The votes are in! Thirteen hundred and fifty-one of them, to be specific.
Virginia Tech backers responded in droves to the first football fan survey we’ve done at Tech Sideline. Let’s take a look at the results:
How would you rate Brent Pry’s performance as Virginia Tech’s coach? (1: poor. 5: excellent)
• 5: 12.8%
• 4: 62.3%
• 3: 23.9%
• 2: 0.9%
• 1: 0.1%
No surprise, given the turnaround last season, but fans love the work Pry’s doing. I asked this question a couple of years ago at a previous outlet about Justin Fuente and only 7.1 percent of the respondents gave him a 4 or a 5. Pry is 75.1 percent in that bracket this go-’round. Granted, that’s comparing what was a coach two feet from the end of the plank to one still rising in his tenure, but it’s a pretty stark difference in satisfaction over a period of two years.
How would you rate the state of the Virginia Tech football program? (1: poor. 5: excellent)
• 5: 3.4%
• 4: 44.8%
• 3: 49.2%
• 2: 2.4%
• 1: 0.1%
Oh, what a difference a bowl game makes. While Hokies fans are mostly not content to think a 6-6 regular season is all systems go for a program that has won ACC championships in the not-so-distant past, they’re still generally optimistic about the state of Virginia Tech football from these results. Two years ago, the majority of respondents put Tech in the 2 or 3 range (86.7%). This year, the bulk of people are in the 3 and 4 range (94%). That seems like progress.
How would you rate your confidence in the leadership of athletic director Whit Babcock? (1: low. 5: high)
• 5: 15.4%
• 4: 44.7%
• 3: 29.2%
• 2: 8.4%
• 1: 2.3%
I’ve done three of these surveys before (this year, 2022 and 2021) and Babcock’s approval rate stays roughly the same. This is the lowest percentage he’s gotten in the 5 range so far (16% in ’21, 18% in ’22), but not by much. It’s interesting how static opinions have been about him, though perhaps that’s understandable given he’s been here a decade.
How would you describe the state of the Virginia Tech football program?
“Rising,” “trending upward” and “progressing” were generally the most common terms people wrote here, with a few “cautiously optimistic” responses. I didn’t require people to enter a first name and initial like I have in the past — a mistake that I’ll remedy in future versions of this — so I can’t give people direct credit, but here are some of the more interesting submissions:
“No longer dysfunctional, not yet exemplary.”
“At a crossroads; could be ascending, could be giving a false sense of hope.”
“Mediocre. Can beat weak ACC/AAC teams but get walloped by decent teams.
“On the right track. Like Pry's enthusiasm and recruiting. Conference realignment is a dark cloud hovering above ALL Tech athletics.”
“Better than it's been in a long ass time. The stench of Fuente is finally fading.”
“Like a Rorschach — easy to see whatever you want to believe.”
“On the rise from a really bad place but a looooong way to go.”
“Like a once-great athlete who was temporarily paralyzed in an accident and has just taken his first new steps on the road back to glory."
What change(s) must Virginia Tech make to its football program in 2024 to get to the next level?
Again, some common themes emerged among the answers, with the majority centering on better recruiting and more NIL money, which are directly related. One fan summed it up with: “NIL NIL NIL NIL. More NIL!”
My guess is if you polled most fan bases, that would be the most common answer, even at a place like Ohio State that is dropping bags on every star player out there. In fact, one answer about Virginia Tech was almost that verbatim: “Gotta drop bags on players like blue bloods.”
More specifically on the personnel front, there were a lot of answers about finding another safety and improved play at linebacker and on the the offensive line.
Here are a few more answers I thought were interesting and/or clever:
“Must protect Drones and do everything we can to keep him at VT through his full eligibility. Star players leaving early have killed our momentum in prior years.”
“Win the games we are supposed to win”
“I still worry that Tyler Bowen isn't the guy. Was he a blind squirrel that found a nut last year or did he actually figure it out such that it will translate to the future?"
“Not play scared in games where we are underdogs. Coaches and players.”
“Stay the course — Pry and coaches are growing local talent while making great use of the portal.”
“Stop with the dumb losses.”
“In-game coaching and adjustments. Put the red pen down, Pry, and get in the game.”
Long term, what’s your biggest concern about Hokies football?
