Biggest Surprises From Virginia Tech’s First Week of Practice

Virginia Tech’s first week of fall camp has provided plenty to discuss, but two things stand out:

Virginia Tech Athletics

In my eyes, there are two ways to answer the question of what has been the biggest surprise from Virginia Tech's first week of fall camp. One is the players, but the other is a little more difficult to quantify, but perhaps just as important: the atmosphere.

If we're talking strictly about players, two young wide receivers have been among the more interesting names to emerge from the first week of practice. Luke Stuewe isn't exactly a completely unknown commodity. The redshirt freshman — or, more accurately in the modern college football landscape, second-year player that's a sophomore in academics — has been around the program for a year.

The 6-foot-2 receiver has the physical profile to be an intriguing piece of Virginia Tech's offense, and the early returns have been encouraging. He's been mentioned repeatedly as one of the young players making an impression during the opening portion of camp.

Virginia Tech has a veteran-heavy load at the top, with players such as Ayden Greene and Que'Sean Brown expected to play significant roles. There are also experienced options behind them, meaning Stuewe isn't walking into a situation where snaps are simply handed to him.

Then there's Davion “FatRat” Brown, a true freshman. Brown arrived in Blacksburg with plenty of upside, but true freshmen are rarely treated as immediate contributors until they prove otherwise. The fact that his name continues to come up early in camp is significant.

If Brown can force his way into the rotation and give offensive coordinator Ty Howle another explosive option, that represents a substantial win for the Hokies. The other answer is harder to put on a stat sheet. It's the intensity.

There has been a noticeable physicality to the practices, with players competing hard and the energy seemingly staying high throughout the sessions. That's not necessarily something that can be measured, but it is something that has been difficult to miss.

Head coach James Franklin has talked repeatedly about changing the culture — in his own words, he's not the same James Franklin — and establishing a different standard. Early in camp, the Hokies appear to be playing with an edge, though there is a difference between being energetic and being genuinely competitive.

Virginia Tech went 3-9 last season, and it brought in Franklin to resuscitate the program. While one week of August practices does not tell us whether Virginia Tech is going to win six games, eight games or more this fall, the temperament of the team is at least worth noting. The Hokies don't appear to be going through the motions, and they appear to have a new fire.