One year ago, the Virginia Tech football team was expected to be a big player in the ACC race. Heck, they were expected to be a dark horse for the new 12-team College Football Playoff. In the end, neither came close to being reality as the Hokeis suffered through a second straight 6-6 season.
This offseason has been an offseason of change with the roster between the NFL Draft and transfer portal, and some big coaching staff changes, unlike the previous offseason. With a ton of questions entering the season, the Hokies remain a wild-card, but one national college football reporter explains why he thinks they could be a player in the ACC race when all is said and done.
National college football writer explains why Virginia Tech could be a player in the ACC race in 2025
Chip Patterson of CBS Sports released a best/worst case scenario for each ACC school, and for Virginia Tech, their best case scenario was 9-3 and their worst was 5-7. In their best scenario, Patterson explains why the Hokies can be a player this fall.
"Kyron Drones puts together his best season yet, and the hire of new offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery unlocks that extra step the Hokies offense needed to get over the hump. Virginia Tech's 0-5 record in one-score games last season regresses back to the average and the absence of Clemson and SMU on the ACC schedule allows the Hokies to be a player in the conference title race."
Yes, a healthy Kyron Drones under Philip Montgomery will go a long way in helping Virginia Tech be better, but Patterson notes that no Clemson or SMU on the schedule makes them a potential player in the ACC. Even though neither the Tigers nor the Mustangs are on the schedule, the Hokies face a difficult conference schedule with Louisville, Miami, and Georgia Tech, to name a few.
If Virginia Tech is going to be a player in the ACC in 2025, they will need a lot of things to go right and win more one-score games than they lose. That's a lot that has to go right, but it can go right.