BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech football, under the direction of first-year head coach Brent Pry, begins its spring practices on Friday, following the completion of its winter offseason conditioning program tabbed Hunger Drills.
Spring ball, which is a total of 15 practices in FBS, comes at a time when both the players and coaching staff are itching to get out there and see the pigskin finally in the air.
"I think it's going to be exciting to get on the field with them, get to throw a football around and get to see them move around live," offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen said in a press conference on Wednesday. "But for us right now, it's all about building upon the foundation that we laid in Phase 1."
The Hokies bring back 42 lettermen from last year's squad, including two freshman All-Americans in punter Peter Moore (45.1-yard punt average) and guard Kaden Moore (58 knockdown blocks), as well as running back Malachi Thomas, who got hot down the stretch and finished with 440 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Defensively, two of the team's top tacklers return, with linebacker Dax Hollifield (267 career tackles) and defensive back Chamarri Conner (247 career tackles) back for one final season.
Tech also bolstered its roster this past winter via the transfer portal, adding four playmakers on offense. At quarterback, it added South Carolina transfer Jason Brown (3,845 career passing yards, 36 career passing touchdowns) and Marshall transfer Grant Wells (5,623 career passing yards, 34 career passing touchdowns). On the outside, Temple transfer Jadan Blue (1,672 career receiving yards, 10 career receiving touchdowns) and North Carolina transfer Stephen Gosnell (2 career receptions, 11 career receiving yards) join the Hokies' receiving corps.
Fans will get their chance to see the team in action on Saturday, when gates open at 11:30 a.m. ET at Lane Stadium (admission is free). Be sure to RSVP for the chance to win an autographed item signed by Coach Pry.
