Virginia Tech Hokies Roster 2019 Hokies Roster

Head Coach: Justin Fuente        2017 Salary: $3,250,000        Offensive Coordinator: Brad Cornelsen       Defensive Coordinator: Bud Foster         

Stadium: Lane Stadium      Surface: Grass        City: Blacksburgh        State: Virginia

Virginia Tech has been a program that has fluctuated in and out of the ACC spotlight the last few decades. When there is heavy faith placed on this team in the pre-season rankings, they often fold under the pressure. When they go under the radar, the successes are plentiful. The morale of the story is that Virginia Tech has not had a championship caliber roster in quite some time. Facing a semi-favorable schedule with a few marquee contests in 2018 could provide the recipe this team needs to climb from this slump. Justin Fuente is entering his third year as head coach of the program, holding a 19-8 record after his first two seasons. This year marks for a tracking year for Fuente in hope he can find that working mold that helps the program break the tides.

Losing a starting quarterback is never an easy replacement. Jerrod Evans made a surprise departure when he left for the draft. This left the team blanked and in shock. Going against the grain, the team will place Josh Jackson in the starting role. Jackson enters his sophomore season and he brings some starting experience with the team's rotation. His efforts were tamed and reserved in hopes to reduce mistakes and errors. He will need to break this shell and bring his arm talent to the field in 2018. He has shown flashed on improvement and he is settling into the system, both promising signs for a new-looked signal caller. Rushers Deshawn McClease and Travon McMillian shared the load in the backfield last season. McClease wasn't a fan of this stance so he transferred in the off-season. Jackson is a rusher in his own right, keeping a stout running game for the Hokies. McMillian will now slot into a lead role, so it will be interesting to see how he handles the lion share of the load.

The defense must go back to the drawing board. Virginia Tech only returns two starters on this side of the ball, a safety and a linebacker. This equates to getting their younger talents up to speed, quickly. Rapid strides and recovery were claimed through the strong recruiting class. Many of these additions will see an increased workload, which shouldn't be anything new for two-way high school players. The overall ranking the defense faces still slots them within the top-30 of the nation, but this viewpoint could decline as the season progresses. The shinning light for this defense is having a mentor in Bud Foster. Foster has been a boisterous voice for the improvement of the defense over the past few seasons. He is going to have to do some quick teaching with good listeners to prepare this team for ACC competition.

The schedule allots this program the opportunity to write their own story in 2018. Starting the season with a ranked opponent in Florida State is formidable competition for this squad. Games with Notre Dame and Miami don't look promising on paper, but these contenders have been known to drop the ball later in the season. Aside from key contests, Virginia Tech will be favored in all remaining contests, placing a high precedence on victory in these key mentions.