This season, Hokies are set up for continuity in kicking units.
Having already taken a look at what Virginia Tech looks like on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, there’s still plenty to break down with special teams before the 2024 campaign.
The Hokies bring back some familiar faces, with lots to like about the group as a whole. Let’s take a quick glance at what Tech could look like on that side of the ball.
Placekicker
There’s no doubt that special teams coordinator Stu Holt has to feel good about the kicker position heading into the upcoming season.
Tech returns incumbent starter John Love to the fold following a successful redshirt freshman season in the maroon and orange. The Spartanburg, South Carolina, native went 22-of-24 on field goal attempts in 2023, connecting on 91.7% of his kicks, which was good for sixth in the country.
Love also knocked through all 47 of his extra-point tries, solidifying himself as one of the better kickers in the country.
Kyle Lowe also comes back for the Hokies this upcoming year. The redshirt junior proved to be key in handling kickoff duties a season ago, booting 54 kicks through the end zone for touchbacks, good for 71% of the time, and helping the team recover 2-of-3 attempted onside kicks.
Punter
Three-year starter Peter Moore is back for his fifth year with the program in 2024, while redshirt junior Nick Veltsistas and redshirt sophomore Bryce LaFollette add some depth as well.
Moore, a former All-ACC honoree and Ray Guy Award Watch List member, punted the ball 60 times – with no blocks — for 2,588 yards a season ago, averaging a solid 43.13 yards per kick and placing the ball inside the 20-yard line 17 times in his redshirt junior campaign.
Long Snapper
It’s hard to ignore the long snapper position when looking at the success of a special teams unit as a whole.
Gone is fifth-year man Justin Pollock, who helped steer the ship at the position the past few years, but back is redshirt sophomore Christian Epling, who snapped on field goals a year ago.
Redshirt senior Griffin Armstrong is also back for another season in the long snapping corps, while Tech welcomed in Massachusetts transfer Tate Kendall this spring as well.
Kick Returner
The return of Bhayshul Tuten allows the Hokies to maintain a dynamic presence in the return game for 2024. Tuten ran two kickoffs back for touchdowns a season ago, becoming one of five players nationally to house multiple returns for scores.
Standing at 5-foot-11, 209 pounds, Tuten averaged close to 29 yards a return – good for fifth in the country – and went for 550 yards on 19 attempts over the course of the campaign.
That’s not without mentioning Malachi Thomas there to help out as well. The Hartwell, Georgia, product assisted Tuten on kicks a year ago, taking it out on five separate occasions that went for 81 yards.
Punt Returner
There’s certainly no shortage of talent when it comes to what Tech can trot out onto the field to return kicks this upcoming season.
Junior Tucker Holloway is back for another season after taking the reins for the majority of the past two years. The Andrews, North Carolina, native returned 20 punts for 258 yards in 2023, averaging almost 13 yards per attempt – the seventh-highest in the country.
That’s not to say standout receiver Jaylin Lane couldn’t play a role either. The second-year member of the maroon and orange had five opportunities to return punts a year ago and served as the primary punt returner during his Middle Tennessee days back in 2022.
Overall, the depth and talent across each special teams unit will provide opportunities for student-athletes to make an impact and work their way onto the field during game day.
Virginia Tech Athletics