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Virginia Tech's Dax Hollifield looks like a middle linebacker, talks like a middle linebacker, thinks like a middle linebacker and competes like a middle linebacker. Good news for him, then: He's now actually a middle linebacker. "I've been waiting for this opportunity for the past three seasons," Hollifield said. "I'm finally at the position I was recruited to play." Now, don't misunderstand. Happiness hasn't been a problem for this guy in the past. As long as you slap a jersey and a helmet on him and let him run around, Hollifield is going to be happy. That would apply if he were fielding punts, serving as a long snapper or slugging it out on the offensive line.

But you watch the way he gets in that crouch and scans the opposing backfield, so eager to work downhill, and it's obvious that middle linebacker (or, as the Hokies call it, the "Mike" position) is where he belongs. He's spent most of the past three seasons playing outside linebacker ("Will") while Rayshard Ashby held down the Mike spot. "They're pretty similar positions, but the biggest difference is the Will linebacker position, they're going to be more in space," said Tech linebackers coach Jack Tyler, who started at the Mike spot during his own playing days in Blacksburg. "Dax's skill set is more tailored toward being in the box and having it be more of a phone booth. "I'm not saying he's not athletic enough to go play in space. Obviously he was; he did it the last couple years. But his skill set is better for in-the-box type of plays." - Roanoke Times

(DS#36 ILB) rSr/2023

ILB Dax Hollifield, Virginia Tech
News Source: Roanoke Times
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08/19/21 - Emmanuel Belmar, rSr/2022, Virginia Tech, 6-2, 258 (DS#999 DE) + More +

Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente announced on Thursday that defensive end Emmanuel Belmar is going to medically retire. Belmar was trying to come back from a concussion he suffered last October. The medical waiver ends Belmar's football career while allowing him to keep his scholarship. "I feel for Emmanuel, because he was a very hard-nosed, tough football player for us for several years. He just couldn't overcome the injury part," Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente said. "...We've encouraged him to be around as much as he'd like, as much as emotionally he can handle, because he has been an instrumental part of our team and our culture and our work ethic." He opened fall camp with the team, but the coaching staff was taking a cautious approach with the defender since he hadn't wasn't clear for contact at all during the spring. Belmar met with his family and the team's medical staff in recent days before coming to the decision. - Roanoke Times

(DS#999 DE) rSr/2022

DE Emmanuel Belmar, Virginia Tech
News Source: Roanoke Times
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08/14/21 - Pheldarius Payne, rSr/2024, Virginia Tech, 6-2, 286 (DS#28 DT) + More +

Pheldarius Payne doesn't always do things exactly the way his outside linebackers coach teaches. Payne, a 6-foot-3, 260-pounder who arrived to Nebraska last summer as a junior college defensive lineman, listens to his position coach Mike Dawson and takes coaching and all of that, but sometimes when the ball gets snapped, instinct takes over. "He's a slippery guy," Dawson said last week. "A guy that can make plays. He can contort and twist his body. Sometimes I see him kind of do a pass-rush move and it's nothing that you've seen or coached before and you're like, 'Yeah, that's not something we've worked on, but heck, it worked, so keep doing it, buddy." "He can get to the quarterback and find a way." By the end of the 2020 season, the Blackshirts had turned themselves into a group that was consistently stingy against the run and one that could get off the field on third down like one of the Big Ten's best units. The two things NU never really got dialed up: Turnover creation and pressure on the quarterback.

Naturally, those two areas represent some of the biggest opportunities for growth this year. "You always need more pressure on the quarterback," defensive coordinator Erik Chinander said Monday before a reporter could even finish the question. Nebraska showed some signs in 2020, but opposing quarterbacks too often had too much time to throw and felt too comfortable against the Huskers. NU averaged 1.63 sacks per game, which tied for 10th in the Big Ten. Sack rate, of course, is not the lone measure for quarterback pressure, but over a long period of time, if you're pressuring the quarterback consistently, you're probably accumulating sacks, too. - Lincoln Journal Star

