By Jimmy Robertson
BLACKSBURG – The Virginia Tech football team returned to the practice field Friday evening after taking Thursday off following a Wednesday evening scrimmage.
The Hokies played their intrasquad scrimmage at Lane Stadium – the first of several scheduled in August. Tech will practice the next five days before participating in another scrimmage next week.
"Some good and some bad. Some good competition out there," Tech head coach Justin Fuente said. "There are some guys out there competing for chances to play, which is a good thing. That was kind of our base installation. Now, we will move to some situational work like red zone, goal line, third down and end-of-game situations this week."
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Fuente, several assistant coaches and several players met with the media Friday afternoon. Here are a few takeaways:
• One freshman who continues to draw rave reviews is Keshawn King, a tailback from Orange Park, Florida. The 5-foot-11, 182-pounder displays incredible quickness and pure instincts with the ball in his hands.
"Explosive," Fuente said. "Had a couple of nice runs in the scrimmage. He is not scared, and he pours it up in there. He has got some elite quickness, and he has been fun to watch so far. We've got a lot of work to do with him, but he has had a good camp thus far."
Fuente pointed out that King need to continue working on his blocking and also on becoming an even better receiver in the passing game. But even some of the returning tailbacks have noticed their teammate in the first week of practice.
"He's explosive," tailback Deshawn McClease said. "That's no question. He still works hard. He's not overly confident. He's not cocky. He's right where he needs to be. He has a bright future."
• Several people within the football program thought the defensive tackles, and the defensive line in general, played well in the scrimmage, and Fuente seemed to echo those thoughts Friday with some nice remarks about his young defensive tackles. The Hokies feature an interesting mix of defensive tackles, with Jarrod Hewitt being the veteran, junior college transfers DaShawn Crawford and Jaden Cunningham, a couple of walk-ons, and three true freshmen.
"I feel good about the young guys," Fuente said. "It's still early, but there have been encouraging signs from Norell Pollard, Mario Kendricks, and Josh Fuga. I'm really excited about the future and what they can be. Jaylen Griffin is a guy at end that's becoming more comfortable there as well. There are some definite signs of progress and hope. Obviously, that's not to discount Jarrod Hewitt, DaShawn Crawford and some of those guys, but those three news guys are pretty talented."
• Defensive back Jeremy Webb played a few reps in Wednesday's scrimmage – his first action in nearly two years. Webb has torn both Achilles tendons since arriving at Tech in January of 2018, with the final one causing him to miss last season. But doctors cleared him in late July for practices, and the staff is slowly working him into the mix.
"There are two parts," cornerbacks coach Brian Mitchell said. "The first part is that we want to make sure that he has his legs are under him. We don't want to over stress that. That's when Mike Goforth [associate athletics director of sports medicine], Coach [Justin] Fuente, [Bud] Foster, myself and Jeremy have some input. Secondly, he hasn't played football in two years. He has to go and learn the fundamentals and techniques that we us, as well as the scheme."
• Receivers coach Jafar Williams met with the media for the first time since his hiring earlier this year. Williams came to Tech from Maryland, but he knew Fuente, offensive coordinator Brad Cornelsen and offensive line coach Vance Vice from a previous stint at Illinois State
"They didn't have to say much because it's a good place," Williams said of his reasoning for taking the job. "I jumped at the opportunity to get here. Obviously, I had a relationship with some of the guys on the staff, even with Coach [Holmon] Wiggins leaving, we had a prior relationship, too.
"The biggest thing for me now, with as many jobs that I've been a part of, is getting around the right people. And that message from the head coach is important and how he treats people is important. I wanted to be around some good coaches and continue to develop and learn, but also good people."
• Speaking of Williams, he has been rotating at ton of receivers each practice – the Hokies' roster includes 20 players listed as receiver. Nine of those 20 are freshmen, including Elijah Bowick, who enrolled in January. Others include Jacoby Pinckney, Jaden Payoute, and Tayvion Robinson – and Williams singled out Robinson for his efforts during the first week. Robinson could also be the Hokies' punt returner.
"He's in the mix for that position, and he's doing a pretty good job as a young guy learning the technique of catching a punt and tracking the ball and all the things you need to know," Williams said. "But I would say that special teams is always a way for young guys to get playing time and get on the field faster. So, I would give him probably an advantage in that sense. However, the other guys are also doing a good job, too."
• Fuente relayed to the media Thursday that he had received word on quarterback Braxton Burmeister and that the NCAA had denied Burmeister's appeal for immediate eligibility. Burmeister, who transferred from Oregon in the offseason, plans to appeal the decision.
"He and his family, with [Virginia Tech's] compliance, are working through the appeals process," Fuente said.
Fuente added that he had not received notice from the NCAA on Brock Hoffman's case. Hoffman transferred from Coastal Carolina in the offseason to be closer to his ailing mother, who lives in Statesville, North Carolina. The NCAA denied Hoffman's initial application for immediate eligibility, but Hoffman appealed that decision and awaits the final verdict.Gallery: (8/7/2019) 2019 FOOTBALL FALL SCRIMMAGE 1
Gallery: (8/9/2019) 2019 FOOTBALL FALL PRACTICE 7