With an open date this week, Virginia Tech's football staff focused on three things: self-study, recovering from injuries and recruiting for the early signing period, which begins on Dec. 21.
As for the 2022 Hokies, who have dropped four straight, a trip to NC State looms next Thursday for a team that's giving great effort, but not seeing the results it wants.
"We're playing our guts out, just not playing smart enough or well enough," head coach Brent Pry said. "We've got to find it in each one of us – players and coaches. How do we get better to be the team we can be?"
With a 2-5 mark, what are realistic goals for the final five games of this regular season?
"First off, we need to play to our potential at NC State," Pry said. "Play our best game of the season. What can we do offensively to be a better football team? What are things on defense and in the return game that will help."
Pry mentioned personnel groups and playing the top offensive playmakers at the same time, even if they play the same position. Does that mean running backs Malachi Thomas and Keshawn King will appear in the game at the same time? Perhaps. Regardless, Tech ranks near the bottom of the ACC in rushing and passing and hopes to see that change in the final five weeks.
A special teams improvement could help. Virginia Tech ranks near the bottom of the ACC in kickoff returns (12th) and punt returns (13th) and Pry wants to see big improvement there starting next Thursday in Raleigh.
"We've got to be better in the return game," he said. "We've got some guys banged up, but still we've got to be better."
Hidden yardage is huge for any team, but even more so for one that is struggling offensively.
"We've got to create some turnovers and make it a bit easier for our offense," Pry said.
Remarkably, Tech has caused just five turnovers (121st nationally) on the season, with three fumble recoveries and two interceptions. Only Notre Dame (1 interception) has fewer interceptions in the country.
"Our defensive backs are letting the receivers catch the ball and then make the tackle," Pry said. "That's not how you play it. You've got to go after the ball."
Pry suggested freshmen cornerbacks Mansoor Delane, Devin Alves and Cam Johnson could see more time down the stretch. Delane played most of the second half in the Hokies' most recent game against Miami (Fla.).
In terms of injuries, the Hokies hope the off week will help guys like King, Kaleb Smith, Chamarri Conner, Dorian Strong and TyJuan Garbutt, who all have battled season-long injuries.
How welcome was this week's open date? Well, next Thursday could be the healthiest Tech's football team has been at any point this season.
"They gotta keep believing," Pry said. "That's my job. I think they second guess themselves when adversity hits. They have to believe, and we can't let some adversity change that."
Recruiting Evaluation Period Huge for Tech
This week's open date allows Tech coaches to all get out during this evaluation period, which continues until Nov. 26. Per Mike Villagrana, senior director of player personnel, Tech will use all of its evaluation periods during this window, allowing its coaches to see prospects in-person.
Per the NCAA rules, every coach who visits a high school counts as a separate 'evaluation day' for the program, and only two coaches can go together to the same school during this period. So, for example, if Pry and defensive line coach J.C. Price go watch a Tech commit play one night, that counts as two evaluation days.
"High school coaches have responded well, and are appreciative of Coach Pry and his staff," Villagrana told me. "He's genuine and hired staff members who are like him. We had to build-up some relationships, which we've done. We have all 10 of our coaches with an area in this state."
Although Penn State and North Carolina are continuing to challenge the Hokies for top in-state players, there's enough depth in the high school talent to make signing day on Dec. 21 a good one for Tech.
"It's awesome," Villagrana said of the depth of talent in the state. "I coached at Hampton for five years. I've been recruiting in Virginia for years and I know how it works from 757 to 804 to Northern Virginia... how good it is. Nothing has changed since I was at Hampton in 2012. It's just as good, if not better."
How much will NIL factor into the Hokies' recruiting this fall? Will Tech lose recruits to other schools that offer much larger NIL deals to high school players?
"There's a lot of stuff that floats out there and I'm not sure how true it all is," Villagrana said. "But we have our ducks in a row with the best in the country."
Cooperatives working with Tech include Triumph, a sports marketing and representation company that connects student-athletes and business partners throughout Virginia.
Triumph's CEO Kelly Woolwine told me that he's encouraged with what he's seen from the business community and how the Hokies are positioned in the landscape.
"I'm more encouraged now being right in the middle of it than I was when I first heard about NIL," Woolwine said. "I don't think Virginia Tech is going to fall behind because of NIL. In fact, the athletics department is embracing it the right way. The people who involved are doing it the right way. We are compliant and are focused on sustainability."
Are there misconceptions on how NIL will work during this recruiting period?
"This isn't a situation where we wire a kid a million dollars and he shows-up," Woolwine said. "The NIL pays as you go. Athletes partner for deliverables for businesses and they get paid accordingly.
"Details matter, and NIL is just one of those details. The ecosystem of NIL is one of those details that sways where an athlete goes, but it's not a determining factor."
Stay Connected with Tech Football
Although there are five big games left on the Virginia Tech football schedule, the biggest date left might by Dec. 21.
"We need to get some thoroughbreds down in Lane [Stadium] to compliment this football team," Pry said. "We're invested in this state. In our footprint. High school coaches and high school players know that."
As for the transfer portal, Villagrana says Tech has a college scouting board looking at players who could move on from their particular school.
Football players are allowed to enter the portal for 45 days beginning the day after the College Football Playoff field is announced on Sunday, Dec. 4.
Players can also enter the portal from May 1 to May 15.
One caveat, though. If a head coach is fired midseason (Nebraska, Wisconsin, Georgia Tech, Arizona State and Colorado), student-athletes on those teams have an immediate 30-day period during in which they can be permissibly entered into the portal regardless of their sport's transfer window.
The Hokies list an astonishing number of 27 seniors on their current roster. So, we know there's going to be a colossal roster makeover by the time Tech begins its 2023 season against Old Dominion in Lane Stadium. What will that roster look like? The next five games – and the next five months – will tell us a lot.
A Rare Trip to Raleigh Awaits the Hokies
It's been 12 years since Virginia Tech has played a football game at NC State's Carter-Finley Stadium, but that last trip was incredible. In October 2010, the Hokies had staged a remarkable come-from-behind victory over the 'Pack and quarterback Russell Wilson.
Led by Wilson, NC State jumped out to a 17-0 lead and the crowd of over 58,000 was roaring. Things looked bleak early.
But David Wilson opened the second half with a 92-yard kickoff return, Tyrod Taylor threw three touchdown passes and the Tech defense forced three Wilson interceptions, as the Hokies completed the comeback and escaped with a 45-24 win.
Tech is 2-0 at NC State since joining the ACC in 2004 and has won the last five meetings with the Wolfpack overall.
Our radio coverage on Thursday from Raleigh begins at 6 p.m. ET. Hope you can join us for our broadcast!