Virginia Tech Hokies Football 2024 Roster Review: Specialists

Beamerball is Just as Important Now as Then

John Schneider – SB Nation

Before we start the player review, let’s look at the overall perspective of the Special Teams situation with the Hokies. We know that in the distant past (It is distant, now, isn’t it?) Frank Beamer personally coached the special teams squads and packed them with starting players and his young future starters filled in holes but were never the featured players. Special Teams received his personal attention, and his personal moniker – Pride and Joy (sometimes Team, sometimes Squad). It might have been the biggest note for Frank to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. The record of success was one thing, but Frank Beamer put a permanent imprint on college football with the label of “Beamerball”. Yes, it had to do with defense, too, but it is crashing, crushing, overwhelming special teams play that characterizes Frank Beamer’s belief that it was a critical phase of the game. He knew they could turn football games, and it certainly did over the years. Just ask the likes of Miami, West Virginia, North Carolina State and a pile more opponents suffering blocked punts and returns for touchdowns – or huge field flips what sort of mayhem Frank’s Pride and Joy caused in football games.

Now, there are lots of players who rotate in and out of Special Teams play. More coaches are prone to using their best bench players needed snap experience than their prime players, but they are always the best bench players. Frank was just a bit different and that made things very different, indeed.

Now, the Pride and Joy is the responsibility of Assistant Coach Stu Holt. Frankly, Holt struggled with things in 2022. The Special Teams – Beamerball moniker seemed to drift over to South Carolina and Frank’s son Shane. That really rankled Hokie Nation, and maybe it was a combination of that and a shift of some responsibilities and help at his main tight ends coach position that 2023 was a very different year for Hokie Special Teams.

Place kicker John Love was nearly automatic. Punter Peter Moore – who just struggled a bit in 2022- shined and was the Special Teams Captain to go with it. Kickoff specialist Kyle Lowe was routinely putting the ball out of play making it nearly impossible for the opposition to return the ball but add to that if it wasn’t Tech wasn’t giving up much return yardage in either punt or kick coverage. The momentum built over the season, you could see the confidence and a touch of swagger come back to the Pride and Joy guys. Holt’s now firmly in charge, comfortable with what he’s doing, using, and developing the talent available to him. It’s good to see and something Virginia Tech and Hokie Nation really need in this program turn-around.

We’ll break this into two sections. The review of the actual roster listed specialists, and then the returners since they are not usually listed specialists but selected from the fast sure handed guys on the team.

Feet, Hands, and Upside-Down Passes

There isn’t a whole lot of movement in the roster for the Specialists for 2024. We already mentioned the presumed, starters – John Love at Kicker, Peter Moore at Punter, and Kyle Lowe at Kickoff Specialist, but there is a silent behind the scenes competition that will play out until the depth chart is finally produced before the first game, and that’s long snapper.

There is some depth being added at place kicker. Two true freshmen have been added to the roster to beef up the future for the Hokies. Lowe and Love aren’t rapidly running out of eligibility, but it’s always prudent to start looking at the future. The team has brought on Aiden Daugherty and Connor McLaughlin to begin the process of learning the college level of place kicking. The question will be regarding kickoff specialist if the NCAA eventually adopts the new NFL or XFL style kickoff format. It’s not here, yet, but the new rules are something to contemplate for the near future at the college level. Having a variety of place kickers as kickoff specialists might be advisable. In either case, it’s likely that Daugherty and McLaughlin will redshirt for their freshman season, and they would be unlikely, short of a full-blown emergency or miracle toe capability, to play in 2024.

John Love is only a redshirt sophomore, who kicks like a seasoned senior, so the obvious pick for starting place kicker. Lowe’s booming kickoffs will probably be a staple again for the season, and not much will change if it doesn’t have to.

Punting and Place Holding duties will remain in the capable hands of Special Teams Captain (2nd year) Peter Moore. Moore is on his final year of eligibility as a redshirt senior and was recently reselected as captain of the Special Teams squad. He is just one of two returning squad Captains, and his work ethic and effectiveness speak for themselves. Even in 2022 with some struggles during the coaching conversion, Moore’s punts were strategic and tactical excellence in 2023. He’s capable of Oscar Bradburn type accuracy, pinning opponents down inside their 20-yard lines. He’s a proven defensive asset with that by flipping the field in Tech’s benefit. He’s also been known to crank off more than a few boomers, thus getting the Hokies out of trouble and improving what could have been disastrous field position on an exchange. Nick Veltsistas backs up Moore very capably but hasn’t seen the field much since it’s not an easy feat getting by Moore’s consistent performances. There are no punters on the roster, behind the two so keeping both healthy is going to be important.

