Draft Scout Warning: Undefined variable $TeamName in D:\InetPub\vhosts\scoutnation.com\draftscout.com\notesteam.php on line 20 Player News, College Football: Warning: Undefined variable $TeamName in D:\InetPub\vhosts\scoutnation.com\draftscout.com\notesteam.php on line 20

Raheem Blackshear rushed for two touchdowns to lead No. 19 Virginia Tech to a 35-14 victory over Middle Tennessee on Saturday after a slow start. The Hokies (2-0, 2-0 ACC) scored on their first three possessions of the second half, including back-to-back TDs by Blackshear, in a game they led 14-7 at halftime. Virginia Tech broke open the game when Jalen Holston scored on a 29-yard, third-quarter run to take a 21-7 lead. Blackshear, who rushed for 58 yards, then scored on runs of 6 yards and 1 yard on ensuing possessions to help the Hokies build a 35-7 cushion. "At halftime, it was obviously a tight ball game. I didn't feel like we were shocked it was close," Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente said. "I don't know that we're the team that can just blow the doors off people. That's just not how we're built right now. "I didn't sense any panic or shock. That's what happens with teams that are overconfident or arrogant. They're shocked that the other team wants to play. We knew what we were getting into, so there was no shock, no panic. Those guys were ready to go back out there and play." Braxton Burmeister went 14 of 24 for 142 yards and a score for Virginia Tech, which finished with 375 yards. Bailey Hockman threw 19 of 32 for 207 yards and a score to lead the Blue Raiders (1-1, 0-1 CUSA), who had 349 yards. - Virginia Tech/AP College Football

(DS#51 RB) rSr/2022

RB Raheem Blackshear, Virginia Tech
News Source: Virginia Tech/AP College Football
Share/Comment: Here

09/06/21 - Chamarri Conner, rSr/2023, Virginia Tech, 6-0, 209 (DS#15 FS) + More +

SEPT 6 ACC SEPT 6 ACC DEFENSIVE BACK OF THE WEEK: Chamarri Conner, Virginia Tech, Jr., CB, Jacksonville, Fla.,...Led the Hokies' defense with eight tackles in Friday night's 17-10 victory over No. 10 North Carolina ... Of his eight stops, six were solo efforts ... Wore legendary coach Frank Beamer's No. 25 jersey and recorded an interception in the fourth quarter to seal the game ... Interception was the fourth of his career. - ACC Football

(DS#15 FS) rSr/2023

FS Chamarri Conner, Virginia Tech
News Source: ACC Football
Share/Comment: Here

09/04/21 - Jaylin Lane, rSr/2025, Virginia Tech, 5-10, 191 (DS#15 WR) + More +

Jaylin Lane returned a punt 70 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the second quarter and added four catches for 91 yards and a score as Middle Tennessee overpowered FCS-member Monmouth 50-15 in a season opener on Saturday. Lane's punt return was the first score of the game. Monmouth answered with Tony Muskett's 22-yard scoring strike to Ezrah Archie to knot the score at 7.

The Blue Raiders took the lead for good later in the second quarter on two Bailey Hockman TD passes - a 29-yarder to DJ England-Chisholm and a 22-yarder to Lane. The Blue Raiders outscored the Hawks 22-0 in the fourth quarter to pull away. Hockman completed 17 of 22 passes for 215 yards and three TDs for Middle Tennessee. CJ Windham had five catches for 46 yards and a score. Muskett threw for 177 yards, completing 25 of 39 passes, with one TD and an interception for the Hawks. Juwon Ferri rushed 18 times for 99 yards. Terrence Greene Jr. had five receptions for 71 yards. Monmouth ran 20 more plays than the Blue Raiders, but they had four turnovers, losing three fumbles. - Middle Tennessee/AP College Football

(DS#15 WR) rSr/2025

WR Jaylin Lane, Virginia Tech
News Source: Middle Tennessee/AP College Football
Share/Comment: Here

08/29/21 - James Mitchell, rSr/2022, Virginia Tech, 6-4, 248 (DS#18 TE) + More +

Virginia Tech's 2021 captains aren't lacking experience. The Hokies picked tight end James Mitchell, linebacker Dax Hollifield, safety Chamarri Conner, offensive lineman Brock Hoffman and offensive lineman Tyrell Smith to be captains this fall. Smith is a notable selection as a rare three-time captain. He was voted captain by his teammates in 2019. The veteran lineman initially planned to be a graduate assistant in the weight room this season, but reversed course after spring camp.

He's the only player remaining on the roster who signed with Tech during coach Frank Beamer's tenure. He's played in 54 games during his career and played in every game for Tech from 2016-18. Smith's co-captains last year were safety Divine Deablo, defensive tackle Jarrod Hewitt and linebacker Rayshard Ashby. This year his co-captains all have prominent places on the depth chart as well. Mitchell briefly flirted with the idea of entering the NFL Draft, but decided to come back for another season. As the team's starting tight end last year, he had 26 catches for 435 yards with four touchdowns. - Roanoke Times

(DS#18 TE) rSr/2022

TE James Mitchell, Virginia Tech
News Source: Roanoke Times
Share/Comment: Here

08/26/21 - Dax Hollifield, rSr/2023, Virginia Tech, 6-1, 232 (DS#36 ILB) + More +

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
Share/Comment: Here

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
Share/Comment: Here

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
Share/Comment: Here

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
Share/Comment: Here

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
Share/Comment: Here

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
Share/Comment: Here

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
Share/Comment: Here

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
Share/Comment: Here

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
Share/Comment: Here

07/25/21 - Donavon Greene, rSr/2026, Virginia Tech, 6-2, 196 (DS#81 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#81 WR) rSr/2026

WR Donavon Greene, Virginia Tech
News Source: Winston Salem Journal
Share/Comment: Here

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
Share/Comment: Here

Previous 15 Notes

|Back to Page One|

Next 15 Notes

Warning: Undefined array key "TeamID" in D:\InetPub\vhosts\scoutnation.com\draftscout.com\2020rightcolteam.php on line 56

Warning: Undefined array key "DSTeamID" in D:\InetPub\vhosts\scoutnation.com\draftscout.com\2020rightcolteam.php on line 57

Virginia Tech Football Videos

Buy Draft Scout Weekly

** Draft Scout Data **
(Everything Online PLUS)

Support Draft Scout

The Database Engine for NFLDraftScout.com, Draft Scout is being repurposed...Support the Future Development of ScoutNation.com...

Draft Scout Archives

** 2010-2022 Draft Scout Archives **
(Yearly Player Data Exports, Prospect Lists & More)

Draft Scout Future

100% Dedicated and Never Done

80% Innovated

45% Hidden

35% Built

2025 CFB/2025-2029 NFL Draft Scout

2024 CFB/2024-2028 NFL Draft Scout

2023 CFB/2024-2027 NFL Draft Scout

NFL Draft Scout History

2022 Draft Scout

Draft Scout by Conference

2023 Draft Scout Offense

2023 Draft Scout Defense

2022 Draft Scout Offense

2022 Draft Scout Defense

Virginia Tech Football Videos

Buy Draft Scout Weekly

Support Draft Scout

Draft Scout Archives

Draft Scout Future

Synergization

Did You Know?

Hidden Designs

Future Development