Hokies Mailbag: First-Year Comparisons, Position Switches And Keys To A Fast Start

21 Comments

1. 

   middletennhokie August 23, 2026 at 11:09 AM

   Thanks Andy, agree with you on ACC poaching or expansion. Only one team would make the cut and that's Miami. I think the Premier League is more likely after '29 if there's going to be realignment. The big brand programs would dump teams like MS State and Purdue and reap the $$$$.
2. 

   HoakieCup August 21, 2026 at 9:55 AM

   Thanks, Andy, for ignoring the part of the question asking if the ACC should consider adding JMU. No ink for JMU is a good thing although I guess I just mentioned them. Whoops.
   1. 

      Andy Bitter August 21, 2026 at 1:32 PM

      I think my answer got the point across that I don't think that the ACC will add *anyone* right now, let alone JMU. If it does, though, Memphis, South Florida and UConn (just go all-in on basketball)) seem far more likely than adding a third school in Virginia, which does nothing for the league's footprint.
3. 

   1990 Hokie AE August 21, 2026 at 8:07 AM

   Regarding successful position switches, Nick Sorensen has to be mentioned. QB to DB, back to QB due to injuries in 1998, and then back to DB, where he was good enough to play 10 years in the pros.
4. 

   mknj91 August 20, 2026 at 10:54 PM

   Great article and perspective Andy. This is why I subscribe
5. 

   hucareshokiesrul August 20, 2026 at 9:53 PM

   My grandfather was friends with coach Beamer back in the day, and said Frank told him basically that exact thing about HS quarterbacks.
6. 

   hokies321 August 20, 2026 at 9:30 PM

   What if the ACC kicked the trends and just kicked out half its members; Keep vt , uva, gt, clemson fsu, miami unc, duke , NCST, ,smu , louisville and play round robin; im sure someone would say tv contracts wouldnt allow it… but while you give up quantitiy, the quality of that schedule in fball and bball would be awesome…
7. 

   delmarva hokie August 20, 2026 at 8:53 PM

   Virginia Tech has a history of finding spots for football players who were quarterbacks in high school. One of my favorite players, FB/RB Sam Rogers was a high school quarterback, I believe. Kam Chancellor was a last minute addition to his recruiting class as a QB and quickly moved to the secondary and was the only freshman in his class to not redshirt that year. We all know how good an NFL safety he turned out to be. Jerome Preston played QB in high school and turned out to be a pretty good starting defensive tackle at Tech. I've always thought that one way to find diamonds in the rough was to recruit high school QBs because they would be smart athletic players that could adapt to other positions in college simply because they were good football players.
8. 

   delmarva hokie August 20, 2026 at 8:53 PM

   Virginia Tech has a history of finding spots for football players who were quarterbacks in high school. One of my favorite players, FB/RB Sam Rogers was a high school quarterback, I believe. Kam Chancellor was a last minute addition to his recruiting class as a QB and quickly moved to the secondary and was the only freshman in his class to not redshirt that year. We all know how good an NFL safety he turned out to be. Jerome Preston played QB in high school and turned out to be a pretty good starting defensive tackle at Tech. I've always thought that one way to find diamonds in the rough was to recruit high school QBs because they would be smart athletic players that could adapt to other positions in college simply because they were good football players.
9. 

   Tidewater Hillbilly August 20, 2026 at 6:50 PM

   So, if the legislation passes and there is a 19 school limit, what one institution would the ACC love to have join them that is clearly not better off where they are right now?
   1. 

      VicDrit August 23, 2026 at 9:39 AM

      WVU
10. 

    VPI4Life August 20, 2026 at 3:53 PM

    Your points on expansion are good ones. But as I understand it, the current amendment establishes a 6 month time limitation on expansion. Seems to me that this time constraint could make the Big 10 and SEC move on this issue quicker than they would like. That concerns me since at this point we may not be one of the most attractive programs for inclusion
    1. 

       Andy Bitter August 21, 2026 at 7:26 AM

       I still don’t think it will pass. At least not in its current form.
11. 

    Stork August 20, 2026 at 3:49 PM

    Good stuff. Although Andy, I’d argue in baseball, your best athletes are your pitchers in younger leagues. I’d agree shortstops typically your best athletes in field positions.
    1. 

       NMB Hokie August 20, 2026 at 6:09 PM

       My pitchers played shortstop when not on the mound.
12. 

    PotomacHokie August 20, 2026 at 1:56 PM

    I think the Maryland game will be at least 50% Hokies
13. 

    Hoakie82 August 20, 2026 at 1:46 PM

    Playing a team you’re favored to beat by over 50 points is a likely key to a fast start.
14. 

    DaytonaHokie August 20, 2026 at 1:43 PM

    Andy, your last sentence. Bigger is not necessarily better. I still muse over the face that we have 2 west coast teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Just sayin.
    1. 

       VTBuck20 August 20, 2026 at 9:35 PM

       I like to think of it as the All Coasts Conference these days.
15. 

    Bwaterhokie August 20, 2026 at 1:15 PM

    It would be great if the conferences were realigned based upon geography. Short of that, which is unlikely, the ACC staying together would be the 2nd best option. Regional rivalries are fun and travel expenses are lower. Luckily, I have a sister in California so I go see her when we play Cal or Stanford. But I'd much rather go to Pitt or NCSU or UNC.
16. 

    turn2296 August 20, 2026 at 12:57 PM

    Thanks Andy, great points. Revenue is very important I think the argument I’m trying to make is that VT has been able to hit the rev share number and beyond that there is limited direct ability for additional revenue to improve roster talent. Can upgrade facilities and all, but worth discussing in the AD what moves the needle vs. selling your brand’s soul (e.g., ad logos everywhere) to make a few extra $$$