It should come as no surprise that conference affiliation is chief among the worries for Virginia Tech fans, given the unsettled footing the ACC is on and the growing gap between it and the SEC and Big Ten. Nobody wants to be like Washington State or Oregon State, left without a chair when the music stops.
Money/NIL was probably the second-most frequent answer, which has a direct tie to which conference you’re in and the television revenue you’re getting on an annual basis. Some other answers:
“Returning to wandering around in the wildness with no identity and a non-factor in football relevance both in state and nationally.”
“That we will become irrelevant on a national level and be shut out from the next iteration of college football.”
"Pry has to be willing to terminate ineffective staff. Neither Fuente nor Beamer were really willing to do that. We need to keep and find good coordinators."
“NIL. We cannot compete with schools with alums with deep pockets. NCAA rules used to maintain parity at least on the surface. Now that is out the window.”
“Leadership’s lack of commitment to spend and dish out enough resources needed to compete at a national level in this day and age. You can’t compete for the playoff nowadays with the bare-bones approach Beamer was successful with in early 2000s it’s a different day and age.”
"’Snap the ball to the athletic QB and hope something good happens’ is not an offensive scheme, even if it is typical of Hokie football since pre-MV1.”
“Pry seems to want to re-create Beamer era. Needs his own vision.”
“Unrealistic fan expectations.”
“Whit Babcock” [edit: harsh]
“Fans getting more and more disconnected from football. The combination of NIL, transfer portal and conference realignment have made it much much harder to get excited about college football ... even when we're winning.”
Rank these offensive position groups in order from 1-5 in terms of how comfortable/concerned you are about them heading into 2024. (1 is the group you are most confident about, 5 is the group you are least confident about.)
• QB: 2.24
• WR: 2.28
• RB: 2.41
• TE: 3.74
• OL: 4.31
We sorted these out with a weighted average for each position group. Not surprisingly, you’re all very concerned about the offensive line. Of the 1,351 respondents to this question, a whopping 984 gave the O-line a 5 as the group they have the least confidence in. Tight ends got 902 votes in the 4 category, so that was a pretty popular 4-5 combination.
The QB/WR/RB results were bunched together, as I imagined they would be. The Hokies have their best starting quarterback in place since Jerod Evans, but the depth at the position clearly factored into people’s thinking. Receiver has more depth but maybe not as established of a star as there is at quarterback and running back.
Two years ago when I did this exercise, fans had the least confidence in the quarterback and receiver positions. My, how Pry and his staff have flipped those rooms.
Rank these defensive position groups in order from 1-5 in terms of how comfortable/concerned you are about them heading into 2024. (1 is the group you are most confident about, 5 is the group you are least confident about.)
• CB: 1.94
• DE: 2.61
• DT: 2.91
• S: 3.51
• LB: 4.03
Given the Hokies’ run-fitting problems for parts of last season, these results shouldn’t be too surprising. Fans have the least confidence in the linebackers and safeties heading into 2024. I thought the addition of someone like Sam Brumfield in the transfer portal would lessen the linebacker concern more than the safety spots, where Tech, at the moment, is rolling with just guys from last year, but I digress.
Top confidence in the cornerbacks is expected, with Dorian Strong and Mansoor Delane perhaps being the best duo in the ACC. D-line is pretty equally split, with those two spots getting the most votes for 2 and 3 of the position groups.
As a long-term home, in which conference would you like to see Virginia Tech football play?
• ACC: 40.9%
• SEC: 39.3%
• Big Ten: 14.3%
• Big 12: 1.3%
• Other: 4.2%
I’ve got to say, I’m somewhat surprised by these results. I thought, given the state of the ACC, both financially and in the bigger picture of college football, that there’d be a greater desire to move to the SEC. And I suppose three in five respondents still said they’d like to be somewhere other than the ACC, but a plurality of votes still went for the status quo. Maybe a ranked choice option would be wise the next time we do this.
The “Other” category here let people write in responses. Most of them were along the lines of just being in a power conference, however that’s defined in the future. Some other submissions:
“Don't care as long as it makes sense geographically.”
“ACC for now, either Big Ten or Sec in the future.”
“SEC for football only, ACC for basketball & all other sports.”
“Whatever conference has the majority of UVa, WVU, Miami, UNC, NC State, Clemson, Tennessee, Penn State, Pitt, FSU.”
“ACC, if teams in conference stay the same.”
“The new 48-team conference.”
“Whichever they have a chance and can be relevant.”
