Fresh Faces At Virginia Tech: Central Missouri RB Marcellous Hawkins Brings Something Different To The Hokies

Virginia Tech's roster has undergone quite a change this offseason, with most of the best players from last year's team either going into the NFL Draft or entering the transfer portal. The Hokies also replaced both of their coordinators and there is a lot of uncertainty about how this team is going to look in what is going to be a pivotal season for Hokies head coach Brent Pry.

One of the top players that Virginia Tech has to find a way to replace is running back Bhayshul Tuten, who was one of the best running backs in the country and a 4th round draft pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Tuten was explosive and the most reliable player on the Virginia Tech offense and replacing him is going to be a huge task. While Virginia Tech might not have a player of Tuten's talent, they brought in three running backs with unique styles who could complement each other well. One of those players is Central Missouri transfer Marcellous Hawkins.

Hawkins’ only offer out of high school was to Central Missouri State, and the running back took it.

Per Central Missouri State Athletics:

”Played for head coach Carter Whitson at Putnam City High School…Co-Offensive Player of the Year, all-state honorable mention and first team all-conference in 2021…As a senior, posted 1,368 passing yards, 13 passing touchdowns, 1,248 rushing yards and 16 rushing TDs…Also played basketball and competed in track and field.”

Hawkins has absolutely game-breaking speed. One look at his film shows the level of football he was playing in comparison to his D2 opponents. His low center of gravity causes him to be able to shed plenty of tackles, often bowling balling through opponents. Any delayed handoff gets Hawkins too much time to get running, and it’s a house call from there. He’s also shown flashes of being a very solid receiver out of the backfield as well. After rolling through the tape, Hawkins is admittedly very similar to Bhayshul Tuten. A slightly undersized running back who provides plenty of upside due to his speed and ability to break tackles

Hawkins was impressive in a number of spring practice according to head coach Brent Pry:

"Some of it, you know. I didn't see the physical runs today that I know, you know, he's capable of. We saw those on his film all over the place, but he made some, he said, "Good vision today." I played, you know, good ball security. Had a nice catch out in the perimeter and then made a guy miss. You know, and he's coming off of a mild injury that had him limited, so it was good to see."

This past season did not live up to expectations, but if you watched Virginia Tech a couple of seasons ago, you know that Drones has the capability of being an elite runner. In 2023, he ran for 818 yards and five touchdowns and was one of the top dual-threats in the country. If he is healthy next season, I think there is going to be a lot of running for Drones and the three running backs that were brought in this offseason.

I think it is likely you will see a rotation of these three backs and either Stewart or Bennett starts. They all complement each other well and have a pathway to make an impact.

The offensive line is going to be key in determining how effective this rushing attack is. The Hokies are losing key players such as Xavier Chaplin and Braelin Moore, but they have a new offensive line coach in former West Virginia OL coach Matt Moore and he has brought some of his former players with him in hopes of quickly getting the OL on track in Blacksburg.

Just a few days after hiring Moore, the Hokies landed one of the top offensive linemen from the transfer portal, who just so happens to have been coached by Moore at West Virginia. Tomas Rimac was the starting left guard for West Virginia this past season, but he announced that he is going to be transferring to Virginia Tech.

According to Pro Football Focus, Rimac played 937 total snaps at left guard this past season and finished with a 77.1 overall offensive grade, including a very good 86.3 run-blocking grade. He finished with a 63.4 grade in 690 snaps in 2023 and a 68.9 grade in 440 snaps in 2022. He should be a plug-and-play starter for an offense that is returning quarterback Kyron Drones and Stewart in the portal. While the loss of Bhayshul Tuten will be felt, Stewart, Drones, and Rimac provide the blueprint for a strong running game.

Health is always going to be key, but there is the blueprint for a strong running game for the Hokies this season and Hawkins is going to be a big factor.

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