The Preseason is
Almost Here
by Chris Coleman, TechSideline.com,
TSLMail #493, July 15, 2011
It's
the middle of July, which means football practice will begin in less than a
month. The action gets started later this month with the ACC Media Kickoff in
Greensboro, NC. Just over a week later, practice will begin.
Here's a look at the
big dates of Virginia Tech's preseason.
Summer
Calendar |
Date |
Event |
July
24-26 |
ACC Media
Kickoff |
Aug.
3 |
Players
Report |
Aug.
4 |
Practice #1 |
Aug.
6 |
Media Day |
Aug.
13 |
Open
Scrimmage, 4pm |
Aug.
20 |
Open
Scrimmage, 2pm |
Aug.
22 |
Fall
Semester Begins |
Aug.
26 |
Closed
Scrimmage |
From July 24 through
26, the media will meet with ACC coaches and players in Greensboro. The
media will make their preseason predictions for the ACC, as well as select
their preseason All-Conference players. Danny Coale and Eddie Whitley will
represent Virginia Tech at this event. It's expected that the media will
pick the Hokies to win the Coastal Division.
All players have to
report to Blacksburg by August 3. That won't be a problem, since most are
enrolled for the second summer session anyway. Practice will begin on
August 3, and the first of two open scrimmages will be held in Lane
Stadium on Saturday, August 13 at 4pm. Another open scrimmage will be held
a week later at 2pm.
Fall semester will
begin on August 22, the Hokies will hold a closed scrimmage on August 26,
and then they will begin game week preparation for the Appalachian State
Mountaineers.
TSL is very close to
beginning our own preseason as well. Next week we'll have updates on
recruiting targets for offense and defense, and we'll take a look back
at another past Virginia Tech football game. After that, the preseason
previews will begin in earnest.
We'll begin our
positional previews on Monday, July 25 and continue them up through the
beginning of practice. We'll be at both open scrimmages and will have
reports on them, and we will also provide a weekly practice update every
Wednesday.
Each Monday
beginning August 8, we'll also have a Monday Thoughts article on various
topics surround Tech, the ACC or college football in general. At some
point in August, we'll also take a detailed look on first year starting
quarterbacks under Frank Beamer, from 1993 through the present.
Here's a quick look
at what our preseason content will look like before practice begins.
Preseason
Content |
Date |
Preview |
July
25 |
Quarterbacks |
July
26 |
Running Backs |
July
27 |
Wide Receivers |
July
28 |
Offensive Line |
July
29 |
Tight
Ends/Fullbacks |
August
1 |
Defensive Line |
August
2 |
Linebackers |
August
3 |
Defensive
Backs |
August
4 |
Special Teams |
Once practice
begins, we'll start our Monday Thoughts features, provide Wednesday
practice updates, as well as a Friday Q&A each week. Tuesdays and
Thursdays will be filled with other features, such as the first year
starting quarterback feature that was mentioned above, closer looks at the
Atlantic and Coastal Divisions, recruiting target updates, and perhaps a
few other things as well.
All of these
features will be available to TSL Pass Subscribers only. If you've been
thinking about a TSL Pass Subscription recently, now is the time to jump
on board. Click
here to subscribe ... or to renew, if you've let your subscription
lapse.
|
The Hokies' Recruiting Rush: Different, or the Same?
July 15, 2011
The
Hokies have had a busy July in recruiting, racking up seven
commitments, and the month isn't even half over. The Hokies have 20
commitments now. A flood of commitments like that generates a lot of
buzz, but underneath the buzz, some Hokie fans are asking questions
about whether the numbers are really more significant than in recent
years, and more important, if the recruits that are committing are
more highly rated than past classes. Other than being strung close
together, which generates a lot of buzz, is anything different about
this year's commitments? We did some research to find the answers.
more
|
Conte
To Decide Between UVa and VT
July 15, 2011
This
week has been a good one for Blessed Sacrament Huguenot (Powhatan,
VA) offensive tackle Augie Conte. On Tuesday he received an
offer from Virginia Tech, days following an impressive performance
at Tech's July 9 one-day camp. Shortly after, he learned that the
University of Virginia was offering as well. In less than a week's
time, the 6'6", 270-pound rising senior will have committed to
one of those two schools.
