Virginia Tech RB Travon McMillian transferring
Virginia Tech will have a new starting running back in 2018.
Travon McMillian, the team’s leading back for the past three seasons, said Friday he would be transferring.
— Travon McMillian (@tmcmillian2) December 8, 2017
McMillian will be immediately eligible at his new school as a graduate transfer. He’ll have one season of eligibility left and won’t play in the Camping World Bowl against Oklahoma State on Dec. 28.
Deshawn McClease is the team’s second-leading rusher with 90 carries for 406 yards this season. He figures to get the bulk of the work in the bowl game.
McMillian has 104 carries for 439 yards. He was the team’s second leading rusher in 2016 behind quarterback Jerod Evans. In 2015, he had 1,042 yards and seven touchdowns as a redshirt freshman.
That 2015 season was the final season of Frank Beamer’s tenure at the school; McMillian’s numbers decreased with the arrival of coach Justin Fuente. Rivals’ HokieHaven.com has a good summation of the impact of McMillian’s departure from the team.
Some explanation for McMillian’s meager numbers the past two seasons comes in the form of a transition to the Justin Fuente offense from a radically different scheme under Scot Loeffler. Not only did McMillian himself never seem to get a good handle on when to be patient and when to burst forward for yardage, but the rest of the players on the offense are also coming into their own in the scheme.
The running game should improve simply by virtue of more players being comfortable in the scheme, plus a second year behind center for quarterback Josh Jackson giving him the experience to be a threat throughout the year with both arm and legs – he faded statistically in ACC play this year.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
