There are numerous issues in college sports right now, and one of them is tampering. It shouldn't be surprising that teams are accused of tampering at times, and right, Virginia Tech finds themselves on the wrong end of some accusations.
On Friday, North Carolina Central head football coach Trei Oliver accused the Hokies of tampering with running back J'Mari Taylor, who ended up hitting the transfer portal and landing at Virginia. Virginia Tech needed running backs after Bhayshul Tuten left for the NFL Draft and Malachi Thomas hit the portal. The Hokies ended up with Terion Stewart of Bowling Green and Brayden Bennett from Coastal Carolina.
However, Taylor's claim from a game last November against Howard is loud and clear when he spotted a Tech staff member on his sideline. When questioned, Taylor was told that the staff member was there to see George “Bulldog” Smith, an assistant athletics director at NC Central, according to WARL News.
“First of all, Bulldog’s not that nice of a dude anyway,” Oliver said. "Virginia Tech was actually on my sideline recruiting our running back. That was pretty bold. I couldn’t believe it. A couple of coaches tried to calm me down and say, ‘Yeah, Coach, he’s just down here visiting.’ But I knew what it was.
“I had to focus back on the game, and we won the football game. Two weeks later, my kid got in the portal. Then they were the first people trying to get in his ear. But like I said, thank God he went to UVa., and UVa. is going to beat the smoke out of them other folks.”
On Saturday morning, Virginia Tech released a statement.
“We were made aware Friday afternoon of a public comment suggesting a potential NCAA rules concern involving a member of our coaching staff. This is the first time the issue has been brought to our attention, and no concern has previously been shared with us through any formal channel," the school said in a statement.
“Virginia Tech takes all NCAA rules seriously and is committed to conducting our program with integrity. We are reviewing the matter internally and will address any findings appropriately.”
We shall see where this goes, and we will update the article with any new findings. For the record, Virginia Tech had a bye that weekend, their second of the 2024 campaign.