True Freshmen Report: ACC Comparison

Bryan Hudson Virginia Tech
Bryan Hudson (61) raised his game against North Carolina. (Ivan Morozov)

Ten true freshmen have played for Virginia Tech this season, with one defensive player making his special teams debut against North Carolina this past weekend.  However, three of them are still eligible to redshirt, and likely will redshirt.  Let’s take a look at the latest numbers for the Hokies’ true freshmen.

WR Tayvion Robinson: 7 special teams snaps, 223 offensive snaps, 230 total snaps.  Robinson has now appeared in all seven games for the Hokies.  However, with Tre Turner and Damon Hazelton both finally healthy at the same time, and with the Hokies going with more power formations, he only played 17 snaps against North Carolina.  His snap count could vary for the rest of the season, depending on Tech’s gameplan.

DT Mario Kendricks: 3 special teams snap, 149 defensive snaps, 152 total snaps.  Kendricks has appeared in all seven games for the Hokies, and it appears as if he’ll continue to play a major role from now until the end of the season.  He hasn’t been quite as prolific as his fellow true freshman Norell Pollard, but the talent level is obviously there.

DT Norell Pollard: 19 special teams snaps, 243 defensive snaps, 262 total snaps.  Pollard has played in all seven games, and he’s been a disruptive player for the Hokies.  With DaShawn Crawford still injured and Rob Porcher hitting the transfer portal, Pollard played a career-high 70 snaps against UNC, with his previous high being 44 snaps against Miami.  He also recorded his second-highest PFF score at 74.5.  He had a score of 75.1 in just 18 snaps against Boston College.  Pollard has rapidly developed into one of the best true freshman defensive tackles in the country.  He is the fifth-highest rated true freshman Power 5 defensive tackle out of 14 who qualified at a 150-snap minimum.  The four players ahead of him were all 4-star recruits, so the Hokies got a major steal.

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