Virginia Tech Football: Burning Questions Ahead of Spring Practice
Spring practice begins in full for the Virginia Tech Hokies next week. It's the unofficial beginning of the new season, and many questions the fans have regarding the offseason are answered in spring practice.
For head coach Frank Beamer, it will be his 29th season in charge of his alma mater. Many things have changed in recent years, though. Beamer, who is often resistant to change, has shaken up his coaching staff considerably over the past few years.
On the field, results have been mixed. After eight straight seasons with 10 wins or more, Tech has won seven, eight and seven games over the last three seasons, respectively.
With spring practice set to begin next week, here are four burning questions Virginia Tech faces this spring.
Who Will Play Quarterback?
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Michael Brewer started all 13 games for the Virginia Tech Hokies last fall after arriving as a transfer from Texas Tech. He was great early in the season, leading the Hokies to an upset win over eventual national champion Ohio State in September.
As the season progressed, though, Brewer struggled. Turnovers, sacks and waning confidence were all issues for Brewer.
This season, he is expected to enter the spring as the starter, but he is not a lock to hold onto the job.
Junior Brenden Motley and a pair of redshirt freshmen, Andrew Ford and Chris Durkin, will look to impress their coaches with their ability to move the offense this spring. Ford is the one to keep an eye on. He's good in the pocket, goes through his progressions quickly and has sneaky athleticism.
Motley played sparingly last season and impressed coaches. He, however, is limited in the passing game.
If any of the above candidates fail to show Beamer and offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler they are the right man for the job, true freshman Dwayne Lawson will step on campus this summer and could steal the job.
Will the Offensive Line Take a Step Forward?
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Stacy Searels enters his second season in charge of Virginia Tech's offensive line in 2015. Before Searels came to Blacksburg, Jeff Grimes had a one-year stint as Tech's offensive line coach before bolting to LSU. In his first year in charge, Searels moved a lot of Tech's offensive linemen around trying to find the right mix.
Last season, seven different linemen started games for the Hokies. Three of those players are gone, including starting left tackle Laurence Gibson.
Fortunately for Searels, he has some good players returning. Tackle Jonathan McLaughlin, who started his freshman season at left tackle, played right tackle in 2014. Augie Conte, who started 10 games last season, is also back. Conte started nine games at guard before playing right tackle in the Hokies' Military Bowl victory over Cincinnati.
The best player returning for the Hokies, though, is sophomore guard Wyatt Teller. Teller moved to the offensive line last year after being recruited as a defensive end. He started his first game at guard midway through 2014 and the running game took off. Coaches are excited about Teller's potential.
While the running game got much better in the second half of last season, it's still been an issue for the Hokies over the past three years. The performance of their offensive line is a big reason why.
True freshman Austin Clark will participate in spring practice and is looking to take one of the starting tackle jobs this fall. It will likely be a battle between Clark and McLaughlin for the left tackle job. The loser of that competition will likely compete with Conte to start at right tackle.
For the first time in years, the offensive line should be a strength for Virginia Tech again.
Who Will Replace Kyshoen Jarrett and Detrick Bonner?
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Defensive coordinator Bud Foster returns the majority of his starters on defense in 2015. However, he will have to replace both starting safeties.
Kyshoen Jarrett and Detrick Bonner, both three-year starters, leave Tech with a combined 81 starts between them.
Both rover and free safety are important positions in Foster's defense, and having to replace both in one offseason could prove to be a difficult challenge.
At free safety, sophomore C.J. Reavis is the leader in the clubhouse. Reavis played mostly on special teams last season and is primed to be Tech's next breakout secondary star. He must show coaches he has a solid grasp on Tech's defense to prove he's ready to start.
At rover, things aren't quite as clear. Junior Der'Woun Greene will battle redshirt freshman Holland Fisher for the job. On paper, this should be a no-contest. Fisher, a big-time recruit, looks like the ideal strong safety. He's big, fast and intimidating. However, he wasn't ready for prime time last season, and this spring will be a big one for him.
Look for Greene to line up opposite of Reavis next week, but coaches will be keeping a close eye on Fisher and his progress.
Sophomore Anthony Shegog could figure into the mix at both positions as well.
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How Much Longer Will Beamer Remain Head Coach?
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This one is tough and won't be answered in spring practice. However, it will be interesting to see if Beamer returns to full-time duty after his throat surgery in December.
As far as we know, the longtime head coach is in good health. Publicly, Beamer's throat procedure was viewed as minor. But it's unlikely Tech would tell the public otherwise. The procedure did keep Beamer down and off the sideline for Tech's bowl victory, though.
Beamer can't coach forever, and he realizes this after seeing some of his friends lose their jobs in recent years. Per Mark Giannotto of The Washington Post in an interview from December 2013: "It just kind of reminds you that nothing’s certain about this business,” Beamer said. "But I’m very sensitive to staying around too long.”
Beamer built Virginia Tech into a national power. Now, Virginia Tech fans must contemplate a future without the iconic Beamer.
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