The Virginia Tech football team is ready to go for spring practices in Year 1 of the James Franklin era in Blacksburg. This is going to be a very important next month-plus leading into the spring game for a program that is undergoing several changes.
Not only is Franklin hitting the ground running in his first season as head coach at Virginia Tech, but his new staff and new-look roster are also hitting the ground running. There was a big turnover, which was expected given all the changes. Franklin has brought in some talent that can have an immediate impact through both the Transfer Portal and with the Class of 2026.
One position where Franklin got some key retention was at running back. True freshman Jeffrey Overton, Jr. is returning, as is Marcellous Hawkins. There were also additions through the portal, and incoming freshman Messiah Mickens is someone who could get some carries next fall. However, ahead of practices beginning, Franklin gave some injury updates on Monday, and running back is a position that the Hokies are going to be thin at this spring.
James Franklin gives key injury updates ahead of Virginia Tech's spring practices
Franklin announced that Mickens is going to miss some time, if not the whole spring, with an injury, while Hawkins will also be out. Franklin noted that because of the situation at running back, Virginia Tech is moving Darius Taylor, a walk-on, to running back. Transfer Bill Davis will get some reps as well.
"I wish we were a little bit healthier at that position," Franklin said. "We've moved (Taylor) to running back to allow us to practice the way we want to practice. He's being a great teammate and doing that for us."
First-year running backs coach Norval McKenzie will have a thin group this spring, but getting the group healthy for the fall is the top priority. If they can, it's going to be a deep room and one that can make a big difference on offense. There are going to be several guys fighting for reps this summer.