When Virginia Tech takes the field for its next game, Nov. 6 against Maryland, the Hokies could have two redshirt freshmen at tailback, three freshmen (including a redshirt) at wide receiver and a fifth-year senior quarterback who, before being pressed into duty last Saturday, had never played a meaningful snap in his career.

Asked if he has ever entered a game with such inexperience at his skill positions, Tech coach Frank Beamer didn’t hesitate. “Never,“ he said.

So why are the Hokies so inexperienced? Why did their 66-man travel roster for their most recent game, at Florida State, include 32 players who are sophomores or younger (six true freshmen, 15 redshirt freshmen, one true sophomore and 10 redshirt sophomores)? Why are seven of their 22 starters seniors? Why are there just 10 seniors in the two-deep, compared to 11 freshmen? (That includes NINE freshmen in the offensive two-deep.)

To answer those questions, you just have to look at Tech’s 2005 and 2006 recruiting classes. Of the 23 members of the 2005 class (who would be seniors or fourth-year juniors right now), eight are no longer with the program. Of the 20 members of the 2006 class (who would be juniors or third-year sophomores), 12 are no longer with the program. That’s 20 of 43 players for those classes.

(Side note: I am counting the players in the classes with which they originally signed.)

Throw the 18-member class of 2004 in there, too. (I’m not counting quarterback Cory Holt and free safety D.J. Parker in this group because they originally signed in 2003.) Eleven members of that 2004 class left Tech with eligibility remaining, though one was cornerback Brandon Flowers, who had a strong career and did the right thing when he left early for the NFL.

But of the 61 members of the classes of 2004-06, 31 are either never came to Tech or left the program with eligibility remaining. That kind of attrition takes a toll.

Looking at it by position, six of those 31 were offensive linemen and five were wide receivers. Offensive line has been one of Tech’s thinnest positions, and receiver currently is its thinnest. Six of those 31 were defensive linemen.

We’ll break each class down into three categories: currently factoring in (meaning a starter or back-up who plays regularly), with the team, not with the team.

2005
CURRENTLY FACTORING IN (11)
QB Greg Boone—now at tight end
P Brent Bowden
CB Victor Harris
FB Kenny Jefferson
S Cam Martin—now at whip linebacker
CB Dorian Porch—now at rover
DT Sergio Render—now at right guard
LB Demetrius Taylor—now at defensive end
DT Cordarrow Thompson
CB Stephan Virgil
TE Ed Wang—now at left tackle

WITH THE TEAM (4)
RB Jahre Cheeseman
DE Steven Friday
OT Richard Graham
DT Hivera Green—now at left guard

NOT WITH THE TEAM (8)
OT Eric Davis
RB Elan Lewis
WR Todd Nolen (signed again in 2006)
OL Robert Norris
OL Antonio North
LB Deveon Simmons
DE William Wall
QB Ike Whitaker – switched to receiver, indefinitely suspended and unlikely to return

2006
CURRENTLY FACTORING IN (5)
LB Nekos Brown – now at defensive end
QB Kam Chancellor – now at free safety
DE John Graves – now at defensive tackle
TE Andre Smith
DE Jason Worilds (last name was Adjepong when he signed)

NOT WITH THE TEAM (12)
DT Ladi Ajiboye
OT Aaron Brown
OT Clark Crum
S/CB Mario Edwards
DE Mike Gee
DT Joey Hall
WR Zach Luckett – indefinitely suspended but could return
WR Douglas McNeil
DB Devin Radford
DT Daryl Robertson
FB Devven Sutton
LB Matt Wright

WITH THE TEAM (3)
OL Beau Warren – now at center
WR Jacob Sykes—now at cornerback
ATH Rashad Carmichael – now at cornerback

***

Also consider, to a lesser degree, the 2004 class, whose members would be fifth-year seniors, unless, like tight end Sam Wheeler, they went to prep school. That group comprised 20 players. (I got to 20 with this group, because for the moment here, we’ll count Holt and Parker.) 

Just five are still with the program: quarterback Sean Glennon, center Ryan Shuman, linebacker Purnell Sturdivant, Holt and Wheeler. Eleven other players left Tech with eligibility remaining: Brandon Holland (offensive line), Kent Hicks, George Bell, Jeremy Gilchrist (receiver), Michael Green, Andrew Bowman, Carl Howard (defensive line), Maurice Reevey, Branden Ore, Theo Miller and Brandon Flowers (who left early for the NFL).

The remaining four members of that class all had strong careers: Parker and receivers Justin Harper, Josh Morgan and Eddie Royal.

An interesting factoid I came across while scanning through these old signing classes. There are still four guys on the team who originally signed with the 2003 class: Holt, linebacker Brett Warren, left guard Nick Marshman and tailback Kenny Lewis Jr. Holt, Warren and Marshman are fifth-year seniors. Holt spent a semester at Hargrave, then enrolled in January 2004. Warren enrolled at the same time, though he didn’t attend prep school. Same for Marshman. Lewis decided to play pro baseball and didn’t enroll until January 2006, so he is just a true junior this season, though he’s out for the rest of the year a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Attrition gutted the Hokies’ 2005 and 2006 recruiting classses.