It's mailbag time, and there are probably some questions sitting out there this week that I can't answer to the point of everyone's satisfaction at this stage, but I'll pass along what I know.

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

There's plenty of buzz out there that the secondary's recently been stung by the pitfalls of the offseason. The official word from Virginia Tech that I got today on junior college transfer cornerback Jeremy Webb's possible injury is that there is not any definitive information at this point. That's not to say rumors that he's out for the year aren't true - or that short of that, he didn't still suffer a significant setback -- just that the Hokies aren't willing to say as much at this stage or give specifics. Stay tuned on this one, since Justin Fuente, even if reluctant to speak on injuries, usually will officially confirm if someone is done for the year (though that's usually during August and/or the season, not the no man's land of late May).

There are also some rumors about possible suspensions for a couple players that I haven't been able to substantiate, and therefore, in fairness to the players involved, won't speculate too much on this one, though Adonis Alexander's history (two suspensions, finished the spring, as Fuente said, "working on school") is well-chronicled and his status was, to a degree, left up in the air at the conclusion of spring ball. Tech, for its part, hasn't had a comment about that, nor, given the caliber of opponent in the season opener in Florida State, do I think it will until absolutely forced to. There is a bit of competitive gamesmanship here, even if the rumors persist, to throw some doubt into the Seminoles' preparation. If I find out anything more concrete, I'll report it. 

I will say that's not necessarily a position group that can afford too many hits. The Hokies were already replacing two starting corners in Greg Stroman and Brandon Facyson and a safety that went in the first round of the draft in Terrell Edmunds. The spring showed just how quickly the experience level drops off. Webb was supposed to be a veteran presence added to the cornerback mix. Alexander's the only scholarship senior. Caleb Farley is expected to be a big part of the cornerback plan, and he's never played a college game before and is coming off a knee injury that cost him the 2017 season. The next wave of corners -- Jovonn Quillen, Tyree Rodgers, Bryce Watts, Jermaine Waller and other freshmen -- haven't done a whole lot outside of special teams in their careers. Add that to the inexperience at linebacker and all of a sudden that back seven has a whole lot of question marks, even more than anyone thought.

What do you see the identity of this year's squad being, i.e., last year was an experienced defense full of play-makers with a young offense that had to grind out wins.

-- Mark

It's a cop-out answer at this stage, but that's really to be determined. I think this team is so young at some many key spots that finding an identity will be one of the biggest goals. Two years ago, this was a team that counted on its offensive stars to carry them in big spots. Last year, you're right, it was a defensive-heavy group that, when the competition got tougher, had to grind it out to move the ball and score points. I think that will still be the case in many respects this year, though the defense won't be as bankable as it was last year. 

Part of the difficulty in knowing now what the identity of the team is is that there aren't a ton of guys on the roster who you absolutely know what they're going to give you. Defensive tackle Ricky Walker is about it. And Athlon's preseason All-ACC teams bear that out. Walker's the only first-team guy. Last year's team had two preseason All-ACC first-teamers (Wyatt Teller and Tremaine Edmunds) and 12 total picks across the four teams. This year's team has eight such selections, and some of them have questions surrounding them.

I'd say if you're looking for an identity, you look to a team's strengths. The strongest group is probably the defensive line, though I wonder if that's enough to make up for all the uncertainty in the back seven. Offensively, I think still very much is up in the air, especially with so few proven play-makers. I think this is why Fuente, though it sounds like coachspeak, has spoken about how this is the most important summer for a team he's had. There's a lot to iron out before the season starts.

It's never a good thing to get too hung up on one recruit, as good as Devyn Ford might be. Recruiting rankings are a decent enough predictor in a macro sense, when you take into account full classes over the course of years to determine whether a program is recruiting well or not. But single players are prone to booms and busts. All five-star guys don't turn into NFL stars, and all overlooked guys aren't destined to be practice fodder for a college program. You see failure/success stories contrary to the star ratings all the time. So while Ford might very well be a stud in college, his career might not play out the way everybody thinks. Just look at the top running back recruits nationally in the 2013 and 2014 classes. A lot of those guys had tremendous careers, All-American level (especially '14), but many didn't quite pan out for various reasons.

That said, the angst from the fan base comes from the fact that Tech hasn't done great with the top-flight guys for a while, with a few exceptions. I think things have gotten better under Fuente's staff. As soon as Quincy Patterson II blew up on the Elite 11 circuit last year, everyone wanted him. He stuck with Virginia Tech. Devon Hunter, Dylan Rivers, Tre Turner, Dax Hollified and others were highly-sought-after recruits that the Hokies beat out significant competition to land. But the Hokies aren't hoarding all of the state's top talent, watching it head beyond the borders to places like Penn State, especially recently. It's unreasonable to think Tech can ever "close" the borders in recruiting, and, perhaps outside of a brief moment in the early 2000s, that's never really been the case. (And even then, the Hokies had significant competition from UVa on the recruiting trail.) But there's an expectation to do better for recruits that are close by. Proximity is one of the biggest things schools have going for them in recruiting, and there's certainly plenty of room for improvement for the Hokies when it comes to landing the state's top targets, especially when UVa seems to be spinning its wheels on the recruiting trail locally.

