Virginia Tech's Tailback Corps Not The Biggest Fish to Fry

Virginia Tech's running backs shouldn't be the biggest concern. What should be?

Sep 27, 2025; Raleigh, N.C.; Virginia Tech running back Marcellous Hawkins (27) scores a touchdown. | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

While Virginia Tech's backfield warrants a slight tweaking, it should not be viewed as the Hokies’ most pressing concern. That distinction belongs elsewhere — specifically, up front.

Happy New Year Hokie Nation ! 🎉 pic.twitter.com/X7OQLasBGI

— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) January 1, 2026

If Virginia Tech is going to take a meaningful step forward offensively in 2026, it will start with the “big boys.” The offensive line, battered by injuries and inconsistency, struggled to provide reliable protection throughout the 2025 campaign. Those issues not only limited the run game’s efficiency but also placed starter Kyron Drones under near-constant pressure, disrupting timing and shrinking the playbook.

Protection breakdowns were a recurring theme. Whether on straight dropbacks or extended plays, Drones was often forced to move before routes had time to develop. That lack of stability up front contributed to stalled drives and put additional stress on the skill-position players to create on their own. Even when the Hokies found rhythm, sustaining it proved difficult behind a line that rarely looked settled.

Injuries only compounded the problem. Left tackle Johnny Garrett missed time after going down against Vanderbilt, triggering a reshuffling that underscored the unit’s thin margin for error. Redshirt freshman Aidan Lynch was pressed into action, followed later by Gavin Crawford when Montavious Cunningham also exited. What followed was a stretch where Virginia Tech fielded three redshirt freshmen across the line: Lynch, Crawford and Kyle Altuner, who started the entire season at center.

That level of youth is rarely ideal, especially in the ACC, where defensive fronts are built to exploit hesitation and communication errors. Altuner’s ability to hold down the center position for the full season deserves recognition, but the broader picture remained uneven, with the run game performing solidly but moreso being down to the skill of the ruing backs rather than anything too with the offensive le.

None of this is to suggest that the offensive line lacks potential. On the contrary, the experience gained by younger players could pay dividends moving forward. Lynch and Crawford were forced into meaningful snaps earlier than expected, accelerating their development, while Altuner started from the jump If those lessons translate into improved cohesion, the Hokies could see tangible growth simply from continuity.

Still, banking solely on internal development carries risk. For Virginia Tech to maximize its offensive ceiling, reinforcing the line — through health, depth and crucially, through the transfer portal — should remain a priority. Improved protection would allow the offense to be more balanced, more patient and more explosive downfield, qualities that were sorely lacking this past season.

Until the offensive line becomes a dependable foundation rather than a weekly question mark, the Hokies’ offense will remain capped. Bigger fish, indeed, remain to be fried as we enter Day 4 of this transfer portal cycle.