Virginia Tech’s first fall camp session open to the media already offered a quick snapshot of who flashed early.
Will Love opened things with a perfect kicking stretch, going 6-for-6 on field goals from roughly 30-40 yards out. In the trenches, the offensive line rotated through four different groups during screen work, giving the staff an early look at several combinations.
There were a few standout plays on offense as the session rolled on. L.J.
Booker showed off with a one-handed grab in high-point drills, though he later had a screen slip through his hands. Ethan Grunkemeyer connected on a clean throw to Luke Reynolds in the tight end slot, dropping the ball right where it needed to be against veteran safety Tyson Flowers.
Matt Henderson also made a strong catch on a seam route from Grunkemeyer, even if the throw was a little high.
The backfield work had its own eye-catching moments. Marcellous Hawkins and Jeff Overton both impressed in ball-security drills with the kind of control and agility coaches love to see early in camp.
On defense, Amauri Polydor picked off a pass in light one-on-ones between two defensive backs, while Zaevion Cleveland stacked together two pass breakups and showed plenty of athletic ability in the same setting. Jason Abbey also drew notice for his leadership in the defensive line room during shock-and-shred drills.
The receiver-versus-DB work brought plenty of competition. Jaquez White turned in a solid rep against Ayden Greene, then later got flagged for holding against Chanz Wiggins and still allowed a 7-yard catch when Wiggins snatched the ball with strong hands.
White finished that stretch by staying with Jeff Exinor Jr. and forcing a breakup. Joshua Clarke answered after an earlier loss to Luke Stuewe by holding Ayden Greene to a one-yard gain on a comeback route.
Sheldon Robinson broke up a jump ball against Ja'Ricous Hairston despite giving up nearly 50 pounds, and true freshman Tyrell Grant added his own jump-ball PBU against veteran tight end Cole Reemsnyder.
Stuewe had a productive run as well, beating Joshua Clarke on a 10-yard dig before getting behind Josh Jones on a deep route, though the catch landed out of bounds.
A couple players were out of practice altogether: Emmett Laws and offensive lineman Johnny Garrett did not participate.
The final note of the day came from Davion "FatRat" Brown, who beat Covil deep and finished the play with a touchdown.
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Virginia Techs Season May Ride On These Returning Starters
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Each is being counted on to take a clear step forward. Flowers has to become more of a difference-maker in the secondary, Greene will have to keep producing even as defenses focus on him, and Copeland needs more steadiness up front. All three are draft-eligible, with Greene also holding an extra year of eligibility if he decides to use it, which adds another layer to a season that could hinge as much on familiar names as the new faces. [Read more 🡒]