Virginia Tech Football 2011: 5 Bold Predictions for the Hokies' 2011-2012 Season

The first weekend of the college football season has come and gone, and with it has come raised expectations for the Virginia Tech Hokies football team.

After the 66-13 victory over FCS school Appalachian State, fans in Blacksburg left Lane Stadium feeling extremely excited about what the future holds for their football team. With that, both realistic and outrageous predictions for the season are being made everywhere for this young Hokies team.

Here are five bold predictions that are certain to come true this season.

5. Kyle Fuller Will Have a Better Statistical Season Than Jayron Hosley

Virginia Tech has become known as “DBU” to many fans in reference to the number of talented defensive backs that have come through the program over the past decade. From Brandon Flowers to Macho Harris, the Hokies have always been known for their great play in the secondary.

Last year, Jayron Hosley added to that tradition. As a sophomore in 2010, Hosley led the nation with nine interceptions and was named a first team All-American. Hosley knows a lot of the passes thrown his way were due to senior Rashad Carmichael, who is now with the NFL’s Houston Texans, playing corner on the opposite side of the field.

Now, Carmichael is gone and Hosley is a junior. Every team that the Hokies face knows about his abilities and is going to be determined to keep the ball away from him at all times. That opens up the opportunity for sophomore cornerback Kyle Fuller.

Fuller started seven games as a true freshman while primarily in the Hokies nickel defense. Now, as the second corner, he can expect a lot of passes thrown his way as teams will try to take advantage of his lack of experience.

Due to Hosley’s abilities to not only intercept the pass but also to use his speed to return passes for touchdowns, Fuller will almost certainly get a majority of the passes thrown in his direction. Just as Hosley did with Carmichael, Fuller will thrive in the role and have a breakout season statistically.

4. Marcus Davis Will Prove to Be the Star of the Receiving Corps

When Dyrell Roberts went down last season with a compartment syndrome in his left thigh, Hokies fans all over began to worry about the loss of this dynamic player. His speed and athleticism was sure to be missed at the third receiver spot.

However, then came Marcus Davis. In his debut, Davis caught four passes for 81 yards and two touchdowns to help the team get a victory versus UNC at Chapel Hill. He went on to start the rest of the season and had a key catch to convert a first down in the ACC championship game versus Florida State.

Throughout the spring, Roberts continued to recover from his surgery, and the opportunity opened up for Davis to take over. Davis impressed the coaching staff as they marveled over the things he did throughout all of spring camp.

During spring scrimmages, he finished with 17 catches for 236 yards and two touchdowns. In the Maroon-White spring game, he had six receptions for 61 yards and two touchdowns. Heading into the fall, it was clear who was going to be the third receiver for the Hokies come game time.

In the first game of the season, Davis continued to impress. He had just three catches but finished with 140 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Both of those touchdowns came from back-up quarterback Mark Leal.

Marcus Davis currently holds the school record for vertical jump and is a physical specimen when standing among fellow players on the Virginia Tech sideline. While seniors Jarrett Boykin, Danny Coale and Dyrell Roberts are all close to setting their own respective records as Hokies, Davis will prove to be the most successful wide receiver this season.

3. James Gayle Will Be an All-ACC Defensive End

James Gayle has come into his own as a football player here at Virginia Tech. After red-shirting a season, Gayle saw playing time in 2010 as a redshirt freshman sparingly. He was a key member of the reserves but lacked the maturity and skills to yet be considered a star of the defense.

This past spring, however, Gayle impressed coaches so much that he was given the George Preas award which is awarded to the team’s defensive MVP of the spring practices. Now, he is proving to be worthy of that honor by his play on the field.

Gayle’s combination of size, speed and athleticism makes him an enormous inconvenience for slower footed offensive linemen. While linemen are too slow to contain Gayle, tight ends simply get over powered.

In the Hokies opening game versus Appalachian State, Gayle was a consistent problem for the Mountaineers as he forced quarterback DeAndre Presley to move out of the pocket and never get comfortable throughout the game. Gayle’s pressure from the first snap of the game led to the momentum swinging heavily in the Hokies favor.

Despite his two tackles and one sack, Gayle had a monster impact on the game that goes beyond the box score. Almost every down, he was either spinning around or powering through the opposing line to get to the ball carrier.

If Gayle continues his dominance against the opposing lines, the numbers will come. The sacks will only increase as will the tackles. With many people looking highly upon the Hokies defense this year as they aim to improve from last year’s disappointing season, Gayle will prove to be the MVP of the defense and an All-ACC performer.

2. David Wilson Will Be a Heisman Trophy Candidate

David Wilson entered the 2011-2012 season with the most hype and excitement surrounding him of anyone on the team. He is considered by many fans to be the key to the Hokies having a successful season.

Wilson has no easy task though. He replaces the combination of Ryan Williams and Darren Evans, both of whom are now in the NFL, and is the face of an offense that features a rookie quarterback and tends to be run-heavy.

With Logan Thomas beginning his era at the quarterback position this season, he will not be expected to throw all over the field. Instead, Wilson will be asked to carry the load as the star running back on the team.

Wilson’s speed has been showcased over the past two seasons via kickoff returns and playing sparingly as the third running back. Now, however, fans are seeing that Wilson has much more than just speed to offer.

In Wilson’s first start of his collegiate career, he went for 162 yards on just 16 carries and three touchdowns. This all came in just a little over one half of football.

Even as a receiver, Wilson is expected to get the ball often and use his speed to get in the open field. Once Wilson finds a hole and gets through it, it’s a foot race to the end zone, and it is hard to find many defenders who will catch him.

With his heavy load due to Thomas’ inexperience and his skill set that has expanded so far, David Wilson will be a legitimate Heisman candidate this upcoming season. If the Hokies are successful on the field, the chances will only increase.

1. Virginia Tech Will Finish 12-0 and Play in Their 5th ACC Championship Game

The Virginia Tech football team has faced the challenge of facing a Top 10 team early in their season for the past several years. This year, however, things are different.

For the first time since 2007, the Hokies are 1-0 and things only look up from here. The non-conference schedule is one of the weakest in recent years as it includes Appalachian State (defeated 66-13), East Carolina, Arkansas State and Marshall.

While the team knows better than to overlook any of these teams after their upsetting loss to FCS school James Madison last season at home, they cannot help but feel good about their chances of finishing the first four games without a loss.

Entering their ACC schedule, the four toughest games they will play all are in their own backyard. Lane Stadium will play host to Clemson, Miami, UNC and Boston College this season. All of these teams are currently unranked and both the Tar Heels and Hurricanes are currently undergoing NCAA investigations.

The road conference schedule is incredibly weak. They face Duke, Wake Forest and UVA, who are all traditionally at the bottom of the ACC standings, on the road. The only true road test they could face this season is a November Thursday night matchup at Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets offense has consistently given the Hokies problems and could be a trap game as the Hokies prepare to host their own Thursday night game versus UNC the following week.  

With such a weak schedule and so much talent on this team, it’s hard to see the Hokies not winning every game. They certainly have the experience on defense and the skill set on offense. If Logan Thomas can develop into a game manager for the Hokies and stay away from turnovers, this season could be one of the most memorable ones in head coach Frank Beamer's tenure.