Hokies Open 2008 Football Practice Today

The day everyone has been waiting for has arrived. The Virginia Tech football
team opens practice today in preparation for the 2008 football season, which
begins on August 30 against East Carolina in Charlotte.

105 players reported to Blacksburg on Sunday, and many are new faces to
Virginia Tech fans. HokieSports.com also updated their roster with new heights,
weights and jersey numbers. For those of you unfamiliar with the freshmen and
their numbers, here is a list.

Keep those numbers in mind. You might need them if you decide to attend one of
Virginia Tech three open scrimmages during the month of August. For the second
year in a row, head coach Frank Beamer has decided to allow the public to attend
Tech’s three main fall scrimmages, which will be held in Lane Stadium.

The scrimmage dates are Tuesday, August 12, Saturday August 16 and Friday,
August 22, and they’ll begin at 3:15. Scrimmages are critical for players,
because their performances in those game-like situations can determine whether
they are sliding up or down the depth chart. If you really want to get a feel
for how certain players are looking in the preseason, check out one or more of
these scrimmages. They’ll be held in Lane Stadium, and admission is free.

A number of things must get sorted out over the course of the next few weeks.
We’ll cover these in more detail as the days go by, but for how, here’s a
short list.

• Quarterback: Glennon, Taylor, or both. From what we hear, it’s likely
  both.
• Tailback: Tech has a lot of guys who could potentially start. The depth
  chart is open.
• Wide receiver: Zach Luckett is the top man here, but he only has two
  career catches.
• Defensive tackle: The starters should be fine, but Tech must find a 4th
  tackle.
• Linebacker depth: Bud Foster needs to find some depth behind his
  starters, particularly at backer.

There is also the possibility that more freshman than usual could end up
playing. The team will practice in just shorts, helmets and t-shirts for the
first few days. We’ll start getting an idea about which freshmen can
contribute once the pads go on, specifically after that first scrimmage on
August 12.