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Once the 2024 college football season kicks off, the Virginia Tech football team will play a fairly favorable schedule both in the non-conference and the ACC. It would be surprising if they don’t pass their over/under win total of 7.5.
In the schedule, the Hokies will face some very good and explosive offense players once conference play begins. In fact, five of the Top 10 highest graded retruning wide receivers in the ACC will play Virginia Tech this season, testing that side of the ball for coordinator Chris Marve.
Virginia Tech to face five of the Top 10 highest-graded returning wide receivers in 2024
Virginia Tech had one returning wide receiver make the list, Jaylin Lane was graded sixth, but Miami had three players, Stanford one, and Virginia one.
When the Hokies kick off ACC play at Miami on Sept, they will be facing three talented receivers from the Hurricanes. Xavier Restrepo was ranked No. 1 after catchign 85 passes in 2023 for 1,092 yards and six touchdowns, three in conference play. He is a very talented receiver who has next-level speed.
Jacolby George was ranked ninth on the list and he had 57 catches for 864 yards and eight touchdowns in South Florida last fall. He averaged15.2 yards a catch. The final Miami player on the last is transfer Samuel Brown from Houston. For the Cougars last season, he had 815 yards in 62 receptions and three touchdowns, but he’ll give coach Mario Cristobal another dangerous pass catcher who can spread the field.
The following week on Oct. 5, Virginia Tech will make the cross-country trip to play first-year ACC member Stanford and they’ll have to deal with Eric Ayomanor, who was ranked fifth, one spot ahead of Lane. Last season, Ayomanor had 62 catches for 1,013 yards for the Cardinal and six touchdowns. His longest was his most electric when he hauled in a pass from Ashton Daniels and went 97 yards to paydirt against Colorado to cut a fourth-quarter deficit to three points on their way to a 46-43 double-overtime win.
The final highest-graded returning wide receiver on Virginia Tech’s schedule in 2024 is Notre Dame transfer Chris Tyree, who will play at Virginia and be in Blacksburg Thanksgiving Weekend. Last season for the Irish, he had 26 catches for 484 yards for an average of 18.6 yards a catch and three touchdowns. He’ll step in and be a big focal point of the Cavaliers’ offense in the fall.
Virginia Tech will play a ton a talented receivers all season and it’s going to be interesting to see how they defend these receivers in 2024.