Moore does one other critical function on the team, and it might be the object of the most important function during any game. Moore’s sure hands are also used for the holder position for place kicking. There is never enough emphasis put on the critical importance of fielding a snap, from a kneeling position, getting the laces rotated and the ball placed at the right angle a mere instant before the kicker makes contact with the ball. One slip, tip, or twist in the wrong place and a sure PAT, or Field Goal goes sailing off course. It’s a surprisingly complicated dance that involves three players that must have absolute confidence in each other and function in near automatic mode. And that brings us to the wildcard new person on the block.

With the graduation of Justin Pollock, who replaced the great Oscar Shadley, Tech was in serious need of a starting Long Snapper. There just wasn’t a starting quality player on the Tech roster at the end of 2022, and Long Snappers don’t come, standing in line, to play football.

Last season, redshirt sophomore Christian Epling played and snapped the ball in 12 games. There was a sort of relay exchange between Epling and Pollock with Pollock being the primary Long Snapper for both 2022 and 2023.

Tech reached out to a 2022 Louisiana Tech player looking to transfer to a new school and environment. Griffin Armstrong was a globetrotting (military brat) rugby player who developed a special skill that allowed him to play 12 games of Louisiana Tech’s 2022 season. Coaches Holt and Pry managed to land him last winter, and he spent 2023 working at his skills, learning Coach Holt’s system, and getting prepped.

It’s going to be interesting to see if Epling and Armstrong are relayed like Pollock and Epling were last season. There is a touch of competition from UMass transfer Tate Kendall, but it’s looking much like Kendall is being set for the future. With the evidence at hand, though the three long snappers might all get time on the field depending on the situation. The reality is that each player has experience, but Kendall had just three freshman outings at UMass before he redshirted. Look for him to gain some experience in a new system and build up longer term availability goals.

Now for the Guys Not on a Specialists List

If, short of a disaster or missed kick, the long snapper holder combination is a totally neglected position grouping, at least they have specific mentions in the roster. That’s not so when it comes to the critical position of kick and punt returner.

The Hokies have traditionally averred from naming a return specialist, but last two seasons the repeated explosion of Tucker Holloway out of the punt return backfield has not been missed. Holloway was named to post season accolades (2023 All-ACC Third Team Punt Returner), and preseason watch lists and such, but his status is still largely unknown. As late as the beginning of practice in August, Holloway was still not dressed out, and not even blue shirted. We’ll see what his rehab condition is over the season, but Pry and Holt aren’t saying more than what has already been said about his Spring injury. BTW, Holloway is a crackerjack slot receiver, too, so they are looking to fill his shoes, too.

The potential redshirt for Holloway means that the punt returner position will be open for competition this season. It’s been known in the past that various players have been tried out on the field. We could possibly see Jaylin Lane, Ali Jennings, or another wide receiver or even a defensive back in the slot. It could even be a running back, though it’s unlikely that the coaches would risk tripling up kick returner and starting running-back Bhayshul Tuten for the duties.

Kickoff returns will primarily go to Tuten. He’s already a known quantity – which includes touchdown returns and sure handed ball control in traffic when returning the ball. We’ll probably see a combination of players at the goal line for kickoffs just like the punt return setup, until the coaches feel comfortable with the combinations.

A Full Return to Beamerball, Please

The #25 tradition will continue to be in effect for the Special Teams unit. However, it would be very beneficial for the Hokies to continue that major turnaround that started to claw back the Beamerball tradition from “that other Beamer coached team”.

The 2023 season was a major step in the right direction. The Hokies look to return most of their specialists and their return squad. We’ll just have to wait for Tucker, a true junior, to see what happens and know that he’s got a free redshirt available and the potential of 2025 and 2026 available to him.

Next up for me… The Season Risk Analysis. It’s hard to believe that our first predictions are due out in 8 days. Wow!

All that I have to say is –

GO HOKIES!!!!