Ho-kay, Hokies.

Virginia Tech’s Justin Fuente isn’t having a good week.  He’s got six kids, including his starting quarterback, announcing transfers and Nick Saban’s laterally hiring his receivers coach.  All that comes on top of this:

Throughout last year, the Hokies saw a slew of departures on defense that weren’t because eligibility clocks ran out. They lost 12 players and roughly a whole defense’s worth of production and upside, plus co-coordinator Galen Scott in the spring. The losses included first-round picks Tremaine and Terrell Edmunds and defensive end Trevon Hill, who was dismissed during the season as the team’s leader in tackles for loss.

The head honcho’s reaction is straight out of the Booch “remain calm, all is well” playbook.

Statement from Head Coach Justin Fuente pic.twitter.com/8tQmZTsaPI

— Virginia Tech Football (@VT_Football) January 23, 2019

Yeah, that ought to do the trick.  A year or two more like that and Fuente may be following his receivers coach to Tuscaloosa as an analyst.

The bar was so low, it was touching the ground.

The sad thing about this quote…

“But I think the biggest thing was not, wow, there’s a helicopter,” Troup County coach Tanner Glisson said. “It’s, wow, Georgia Tech is serious about recruiting. That was the statement.”

… is that it’s not mockable, at least as far as Geoff Collins goes, because it’s so painfully true.

If the genius had given even half a shit about in state recruiting, he’d still be coaching at Georgia Tech.

TFW you’ve got a slow news day.

I had no idea until LSU tight end Foster Moreau let it slip yesterday that his offense used pace to keep Georgia’s defense off-balance.

Thanks for cluing me in, AJ-C/Dawgnation.  I was at the game and it was a complete mystery to me.

He’s got your number.

You know, I have to admit I’m mildly impressed with the clever header to this article.  Either that, or it’s a helluva Freudian slip.

Your 1.23.19 Playpen

The funniest thing I’ve seen this month, non-politics division:

The story of 2019 is here. pic.twitter.com/l1MX8ZJoTv

— Eric Alper (@ThatEricAlper) January 17, 2019

I swear, I laughed so hard at that, I had tears.

The funniest thing I’ve read this month, politics division:

A GOP lawmaker has a novel idea for how a border wall with Mexico should be funded: Force every Arizonan who wants to access pornographic material on an electronic device to pay $20.

That’s just the lede.  Add in a random John McCain reference and this touch:

The bill also appears to be connected to a prominent anti-gay activist who is most famously known for attempting to marry his computer in protest over gay marriage.

… and you’ve got a complete laugher.

One thing you’ve got to say about politics — it’s reassuring to the cynic in me to see how morons of all political stripes are constantly willing to display their ignorance in public.  This really is a case where bothsiderism does apply.

And with that, the floor is yours.  Keep it light!

Meet the seniors

They’re a relatively small bunch, but they’ll be counted on for quite a lot.

In particular, there’s a lot of experience coming back on the defensive line.  There are health and consistency issues to overcome, but as the cliché goes, it’s a contract year.

Individually speaking, they need for Woerner to step up and be that number one guy, not just as a receiving option, but also as a consistent blocker, something he was not great with early last season (although, to be fair, he did improve in that regard as the season progressed).

Do I even need to mention Blankenship here?

Your thoughts?

Today, in oh, you were serious about that?

This is some question.

Can Feleipe Franks overtake Jake Fromm?

We discuss in this edition of #TwitterTuesday: https://t.co/ckxbutHVtM pic.twitter.com/19xu3wg2a9

— Rivals (@Rivals) January 23, 2019

And some of you think I troll.  Jeez.

Meanwhile, back in the states

While Geoff Collins is evaluating tape on Swedish offensive linemen, Kirby Smart is doing Kirby Smart things.

Georgia has four 5-star recruits in the final edition of the 247Sports Rankings, which were rolled out on Tuesday. That number is tied with Alabama for the most in the country.

Georgia has four.  The rest of the SEC East combined has two.  (I won’t bother to check Tech.)

“And, yes, Europe is a priority…”

Sometimes, those Georgia Tech recruiting headers really do write themselves.

The Gator has landed.

Er’rebody’s doin’ that chopper thing now.

Dan Mullen has landed. pic.twitter.com/oQHNpJ3A15

— McEachern Football (@McEachernFtball) January 22, 2019

I wonder if he brought his new defensive backs coach with him.

************************************************************************

UPDATE:  Georgia Tech (!) has a recruiting helicopter, too.

WATCH: Georgia Tech HC Geoff Collins (@CoachCollins) & Florida HC @CoachDanMullen both landed a Helicopter on the campus of Carrollton HS this morning. 🚁 🏈
Video via: Trojan Athletics pic.twitter.com/nOVBiCCL5J

— Gradick Sports (@GradickSports) January 22, 2019

Gettin’ mighty crowded out there.