Extra Point: Hokies receiving corps looks to build on strong season
Regardless who winds up being the starting quarterback or how quickly the offensive line players adjust to their new roles, one thing's sure for Virginia Tech’s football in the upcoming season: the wide receivers and tight ends will look to build on a successful season.
Tight Ends:
After missing the 2013-2014 season with a left rotator cuff tear/labral tear, senior tight end Ryan Malleck bounced back last year with only a few injuries throughout the season. As last year progressed, the 6-foot-5, 245-pound tight end found himself playing a vital role in pass protection and run blocking for the Hokies.
“Malleck is just about as solid of a football player as I've been around,” said quarterback Michael Brewer. “He's kind of the glue out there.”
For the season overall, Malleck logged 820 plays, 705 at tight end and 115 on special teams, and despite blocking for most of those plays, he still racked up catching 24 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns. Look for Malleck to help the Hokies run game and pass protection once again, as well as being a threat in the red zone alongside Bucky Hodges.
“I think Malleck is going to play a really big role this year, just because we’ve gotten so much better on the outside,” Brewer said.
First emerging as a talented tight end with Logan Thomas, redshirt sophomore Kalvin Cline looks to bounce back from a knee injury that held him to just two games last year. Likely the second pass catching option behind teammate Hodges, Cline looks to build on his freshman year when he caught 26 passes, tied for second most for a tight end in the Frank Beamer Era. He had 321 yards and two touchdowns in his debut season.
Bursting onto the scene in his freshman year last season, Hodges recorded 45 receptions in the season, the most ever for a freshman tight end at Tech, while racking up 526 yards and six touchdowns. As a result, Hodges was named a Freshman All-American last season and third team ACC, so with a year now under his belt, the sky’s the limit for Hodges this season. His large frame, in conjunction with his speed and athleticism, is a mismatch against opposing defenses, particularly in the red zone.
“A guy who’s 6-foot-6, 250 (pounds) that can run like that is a big matchup problem, what are you going to do?” Brewer said. “A guy like Bucky, he just creates mismatches all around the field.”
Wide Receivers:
Sophomores Isaiah Ford and Cam Phillips will be the two primary receivers for the Hokies this coming season. Both played in every game last season as freshmen, combining for 96 catches, 1,207 yards and nine touchdowns.
Isaiah Ford set freshman records for both total receptions and receiving yards, with 56 catches and 709 yards.
Out of the 13 games last season, including Virginia Tech’s Military Bowl, Ford and Phillips led the team in receiving yards in seven games, with Ford noting four games and Phillips having three. With a season of experience, the two should come back even better.
The Hokies hope to get help from other receivers, including Deon Newsome, Kevin Asante, Joel Caleb and Demitri Knowles.
Going into last year, looking to have a breakout year, redshirt senior Knowles was derailed.
“I had an injury just before camp,” Knowles said. “Honestly I thought I’d be back in time, but it didn’t end up happening.”
Knowles has stayed in shape and stayed competitive in his time off the field by running track.
“I ran track. I hadn’t ran since I was a freshman, having a gap of years in between, but I did it to get my edge back,” he said.
Knowles will prove to be a versatile piece to the Hokie offense and is ready to play whatever the team needs of him, whether it be special teams duties returning kickoffs or running jet sweeps.
“Between Newsome, Demitri and Asante, we’re looking for at least two of those guys to really step up and help us big time next year and be in the rotation,” Brewer said.