Good morning Hokies on this Christmas week Monday! The transfer portal taketh and now the transfer portal giveth as the Hokies have gained six transfer additions over the past few days including Bowling Green star RB Terion Stewart and former 757 four-star S recruit Sherrod Covil Jr from Clemson.

Women’s Basketball took care of their business with a dominant 81-46 victory over Campbell over the weekend. Meanwhile, Men’s Basketball and Wrestling both came up short as MBB lost by 20 in Philly to Saint Joseph’s while #7 Wrestling was blown out by #3 Oklahoma State, losing eight of ten matches. While it wasn’t the best week in competition for the Hokies, the Christmas break presents a chance to rest up and reset before conference play fully begins for all three sports.

So with that in mind, let’s dive into my feature story on this Christmas week.

Virginia Tech Christmas Gifts

It’s Christmas week so in the spirit of Christmas, I am going to share my gifts for various officials, coaches, and players at Virginia Tech.

So let’s dive in, shall we.

Whit Babcock: A President of Football Operations

Babcock’s seat has warmed given the continued failure of Tech football to return to being a consistent ACC contender and nationally relevant program. With Brent Pry also on a warming seat, Babcock seems in a tenuous spot given that it’s rare an AD gets to make a third football hire if the first two fail. Giving him a President of Football Operations who would be responsible for that next hire, whenever that may be, could be what buys Babcock some more time given his successes in many other areas during his tenure.

Brent Pry: An hour on game management with Bill Belichick at an offseason ACC event

When you’re 1-13 in one-score games and have become known in part for what not to do as a head coach in game management situations, it’s time to get a lesson from one of the greatest coaches of all-time. Of course, Miami’s Mario Cristobal would also probably want to join as well given his reputation.

Mike Young: A blank check for NIL

It’s been a rough year for the Hokies and it’s only going to get worse most likely given the level of talent VT has compared to the rest of the ACC, especially after losing Hysier Miller before the season. Mike Young deserves a blank check after the situation that he was put in this year by administration, a blank check to actually keep and develop some of the young talent he has and then go add a lot of talent. But like I said, these are my Christmas gifts so the math doesn’t have to work.

Kyron Drones: A full body massage chair and a suite for the Duke’s Mayo Bowl

This is a two-part gift but given the wear and tear that Kyron Drones has suffered this season, he deserves at least a full body massage chair to help his body heal up. He also should be nowhere near touching that field in Charlotte, so give him a nice suite too for the bowl game so there’s no way he can get in the game whatsoever.

Pop Watson: A Mayo Bowl Start and Patience

Pop Watson may already have the latter gift of patience given that he chose to stick around and likely be the backup for Kyron Drones next season. However, I’d also make sure he’s getting the start in the Mayo Bowl even if Collin Schlee was healthy and able to go. Talking about Schlee…

Collin Schlee: WR Reps for the Mayo Bowl

If Collin Schlee wants to play in the NFL, his future most likely is not at quarterback. However, Schlee has great athleticism and good size, and it’s easy to envision him making a move to wide receiver and potentially have success as plenty of other college quarterbacks have done like Julian Edelman and Antwaan Randle El for example.

The Week in Review Highlights

Hokie of the Week: Virginia Tech Wrestling’s trip to Oklahoma State didn’t go as hoped, but national champion Caleb Henson picked up a major victory by pin that deserves spotlight. Additionally, #14 Rafael Hipolito beat #12 Caleb Fish 20-15 in a top 15 battle as the Brazilian redshirt freshman is looking more and more like an All-American contender at 157 this year.

Stat of the Week: Virginia Tech Men’s Basketball scored six fewer points than their opponents during non-conference play. That number grows to 11 if you include their near upset of Pittsburgh in their ACC opener earlier this month.

While I don’t have an exact year for the last time the Hokies failed to outscore their non-conference opponents overall, I have to imagine it’s been a long, long time. The worse news is that looking ahead, the Hokies are not likely to be favored in a single game the rest of the season. That’s a stunning and nightmarish reality for Virginia Tech.

Quote of the Week: Following his commitment to VT this past week, I message with Clemson S and 757 native Sherrod Covil Jr about why he chose to commit to Virginia Tech. When I asked him about the impact that other VA guys returning home from P4 programs had on his decision like Antwaun Powell-Ryland (Florida), Kelvin Gilliam (Oklahoma), and Kaleb Spencer (Miami); he had this to say.

"Big role. I didn’t realize how much representing Virginia would mean. I knew so many guys in that locker room. Felt like I should’ve always been here.”

Slowly but steadily, more in-state players are taking notice of the opportunities and success that in-state guys are having for the Hokies and are buying in to what they can be if they simply return to Virginia Tech while encouraging VA recruits to go to VT initially rather than later on.

Monday Notes

Dorian Strong Declares for the NFL Draft: Standout Virginia Tech CB Dorian Strong announced this week that he was declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft. The news was not a surprise, but it is important to note that he did have another year of eligibility if he wanted to use it. Instead, he heads to the pros where he should be a day 2 pick at worse in my opinion.

Gunter Brewer Heads to Marshall: Virginia Tech Director of High School Relations Gunter Brewer is heading to Marshall to become the TEs coach for new head coach Tony Gibson according to Zach Barnett of Football Scoop. Brewer had just joined the Hokies this past offseason after previously being the WRs coach at Maryland.

VT Lands Six Transfers: Virginia Tech landed commitments from the following six transfers over the past few days: Clemson S Sherrod Covil Jr, Bowling Green RB Terion Stewart, Central Missouri RB Marcellous Hawkins, Hampton DL Jahzari Priester, East Carolina CB Isaiah Brown-Murray, and Rice S Tyson Flowers.

Hokies Lead for Recent Visitor: Virginia Tech may have three defensive back transfers committed, but the Hokies could use another one with at least some background working at nickel. The good news is that they currently lead for one, which you can read more about here.

Virginia Tech Interested in MAC Starting DT: Virginia Tech is among those interested in a MAC starting DT who just entered the portal Sunday along with two CFB Playoff teams, Texas A&M, Syracuse, and others. Check out more on the Hokies’ interest in him here.

The Week Ahead: Here’s a look at the Virginia Tech Athletics schedule from now through Sunday.

Wednesday (12/25)