Virginia Tech Football: The Reasons the Hokies Should Watch the Texas A&M Circumstance
Jimbo Fisher, the head football coach at Texas A&M, was fired early on Sunday morning, barely hours after his Aggies crushed Mississippi State 41 points to win an SEC game. The timing of Fisher’s firing is more surprising than the reason for it. This kind of firing usually occurs at the end of the season.
Fisher performed poorly as College Station’s head coach, but in the modern era of college football, when a coach is fired, all eyes are on that program because most players realize the writing is on the wall and head to the transfer portal. Wide receiver Raymond Cottrell announced on X late Sunday morning that he was looking for a new school for next season and beyond. It didn’t take long for an Aggie to announce they were leaving Texas A&M and entering the portal.
For portal purposes, Virginia Tech must keep an eye on Jimbo Fisher’s termination.
As the Aggies search for a new home for the upcoming season, Cottrell’s announcement is probably just the first of many to come in the days and weeks to come. Coach Brent Pry of Virginia Tech and his staff should keep a close eye on who is coming in through the Texas A&M portal because, in college football these days, the transfer portal is a more significant means of quickly improving oneself than recruiting.
Pry used the transfer portal in the offseason, and it’s paying off handsomely this year. With two games left, the Hokies need one victory to qualify for the bowl, and they’ve gone from a 1-3 start to a 5-5 record.
Week 2 against Purdue saw the injury of starting quarterback Grant Wells. Baylor transfer Kyron Drones was substituted in, and he has been improving every week since. A few transfers that are having an impact this season are wide receiver Jaylin Lane, who transferred from Middle Tennessee State to Blacksburg, and running back Bhayshul Tuten, who transferred from North Carolina A&T to become a good Power 5 back. One of the best defensive ends in the ACC, Antwaun Powell-Ryland, transferred from Florida and into the SEC, has also proven fortunate for the Hokies.
The success of the transfer portal this season should give Pry and his team the chance to bring in quality players from both College Station and the portal. While I can’t guarantee it will occur, it is something to be closely monitored.
