Let’s get right to it.

You all know what happened today: Sean Glennon is Virginia Tech’s starting quarterback, and the coaches plan to redshirt Tyrod Taylor. This move clearly makes sense. While Taylor might end up being a better quarterback than Glennon down the road, they’re fairly even right now—at least according to everything the coaches have told us media mongrels.

So if all things are equal, why not save a year for the only guy who has a year left to save? (Glennon obviously can’t redshirt; he’s a fifth-year senior.) Tech’s current freshman class is a highly regarded group that will only be better with a guy like Taylor quarterbacking it (and his presence on the roster seems to help recruiting). Think about it: Taylor will be at Tech for that group’s second, third and fourth years—when they’re likely to be blossoming—rather than their first, second and third years.

I don’t really buy the idea that Taylor’s feet this season would have vastly improved an offense with question marks at wide receiver and tailback. Taylor would run for, what, 60 or 70 yards a game? There would no doubt be a few clutch plays in there, but they wouldn’t transform an offense from ugly to effective. The receivers and tailbacks have to improve independent of whomever plays quarterback in order for this offense to become productive.

A secondary issue in all this is whether fifth-year senior Cory Holt will be ready to play significant snaps. I get the sense from talking to quarterbacks coach Mike O’Cain that if Glennon suffers an injury that forces him to miss just one week in the middle of the season, the coaches would not burn Taylor’s redshirt. Is Holt capable of handling a game like, say, Maryland on Nov. 6, a Thursday nighter in Lane Stadium?

O’Cain said it’s hard to say how long Holt needs with the second team in practice before he’s ready. He’s pleased with the way Holt has practiced and believes he could surprise people. But remember—and O’Cain pointed this out—Holt played receiver from the beginning of last preseason right up until the beginning of this preseason.

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WAIT, THERE ARE OTHER GUYS ON THE TEAM BESIDES QUARTERBACKS?

Other than the quarterback soap opera coming to an end, it was a pretty routine day at the Tuesday media gathering.

(Quick aside: CNN is interviewing Charles Barkley at the Democratic National Convention right now. I unmuted the TV for a moment and heard the reporter ask Barkley, with a straight face, about his prospects of running for political office. Good grief. And I thought sportswriters grasped at straws for stuff to write/talk about.)

Anyway, there were a couple items of local note to report out of today ...

- As expected, sophomore Davon Morgan (Varina)—the only freshman besides Taylor who didn’t redshirt last season—beat out Dorian Porch for the starting rover job.

- Redshirt freshman right tackle Blake DeChristopher (Clover Hill) has caught quite a bit of grief from his teammates for his bushy beard. “He’s gonna be a good player,“ senior center Ryan Shuman said. “Even better beard.“ Shuman passed along one comment the linemen sometimes say to DeChristopher about his mountain-man facial hair: “Who’s gonna block that five technique, you or your beard?

- I’ll have a story sometime next week on Jim Brown, who was a year ahead of DeChristopher at Clover Hill. Brown, a junior at Tech, made the team today during a walk-on try-out that attracted 15 students. Three other students made it, too. I heard over the summer from colleague Fred Jeter that Brown was trying out, so I figured it would make a neat story. I spent some time with Brown over the weekend and shadowed him today as he realized a dream he’s been working toward since the spring. So keep your eyes peeled for that story.

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HOOPS ON THE HORIZON

Tech’s basketball schedule came out today. Games I’m looking forward to covering ...

- Puerto Rico Tip-Off tournament (if the big wigs let me go, and that’s a big if)
- Dec. 1 against Wisconsin (best non-conference home game of the year)
- Dec. 9 at Georgia (Athens is an amazing town with a hard-to-top live music scene)
- Jan. 4 at Duke (Cameron is a sports experience unto itself)
- Feb. 8 against N.C. State (the Wolfpack has won six straight over Tech—a compelling storyline heading into this one)
- Feb. 14 at Maryland (gotta love hearing the latest creative aim-for-the-crotch comments spewed from the Turtle student section)
- Feb. 25 at Clemson (Littlejohn Coliseum had an awesome atmopshere when Tech played there last season, and I can’t wait to wolf down a cheeseburger steak—smothered in gravy and onions, as the good Lord intended it—at a local joint called Mac’s Drive In.)
- And of course the ACC tournament is always a blast.

One thing to check out: Take a look at the other teams in the Puerto Rico tournament. Depending on how things play out, Tech could end up facing some pretty good teams. Memphis, Xavier and Southern California appear to be the class of the tournament. Obviously, it’s way too early to mention RPI—even though I just did—but facing a high-quality opponent could only help the Hokies make the NCAA tournament, which is something anyone following this team should reasonably expect them to do.

Posted by Darryl Slater in • College Sports • Virginia Tech
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