Collegiate Times

As blue and gold confetti rained down in the Superdome, the hearts of Hokie fans everywhere were filled with an all-too-familiar feeling.

There’s always next year.

Despite an impressive regular season (11-1, 7-1 ACC) and climbing as high as No. 5 in the BCS standings, Tech finished off the year with two devastating losses, in both blowout and heartbreaking fashion.

Looking ahead, there are plenty of reasons to be worried about next year’s edition of Hokie football.

LOSING EIGHT STARTERS ON OFFENSE

Quarterback Logan Thomas, wide receiver Marcus Davis and center Andrew Miller will be the only returning starters on Bryan Stinespring’s unit next fall. The Hokies lose 349 catches, 5,542 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns with the departure of wideouts Jarrett Boykin and Danny Coale.

They also lose 162 starts on the offensive line with seniors Jaymes Brooks, Blake DeChristopher, Chris Drager, Andrew Lanier and Greg Nosal. But none of those compare to what is being considered as the offense’s biggest loss. 

LOSING A 1,700-YARD RUSHER

David Wilson tore through the school record books this season, finishing with 1,709 rushing yards, 54 more than Ryan Williams’ 2009 mark. And that was after he ran for just 116 yards in his last two games (he averaged 132.75 through his first 12). Wilson’s speed, burst and elusiveness will be sorely missed in Blacksburg, as will his ability to turn an average run into an extraordinary play.

He also leaves behind 25 total touchdowns (18 rushing, five receiving, two kickoff returns) from his three years donning the maroon and orange. Replacing Wilson will not be an easy task, as Tony Gregory has just 39 career carries, and redshirt freshman Michael Holmes has yet to even dress out with the team.

LOSING HALF THE SECONDARY

After former All-American cornerback Jayron Hosley decided to forgo his senior year at Tech for the NFL, he joined safety Eddie Whitley as the defense’s only two losses. However, they could prove to be huge ones at that, considering the rest of the team’s secondary is still unproven at this point.

Hosley and Whitley started in 53 games together over the past two seasons, recording a combined 16 interceptions, 32 pass breakups, five forced fumbles and 261 tackles. What will be missed more than their numbers, however, is their leadership on that side of the ball.

If you include the kicker and punter positions, Tech will lose 12 of their 22 starters from this season. While that does seem like plenty of reason for concern, one could still make the case as to why there should be optimism in Blacksburg. 

LOGAN THOMAS HAS 14 STARTS UNDER HIS BELT

If you watched Hokie football all season, then you saw the tremendous transformation that took place in Thomas from the Sept. 3 game against Appalachian State to his performance in the Sugar Bowl. While losing eight starters on offense would be devastating for any program, Tech fans can take solace in the fact that they’ll bring back one of the most important pieces from this year’s team.

In his first year as the starter, he finished with 3,013 passing yards (second on the school’s all-time list) and 19 touchdowns, while completing 59.8 percent of his passes. He also ran for 469 yards and led the team with 11 rushing touchdowns, and he broke the school’s single-season record for total offense. Just imagine what he’ll be able to do after a full year of experience running this offense. 

THERE ARE STILL PLAYMAKERS ON OFFENSE

Losing Boykin, Coale and Wilson is definitely a huge blow to the offense, but there are athletes who should be ready to take their place, especially at the wide receiver position. Juniors D.J. Coles and Marcus Davis have a combined career statline of 93 catches, 1,381 yards and 11 touchdowns, and they should be up to the task of replacing Boykin and Coale.

Also, don’t forget that Dyrell Roberts (63 catches, 965 yards, five touchdowns) received a fifth year of eligibility after breaking his arm against Arkansas State and will be back next season. As far as the running back spot goes, Gregory and Holmes haven’t exactly had an opportunity to showcase their ability just yet (Gregory’s never gotten reps with the first-team O-line), but both should be fairly capable replacements. Also, it’s possible that incoming freshman J.C. Coleman and Drew Harris could see action.

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A version of this article appeared in the Jan 17 issue of the Collegiate Times.