Happy New Year Hokies! What a roller coaster of a year 2024 was and while it may not have been the year that Virginia Tech hoped for on multiple fronts, 2025 offers another chance to reach the heights that Hokie fans want and deserve. That includes putting an 88-65 loss to No. 4 Duke in the rear view mirror, where the Hokies brought the effort but were simply outclassed.
2025 kicks off tomorrow for the Hokies with an important ACC Women’s Basketball clash between VT and Florida State before Tech faces Minnesota for the first time on gridiron in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Friday. Meanwhile, Saturday presents one of the Hokies’ best opportunities to get a win in conference play against a Miami team that has been the ACC’s most disappointing and saw Jim Larranaga step down as head coach.
So with that in mind, let’s dive into the Midweek Rundown.
The Midweek Rundown
VT Comes Up Short at Duke: Virginia Tech hung around for the first 10 minutes, but No. 4 Duke used a 17-2 run to take control of the game and never look back on their way to an 88-65 victory over the Hokies. Cooper Flagg was as advertised with 24 points to lead all scorers while Tobi Lawal had an impressive game with 19 points including a career-high 3 threes. Tech’s struggles in the paint (38-22 Duke) and with second chance points (17-3 Duke) proved crucial to the Hokies’ demise inside Cameron Indoor Stadium.
You can read more on what went right and wrong for the Hokies in Durham with Tucker Terry’s recap here.
Ben Hammond Gets First ACC Start: After jumping into the starting lineup recently, Virginia Tech decided to stick with Ben Hammond as their starting point guard for the resumption of ACC play at Duke. It was an uneven performance from Hammond who had two points, four rebounds, three assists, and three turnovers in 22 minutes. It’ll be interesting to see how Hammond grows as he gains more experience against ACC competition.
VT Offers FCS Freshman All-American: Virginia Tech recently offered William & Mary CB Sascha Garcia who was a FCS Freshman All-American this season after having 19 tackles and 11 pass breakups. Garcia has also picked up offers from Wisconsin, Syracuse, West Virginia, Maryland, Cincinnati, Wake Forest, East Carolina, Western Kentucky, and more.
VT Interested in Standout FCS DT: South Dakota State DT Kobe Clayborne tells me that he is been receiving interest from Virginia Tech and has been in contact with DL coach J.C. Price. While the Hokies haven’t offered him yet, he’s definitely a name to monitor after having 34 tackles including 5.5 for loss with 4.5 sacks for one of the best teams in FCS.
Virginia Tech Enjoys NASCAR Experience: One of the unique bowl events being in Charlotte is the trip to Charlotte Motor Speedway for players and coaches to enjoy a few laps at high speeds in a racecar. VT’s time was quite smooth with players and coaches enjoying their experience. It was a tad bumpy for Minnesota prior as PJ Fleck’s car spun out at the start of the event while Max Brosmer saw his car have an engine issue that brought a halt to proceedings to clean the track as reported by beat reporters on site Tuesday.
4* WR/TE Carnell Warren Announces Decision Thursday: During the 2026 Under Armour All-American Game this Thursday, 2026 four-star WR/TE Carnell Warren will announce his collegiate decision. The South Carolinian has been an offensive priority for the Hokies, with plenty of optimism that VT will land his commitment to jump start their 2026 class.
WBB First Team Out in NCAA Tournament Per ESPN: ESPN’s Charlie Creme released his latest Bracketology on Tuesday with Virginia Tech being the First Team Out. The next two games provide a great opportunity for VT to set the tone in their pursuit of another NCAA Tournament bid as they take on a good Florida State team and then hit the road to face Miami.
