College football: Biggest Achilles’ heel for every Top 25 team

College football 2018: Biggest Achilles’ heel for every Top 25 team

ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 08: Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (13) celebrates and holds up the CFP Trophy after the College Football Playoff National Championship Game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs on January 8, 2018 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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17. Virginia Tech

Achilles’ heel: Holes to fill on defense

Things appear to be going in the right direction for head coach Justin Fuente at the helm of the Virginia Tech Hokies. Though they aren’t necessarily in a position where they look to be a likely College Football Playoff contender, the program is undoubtedly back in the conversation for making noise in the ACC and has the potential to keep taking steps forward as Fuente’s tenure continues.

At the heart of that heading into 2018 is quarterback Josh Jackson. The dynamic playmaker on offense was one of the more underrated players in the country last season, consistently coming up big when needed for the Hokies. Yes, he was a young player that predictably had bouts of inconsistency and bad decision-making. However, when he was on, he showed the potential to be a game-changer on that side of the ball for this Virginia Tech team.

But where they’ll be hurting in Blacksburg this season is on the other side of the ball after losing game-changers on defense. Brother Tremaine and Terrell Edmunds at linebacker and safety, respectively, were both taken in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. What’s more, Adonis Alexander is also gone after leaving the team and entering the supplemental draft.

Those departures signal the Hokies’ three biggest playmakers defensive leaving, and with no players of their caliber left to replace them. Not only does that put the onus on unproven defensive players to step up, but it puts pressure on Jackson and the offense to do the same. Subsequently, dealing with those losses could spell trouble.