(DS#28 DT) rSr/2024

DT Pheldarius Payne, Virginia Tech
News Source: Lincoln Journal Star
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08/08/21 - Changa Hodge, rSr/2022, Virginia Tech, 6-1, 196 (DS#63 WR) + More +

Fuente said it would be a long shot for wide receiver Changa Hodge to return this season. Hodge suffered a torn ACL midway through spring camp, but the Villanova transfer was as engaged as any of his medically cleared teammates. Hodge followed the receivers group around as if he was still practicing. He mimicked the drills off to the side, talked with his teammates about technique and intently watched the coaches as they critiqued players during various drills. The 6-foot-1, 199-pound sixth-year senior certainly hasn't given up on the season, and could be an asset for Tech as it tries to bring along a large group of young receivers. - Roanoke Times

(DS#63 WR) rSr/2022

WR Changa Hodge, Virginia Tech
News Source: Roanoke Times
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08/03/21 - Jaden Payoute, rJr/2024, Virginia Tech, 6-1, 210 (DS#999 WR) + More +

Payoute just needs to make it through fall camp unscathed. The receiver was on track to be a key contributor last year before he suffered a season-ending leg injury at the end of fall camp. He practiced once in the spring before the training staff decided Payoute should have a follow-up procedure in hopes he could put the injury completely behind him.

Quarterback Braxton Burmeister said Payoute is back to his old self in the player-led workouts this summer. Burmeister also made it clear that Payoute is about as gifted of an athlete as there is, a common opinion amongst the team. They still marvel at the video posted to social media of him leaping from a standing position into the bed of a pickup truck. Tech desperately needs more production out of receivers not named Tre Turner and Tayvion Robinson, and Payoute is the one to watch. - Roanoke Times

(DS#999 WR) rJr/2024

WR Jaden Payoute, Virginia Tech
News Source: Roanoke Times
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07/30/21 - Amare Barno, rSr/2022, Virginia Tech, 6-5, 247 (DS#11 OLB) + More +

Virginia Tech landed a pair of players on the 2021 All-Atlantic Coast Conference preseason football team that was announced on Tuesday morning as voted on by 147 media members. Tech starting tight end James Mitchell (77 votes) and defensive end Amare Barno (63 votes) were selected. Barno's selection comes on the heels of his breakout 2020 season. He led the power five with 16 tackles of loss and was sixth in the league with 6.5 sacks. He earned All-ACC honorable mention honors last season. The 6-foot-6, 235-pounder switched from linebacker over to defensive end - a position he had never played in his career - right before fall camp, and has quickly established himself as Tech's top playmaker. - Roanoke Times

(DS#11 OLB) rSr/2022

OLB Amare Barno, Virginia Tech
News Source: Roanoke Times
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07/29/21 - James Mitchell, rSr/2022, Virginia Tech, 6-4, 248 (DS#18 TE) + More +

Virginia Tech senior tight end James Mitchell and junior defensive end Amare Barno and Virginia junior linebacker Nick Jackson were all named to the ACC's preseason all-conference football team, the league announced Tuesday. The 6-foot-3, 242-pound Mitchell, who is on the Mackey Award watch list as one of the nation's top tight ends, has 47 career receptions for 796 yards in 36 games for the Hokies. He's caught six touchdown passes, including a team-high four last season, and has rushed for five more scores.

A highly-regarded NFL prospect, Mitchell opted to return to Tech for his senior season. Since then, he's worked to improve his route-running and added about 10 pounds of muscle, he said, without sacrificing speed. "I'm running well. I'm as strong as I've ever been," said Mitchell. "That was a huge part of me coming back, was continuing to get stronger. I play down there in the trenches. Continue to be able to block those guys on the line." - Richmond Times-Dispatch

(DS#18 TE) rSr/2022

TE James Mitchell, Virginia Tech
News Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch
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07/28/21 - Amare Barno, rSr/2022, Virginia Tech, 6-5, 247 (DS#11 OLB) + More +