Tech's not due for a stage of mediocrity. If anything, the way Fuente and Co. have recruited will help pull the Hokies out of the mediocrity that defined the program from 2012-15, the results of fair to sub-par recruiting efforts for a good stretch of years there. Landing some more of these top in-state guys certainly would accelerate that process, though, and the recruitniks know it. That, more than anything, is why I think people get so over-the-top about it.

What newer generation HOKIES are contenders for the "All-Hairstyle team," carrying the torch for the likes of Bucky Hodges and Wyatt Teller?

-- Pat H., Media, Pa.

OK, this has been a downer of a mailbag so far. Let's lighten things up. Here are some contenders from this year's team. As someone approaching 40 and has thinning hair, I have some thoughts (mostly born out of jealousy of all these luscious, thick locks):

Bryce Watts -- Has some Sideshow Bob flavor.

Hezekiah Grimsley -- Dreads and a bun.

Phil Patterson -- A modified Princess Leia.

-- When pulled up, a pineapple effect.

-- Seems to defy gravity.

-- You don't really get the effect in this mugshot, but there's some Spicoli in there when you see other pics.

Joe Kane -- No official mug posted at VT, but that coif is feathery.

-- With the beard, could be a Wyatt brother.

-- Would fit in very well in a Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band.

With the loss of Cam Phillips and a rather disappointing start last year for what seemed like a good group of receivers, how do you think our passing game will fare in 2018? And do you see Corn using the tight ends more in the passing scheme?

-- Chris B.

I actually think depth-wise, there might be a little more comfort in the receiving corps this year compared to last. Yes, you lose a big one in Phillips, who was more than just a trusted guy. He was a go-to guy. And there's no one on the roster like that heading into this year. But who, outside of Phillips, did you really trust heading into last year? C.J. Carroll. That was about it. You were hoping some guys stepped forward, and they did to varying degrees, but not consistently throughout the year.

This year, I think there are decently high hopes for Eric Kumah and Savoy to build off of last year. Phil Patterson and Hezekiah Grimsley started turning a corner late last season. Teammates and coaches seem to expect big things out of Damon Hazelton. Carroll is back and, when healthy, is a regular target. Tre Turner and Darryle Simmons were well-regarded recruits, even if you wonder how much they'll contribute this year. There's no sure thing in there like there was in Phillips last year, but I think there's greater experience among a wider range of guys, which could help diversify the passing game.

And yes, I think the tight ends will be a bigger part of that. Chris Cunningham has shown off his pass-catching chops before, but I think Dalton Keene was just kind of scratching the surface of it. And it sounds like Drake DeIuliis offers a big body who can do some things on those 50-50 type passes. All in all, the pass catchers this year have some decent promise, even if there's no top dog like Phillips last season.

It's tough to tell, exactly. It is an uphill battle, though, one that's first and foremost on Whit Babcock's mind when he's looking for ways to advance this athletic department. First, here's the donation numbers from ACC schools in 2016, according to figures obtained from public schools by USA Today:

  • Clemson: $35,639,063
  • Florida State: $32,382,845
  • Virginia: $31,556,907
  • Louisville: $30,391,706
  • North Carolina: $22,926,465
  • Virginia Tech: $19,348,259
  • N.C. State: $15,119,174
  • Georgia Tech: $11,022,030

It's important to note that's not all giving in a given year. The Hokies put news out that they recently finished the most recent fiscal year with nearly $48 million in donations, shattering the previous record of $33 million set the previous year. The USA Today figures don't show Tech anywhere close to $33 million in any of the previous year's contributions. I'm not sure why there's the discrepancy in those figures (money goes in different buckets all the time, and it's sometimes tough to make apples-to-apples comparisons), but if it's reported that way for Virginia Tech by USA Today, I would assume it's the same for other schools on this list, so the Hokies still lag behind many of their peers in giving.

It might just be because Virginia Tech only recently made a major push to boost donation numbers. The Hokies, perhaps, could have been a little more proactive in asking for money previously -- or requiring it, as schools had done for years with their seating plans, something Tech only began to do in the last couple years. Clemson has been doing it for a while and it shows. Just look at this chart. I think even Babcock said it when the Drive for 25 was launched, as politely as he could, that Tech needed to be better about soliciting money. Most folks aren't going to give it unprompted. You work those relationships, give people reasons to be excited about Hokies athletics and then work the donation angle down the line. And that takes time. Tech's doing that now and appears to be making strides there. I think Tech fans will give. They just need a little prompting.

Contact Andy Bitter at andy.bitter@roanoke.com or 381-1676. Follow him on Twitter: @AndyBitterVT.