“Honestly, who knows?”
How many regular-season games do you think Virginia Tech will win in 2024?
• Fewer than 6: 0.2%
• 6: 0.8%
• 7: 10.1%
• 8: 46.8%
• 9: 37.3%
• 10 or more: 4.7%
This is trending upward but honestly not as high as I thought it might be, with just 4.7 percent of respondents going 10-plus. (Which, glancing at the schedule, is within the realm of possibility if you just go by who Tech should be favored against.)
To tell you how much the excitement around the program has changed, two years ago, only 15.4 percent of respondents said Tech would win eight or more games. This poll has that figure at 88.8%, with more than two in five people saying nine-plus wins, a total Tech hasn’t hit in the regular season since 2017.
Optimism indeed.
Which one offensive player not named Kyron Drones are you most excited about in 2024?
• Bhayshul Tuten: 68.7%
• Ali Jennings: 23.4%
• Da’Quan Felton: 2.1%
• Jaylin Lane: 1.9%
These four accounted for over 96 percent of the votes. Drones probably would have run away with the win had we not excluded him from the voting. Tuten coming in second shows just how dynamic he was as both a running back and returner last year. Jennings coming in tops among the receivers makes sense, considering he got injured last season and fans didn't get to enjoy his presence on the field. I thought the way Felton finished last year, with 321 yards and four touchdowns in the final three weeks of the regular season, he’d garner more votes.
Which one defensive player are you most excited about in 2024?
• Antwaun Powell-Ryland: 44.2%
• Dorian Strong: 17.6%
• Aeneas Peebles: 15%
• Sam Brumfield: 9%
• Mansoor Delane: 7%
• Keli Lawson: 3.4%
• Jalen Stroman: 2.5%
The top four come in two categories: returning stars and incoming transfers. APR and Strong had great seasons that in the past might have led to a leap to the NFL. Instead, they’re coming back and should be the stars of the defense. Peebles and Brumfield arrive as transfers to plug some pretty big holes in the starting 11. Naturally, they’re going to generate some excitement.
Which one offensive player is going to have a breakout season in 2024?
• Benji Gosnell: 28.8%
• Xayvion Turner-Bradshaw: 24.2%
• Tucker Holloway: 11.4%
• Ayden Greene: 11.3%
• Harrison Saint Germain: 8.2%
• Layth Ghannam: 4.6%
• Jeremiah Coney: 3.1%
• Keylen Adams: 2.9%
• Chance Fitzgerald: 1.8%
• Pop Watson: 1.6%
Plenty of answers on this one, with a pretty spread-out distribution. Gosnell in the top spot makes sense given the opportunity created by Dae’Quan Wright's transfer. He’s probably the player on this list with the best chance at a starting job.
Turner-Bradshaw and Holloway both showed some chops late in the season, with both making their biggest contributions as receivers on end arounds and reverses. Seeing XTB second on this list was a bit surprising, since it feels like breaking out at a position as deep as receiver is a tall task. (Personally, Greene is a youngster I’ll be keeping an eye on out wide.)
Which one defensive player is going to have a breakout season in 2024?
• Mose Phillips: 29.4%
• Jayden McDonald: 12.4%
• Dante Lovett: 11.8%
• Kemari Copeland: 11.4%
• Caleb Woodson: 6.7%
• Kelvin Gilliam: 6.4%
• Keyshawn Burgos: 5.3%
• C.J. McCray: 5.0%
• Jaden Keller: 4.2%
• Jorden McDonald: 3.1%
• Braylon Johnson: 2.9%
The diversity of answers here speaks to the number of returning starters on the defensive side. There’ll only be so many snaps for youngsters to make an impact. Phillips, who’s got a shot at grabbing one of the starting safety spots after dabbling in a featured role as a true freshman, was the most frequent answer.
Jayden McDonald, the linebacker, came in second after coming on strong at the will spot down the line, though Keli Lawson’s presence there is going to at least make that a timeshare situation.
Lovett is probably the next cornerback in line after Strong and Delane, and when Tech goes to a nickel package, he could have a large role, whether that’s at nickel himself or if Strong moves there and Lovett possibly plays outside.
Copeland might have been my answer. He’s quick on the interior and has the chance to be a starter who makes plays. How that D-tackle group shakes out will be interesting to watch.
Which three true freshmen are you most excited about long term?
