One year ago, the Virginia Tech football team was expected to be a big player in the ACC race. Heck, they were expected to be a dark horse for the new 12-team College Football Playoff. In the end, neither came close to being reality as the Hokeis suffered through a second straight 6-6 season.

This offseason has been an offseason of change with the roster between the NFL Draft and transfer portal, and some big coaching staff changes, unlike the previous offseason. With a ton of questions entering the season, the Hokies remain a wild-card, but one national college football reporter explains why he thinks they could be a player in the ACC race when all is said and done.

National college football writer explains why Virginia Tech could be a player in the ACC race in 2025

Chip Patterson of CBS Sports released a best/worst case scenario for each ACC school, and for Virginia Tech, their best case scenario was 9-3 and their worst was 5-7. In their best scenario, Patterson explains why the Hokies can be a player this fall.

“Kyron Drones puts together his best season yet, and the hire of new offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery unlocks that extra step the Hokies offense needed to get over the hump. Virginia Tech’s 0-5 record in one-score games last season regresses back to the average and the absence of Clemson and SMU on the ACC schedule allows the Hokies to be a player in the conference title race.”

Yes, a healthy Kyron Drones under Philip Montgomery will go a long way in helping Virginia Tech be better, but Patterson notes that no Clemson or SMU on the schedule makes them a potential player in the ACC. Even though neither the Tigers nor the Mustangs are on the schedule, the Hokies face a difficult conference schedule with Louisville, Miami, and Georgia Tech, to name a few.

If Virginia Tech is going to be a player in the ACC in 2025, they will need a lot of things to go right and win more one-score games than they lose. That’s a lot that has to go right, but it can go right.

Clemson baseball got a little better on Saturday night.

Pitching had been a major concern for the Tigers throughout the 2025 season and it led to multiple tough losses, but they have addressed some needs in the portal thanks to head coach Erik Bakich.

Bakich has landed numerous big bats from the portal, but on Saturday, he picked up a commitment from 23-year-old left-handed reliever Michael Sharman. He previously spent time with Tennessee before starting 16 games with Georgia Highlands in the JUCO in 2024 with 101 strikeouts in 92.2 innings, per Jon Blau.

This is a nice get for the Tigers who need all the pitching help they can get. Sharman has plenty of experience at the age of 23 and it’s especially reassuring that he spent time with one of the bigger baseball powers in the SEC.

When he was with Tennessee, he had a 3.18 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 22.2 innings.

Clemson is quietly building one of the best rosters in college baseball ahead of the 2026 season. The Tigers have landed some legitimate MLB prospects to play the field and if they end up making it to campus, Clemson will have one of the best offensive teams in the ACC next season. They could also be in line to host another regional.

Addressing pitching needs should make fans happy as it was the biggest weakness in 2025. Bakich is taking his “getting back to a World Series” quote seriously so far this offseason.

Bakich and Brad Brownell have owned the transfer portal recently. Dabo next?

Clemson football fans are gearing up for a huge season but they’ll also be preparing for that kickoff against LSU in two months with some EA Sports College Football 26.

Tiger fans will be firing up the game in less than two weeks when it’s released and you know everyone will be choosing Clemson when they start their dynasties or Road to Glory modes.

If you do pick Clemson, you’ll have the seventh-best overall team in the game (also tied for the second-highest-rated) which features one of the best offenses. Yes, Clemson will have one of the top offenses in the game when it’s usually known for defense.

Clemson will have the No. 5 offense in the game when it’s released with a 89 overall rating, according to a new ratings reveal on Friday.

Clemson’s offense is behind only Texas, Penn State, Ohio State, and Arizona State. You could make legitimate arguments that they could be ahead of everyone not named Texas because of the returning production and the fact that the Tigers have the best quarterback in the country but this is a pretty good spot.

Plus, it has LSU at No. 6 which is only going to set up an epic showdown in Death Valley to begin the season as two of the most explosive offenses square off under the lights.

Clemson is surprisingly not the only ACC team to crack the top 10 as Miami also has an 89 rating at No. 10, but the Tigers have more pieces and proven experience.

Raise your hand if you can’t wait until this game comes out.