Five Bold Predictions For Virginia Tech’s 2024 Season
With a new season comes “bold predictions” and “hot takes” for how everything is going to shake out. The Hokies are obviously going to be a great team next year, but some of the details aren’t fully ironed out. That’s why I set out to give five bold predictions about the fore-coming season for the Hokies.
Here’s my predictions:
1. Aeneas Peebles Has A First Team All-ACC Season
This one seems like a no brainer, but is still a bold prediction. Duke’s defensive line was simply great last year, and Peebles wasn’t even an everyday starter for the Blue Devils. A testament to how good that line was though is the fact that Peebles still made All-ACC Third Team last year.
Peebles is joining All-ACC Second Team defensive end Antwaun Powell-Ryland, which I think will propel his success. Both Ryland and Peebles are players that are double-team threats, but teams are going to have to choose to target one of those players. Both Peebles and Ryland are game breakers, so if offenses elect to block them normally, they could have some problems up front with Aeneas Peebles—and Antwaun Powell-Ryland too.
2. Kyron Drones and Bhayshul Tuten Combine for 2,000 Rushing Yards and 20 Touchdowns
This one might not even be a “hot take” or a “bold prediction” it could just be fact. Kyron Drones didn’t start in every game for the Hokies last year, but still managed to record 818 rushing yards and five touchdowns. That certainly isn’t going to stop heading into next year, and neither will Bhayshul Tuten.
Tuten had 863 yards and 10 touchdowns, which brings the backfield total to 1681 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. Now it’s not unreasonable to say that in a full season, Drones and Tuten could combine for 319 more yards and five more touchdowns. These are both focal points of the Hokies offense and could be set for big years.
3. Dorian Strong Leads Country in Interceptions
On one hand, this seems obvious, lowest completion rate allowed, a few picks the season before, seems like a no brainer for a guy to make a huge jump in interception numbers. The only problem I have with this prediction is Strong’s coverage might be too good. Strong might not have wide receivers even get a step on him, and could not be targeted throughout the season.
Regardless, Strong is a ball hawk. A true coverage man-to-man guy that can lock down any receiver in the country with no issue. He had the lowest completion rate allowed at the FBS level, and he simply does not allow wide receivers to get open. Dorian Strong is incredible, I wouldn’t be shocked if he could pick up upwards of eight interceptions on the season.
4. Antwaun Powell-Ryland Has 5 Sacks In One Game, New Hokie Record
Antwaun Powell-Ryland already has tied for the record for most sacks in a game with 4. That record is shared with J.C. Price, Bruce Smith—on two occasions, and Morgan Roane.
With the addition of the aforementioned Aeneas Peebles, both of those playmakers could see a lot more action on the defensive line. I completely believe in Ryland’s ability, and with some of the weak offensive lines that Virginia Tech plays this year, it’s surely possible.
5. Layth Ghannam Starts the Season over Montavious Cunningham
This one is less based on my opinion and more based on words from Brent Pry. Pry has said that there has been some experimenting with the offensive line, with one of the lineups being Layth at guard and Montavious on the bench.
Just to preface this, I think Montavious is amazing and putting him on the bench would be a rash decision, but Layth Ghannam has certainly impressed Brent Pry and Ron Crook to earn some starting time. I’m not sure what way Brent Pry will go, as the two-deep depth chart hasn’t been released, but anything can happen for Ghannam and Cunningham.
RJ SCHAFER
RJ Schafer joined the On SI team in 2024, contributing to the coverage of Major League Baseball, Collegiate Basketball, and Collegiate Football at https://www.si.com/college/virginiatech/. Prior to this, RJ built a strong portfolio covering Georgia Tech and the Tigers for the Bleav Network. With a solid background in sports journalism, RJ has conducted interviews with both collegiate and professional athletes, enhancing the depth and authenticity of his reporting. RJ's extensive experience in the sports industry has equipped him with a keen understanding of the dynamics and intricacies of both collegiate and professional sports. His work is focused on providing insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage, making him a trusted voice in the sports community.