• Keylen Adams: 49.4% of ballots
• Chanz Wiggins: 48.0%
• Emmett Laws: 43.5%
• Gabe Williams: 38.3%
• Quentin Reddish: 25.1%
• Davi Belfort: 19.2%
• Gerard Johnson: 13.6%
• Aidan Lynch: 11.8%
• Tyler Mason: 11.7%
Skill players are always going to be in the limelight, so two receivers at the top of this list makes sense — and is a testament to the job Fontel Mines is doing as a recruiter.
Laws has a great story with how far he commutes to go to high school at DeMatha every day. That’ll generate some attention and excitement. Williams was the highest-ranked player in the class, Reddish has some buzz because he plays a position where playing time could be available and Belfort, as a quarterback, is pretty recognizable.
Color me surprised that cornerback Joshua Clarke (9.3%) didn’t get a bit more of the vote share considering Tech’s recent track record with developing DBs.
Brent Pry will win an ACC championship at Virginia Tech.
• Yes: 80.8%
• No: 19.2%
Like we’ve been saying, people are mostly in on Pry, though interestingly, maybe not as bullish as they were immediately after the hire. When I asked this two years ago, 84.9 percent of respondents thought Pry would win an ACC title. (Perhaps this suggests people don’t think the Hokies will be in the ACC for long.)
Granted, in 2021 when I asked this about Justin Fuente, 73.4 percent of respondents said no. That’s quite the flip in confidence in the head coach.
How long will it take for Virginia Tech to win the ACC again?
• 2024: 6.9%
• 2025: 27.7%
• 2026 or later: 58.6%
• It won’t: 6.8%
While most fans are on board with the Hokies raising an ACC banner once again, the vast majority think it’s not going to happen this year. Perhaps baked into the 58.6 percent of people who voted 2026 or later is the fact that the ACC’s membership might look a lot different if schools like Florida State and Clemson find a way (or a dollar figure) out of the grant of rights.
Virginia Tech can win a national title in football.
• No: 64.6%
• Yes: 35.4%
We’re in hypothetical land with this one, not asking if Tech will win a national title, but rather can it? Most people still said no, which, given the blue-blood dominance in the sport in the last couple of decades, makes sense.
An outsider like TCU got close a few years ago, if you count making the national title game and losing by 58 as “close.” Theoretically, I suppose the Horned Frogs could have won that game, considering they were playing in it. But practically, it feels like if you’re not one of a handful of teams in college football, you’ve got no chance.
The 12-team College Football Playoff is ______ than the 4-team model.
• Better: 89.4%
• Worse: 10.6%
Overwhelmingly, respondents to our survey like the 12-team playoff model better. Perhaps that’s because there’s a reasonable path for a team like Virginia Tech to make a 12-team version rather than the restrictive four-team model.
Of course, they’re already talking about expanding to a 14- or 16-team model before ever playing a game in the upcoming format. Maybe I’m crazy, but they should at least try a 12-team model before deciding to change it.
The ACC’s decision to add Cal, Stanford and SMU was _______.
• Dumb: 61%
• Smart: 39%
A lot of complaints about the nature of this question. Many people thought “necessary” should have been an option or to separate SMU from Cal and Stanford as options to rate.
Regardless, most people thought this was a dumb decision. I tend to agree. It seems like a short-sighted money grab for a league that sometimes feels like it's operating more like a Ponzi scheme than an athletic conference. The math pushed enough school presidents into approving it, and by going to 17 schools, you at least give yourself some cushion if a few schools do find a way out. But it’s certainly a stopgap and in many ways exacerbates a lot of the problems schools like FSU have with the way the league is being run. It might shore things up in the short term but accelerate the league's inevitable fracturing.
Name, Image and Likeness opportunities for players make you like college football _______.
• More: 7.2%
• Less: 50.8%
• The same: 42%
As you can see, people are still split on how much NIL affects their feelings about the game. There’s basically a 50-50 split between people who like college football less and those who like it more or the same.
I didn’t ask specifically what people like less about the sport with NIL being allowed, and perhaps that’s a question for a future survey. My guess is people don’t have an issue with players being compensated as much as they don’t like the constant movement from year to year, which, in many cases, is being driven by better NIL offers and the highest bidder. I’ll be curious to see in future surveys, when NIL figures and this level of player movement aren’t as jarring and perhaps reach some equilibrium, if numbers for “the same” don’t go up.