Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – With spring ball well underway for Virginia Tech football, let's take a quick glance at what the offense could look like for the upcoming season.
Quarterbacks
From tight ends coach in 2022 to quarterbacks coach in 2023, offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen is set to transition to the quarterbacks room in Year 2 of the Brent Pry era. The Hokies appear poised to undergo another battle for the starting signal-caller role, with incumbent starter Grant Wells and Baylor transfer Kyron Drones serving as the focal points in the search for who'll be taking snaps under center this season.
Wells, a three-year starter throughout his collegiate career, completed 196 passes on 332 attempts for 2,171 yards a year ago for the maroon and orange, finding the end zone nine times through the air and six on the ground over the course of the campaign and starting all 11 games.
Drones, meanwhile, has played sparingly at the collegiate ranks in his time suiting up for the Bears. The 6-foot-2, 231-pounder went 14-for-23 for 219 yards and a touchdown a season ago, and also got the ground game going at times after rushing the ball eight times for 49 yards and two touchdowns to cap off a solid redshirt freshman campaign.
Running Backs
Freshly appointed running backs coach Elijah Brooks takes over a promising room in his first year leading the charge in the backfield for the Hokies. Tech returns Malachi Thomas (486 career rushing yards, 5 TDs) to the fold in 2023, after an injury-riddled 2022 campaign (3 games played), and also adds the likes of junior back Bhayshul Tuten, a pickup out of the transfer portal from North Carolina A&T.
A 5-foot-11, 200-pounder out of Paulsboro, New Jersey, Tuten arrives in Blacksburg carrying impressive credentials from his time with the Aggies. The 2022 FCS All-American carried the ball 208 times for a whopping 1,363 yards throughout the duration of the season, scoring on the ground 13 times to put a bow on an eye-opening season.
Wide Receivers
Second-year wide receivers coach Fontel Mines will oversee an overhauled wide receivers room in 2023. Former Old Dominion standout Ali Jennings III reunites with Mines, while the Hokies added some other talented transfers in Da'Quan Felton (Norfolk State) and Jaylin Lane (Middle Tennessee) to round out the star-studded set to compete for playing time this fall.
Jennings caught 54 passes for 959 yards and nine touchdowns in his final season suiting up for the Monarchs, while Felton hauled in 39 passes for 573 yards and seven scores for the Spartans. Lane's 2022 certainly was one to remember, too. The three-year standout performer with the Blue Raiders secured 69 catches for 940 yards and five touchdowns over the course of the 2022 campaign.
Let's not forget about the likes of returners Stephen Gosnell, Tucker Holloway and Da'Wain Lofton, with all showing progress and developing into playmakers on the outside. The quartet managed to record 41 total receptions a season ago, and will look to continue to step up into key roles in 2023.
Tight Ends
Veteran Nick Gallo was a welcomed return to the tight ends room for Tech and position coach Stu Holt, who transitions from coaching the running backs last year. Gallo keeps a steady presence around a fairly young group in 2023. The fifth-year senior out of the Philadelphia suburbs comes back to Blacksburg having been the team's second-leading receiver from a season ago, snagging 11 passes for 256 yards.
Sophomore Dae'Quan Wright is also back after a promising freshman season in Tech's offensive attack. The 6-foot-4, 234-pounder totaled 19 catches for 208 yards in his debut season, and will now attempt to take another step for the Hokies this upcoming year.
It's also worth mentioning both redshirt freshmen Benji Gosnell and Harrison Saint Germain could see some time on the field, as well, rounding out the tight end group.
Offensive Line
First-year offensive line coach Ron Crook readies himself to oversee a unit that loses two starters from 2022. He'll lean on the likes of Xavier Chaplin, Parker Clements, Jesse Hanson, Braelin Moore and Kaden Moore to manage the ship.
Redshirt sophomore Jack Hollifield and redshirt junior Bob Schick will also see some time on the field in Crook's inaugural season at the helm.