung in Cassell Coliseum for years until it was found in an attic and is now listed for a cool $800
Virginia Tech’s current resume is comparable to 8 historical resumes that received an at large bid and 2 that didn’t, per
@totally_t_bomb
.
Also the win over ND boosted their at large chances to 38%.
It’s still all about the Q1 thing, but this used to be 10 misses.
#Hokies
VT returns the most production in the country in 2024 at 86% overall.
On average, teams over 80% jump 6.4 points in SP+. That would move VT to 12.2, or good enough for No, 20.
2024 RETURNING PRODUCTION (Vol. 1)!!
* Va Tech, Iowa State, Texas A&M, Utah: ⬆️⬆️⬆️
* CFP teams (and Shoulda Been CFP teams) not named Texas: ⬇️⬇️⬇️
* I kinda might have a decent read on transfers now? Possibly?
7 years ago Dick Vitale gave me a shoutout during an ESPN broadcast for
@VTFIJI
’s work supporting the Jimmy V Foundation (still great to this day). Got invited to his gala in Sarasota and sat next to Jared from Subway (not so great). Welcome back, Dickie V.
Hello folks this is your Hokie Airlines captain speaking. We have tentatively scheduled a one-way trip to Heartbreak City. Estimated time of departure is approximately 15 football minutes. Please stay near the gate for further updates.