Hokies open preseason practice in Blacksburg

BLACKSBURG - There was plenty of energy and intensity around the Beamer-Lawson Indoor Practice Facility and the Steve Johnson Practice Field Thursday afternoon as the Hokies opened preseason camp with their first practice.

Head Coach Brent Pry begins his fourth season in Blacksburg with nearly 50 new faces on the roster, including transfers and incoming freshmen. 

Players wore helmets and spider shoulder pads to open Phase Four of training, going through through positional drills and 1-on-1s to start camp. Intensity levels for practice were quickly established during competitive periods to start the day and continued into offense versus defense team sessions.

Coach Pry was pleased with the focus and urgency on day one.

"It was a good first day," said Pry. "The first half, quality, good work, but the competition, the compete level, the fun level, the energy was way better in the second half of practice. That's the way we need to be each and every day out."

The Hokies are now just four weeks away from the season opener against South Carolina in the Aflac Kickoff Game in Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium on August 31.