Will. Tech challenged the veterans to come back better players

Fuga is one of 15 fifth- or sixth-year players who opted to return for one final season at Tech, and he said the message is clear: don’t come back unless you’re committed to getting better.

“That’s coming straight from the head coach,” defensive backs coach JC Price said. “These guys who could have chosen to either move on or come back, I challenged the older guys, if you decide to come back, for whatever reason, don’t come back to see the best type. Be the best version of you.

“Don’t go back to being the same guy. Be better.”

The experience throughout the roster should position Tech to be more game-ready right from the start, starting with its Aug. 31 opener at Vanderbilt.

The Hokies open with four straight non-conference games — Marshall, Old Dominion and Rutgers follow Vanderbilt — and if they’re going to have double-digit wins in the regular season for the first time since 2011, they’ll likely have to sweep that streak.

It’s not something the team talks about or dwells on, but senior wide receiver Ali Jennings said the players understand they can’t afford to slip up.

“We know we can’t have an off day, because if your off day is Saturday night, it’s hard to get a win like that,” Jennings said. “We know what’s at stake for our season. Everyone thinks the first four games will be easy. I lost to Marshall last year. We lost to Rutgers last year. We have to take every game with a serious approach. There is no easy game for us.”

Having such a veteran team, many of whom are playing their final season of college, should help Tech approach the assignment with a cliché and coach-approved mindset for each day. The players actually bought into that, Fuga said.

During a special team meeting earlier this month, coordinator Stu Holt reminded the players that they had the next day off.

“Someone behind me said, ‘Why are you worrying about tomorrow? We have today,’” Fuga said. “That’s how we approach it. Don’t worry about Week 1. Don’t worry about going to the playoffs. We’re concerned about making each other better every day.”