Logan Thomas and Virginia Tech fall short of expectations
The praise started rolling in over the summer, as draft pundits attempted to project where Virginia Tech quarterback Logan Thomas stood among his peers in the 2013 NFL draft.
"Thomas has all the physical capabilities," said ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr., who ranked Thomas as the second-best prospect – second-best overall, not merely at quarterback – among draft-eligible players.
"He has the 'wow' factor from Virginia Tech. He has that 6-5 frame, the howitzer for an arm and if he has a big year, then all of a sudden he ascends up."
Kiper's colleague at ESPN, Todd McShay, had Thomas pegged to go No. 17 in April's draft. Sports Illustrated's Andrew Perloff had Thomas as a contender to go No. 23 overall. Here at USA TODAY Sports, Thomas was ranked as the nation's 10th-best prospect regardless of position.
The Thomas we were supposed to see – the junior who was poised to storm up draft boards – is not the Thomas we have seen through the season's first eight games. After another spotty passing performance against Clemson, few quarterbacks have seen their stock drop more precipitously than the Hokies' second-year starter.
Thomas has 10 interceptions in 248 attempts; he threw 10 picks in 391 attempts as a sophomore. He has more interceptions than any quarterback in the Atlantic Coast Conference. His .536 completion percentage isn't good enough for the top 100 quarterbacks in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Thomas looks tentative, if largely because of the rotating cast of characters Virginia Tech has used along its offensive front. After losing the wide majority of last year's two-deep, the Hokies' offensive front has been decimated by injuries.
Virginia Tech also misses running back David Wilson. The Hokies' top two backs are true freshmen Michael Holmes and J.C. Coleman, who gained a combined 558 yards over the year's first seven games.
The receiving corps was overhauled after last season; Tech lost Danny Coale and Jarrett Boykin, who combined for 121 receptions in 2011.
And the Hokies are struggling. The loss to Clemson, the Hokies' third in four games, dropped Virginia Tech to 4-4 overall and 2-2 in ACC play. Virginia Tech would need to win out to continue its streak of eight double-digit-win seasons in a row.
Thomas is getting the lion's share of blame for the Hokies' slide – which is only natural, and only to be expected. If all else fails, blame the underachieving quarterback.
Yet there are other issues at play. The Hokies' defense has been horrifically bad. Problems on special teams, long the program's calling card, have been persistent.
It was merely expected that Thomas would carry Virginia Tech beyond its issues and back to the top of the ACC's Coastal division. That's still a solid possibility, because of the Coastal's lack of contenders. But to do so, Thomas must live up to this summer's billing: He needs to play like one of the best quarterbacks in college football. He's looked like nothing of the sort over the Hokies' uncharacteristically weak start.