Excitement builds with kickoff eight weeks away

By Bill Roth

The weeks immediately following the Fourth of July holiday have always personally ushered in the mental beginning of a new football season. The excitement builds as we inch closer to kickoff.

Those pre-season magazines have hit the shelves, the new gear is arriving in the equipment room, and ACC Kickoff / Media Days are just a few weeks away, again this year in Charlotte July 21-24.

Usually by now, we have a sense of Virginia Tech’s team, its strengths and weaknesses, and the general outlook for the ACC.  But nothing is ‘usual’ anymore about anyone’s roster in this league because there are so many new players and coordinators throughout our conference. Trying to get a handle on say, how Florida State or N.C. State might be this fall, is just a guess here in July.

We hope Tech QB Kyron Drones will thrive under new offensive coordinator Phillip Montgomery’s system, but we don’t know for sure yet. 

The Hokies finished 16th (out of 17 teams in the ACC) in passing a year ago, but after spending time with Montgomery, he is convinced he can improve Tech’s air game.

“I think we can add more to (Drones’) game, especially from a passing game standpoint. Give him a little bit more freedom,” Montgomery told me.

We don’t know for sure what the backfield will look like, but based on their tape and pedigree, we think that Terion Stewart and Marcellous Hawkins will make an effective twosome at running back and newcomers Tomas Rimac, Kyle Altuner, and Lucas Austin will help upgrade the Hokies’ offensive line under new coach Matt Moore. 

But until we play, we don’t know for sure.

In fact, with so much roster turnover and so many new players in the ACC, projecting where all teams will land is harder to project than ever. A year ago this month, FSU was the pre-season to pick to win the conference by the media that covers the league. The Seminoles promptly crashed to a 2-10 record and finished 17^th – last – in the conference standings.

Conversely as you’ll recall,  Arizona State was projected to finish last in the Big 12 preseason poll last year yet won the league and made the College Football Playoff. Perhaps that result, and some common sense, are a reason the Big 12 will no longer release a pre -season poll. 

While the media and observers might not know what is about to happen, the coaches have a hunch.

At some point last July or August, Sun Devil’s coach Kenny Dillingham saw his team and knew it was better than anyone thought.  Similarly, the coaches at FSU knew they weren’t going to run the table again in the ACC.  In fact, they likely knew they were in big trouble long before the ‘Noles’ 1-9 faceplant to start their season.

So here we go again.

In 2025, heading into the new season is like walking into a high-stakes casino.  Lots of hope and enthusiasm, clever strategy in mind, a fist-full of chips in hand, and a freshly pressed shirt to look the part.  But we don’t know for sure how our cards might match up to anyone else’s hand.

In a way, that makes everything more exciting.  In-game coaching becomes more vital than ever.  “Winning in the margins” becomes the norm with limited depth nationwide (thank you, transfer portal), and so many talented players scattered throughout the league. Winning the turnover battle and avoiding injuries, two of the most often-heard coach-speak phrases, will be spoken more than ever this fall.

What we do know is someone new is going to emerge in Sam Siefkes’ defense and make a huge impact on the ’25 Tech team. Tyson Flowers? Isaiah Cash? Ben Bell?

And remember, just because a player is listed at safety or defensive end, doesn’t mean that’s where he will be once the ball is snapped.

“I kind of cater to that ‘positionless defense,” Siefkes told me. “I think that's kind of where the game is going. You know, a lot of teams are going to try to bank you for what personnel you're in and what kind of structures you show within that personnel.”

So we’ve got a bunch of new names to learn and see how they fit.

And candidly, that’s the deal throughout the ACC.  Chandler Morris at UVa? Thomas Castellanos at FSU? Gio Lopez at UNC? Dylan Longernan at BC? Darian Mensah at Duke? Carson Beck at Miami? These are important pieces at new schools. And those are just the quarterbacks. Getting a sense of an opponents’ complete roster and depth is nearly impossible.

On paper, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Miami, and SMU would appear to be the top four in the ACC. But from Louisville to Durham to Blacksburg, you’ll get some pushback on that assessment.  In fact, you’ll even get stern “Ahem” from Tallahassee.

There’s some randomness to this new era of college football which makes it impossible to project, but incredibly fun to experience. We’re not sure what’s going to happen.   

So, as we finish up our July 4^th vacations, there’s some heart-pumping anxiety building and big stakes on the line as we get ready to start.

Kinda like walkin’ into the Bellagio, eh?

Revenue sharing with Tech athletes is underway
Tech is sharing a portion of athletics revenue directly with student-athletes for the first time this month. This is in addition to the current benefits already included in an athlete’s scholarship (tuition, housing, meals, academic awards, medical care, etc.) This follows the approval of the House v. NCAA settlement. Nationwide, each NCAA institution will has the option to distribute up to 22% of its athletics revenue (media rights, ticket sales, sponsorships, etc.), which is currently estimated to be about $20.5 million per year.

I had the chance to visit with Tech Athletic Director Whit Babcock in Orlando several weeks ago about this new era in Hokies’ athletics.

You can read more about Tech’s revenue sharing plan which is now in effect and you can hear our conversation which we recorded in Orlando, in podcast form.

I want to personally thank Nick Strah of NACDA for allocating space and security for Whit and me to record this program for our fans in a grand ballroom (pictured) at the convention. Providing insight from events like this is something we might increase in the future as we expand our Virginia Tech Sports Network digital programming offerings.

The Mailbag returns
For decades, we included fan input in the Roth Report and we’re excited so share that feature is returning. We had a lot of fun back in the 2000’s with this and I’m excited we’re bringing it back to our official online home.

Have a question, comment, or observation?  This is the place to be heard and we’ll do our best to get you an answer.

Submit your question.

We’re looking forward to hearing from you.