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Football

Coach Fuente pleased with ‘productive’ spring for Hokies

Head coach Justin Fuente addressed the media for the final time during spring football on Thursday. The Hokies will wrap up their 15th and final practice of spring on Friday with a one-hour skills and drills session.

Entering his sixth season at the helm in Blacksburg, Fuente has been pleased with the progress that's been made this spring, and definitely was grateful for no pauses so the team could get in a rhythm and get the most out it, particularly after getting no spring work in 2020. 

"I'm happy to get as much uninterrupted work in as we have," Fuente said in his opening statement. "We certainly needed it. We're wrapping up a very productive spring in all three phases."

And those three phases – offense, defense, special teams – all had its fair share of work, with scrimmages taking place over the course of the spring, including one last Saturday in front of over 20 alums and their families.
 



Fuente mentioned a number of offensive players who stood out, but was quick to say the defense did well, too. Both units return a solid number of returning starters from this past fall, but Fuente does want to see a little bit of a closer gap between the ones and the twos (first and second-string) and knows that won't happen overnight.

"Not really," Fuente said when asked if he saw big gains from the twos this past week on closing in on the ones. "I think through the work of finishing up spring, then having a summer program and getting to fall camp is when we'll see the extra benefits of those reps. I don't know if it can manifest itself in one week's time. It's a little bit more of a longer-term project. But, the twos have gone about it the right way and are anxious about it, with improving."

One of the most refreshing stories shared in Thursday's media session came from DE TyJuan Garbutt, who played in just four games this past fall. With the blessing of Fuente and the coaching staff, Garbutt didn't join the team until mid-season after going home to help tend to an ailing family member. A level-headed player, Garbutt had to deal with some things off the field and, as he says below, wasn't all there mentally and took some time for himself, with the good graces of the staff.
 



"I had some personal issues at home and (the football staff) has done nothing but been really supportive," Garbutt said. "Me and (Coach Fuente) talked multiple times and (Coach Teerlinck) and I have talked multiple times and my support group, as well. Coach Fu told me to take as much time as I needed. The staff has done nothing but have my back over my career, and especially this year. They truly care about me as the young man that I am and more than just a football player."

Garbutt, who is a Fredericksburg, Virginia native, started 11 games in 2019 and racked up 31 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack, and has a high ceiling. The staff knows he can get back to that level again and he is making the right steps of getting there – slowly but surely.
 



"I've seen it the last couple of weeks where he's had fun," Fuente said. "He's back there enjoying himself and cutting loose. He's back to getting closer to the ol' TyJuan."

And Garbutt isn't the only one looking to get back to his old ways, as the Hokies look to get back to winning the Coastal Division for the first time since 2016 and will have one of the key moments of capturing it come Week 1 when they take on North Carolina Friday, Sept. 3 in Lane Stadium, which was announced by the ACC earlier this week.

The two should be in the mix to win it, which will be a first for the division, as the Coastal has had a new winner the last seven years since it was formed. So, something's got to give. And, who's to say that winner of the Tech-UNC matchup isn't going to be in the driver's seat heading into the rest of the season for the Coastal.

A lot will go down before then, but the date is circled on the calendar and should be, because it's the next one.