1) Does VT carry a 105-man roster? Seems like a lot of extra expense for not much return? — HboroughHokie

Chris Coleman: Yes, Virginia Tech will have a 105-man scholarship roster beginning next season. Brent Pry confirmed it at media day on Tuesday. It’s an extra expense, but it’s something the Hokies can afford. The program has come a long way since the summer of 2019 when Justin Fuente had to wait for Danielle Bartelstein to leave before he had the financial wiggle room to hire Jerry Kill.

Pry has mixed feelings about it because it will kill the Virginia Tech walk-on program. With a 105-man limit, where all 105 spots are covered by scholarships, there will never be a walk-on again at Virginia Tech (at least not until the rules change again). Gone are the days of guys like my buddy Danny Wheel, or his teammate Kerwin Hairston, who were able to show up on campus, try out and make the team (and eventually develop into starters on the same defensive line). To be fair, thanks to camps and modern scouting, it hasn’t been that way for quite awhile. The new rule is simply the final blow.

The new challenge for the coaching staff is to decide how to use the 20 extra scholarships. I suspect that it’ll carry an extra scholarship player at kicker, punter and long-snapper because those positions won’t be filled with walk-ons. The addition of those three players will drop the available scholarships to 17. Some current walk-ons will also be placed on scholarship if they are deemed to be good enough. Redshirt freshman mike linebacker George Ballance, for example, will almost certainly be a Virginia Tech scholarship player next season.

...