Depends on a lot of things really:
--How close the team is this year...do they play for each other? Do they never give up like last year? What is the psyche?
--How hard do the guys work to get better?
--How lucky will we be with injuries to key positions, turnovers, good/bad calls, etc. Will we be as resilient and in-the-moment as we were last year when unfortunate stuff happens?
--Will players step up at key positions like AB, WR?
--Will established players keep working and getting better (example: Laskey improving his pass blocking before last season)?
--How good will the depth be?
IMO we should be a pretty good team next year. Record-wise though we could win 7-8 or 10-12....just have to see how it shakes out. Certainly a 10-win season is doable with hard work and at least average luck.
Long time lurker, first time poster.
This is a tough question. On the one hand I agree with "Ballin" about the schedule up to a point. True, some of those ''Big Four" teams might be a little shaky but the fact is most of them like UGA, Clemson, Miami just reload. In a word they are factories with all the advantages that have been discussed ad nauseum. Now instead of a Big Four we have a Big Five with Notre Dame thrown in. As long as Bud Foster is the DC at Virginia Tech they are going to be tough for us. I swear the man must spend every waking moment obsessed with stopping the triple option. No matter on to positives: Best offensive line in Johnson's tenure. Big, fast experienced with lots of depth. A quarterback tailor made for this offense whose gets to the corner in a blink. The best defense in quite some time. There, I said it, we will be much better on defense than most people think. A lot depends upon Hunt Days (what is his name now?) and dare I say it? Kallon. Can Harrell replace Neeley? Sure. Can someone step up for IJ Absolutely! As Inside LB has noted there are a lot of ifs. Let's address them one at a time
Closeness of the team? Remains to be seen but I think the groundwork has been laid. JT and Burden on offense White, Milton, Davis and Gattis on defense should provide the leadership
How hard do they work to get better? Don't know but last year's team, in my humble opinion reached its potential better than any team since 1990.
Injuries. Potentially a disaster at certain positions particularly B back and A back. Can probably handle some injuries at linebacker and offensive line and safety
A back and wide receiver: Next man up! has never been more true than this year at these two positions. We lost 5 (count em) A backs and 2 wide receivers. During the Miami game, Brock Huraud (spelling?) said: "If there is a better perimeter blocking team in America, I would like to see them" Another Miami defensive back just went out holding his shoulder or arm
Established player performance: It is easy to become complacent after a great season. How much do they want it? Leadership? Can the seniors recapture the magic?
Depth: Will be the best in Johnson's tenure overall but some positions cannot afford attrition of any kind. B back especially
I will add one caveat: We were in some measure lucky last year but make no mistake that was a damn good football team. All over America there were defensive coordinators sighing with relief that they did not have to face that offense. Career killers is what they were. Can we do it again? History says no. 1990 was followed by a disappointing 1991 and so on. This group has a chance to do something no Tech team has done in about 50 years. Build on the foundation laid by the previous team and take the next step. The schedule is daunting but the rewards will be great if we get a few lucky bounces and improve at certain positions especially defense. Funny thing, each year I am apprehensive about some position or another but this year I think we are in really good shape. I like playing two cupcakes early to get out feet wet and I like having experience at quarterback, shut down corners, and missile seeking linebackers. Lots to be excited about.
As always THWGA and Go Yellow Jackets
