CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2023 Virginia Tech

7–⁠6 (5–⁠3 Atlantic Coast Conference), coached by Brent Pry.

Schedule and results

Virginia Tech in 2023, game by game: won vs. Old Dominion 36–17; lost vs. Purdue 17–24; lost at Rutgers 16–35; lost at Marshall 17–24; won vs. Pittsburgh 38–21; lost at No. 5 Florida State 17–39; won vs. Wake Forest 30–13; won vs. Syracuse 38–10; lost at No. 15 Louisville 3–34; won at Boston College 48–22; lost vs. NC State 28–35; won at Virginia 55–17; won vs. No. 23 Tulane 41–20+38−31Won 36–17 vs. Old Dominion+19Old DominionLost 17–24 vs. Purdue-7PurdueLost 16–35 at Rutgers-19RutgersLost 17–24 at Marshall-7MarshallWon 38–21 vs. Pittsburgh+17PittsburghLost 17–39 at No. 5 Florida State-22No. 5 Florida StateWon 30–13 vs. Wake Forest+17Wake ForestWon 38–10 vs. Syracuse+28SyracuseLost 3–34 at No. 15 Louisville-31No. 15 LouisvilleWon 48–22 at Boston College+26Boston CollegeLost 28–35 vs. NC State-7NC StateWon 55–17 at Virginia+38VirginiaWon 41–20 vs. No. 23 Tulane+21No. 23 Tulane
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 2vsOld DominionW 36–⁠1760%
Sep 9vsPurdueL 17–⁠2449%
Sep 16atRutgersL 16–⁠3538%
Sep 23atMarshallL 17–⁠2419%
Sep 30vsPittsburghW 38–⁠2141%
Oct 7at5Florida StateL 17–⁠3916%
Oct 14vsWake ForestW 30–⁠1342%
Oct 26vsSyracuseW 38–⁠1051%
Nov 4at15LouisvilleL 3–⁠3423%
Nov 11atBoston CollegeW 48–⁠2240%
Nov 18vsNC StateL 28–⁠3545%
Nov 25atVirginiaW 55–⁠1756%
Dec 27Bowls & playoffvs23TulaneMilitary BowlW 41–⁠2032%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat Tulane 41–⁠20 in the Military Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 4th in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

In program history: The 37th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 123 on file).

Record
7–⁠6
Conference
5–⁠3 tied for 4th in Atlantic Coast Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
384–⁠311
Coach
Brent Pry
Elo
1581 +151 this season
SP+ rating
5.8 No. 46 of 133; offense No. 62, defense No. 42, special teams No. 9
SRS
5.0 No. 44 of 133 in FBS
Returning
65% of last season’s EPA, No. 35 of 131
Recruiting class
No. 39 roster talent No. 59 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Tyler Bowen
Defensive coordinator
Chris Marve
Offense
Multiple
Defense
4–⁠3

How good, play by play

  • Offense54th of 133
  • Defense56th of 133
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted44th of 133
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted72nd of 133
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.1342%1.2654th of 133
Defense0.0938%1.2856th of 133
Opponent-adjusted0.14 off
0.12 def		43% off
39% def		—44th off
72nd def
How these are measured

Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense4.3own 3115% allowed
Defense4.5own 2818% caused

CORE rating 8.0, 36th of 133 (offense 3.2, defense -4.8).

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.

Leaders

Passing yardsKyron Drones QB2,084 yds
Passing touchdownsKyron Drones QB17 TD
Rushing yardsBhayshul Tuten RB863 yds
Rushing touchdownsBhayshul Tuten RB10 TD
Receiving yardsDa’Quan Felton WR667 yds
Receiving touchdownsDa’Quan Felton WR8 TD
TacklesKeli Lawson LB76 tkl
SacksAntwuan Powell DL9.5 sacks
InterceptionsDorian Strong CB3 INT

Top recruits in the 2023 class

Layth Ghannam OL★★★★No. 396
Chance Fitzgerald WR★★★★No. 442
Ayden Greene WR★★★No. 559
Aycen Stevens LB★★★No. 634
Antonio Cotman Jr. CB★★★No. 664

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2023 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks23.00.863
Running backs13.00.848
Receivers63.20.864
Offensive line43.30.867
Defensive line23.00.859
Linebackers23.00.868
Defensive backs63.00.866
Athletes and specialists33.00.861
Whole class263.10.864

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Roster 122

The 2023 roster

122 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2023 line; 63 have a stat line. See the roster

Transfers in 9

The 2023 portal
Ali Jennings WR★★★★from Old Dominion
Derrick Canteen CB★★★★from Georgia Southern
Bhayshul Tuten RB★★★from North Carolina A&T
Da’Quan Felton WR★★★from Norfolk State
Jaylin Lane WR★★★from Middle Tennessee
Kyron Drones QB★★★from Baylor
Stone Snyder LB★★★from VMI
Antwaun Powell DE★★★from Florida
Clayton Frady OT★★★from Gardner-Webb

Transfers out 21

Kaleb Smith WR★★★★to Notre Dame
Armani Chatman CB★★★to North Carolina
Cam Johnson CB★★★★no new school on file
D.J. Harvey CB★★★★to San José State
Keshawn King RB★★★★to Western Michigan
Dallan Wright WR★★★to Jacksonville State
Desmond Mamudi DL★★★to Rhode Island
Devin Farrell QB★★★to Rhode Island
Eli Adams DE★★★to North Carolina Central
Elijah Howard CB★★★no new school on file
Jalen Hoyle S★★★no new school on file
Kenji Christian RB★★★to North Carolina A&T

And 9 more, lower-rated or unrated.

2023 Atlantic Coast Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Florida State8–⁠013–⁠16
Louisville7–⁠110–⁠419
NC State6–⁠29–⁠421
Georgia Tech5–⁠37–⁠6
Virginia Tech5–⁠37–⁠6
Clemson4–⁠49–⁠420
North Carolina4–⁠48–⁠5
Duke4–⁠48–⁠5
Miami3–⁠57–⁠6
Boston College3–⁠57–⁠6
Syracuse2–⁠66–⁠7
Pittsburgh2–⁠63–⁠9
Virginia2–⁠63–⁠9
Wake Forest1–⁠74–⁠8

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.