more
|
Lafayette
WR Earns Offer From Hokies
July 15, 2011
Following
Virginia Tech's one-day camp last Saturday, primary recruiter Curt
Newsome "said I did really well," said Lafayette
(Williamsburg, VA) wide receiver Thomas Smith. "He said
that's what they want at Virginia Tech. He told me he would contact
me on Tuesday, but I was shocked when he offered me a full
ride."
more
|
A
Look Back: The 1998 Miami Game
July 14, 2011
The
1998 meeting with Miami isn't a game to remember because it was a
big one on the national stage; it wasn't. It is memorable because of
how the Hokies won it, the gutsy effort their injured quarterback
showed, and the fact that it was the fourth time in a row Tech had
beaten the mighty Canes. Back then, that was a huge deal.
more
|
TSL
Audio: Chris Coleman on ESPN Radio Blacksburg, July 13th, 2011
July 13, 2011
On
this week's edition of the Sean Bielawski Show, TSL's Chris Coleman
discussed last weekend's football camp and the 2012 recruiting class
as it currently stands.
more
|
Hokies
Offer Riverbend Lineman
July 13, 2011
Riverbend
High School (Fredericksburg, VA) offensive tackle Adam Taraschke
attended Virginia Tech's camp on Saturday in hopes of earning a
scholarship offer. He received good news on Tuesday when he got that
offer, and he's looking to head back to Blacksburg soon.
more
|
Irick
Verbals to Virginia Tech
July 12, 2011
Multiple
internet reports are indicating that Calhoun County (SC) wide
receiver Mark Irick has given his verbal pledge to Virginia Tech. He
is Tech's 20th commitment of the 2012 recruiting class.
more
|
Conte
Impresses at Camp, Earns Tech Offer
July 12, 2011
One
of Virginia Tech's goals on Saturday was to find a few offensive
linemen worth of a scholarship offer. There were some quality
linemen at the camp, and on Tuesday the coaching staff extending a
scholarship offer to rising senior offensive tackle Augie Conte.
more
|
Hokies
Gain Valuable Transfer
July 11, 2011
Virginia
Tech got a huge pledge on Monday night, and it wasn't from a high
school player. University of Georgia offensive lineman Brent
Benedict announced his decision to transfer recently, and after
visiting Virginia Tech on Friday, he felt like Blacksburg was the
best place for him. Instead of taking planned visits to Florida and
Clemson, he committed to Tech and will enroll in August.
more
|
Clark
Camps at Tech, Earns Offer
July 11, 2011
Kings
Fork High School (Suffolk, VA) athlete Charles Clark camped at
Virginia Tech last summer before his sophomore season, and he caught
the eye of the coaching staff. He camped in Blacksburg again this
summer, and left with a scholarship offer.
more
|
Camp
Observations: Hokies Have a Big Weekend
July 11, 2011
Virginia
Tech had a great weekend, landing four verbal commitments and
putting themselves in better standing with many other prospects. The
Hokies also extended some new scholarship offers on Saturday
following the camp.
more
|
Nigel
Williams Makes his Pledge
July 10, 2011
Virginia
Tech picked up another big defensive line commitment on Sunday night
when Benedictine School (Richmond, VA) standout Nigel Williams gave
his verbal pledge over several other major offers.
more
|
Reports:
Woody Baron a Hokie
July 10, 2011
Reports
indicate that Brentwood Academy (TN) defensive tackle Woody Baron
has committed to Virginia Tech. He is the 18th verbal of the 2012
recruiting class, and the second defensive tackle in as many days.
more
|
Will
Smith Enjoys First Visit to Blacksburg
July 10, 2011
Christchurch
School offensive tackle Will Smith took his first visit to Virginia
Tech on Saturday, and performed well during camp drills in front of
the Tech coaching staff. Holding one offer from Hampton, Smith hopes
to see his offer list expand soon.
more
|
Alston
Smith Comments on his Decision
July 10, 2011
Virginia
Tech picked up two defensive line commitments at camp on Saturday.
The first came from Cox High School defensive tackle Alston Smith,
son of Hokie great and NFL Hall of Famer Bruce Smith. We caught up
with Alston this afternoon for a few comments on his visit and
commitment.
more |
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