It is an awkward time for the team and coaches.

Losing so many defensive players "early" definitely hurt and set the development of the defense back a year or two.

Losing JJ probably hurt Fuente and Cornelson the most. Willis is a fine QB, but the repour and comfort level Fuente and Cornelson had with JJ cannot be built over night with a new (to the program) QB.

One thing I have noticed is Fuente likes to control things, and with so much youth and inexperience he has lost that control/comfort level (temporarily, this season). Maybe it is Fuente who needs to learn to adjust, roll with the unexpected punches... but many injuries have occurred on top of a major thinning of personnel, leaving Fuente very little to work with, all of a sudden. Usually it is an opportunity for younger players to reach the field, but when so many are not ready to play college football at a high level... there's little any coach or player can do in a situation like this, until the players gain experience and strength. Time.

I'm sure Fuente does not want to have a losing season... he is competitive.

I will say that the offense seems to be underperforming, regardless of losing JJ. It doesn't seem like it is Willis' fault either. I don't know if he is making the right reads/decisions. The OL seems adequate, and better than it has been in the past decade, but we still see some issues there. I'm not sure if it is a lack of discipline, or youth, or combination of both that is a problem, but there seems to be snap exchange issues every game, and false starts (at the worst possible times).

Many posts have suggested that S&C coaches aren't effective. I'm here to suggest that pressing youth into action before they are physically developed, isn't necessarily the S&C coaches fault. It probably takes two years in the S&C program for a player to be physically ready to compete against rSrs. I bet half the team hasn't been in the program for 2 years.

So, is it really the players' faults or the coaches'? Technically yes and no. The coaches needed to recruit better, so young players could develop at a normal rate, but I'm not even going to suggest the coaches aren't recruiting well. Maybe Fuente needs to adjust his assessment of players to include the likelihood of players leaving the program early, one way or another. As for the players... there's a lot more to it than being athletic enough to play, there's a physical, emotional, and a mental level a player needs to achieve before getting out on the field. Again VT has reached a limit of ready to contribute players. Most teams have rSos and rJrs behind starters who are ready to play, but VT has lost that cushion at a lot of positions.

What VT is going through is normal for most teams, but fans tend to compare VT with the best teams, as a measuring stick and desire for VT to be a top team. We won't be happy with the results this year... not the fans, not the players, not the coaches. IIWII this year. I expect VT to be considerably better next year. Seems like VT has the pieces to be good, they are just not quite ready... and will get some players back from injuries for next year.