When RB/WR Raheem Blackshear left Rutgers for Virginia Tech, I figured from his profile the Hokies were bringing him in as a jet-sweep specialist. At 5’9”, 192, he’s low and dense, and as a tailback he’s used to carrying the ball in traffic. Compare that to the lanky traditional receivers Tech used on jet sweeps, and the frequent fumble issues that resulted from their carries. Jerry Kill seemed to love him (as his former OC at Rutgers), which meant he had a combination of skill, work ethic, and competitiveness that would allow him to excel at just about any role the Hokies decided to use him.

The only problem with my theorizing is that Blackshear didn’t run these plays. Pro Football Focus charted him as running a grand total of four receiver rushes in his entire career at Rutgers. Instead, Blackshear was a whiz at running off-tackle/off-end (especially on Split-Zone), in the tailback screen and swing game, and catching short throws in the slot. Sam Rogers is the last Hokie I can think of who did all these things, albeit in a fullback’s body. Also like Rogers, Blackshear was also all over the field. He lined up at wing, in-line TE, slot, as a #1 receiver, all over the backfield as a tail- and fullback in the gun and I-formation, and even in the gun on direct snaps. He was also used as a returner.

Blackshear’s role changed while he was at Rutgers. In 2017 and 2018, about two-thirds of his snaps had him in the backfield, while in 2019 he split his time almost 50/50 between receiver and back (though sometimes he arrived at these destinations by motioning or shifting pre-snap.) As time went on at Rutgers, the offensive coaches viewed him more and more as a receiver. In 2017, he was on the field for 40 pass plays and 39 rushing plays; in 2018, it was 242 pass plays and 142 run plays; and in 2019, he was in on 101 pass plays and only 30 running plays.

Just like Khalil Herbert, Blackshear’s 2019 season was abbreviated by a transfer-minded redshirt, so we don’t have a full picture of him. And thanks to vagaries of NCAA eligibility rulings, we might not get a full picture of him next season, either, if he gets Brock Hoffman’ed. Put all this together and it makes Blackshear an interesting study as well as a malleable option for the Virginia Tech offense.

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