BLACKSBURG — Virginia Tech’s new coaching staff is closing out fall camp the same way it started — searching for depth.
Tech coach Brent Pry reiterated what he said at media day — “if you’re talking about depth, we need improvement in all areas right now” — on Saturday as the Hokies transition to game prep later this week.
“We don’t have enough depth,” Pry said. “We have to be creative as coaches and be sure that we’re putting guys out there that we can win with.”
Pry said the debates about who will start against Old Dominion on Sept. 2 have mostly been settled. That information won’t be made publicly available until the week of the game, but there’s question marks aplenty beyond that.
“I think there’s still a lot of discussions to be had about the second group,” Pry said. “And some of those discussions are who is in the two deep vs. the three deep. And some of those discussions are you are in the two deep, can we put you out there?”
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Pry used the defense as an example.
He’s still not sure how many backups will be in the rotation across the defense. The staff used Saturday’s scrimmage to find some answers by putting some of the less experienced players in the spotlight to try and develop depth beyond veterans like Dax Hollifield and Chamarri Conner.
That’s looking increasingly likely it will mean relying on some true freshmen to fill key roles whether they enrolled back at mid-year or over summer.
Tech loaded up on offensive lineman (six) and defensive lineman (five) in the 2022 class. Some standouts generating buzz during camp include running back Bryce Duke, wide receiver Tucker Holloway, tight end Dae’Quan Wright and offensive lineman Braelin Moore.
Moore went through spring camp as a defensive tackle, but moved to left guard before summer workouts started. He’s working on the opposite side of the line as his brother Kaden, who started all of Tech’s 13 games last year.
Braelin made an immediate push for playing time in a competition with Jesse Hanson, who spent the entire spring with the first-team offense.
“I think he’ll play some,” Pry said. “I thought you’ll see Braelin in the first week. I thought he’ll play.”
Moore’s rise is a perfect example of what the coaching staff hopes will happen at other positions.
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