Hokies’ receiving situation gets more desperate
By far the biggest question surrounding No. 17 Virginia Tech heading into this season is at wide receiver, as the Hokies have practically no one with any experience to catch the ball.
To compound that problem, coach Frank Beamer has suspended projected starting receiver Zach Luckett indefinitely after he was arrested for the second time for drunken driving. The 6-foot-3, 212-pound sophomore played all 14 games last season. He caught two passes for 18 yards and made 15 tackles on special teams. He was one of only two current receivers at Virginia Tech who has caught a pass in his college career.
His suspension makes it likely that Virginia Tech will be forced to start a true freshman at flanker in Dyrell Roberts, who was listed No. 2 on the depth chart. He had three catches for 13 yards and returned a kickoff 55 yards in Saturday’s scrimmage. Fellow frosh Xavier Boyce will also vie for the job going into Tech’s Aug. 30 season-opener against East Carolina in Charlotte.
“Roberts and (Boyce) are doing a good job over there,” Beamer said, without saying if Luckett’s suspension is permanent. “Let them battle it out and see. I think (Roberts, Boyce and freshman Jarrett Boykin) are going to wind up playing.”
The Hokies lost their top four pass-catchers from 2007 to graduation, and then Brandon Dillard, who had been expected to start at flanker, was lost for the season when he ruptured his Achilles tendon June 3. Redshirt freshman Danny Coale remains atop the depth chart at split end. Junior Ike Whitaker, a converted quarterback, is listed behind Coale. Whitaker’s three career receptions are now tops among all Tech receivers.
“The depth chart is still the same,” said Tech wide receivers coach Kevin Sherman about the situation after Luckett’s suspension. “There’s a spot open and somebody has got to step up. That’s just the way it is, and I’ve told them that. We’ve got to move on and get better everyday.”
Don’t be surprised to see this suspension only last two games – the Hokies are solid WagerWeb.com favorites to win the opener against East Carolina and then will be huge favorites to beat Furman. But then comes the ACC opener against Georgia Tech, which is when the inexperienced receiving corps could really come into play.
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