Part 1 - Better, but Where?

The 2023 Hokies feature a much improved offense, but individual improvement has come in some surprising places.

The record, the eye test, and the advanced metrics are all aligned in pronouncing the 2023 Virginia Tech offense as superior to last year’s uni.

Most of the players who transferred into the program have played very well, and they have all at least met expectations.

Often unacknowledged, though, is the fact that the Hokies did lose some important pieces from the 2022 team.

If we grant that the talent level is higher in 2023, the question remains, did the talent infusion lead to better individual on-field performances, or is the sum of the parts simply better in 2023 than it was in 2022?

Better in most areas in 2023

The 2023 has thus far graded out about two points higher then the 2022 team, including a six-point improvement on offense.

Three out of the five offensive sub-categories (receiving, rushing, and run blocking) have received higher grades in 2023.

Those trends hold true at the individual position level.

By position, PFF positive deltas (representing improvement) from 2022-23 are as follows:

• Offensive Line - 3/5

• Wide Receivers - 2/3

• Running Backs - 1/2

• Tight Ends - 2/2

• Quarterback - 1/1

Out of the 13 positions that contribute most to the offense, nine have a higher grade in 2023.

The biggest gains have been at left guard and right tackle, while the greatest declines have come at right guard and starting running back.

Yes, you read that right, from a PFF grades perspective, Bhayshul Tuten has been a notable step down from Keshawn King. Of course, that’s a bit deceptive.

In fact, all the high level numbers can be misleading, so let’s get a little more granular.

Quarterback

In the modern game, the quarterback’s primary value add is throwing the football. In that area, the Hokies have seen their quarterbacks grade out lower in 2023 than they did in 2022.

And no, that is not just because Grant Wells is supposedly the better passer of the two.

In fact, Wells has the lower passing grade (58.5), which is artificially low due to the struggles he experienced while playing injured in the second half of the Purdue game.

In Kyron Drones, the Hokies have gotten above baseline level passing (62.3) and a major boost in the run game (75.6).

What is holding back Drones is his proclivity to fumble the football. He has put the ball on the ground in every game he has started.

Back to the passing game, though, as there are further insights to be gleaned there.