The ACC released the conference's 2021 preseason poll on Monday morning with Virginia Tech picked by reporters to finish third in the Coastal Division. Tech closed out last season with a 33-15 win over Virginia in the team's season finale to go 5-6 (5-5 ACC) on the season after players elected not to accept a potential bowl bid. It was the first time since 1992 the program finished the season with a losing record. UVa, meanwhile, is picked to finish fifth in the Coastal Division. The Cavaliers finished 5-5 (4-5 ACC) in the 2020 season. Clemson received 125 of the 147 total votes to win the ACC title. The Tigers made the College Football Playoff last season for a sixth straight year going 10-2. It was the fourth straight year they were picked to win the ACC title in the media preseason poll. - Roanoke Times

(DS#11 OLB) rSr/2022

OLB Amare Barno, Virginia Tech
News Source: Roanoke Times
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07/27/21 - Grant Wells, rSr/2024, Virginia Tech, 6-1, 210 (DS#999 QB) + More +

Just over one year ago, Marshall quarterback Grant Wells started his climb to becoming the Thundering Herd's starting quarterback. Wells was thrown into the situation with the sudden departure of two-year starter Isaiah Green, but Wells successfully made the transition, throwing for 2,091 yards and 18 touchdowns with nine interceptions in 10 games. Those numbers made Wells a first-team All-Conference USA selection and the league's Freshman of the Year in a season in which the Herd climbed to as high as No. 15 in national rankings. The accolades did not come without their share of speed bumps, though, especially at the end of the year, when the Herd dropped three straight games and Wells struggled with accuracy issues.

Since the end of the season, Wells has used those struggles as motivation, and teammates rave that Wells has elevated his game from both physical and mental standpoint to be a much better leader for the Herd in 2021. "You can tell that Grant's grown up a lot," Marshall receiver Talik Keaton said. "Last year he was a redshirt freshman and he had the jitters and stuff, but now he goes about the day like he's been doing it - not a big-head type of way, but he's just more confident." Marshall offensive lineman Alex Mollette agreed that Wells seems different. "He's not a freshman anymore," Mollette said. - Charleston Gazette

(DS#999 QB) rSr/2024

QB Grant Wells, Virginia Tech
News Source: Charleston Gazette
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07/25/21 - Donavon Greene, rSr/2026, Virginia Tech, 6-2, 196 (DS#63 WR) + More +

Wake Forest football coach Dave Clawson announced the team will be without three players -- two of which were returning starters -- for the 2021 season. The Deacons will be without wide receiver Donavon Greene and right tackle Je'Vionte' Nash, as well as reserve linebacker Chase Monroe, due to offseason injuries. "These three young men will play a key role off the field this season as they work towards a speedy and safe recovery," Clawson said in a statement provided by the athletics department.

Greene, a Mount Airy alumnus, started eight games last season and averaged 20.1 yards per catch. He enrolled at the school in 2019, appearing in four games to preserve his redshirt status. Nash started all nine games in 2020 and has 38 career appearances for the Deacons. He's been with the program since the 2016 season, opting to return for the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA to student-athletes. - Winston Salem Journal

(DS#63 WR) rSr/2026

WR Donavon Greene, Virginia Tech
News Source: Winston Salem Journal
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07/21/21 - Grant Wells, rSr/2024, Virginia Tech, 6-1, 210 (DS#999 QB) + More +

Last season, Marshall quarterback Grant Wells impressed as a freshman, earning Conference USA accolades along the way. This season, Wells' accolades are starting on a more national scale. On Monday, the Charleston native and George Washington High School graduate was named to the watch list for the 2021 Maxwell Award, given to the top player in college football. Wells earned Conference USA Freshman of the Year and all-conference first-team honors for his performance in 2020, which had the Thundering Herd ranked No. 15 at one point of the season. For the year, Wells finished 165 of 270 for 2,091 yards and 18 touchdowns with nine interceptions. - Charleston Gazette

(DS#999 QB) rSr/2024

QB Grant Wells, Virginia Tech
News Source: Charleston Gazette
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07/17/21 - Pheldarius Payne, rSr/2024, Virginia Tech, 6-2, 286 (DS#28 DT) + More +

