The Virginia Tech Hokies finished 9-4 last year. While this isn’t a terrible record, the Hokies couldn’t seem to show up when playing in big games. Also, this offseason was not a pleasant one for Virginia Tech, as they lost a lot of key players. There is now going to be a lot of young players on both sides of the ball.

Prestige Ranking: 4

VT was not playing well in Frank Beamer’s last few years, barely making it to bowl eligibility for a couple of seasons. However, they have been playing much better under new head coach Justin Fuente, who is 19-8 in his first two seasons at Virginia Tech.

Projected Returning Starters:

Offense: 8

QB Josh Jackson, RB Steven Peoples, TE Chris Cunningham, WR Sean Savoy, WR Eric Kumah, LT Yosuah Nijman, RG Braxton Pfaff, RT Kyle Chung

Josh Jackson looked very impressive early in the season but started to play like a regular freshman down the stretch. It will be interesting to see if another year under Fuente will take his game to the next level. And its running back by committee at Virginia Tech. Expect to see Peoples, McClease, and Holston all sharing the rock. The most important thing to look for is to see if the young wide receivers can help Josh Jackson.

Defense: 4

DT Ricky Walker, DE Vinny Mihota, DE Trevon Hill, DB Reggie Floyd

Returning three defensive linemen was the only good news this offseason for VT. Just about every other starter is gone for one reason or another.

Special Teams:1

P Oscar Bradburn

Key Losses: WR Cam Phillips, K Joey Slye, and the entire defense

VT lost the Edmonds Brothers, NT Tim Settle, CB Greg Stroman, and CB Adonis Alexander all to the NFL Draft. LB Andrew Motuapuaka and CB Brandon Facyson both graduated. And Mook Reynolds was kicked off the team for an unspecified reason

Obviously, there were some tremendous players on this defense last year, but now most of them are gone. Defensive Coordinator Bud Foster is definitely going to have his work cut out for him.

Five Year Recruiting Rank (Bill Connelly): 29

Outlook: With this much inexperience on both sides of the ball, don’t expect VT to be a big factor in this upcoming year. That being said, Bud Foster is one of the best defensive coordinators in the history of the game. If anyone can turn young players into studs, he can. And while the offense may be young, Justin Fuente is known for his fast-paced playing style, so they should still be able to put up points in games.

Alcohol Prediction for Fans by Seasons End: Busch Light. You’ll have a fun time with it, but in the end its nothing special. Just cheap beer.