For the fourth time this fall camp, media members were allowed to be at a portion of Virginia Tech's fall camp practice which came on the first day of the third four-day mini camp for the Hokies. Here's a look at some of my takeaways.
Both Transfers WRs Not Available For Full Practice Currently
Virginia Tech was without their duo of offseason transfer additions at wide receivers from full practice today as Temple transfer and expected Jadan Blue was in a blue non-contact jersey while Stephen Gosnell didn't have pads on and was on the sideline. Brent Pry had a friendly conversation with Gosnell during one part of the open portions of practice.
It's unknown what exactly the injuries are for either though it is a positive that Blue is able to be involved limitedly and may be more of a grind of fall camp knock with the Hokies being cautious due to depth concerns at the WR position.
Gosnell had received a decent amount of praise during fall camp and seemed to be pushing into the second team wide receivers though that may is on hold for now given his injury that had him not in pads though not wearing anything that would hint at a clear or severe injury as a positive.
Media colleagues Andy Bitter of The Athletic and Michael Niziolek didn't notice Dallan Wright on the field either for the Hokies in the second-straight open portions of practice that we've gotten to see.
Malachi Thomas Is "Unavailable", Not at Practice Again
Malachi Thomas was not at practice again today after not being there on Wednesday though a VT spokesman said at the time that it was due to an academic commitment. It is unclear why Thomas wasn't at practice today as a VT spokesman simply said Thomas was "unavailable".
In the meantime, that would mean Jalen Holston will operate in practice as the #1 RB while Keshawn King and Bryce Duke appear to be the top two behind Holston with Thomas "unavailable" today.
Tucker Holloway Working With Second Team, Faces Tough DB Test
Of Virginia Tech's two true freshman wide receivers, Tucker Holloway is having the stronger fall camp so far with Holloway getting plenty of throws from Jason Brown who has been primarily been throwing to what is presumed to be the second team.
We also got to see a WR-DB competition drill testing ability to handle press coverage today where Holloway was matched up twice with Tech's star CB Dorian Strong in a move that seemed to be a test to evaluate Holloway's skills and do so against top end competition. He also faced off against fellow true freshman Cam Johnson who won the battle and continues to look like a very promising young cornerback.
Holloway is known for his very good speed and seems to be adapting better than his fellow true freshman WR Xayvion Turner-Bradshaw which is not what many would have predicted. Though it's unclear how far up the depth chart Holloway truly is due to some injuries higher up, it's clear that he's at least pushing his way into the conversation for playing time behind the lead trio of Kaleb Smith, Da'Wain Lofton, and Jadan Blue.
Cole Nelson and Jaylen Griffin Face Off Side-By-Side in Drill
It seems that J.C. Price likes pairing starters or key matchups alongside each other in drills as many coaches like to do with Cole Nelson and Jaylen Griffin side-by-side in one drill we got to see today.
We talked yesterday about how CJ McCray got some spotlight time in a way doing a drill alongside two of Tech's top DTs Norell Pollard and Mario Kendricks in a sled drill while Nelson and Griffin got to indirectly match up in a drill today.
Griffin has told us that he feels the technical side of the game is one of his strengths and that showed in some drills while McCray seems like he may be the best athlete among the three DEs. Nelson may be the best combination of athleticism and technique which may give him the ultimate edge though it's hard to really get a clear picture on the development of that battle at the moment.
Promising Kyree Moyston
The media are usually limited to the area between the indoor and outdoor practice fields which means that the defensive line has been quite far away with the defense working outside and the offense working inside.
Until today.
Yes, they did indeed flip who was inside and who was outside to start their practice today so that meant up close viewing of the defense including true freshman DE Kyree Moyston.
I didn't get to see too much of Moyston but there's no doubt that he has loads of upside due to the tremendous acceleration and explosion he has being able to hit a high gear quickly on one drill that can show off speed explosion along with bend and flexibility (or stiffness if not so good). Moyston definitely looked the part of someone who has massive upside as a speed, edge rusher while also having the frame to put on more good weight.
Though Moyston may not be in the two-deep this season, there are definitely some athletic traits that are major pluses for a DE and show the massive upside that he has.
