BLACKSBURG — Virginia Tech football coach Brent Pry said a little more than three weeks ago that he was in favor of the current model of the spring game. He reiterated that point again Tuesday as the Hokies prepared for Saturday’s spring game that is scheduled for 3 p.m. inside Lane Stadium.
"Here at Virginia Tech and for Brent Pry, the traditional spring practice is what I think works here, works for us," the Hokies coach said.
For him, it’s an opportunity to get all of the players accustomed to playing together in front of fans without the high-stakes pressure of an actual game.
“I believe in the spring game,” Pry said earlier this week. “We want our players to gain the experience in the stadium in front of a crowd. We have 39 new guys, and maybe 34 of 35 out here this spring. So it’s good just for those guys to have that opportunity.”
The Hokies had a scrimmage last weekend to give the new players their first glimpse of running plays in Lane Stadium. Saturday’s spring game will offer the chance to do that again, but this time with upwards of 20,000 fans in the stadium.
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“But then the other piece is for our fan base,” Pry said. “So I think it’s important for those two reasons. It’s not about TV to me. It’s about the experience here in Blacksburg on our campus and it’s about our players and coaches getting a little more familiar and comfortable with being down in Lane Stadium.”
The spring game will offer the first glimpse at what the offense and defense will look like with new coordinators. Philip Montgomery and Sam Siefkes were hired in the offseason to guide the offense and defense, respectively, and both began installing the base concepts of their respective schemes during the first 14 spring practices.
Tech is expected to keep the play calls fairly simple for the spring game.
“It’s not about scheme,” Pry said. “It’s about evaluating and getting better, having another chance to be in the stadium and the atmosphere for our fan base.”
Pry said on Tuesday the format for Saturday’s spring game will be similar to the one used last season with the roster and coaching staff divided evenly between two teams. That changed Friday when Tech announced the spring game will be offense versus defense. The offense will wear orange jerseys, and the defense will wear white jerseys.
The first quarter will be 15 minutes with traditional in-game clock stoppages being applied. The second, third and fourth quarters will feature 12-minute running clocks.
“I want the first half to function as much like a game as we can. I think it’s a really good experience for our guys,” Pry said. “And then the second half, it’s a little bit about getting in what we need to get in and get done and getting out of there injury-free.”
A 15-minute halftime will feature the coaching staff presenting awards for the spring practice.
Different type of television broadcast
The Hokies’ recent spring games have been streamed live on ACC Network Extra and ESPN Plus and then full-game replays were shown on later dates on the ACC Network.
That won’t be the case Saturday.
Virginia Tech is one of 15 ACC programs that elected to opt into producing behind-the-scenes programming for their respective college networks instead of televising traditional spring football showcases. Those shows, expected to be one hour each, will be aired at a date and time to be determined.
Virginia and Georgia Tech are the only two ACC programs that are broadcasting their spring games. The Cavaliers will be on the ACC Network on Saturday at noon, while the Yellow Jackets will be streamed on ACC Network Extra and ESPN Plus on Saturday at 1 p.m.
“It was our choice not to be on TV, but you know, you can’t control who is sitting in the stands and getting an eyeball on us,” Pry said. “But we’ll keep it pretty vanilla like we always do. It’s about seeing kids run around and play fast. It’s the last evaluation piece for a significant group of guys. The guys that are pretty far down the road, they’re not going to play a lot on Saturday. … The guys that need to work will get the work.”
Position groups to watch
Virginia Tech retooled most every position in the offseason. The spring game will provide the first glimpse at how those positions are looking after the first 14 spring practices.
Virginia Tech cornerback Thomas Williams makes a catch during a drill on March 21 in Blacksburg.
Two areas that will be closely monitored are the offensive line and the secondary.
New offensive line coach Matt Moore inherited an offensive line that lost four starters from last season’s team (Xavier Chaplin, Kaden and Braelin Moore and Parker Clements), and he helped reload the group by bringing in West Virginia transfers Tomas Rimac, Kyle Altuner and Lucas Austin, and assistant offensive line coach Jens Danielsen.
Virginia Tech assistant offensive line coach Jens Danielsen (back) instructs backup offensive lineman Elijah Haughawout (right) through a drill on March 21 in Blacksburg.
The secondary will feature plenty of new faces following the departures of Dorian Strong, Mansoor Delane, Mose Phillips III, Jalen Stroman and Jaylen Jones.
Dante Lovett and Thomas Williams are expected to be the top two cornerbacks.
“Thomas Williams has become more and more of a natural corner,” Pry said. “If you remember, he had the injury in Year 1 and didn’t get to do much. So, he’s just kind of growing into the position. There’s a lot of responsibility for him and Dante to be a starter in this defense and to fill the shoes of Dorian and Mansoor. Those are big shoes to fill. So there’s a lot of evaluation and coaching going on at that spot to make sure we’ll be good there.”
Pry highlighted the three freshmen who were signed in December and enrolled in January in Jahmari DeLoatch, Jojo Crim and Knahlij Harrell.
DeLoatch and Crim have spent the entire spring working with the cornerbacks. Harrell has worked with both the cornerbacks and nickelbacks.
“The game’s not too big for any of them,” Pry said. “They play with confidence and swagger – all three of them have made multiple plays in spring practice. I have been pleased with those guys.”
