As broken by Andy Bitter earlier today, redshirt senior linebacker Alan Tisdale intends to play college football in 2023!
#Hokies LB Alan Tisdale said he intends to use his extra COVID year and play next season.
— Andy Bitter (@AndyBitterVT) November 16, 2022
This is fantastic news for a team that has had very little to cheer about this year. Tisdale’s return means that the Hokies will only lose one of their three starting linebackers, giving more time for the younger guys to grow and develop. Tisdale and Keonta Jenkins will return as starters, and Jaden Keller, Keli Lawson, Jayden McDonald, J.R. Walker, and Will Johnson will return as backups.
And Alan Tisdale is fast and has a nose for the ball. Prior to this season, the former four-star linebacker from Greensboro, North Carolina had amassed 195 tackles in his first three years. He enrolled in the spring of 2018, redshirted that fall, then had a solid 2019 season as a redshirt freshman. In that year, he played in 11 games, recording 52 tackles, with 5.5 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. Last season was his best, as he played in all 13 games and tallied 85 total tackles, the fourth highest on the team. He also had 7.5 tackles for loss (2nd highest on the team) and 2 sacks.
In four games this year, Tisdale is making his mark. He already has 35 tackles, which is almost 9 per game.
The Alan Tisdale Suspension
One can only wonder if Tisdale wants redemption. Perhaps he wants a full senior season since the NCAA did not allow him to play for the first six games of 2022. The story is rather disheartening, as the NCAA brought down the hammer to a young man who did the right thing.
Alan Tisdale admitted to placing bets on games during the NBA finals. While in the summer team compliance meetings, he realized that those bets were against NCAA rules and he brought the matter to the attention of his head coach Brent Pry. From there, Pry and the university self-reported the incident.
Instead of showing leniency to Tisdale for doing the right thing, the NCAA came back with a nine game suspension! After an appeal they reduced it to six games, but still, that is awfully harsh for an adult who did what millions of other adults his age do – legally. And honestly, the NCAA’s punishment is acting as a deterrent not to online gambling but to self reporting! If this is the penalty, won’t it deter players from revealing that they even gambled in the first place?
But I digress…this is about Alan Tisdale’s decision to return for the 2023 season, not the ills of the NCAA. To read about that, here is one of many good articles on the topic.
As Pry and company close out the season and turn their attention to recruiting and the transfer portal, this is a great way to start that cycle – with a four-year starter staying home! Hokie Nation is pleased to hear this, and they certainly are hoping this is the beginning of good news to come in the next two months!
PS – To show what kind of human being that Alan Tisdale is, look at this tweet…
#Hokies LB Alan Tisdale said if Tech and UVa play next week, that's fine.
If not, some VT players have discussed going to Charlottesville just to show their respect to the Cavaliers.
"It’s football," Tisdale said, "but at the end of the day, it’s bigger than ball."
— Andy Bitter (@AndyBitterVT) November 16, 2022
Tisdale said that if the Virginia Tech – Virginia game is not played, he will go up to Charlottesville to show his respect. Hokie Nation is proud! That is a good man with a great head on his shoulders and a big heart in his chest! #HokiesforHoos
To read more of my articles on Virginia Tech football, click here.
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