Alan Tisdale Returns For Virginia Tech Football While Miami Looms

Presumably, Virginia Tech linebacker Alan Tisdale will play his first snaps of the 2022 season on Saturday vs. Miami. He missed the first six games of the year due to an eligibility issue, according to head coach Brent Pry.

Tisdale was officially cleared on Sunday and was listed as the No. 1 Will linebacker on Tech’s depth chart Tuesday morning.

“Alan’s a veteran player,” Pry said in his weekly press conference. “He’s done everything right to put himself in position to play. … We’re thankful to him for that, first of all. He’s worked really hard and embraced his role, even though he was frustrated. And really brought value to the scout team each and every practice. And [we’re] glad it worked out for him.”

Tisdale was listed on the team’s depth chart ahead of the season-opener against Old Dominion but did not travel. The following Tuesday, Pry said his status was “week-to-week.”

Tisdale’s stayed busy since the beginning of the year, practicing with the scout team while occasionally taking a rep on the varsity field. With a revolving door at Will linebacker recently — Jayden McDonald, Jaden Keller nor Keli Lawson could get a handle on the starting job — Tisdale’s return is welcomed.

“Obviously for us, with question marks at that spot, and there’s been improvement from Keller, from McDonald,” Pry said. “Keli hasn’t probably had the opportunities like the other two, but there’s been improvement. It’s just not where we need it to be. So I’m excited to see what Alan can bring and if he can shore us up at that spot.”

The 6-3, 225-pound redshirt senior from Greensboro, N.C. has 18 starts and 35 appearances in three seasons. In 2021, he recorded 84 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.

Pry said even though Tisdale hasn’t taken the field for Virginia Tech this year, he can still play fast at the highest level.

“He understands fits and leverages and angles and can more quickly ID things,” Pry said. “That obviously brings a ton of value. It was great for our scout teams to understand and for our team to understand. … Here’s a guy that had been a starter that had to be relegated to a different role, and the way he embraced it and made the most of it impacted our football team and really was an inspiration for those guys over there.

“To see it work out where he regains his eligibility and he’s at midseason and has an opportunity to still have a good year and to help the football team and to help our defense and have a good year for himself. He’s a really good kid. He handled it great, and I’m excited for him.”

Tisdale is used to playing alongside Mike linebacker Dax Hollifield, too. Since 2019, they’ve shared the field 34 times together. Hollifield led the Hokies in tackles in 2021 with 92; Tisdale wasn’t far behind in fourth.

Sixth-year defensive end Jaylen Griffin was practicing at linebacker when Tisdale first entered the program in 2018. They’ve stayed close throughout their time in Blacksburg, and Griffin said the most impressive thing about Tisdale has been his resilience during this frustrating situation.

“I haven’t seen him down throughout this whole process,” Griffin told reporters on Tuesday. “That’s something I really commend him for. … Smile on the face, like you would never think that this is going on with him this whole entire time.

“Him being back is just going to bring another aspect to the game as far as seniority, a veteran. He has multiple snaps just like I have and most of our defense [has]. It’s just going to click better I think.”

Depth Chart and Injury Notes

Virginia Tech released its updated depth chart on Tuesday morning, and Pry clarified some injury news to reporters.

Malachi Thomas is back listed as the team’s No. 1 running back. He’s fully healthy now, which was obvious after he carried the ball 15 times for 84 yards and a touchdown at Pitt.

“I think it jump-started not just the offense but the defensive players, seeing him run like that and his mindset and toughness,” Pry said of Thomas’s return. “He’s a big-bodied guy that gets positive yards, so I think it was motivating for the entire team to see him kind of come around and run the way he does.”

Keshon Artis is back listed as the team’s No. 2 Mike linebacker behind Dax Hollifield. In addition, six players were removed from the depth chart after last week: defensive end Kyree Moyston, Will linebackers Jaden Keller and Keli Lawson, Mike linebacker Will Johnson and safeties Jalen Hoyle and Nyke Johnson.

Cam Johnson is listed at one of the No. 2 cornerback spots ahead of DJ Harvey, who did not play at Pitt due to a minor injury he was nursing. Wide receiver Jadan Blue returned punts in Harvey’s absence.

“[Harvey] wasn’t able to have a full week of practice, so we’d be interested in seeing what Jadan could do anyways,” Pry said. “It gave us the opportunity to do that. We’re going to kind of take a look at it through the week here to decide who will field punts for us Saturday.”

Wide receiver Kaleb Smith left the Pitt game after taking a huge hit in the second half and did not return. Pry “feels good” about Smith’s status, though he isn’t as confident about Stephen Gosnell, who was injured at North Carolina on Oct. 1.

Defensive end TyJuan Garbutt did not travel to Acrisure Stadium due to a nagging injury, and Pry said the big test will be how he practices on Tuesday afternoon.

Cornerback Dorian Strong also did not make the trip to Pitt for Virginia Tech. He’s dealing with a hand injury suffered against West Virginia in late September, and Pry said he’s a “long shot” for Saturday vs. Miami.