Before arriving at Nebraska in the spring of 2020, the 6-foot-3, 260-pound defender recorded nine sacks in two seasons at Lackawanna (Pennsylvania) College. Last season at NU, he appeared in all eight games, finishing with 21 tackles, with two tackles for loss, one sack and a pair of pass breakups. He showed a relentlessness that made an impression on fans. Payne this coming season will likely end up playing standing up at times and with his hand in the dirt at others with the way defensive coordinator Erik Chinander and company roll through different fronts and personnel groups. The defensive line rotation is a deep one, and at outside linebacker the heavier group includes players such as Garrett Nelson and Damian Jackson.

They help Payne with the learning process, as does outside linebackers coach Mike Dawson. "I've learned a lot," Payne said. "I thought football was just X's and O's and just going, but you can learn stuff from the line pre-snap, after the snap and little movements from the linemen." With a full spring of practices under his belt, Payne feels better prepared to make a bigger impact. "This will be a great year for him," Chinander said during the spring. "He's been through the program now, he's healthy. He's been in the weight room and he's got a lot of reps this spring." "I expect to do a whole lot better because now I know the system and how things run," Payne added. "I can just play. I can run to the ball and make plays. - Lincoln Journal Star

(DS#28 DT) rSr/2024

DT Pheldarius Payne, Virginia Tech
News Source: Lincoln Journal Star
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06/01/21 - Devon Hunter, rSr/2022, Virginia Tech, 6-0, 220 (DS#999 SS) + More +

Virginia Tech announced Tuesday that safety Devon Hunter has been reinstated to the football team. Hunter was suspended in September after he was arrested on charges of felony strangulation to cause wound or injury and misdemeanor assault against a family member. The felony was amended to a misdemeanor when Hunter pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Circuit Court on May 4. He was convicted of the two misdemeanors and sentenced to 24 months in jail, but the jail time was suspended to one day on each charge, and two years probation. According to Tech's student-athlete code of conduct, an athlete with a felony charge can't be reinstated until, "until the charges are dropped, dismissed or otherwise resolved." The athletic department also needed Hunter to get through the discipline process outlined in the university's code of conduct for the general student body before weighing in. - Roanoke Times

(DS#999 SS) rSr/2022

SS Devon Hunter, Virginia Tech
News Source: Roanoke Times
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05/08/21 - Devon Hunter, rSr/2022, Virginia Tech, 6-0, 220 (DS#999 SS) + More +

Virginia Tech safety Devon Hunter accepted a plea agreement on Tuesday with the Montgomery Circuit Court. Under the plea agreement, both charges were amended to assault and battery misdemeanors (Class 1 misdemeanors). Hunter was facing charges of felony strangulation to cause wound or injury and misdemeanor assault against a family member. He was sentenced to 24 months jail time, but the jail time was suspended to one day on each charge, and two years probation under New River Community Corrections. If he violates his probation or faces other charges during that time, that suspended sentence could be revoked. - Richmond Times-Dispatch

(DS#999 SS) rSr/2022

SS Devon Hunter, Virginia Tech
News Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch
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05/03/21 - Khalil Herbert, rSr/2021, Virginia Tech, 5-09, 210 (DS#18 RB) + More +

The Chicago Bears drafted former Virginia Tech running back Khalil Herbert with the No. 33 (No. 217 overall) pick in the sixth round on Saturday afternoon. Herbert is the first Tech running back drafted since David Wilson was drafted in the first round of the 2012 draft by the New York Giants. There were only four running backs taken in the first three rounds and only two - Alabama running back Najee Harris (No. 24 by Pittsburgh) and Clemson running back Travis Etienne (No. 25 by Jacksonville) - went in the opening round. Herbert was the 14th running back taken overall. He led the ACC with 1,791 all-purpose yards last fall and had 1,182 yards with eight touchdowns and ranked second in the conference averaging 7.68 yards per carry (sixth nationally). - Roanoke Times

(DS#18 RB) rSr/2021

RB Khalil Herbert, Virginia Tech
News Source: Roanoke Times
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