There was plenty of excitement when the Hokies landed an experienced starting offensive lineman in Montavious Cunningham after the 2023 season. However, that excitement quickly faded last September when it became clear that Cunningham was not in the offensive line rotation or even particularly close.
At that time, it seemed like Cunningham was bound to be a backup at best during his time at Virginia Tech. However, the Hokies shook up the offensive line staff this offseason replacing Ron Crook with West Virginia's Matt Moore, who also brought his assistant Jens Danielsen with him.
That change has benefitted plenty of people, but no one has appeared to benefit more than Cunningham.
After being buried on the depth chart last season, Cunningham has emerged as the first team right guard and appears to be well on his way to starting week 1 against South Carolina even after the addition of Auburn transfer Jaden Muskrat this spring. While Cunningham's rise is a surprise to most, it isn't a shock to head coach Brent Pry in some ways.
"Honestly, he's had the athleticism, he's had the traits, he's strong," Pry said. "He's got traits of a three-technique, of a D-tackle. He's twitchy, he's got agility, he's sudden at times. That's what we need."
