Author: Ricky LaBlue

Justin Fuente’s Foray With Baylor Adds Pressure Heading Into 2020 Season

For 48 hours, Virginia Tech football was turned completely on its head. The Hokies came quite close to having to hire a head coach when the program is supposed to be getting ready for the offseason, nearly leaving the program in limbo while adding even more pressure next season.

In case you’ve been living under a Hokie Bird statue recently, you’re aware that Justin Fuente entertained the head coaching opening at Baylor. We learned on Thursday that Baylor representatives met with Fuente on Wednesday and that Fuente made the decision to stay later that evening.

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Dalton Keene’s NFL Declaration Leaves Void at Tight End for Virginia Tech

Of all the potential NFL draftees on Virginia Tech’s roster, Dalton Keene would be the player I’d least expect to test the professional waters a year early.

Keene proved me, and a lot of other people, wrong on Friday night when he declared he would forego his senior season in Blacksburg and enter the 2020 NFL Draft.

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Previewing Virginia Tech’s Belk Bowl Matchup vs. Kentucky

Lost in the coaching turnover this winter is that Virginia Tech still has a game on the schedule. The Hokies are slated to take on Kentucky on New Year’s Eve at 12 p.m. in Charlotte, a game that will mean more than most bowl games.

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Four Takeaways from Virginia Tech’s 2020 Early Signing Period

Virginia Tech’s 2020 recruiting class is mostly in the books. Fourteen prospects signed their National Letters of Intent on Wednesday, which was the opening of the early signing period for football prospects.

There’s a lot to talk about with this recruiting class, both positive and negative. Here are my four biggest takeaways from Wednesday.

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Recruiting Issues Present Stiff Challenge to Virginia Tech’s Growth

The NCAA’s decision to create an early signing period for football prospects drastically sped up the recruiting timeline. Instead of having to recruit kids through National Signing Day in February, coaches can somewhat rest easy if they lock in most of their class by Dec. 18.

Since the period was created, Virginia Tech has generally locked in 90-95 percent of their class during the early signing period while using the remaining month-plus to recruit one or two more prospects. This year, however, the Hokies might find themselves in a different situation — salvaging their class after most recruits have already made up their minds.

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Fuente Gambles With Hiring of Justin Hamilton as Hokies’ New Defensive Coordinator

Sunday was a busy day for Virginia Tech. Not only did the program accept a bid to play in the Belk Bowl in Charlotte vs. Kentucky, the program made a critical decision to promote Justin Hamilton to the defensive coordinator position for next season.

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A Thanksgiving Tribute to Bud Foster

The 2017 season was my first as a professional beat writer covering Virginia Tech. I was a young reporter with minimal experience, but some of the Tech coaches and staff remembered me from my tenure with the Collegiate Times. Still, I was the new kid on the block.

That moniker comes with its own stigma, especially when it comes time to ask questions. During one of the weekly press conferences that season, Bud Foster was speaking and was being peppered with questions about his defense. I tried to get a question in, but the conference was cut short in order to get the players up to the podium before returning to their schedule.

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