ESPN Lists Virginia Tech's Biggest Area for Improvement Ahead of the 2024 Season

ESPN rolled out their Top 25 rsnkings, and provided the biggest question mark for every top 25 team.

Sep 10, 2022; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies linebacker Jaden Keller (24) tackles Boston College Eagles quarterback Phil Jurkovec (5) during the second quarter at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports / Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Virginia Tech left the 2023 season with a 7-6 record, and some areas to improve. The glaring issues that game to mind were red zone defense, general rush defense, and converting on third down. Overall, you are happy to have those issues in comparison to other ones which Virginia Tech does not struggle with: quarterback play, special teams mishaps, and turnover problems.

Chris Marve and the defensive coaching staff are aware that defense may be the side of the ball with the most questions. The offense returned almost all of their production this year, and the defense didn't fall far behind, but lost some key players on the defensive end. Defensive linemen Norell Pollard and Pheldarius Payne both signed deals to head to the NFL, middle linebacker Alan Tisdale graduated, and rotational cornerback Derrick Canteen transferred to the University of Cincinnati.

The depth at cornerback should be just fine, with Braylon Johnson and Dante Lovett probably seeing more time in 2024. The hole at defensive line was most certainly answered in the transfer portal this offseason. Brent Pry and Chris Marve landed Aeneas Peebles from Duke, and Kevin Gilliam from Oklahoma who should slide into that role easily. The depth that the defensive staff landed does not play around either, Kemari Copeland from Iowa Western C.C. is an absolute beast. Copeland came on campus and beat Virginia Tech's all-time squat record of 10 reps of 605 pounds.

So, both of those questions were answered, but did the Hokies address middle linebacker. The answer is yes, but there is not a lot of certainty there. The Virginia Tech coaching staff brought in Sam Brumfield, a middle linebacker from Middle Tennessee St, who should fit in well, but there is questions on if Brumfield can be fully reliable for the Hokies.

That is why ESPN named middle linebacker as their biggest question mark for Virginia Tech heading into the 2024 season. Here's what they had to say:

"Once a position of strength on the stout Hokies defenses of years past, middle linebacker is an area that Virginia Tech knows must improve if the Hokies are going to live up to growing expectations. Virginia Tech went into the transfer portal to bring in Sam Brumfield from Middle Tennessee State, but Jaden Keller had a great spring and could be the answer at the position. Virginia Tech has experience across the board at linebacker; if it can shore up its play up the middle, that would certainly help make a formidable front seven considering the strength of the returning defensive line."

This does certainly bring up the question of "who is your long-term guy at middle linebacker?" I don't know if there's one hundred percent confidence in any linebacker right now to play the position. It's likely that Brumfield will see the bulk of the snap at the beginning of the year, but it is very well possible that in the time that Jaden Keller plays, he shows the coaching staff enough to want to give him the starting job.

Keller has already gotten on the field for Va Tech, and could be a more trustworthy option on the field, he played in all 13 of the Hokies' games last year, and made two starts. Keller has shown that he is good in coverage and especially in the open field, so this may be a position where Chris Marve and the defense trot out the home-grown guy instead of the transfer.

Overall, there is not much to complain about. The fact that the Hokies have two great players competing for a position at middle linebacker, could be more of a blessing than a curse. The defense appears to be solid for another year, there's not many complaints on the offense, and Virginia Tech continues to fill almost all of their weaknesses in the portal. The Hokies could be bound for a very good season in 2024.