It’s been nearly five weeks since Virginia Tech’s football team ended its regular season with a 37-17 victory over archrival Virginia. When the Hokies return to action Friday night against the Gophers in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, Damien Sordelett will see an entirely new version of the team he covers for the Roanoke (Va.) Times.
When asked by a Minnesota reporter about a list of those missing, Sordelett quipped, “Do you want all of them, or just the scholarship players?”
It’s a substantial list.
Since the season ended, the Hokies have had 21 players enter the transfer portal and five leave early to prepare for the NFL draft or accept Senior Bowl invitations. On offense, Sordelett expects them to be missing leading rusher Bhayshul Tuten (1,159 yards, 15 TDs), two starting linemen and a key reserve, and their second-leading wide receiver. On defense, Virginia Tech will be without two third-team All-American performers in edge rusher Antwaun Powell-Ryland and tackle Aeneas Pebbles, three starters in the secondary and a depth player along the line and at linebacker.
Not surprisingly, the Hokies are 7½-point underdogs to the Gophers after opening as 4½-point dogs.
Sordelett covered a handful of subjects regarding the Hokies:
Who’ll start at quarterback?
Kyron Drones started nine games, passing for 1,562 yards and 10 TDs and rushing for 336 yards and six TDs, but the redshirt junior missed time late in the season because of knee, ankle and turf toe injuries. Coach Brent Pry hasn’t ruled him out, but Sordelett expects either redshirt freshman William “Pop” Watson III or senior Collin Schlee to start. “He’s tried to gut it out,” Sordelett said of Drones, “but he just couldn’t go.”
Watson started the 31-28 loss to Duke and the finale against Virginia, going a combined 26-for-46 for 254 yards and a touchdown with an interception. He also rushed for 48 yards and a TD against Virginia.