Virginia Tech LB Alan Tisdale Eligible After Missing First Six Games

After being ineligible for action for the first six games, Virginia Tech LB Alan Tisdale is officially eligible for the Hokies with Tisdale re-emerging on Tech's depth chart and head coach Brent Pry confirming in his weekly press conference to reporters that Tisdale is indeed eligible.

Brent Pry had this to say specifically when asked about the now renewed eligibility of Alan Tisdale.

"Alan's a veteran player. He's done everything right to put himself back in position to play, regained his eligibility Sunday so we're thankful for that for him first of all. He's worked really hard and embraced his role even though he was frustrated and really brought value on the scout team each and every practice. Glad it worked out for him," Pry said.

The will LB spot has been a spot full of inconsistency for the Hokies with guys like Jaden Keller and Jayden McDonald showing promise, but not being able to string things together on a consistent basis. Pry recognizes that Tech has lots of questions at the will LB spot and is excited to see if Tisdale can provide the answer that the Hokies are looking for.

"And then obviously for us with question marks at that spot; and there's been improvement from Keller and McDonald, Keli hasn't probably had the opportunities at the other 2, but there's been improvement, it's just not where we need it to be. So I'm excited to see what Alan can bring and if he can sure us up at that spot."

There's no doubt that having a guy like Alan Tisdale eligible should provide an immediate boost for the Hokies at will LB. Yes, he was getting pushed heavily by a promising Jaden Keller during fall camp and yes, Keller has been inconsistent since then which may make you wonder if Tisdale can actually be an upgrade.

But unlike Keller, Tisdale has a long reputation as a double-digit game starter over the past three seasons racking up 195 tackles including 17 for loss with 5.5 sacks during the first three seasons of his career at Virginia Tech. That type of experience combined with his athletic traits that make him a good fit in coverage plus the fact that he is coming off a 2021 season where he was the clear starter for the first time in his career should all be encouraging in believing he can provide a boost to Tech's linebacking corps immediately.