I was understandably sidetracked late last week with the Adonis Alexander/Jeremy Webb news finally being confirmed by Virginia Tech. That, on top of some high school playoff duties at night, pushed back last week's mailbag.

But, folks were kind enough to send in questions, so I feel obligated to answer some of them, even if it's a bit late ...

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At this point in time, who is in the two-deep at the two cornerback positions? And how do you foresee the year going for Devon Hunter? He seems to be too talented to not be on the field regularly and his presence at the line of scrimmage could be really helpful for the inexperienced linebackers too.

-- Reid, Maryland

It's a pretty inexperienced group. I'll say first that I thought the Hokies would do what they did the last couple years and have a three-man rotation at cornerback, with Alexander, Webb and Caleb Farley as the top three guys. Well, two are now out of the equation this year, leaving Farley as the one player I think has a pretty good shot at starting, even though he's never played in a college game before and, up until this winter, was considered a wide receiver in Tech's long-term plans. So that's where the Hokies are at as a starting point.

The next wave of cornerbacks includes junior Jovonn Quillen, sophomores Bryce Watts and Tyree Rodgers and true freshmen Jermaine Waller or possibly another early enrollee in D.J. Crossen, who was a nickelback this spring. Watts and Rodgers stared in the spring game. Of that group, I think the coaches spoke most positively about Watts this spring, though to be honest, they weren't asked about the corners that far down the depth chart a whole lot. “I tell you, Bryce Watts, I thought, had a big-time spring," defensive coordinator Bud Foster said in April. "He needs to attack the weight room and continue to get stronger, but from a coverage standpoint, the ability to run, I thought he had a big-time spring." On Watts, cornerbacks coach Brian Mitchell added: "A young man who has grown ten-fold since the start of last camp to this spring session. He’s a kid with tremendous gifts. He’s the 100-meter champion from New Jersey, so he’s got that speed. I think he’s relied on that quite a bit, but now you’re starting to see him master the techniques as well and master our scheme, which is not easy to do as a young player." 

If I had to guess, I'd say of that second wave of corners, Watts has the best shot, but as someone who's never done more than special teams, there's a lot that's still to be played out. Heck, freshmen like Armani Chatman, Nasir Peoples, Nadir Thompson and Chamarri Conner arrive this summer and could get into the mix. It's not like there's a wealth of experience they have to beat out.

Tech's taking a run at Notre Dame grad transfer Nick Watkins, who'd bring a wealth of experience to a group that's mostly made up of young'uns, though the native Texan is also being pursued by schools like Nebraska, TCU and West Virginia. It also wouldn't surprise me, in an effort to get the best five players on the field in the secondary, if Mook Reynolds moves out to cornerback from the whip linebacker/nickelback position he's played the last couple years. He played cornerback as a freshman and a move would, A) give the Hokies an experienced player outside, and B) open up a way for talented sophomore Devon Hunter to get on the field as a whip/nickel like he did this spring. I don't think Tech just goes into the season with a bunch of cornerbacks who are sophomores or younger and haven't played before, though. There's going to be some movement there, I'd imagine.

Hey, that's a familiar last name! I wasn't particularly wild about the Hokies in the opener before the Alexander/Webb news, though I would have at least considered it at the 5.5 I've seen at a couple places. I'm certainly not bullish on them now, although it's not like Florida State isn't dealing with issues of its own. The 'Noles have a new coach who brings with him a new offensive system, questions at quarterback and recently booted their projected starting left tackle. And let's not act like FSU is coming off a vintage Seminoles season. There were problems on that roster before they lost their usual complement of talented players to the NFL.

But there is some cachet to being Florida State. And it's not like the program is devoid of talent. Jimbo Fisher's last three classes before he left for Texas A&M were ranked sixth, third and third nationally. So there's a lot of promise still in that program. Heck, the running back Virginia Tech really wanted a few years ago (Khalan Laborn) is a backup. There's a way for the Hokies to win this game, and it involves the front four wreaking havoc on a vulnerable offensive line, the offense having a performance like it did against West Virginia in last year's opener and the young guys on the team not to be overwhelmed by a Labor Day night atmosphere in an 80,000-seat stadium like Doak Campbell. But at +4, if I'm betting with my money, I'm not inclined to think all those things can happen at the same time, especially now that you're looking at a back seven that's got major, major issues. 

Then again, both teams have a long summer and August practice to sort things out. A lot can change in that time -- both good and bad.

Let me start by saying I don't think either is very likely this year. But if I'm going to pick one over the other, I'd definitely say a 1,000-yard receiver over a 1,000-yard rusher, simply because that's what Justin Fuente's history as a head coach and offensive mind tells us is more likely. I don't think there's an Isaiah Ford or Cam Phillips-level receiver on the roster at this stage of their careers, but Tech has at least had receivers threaten and go over that benchmark in recent seasons. Ford got there in Fuente's first year. Phillips would have gotten there last year if he hadn't had sports hernia surgery and missed the bowl game. Long-term, I think guys like Eric Kumah or Damon Hazelton could get there, even though I don't think that's anywhere close to being in the cards this season. 

BUT, it sure as heck ain't happening at running back, where the Hokies haven't exactly run over people the last couple years, and even when they have, it's been a by-committee approach. The most rushing yards an individual has had in two years under Fuente were Jerod Evans' 846 in 2016. The most a running back has had in that time? Travon McMillian's 671 in 2016. Deshawn McClease led the Hokies in rushing last year with 530 yards, and while I think McClease will have an increased role this year, certainly after he broke out at the end of last season, do you think he'll double his production? That's a tall order. And when you consider Fuente's history, you probably shouldn't expect a 1,000-yard rusher anytime soon. He's had one in all his time as a coordinator and head coach since taking the OC reins at TCU: Ed Wesley, who ran for 1,078 yards for the Horned Frogs in 2010. And even that wasn't so much the results of an overwhelming workload (he had 166 carries and another back had 148) as TCU was just dang good at running the ball (a 5.4-yard average and 246.7 yards per game, which ranked 10th nationally). 

I don't think that Virginia Tech will run the ball quite that well this year. Nor do I think there's a singular talent that can do it with the amount of offense the Hokies will produce. Evans came darn close a couple years ago, but Josh Jackson doesn't have that running ability as a quarterback.

As others are, I am concerned about recruiting this year. From early reports I felt we would have several top-flight prospects by now. My question, by adding others offers last week, are the Hokies grappling to finish a top 25 recruiting class? Are we ever going to at least claim our share of our own state's prospects? I realize it is early, but the early bird (Hokie) gets the recruit. Your opinion please.

-- Timothy Salyers

I really like Coach Fuente and his approach so far. I find the fan reaction to recruiting to be a little over the top. Coach Fuente clearly has an approach but it doesn't seem to fit a catch-all phrase. The idea of "Dominate In-state and especially the 757" sounds great but did not yield consistent national prominence. Fans still cling to this idea but it seems clear Coach Fuente has moved away from the cliche. So if you can offer insight, what is Coach's overall strategy to bring recruiting to the highest consistent level possible in today's circumstances?

-- Garry Zettersten, San Antonio

I put these questions back-to-back so I can respond to them in a general "recruiting" answer. Let me start by saying it's a long way to signing day. Tech's got six commitments right now and a class that's ranked 34th on 247 Sports' composite team rankings. Since the Hokies have taken big classes in Fuente's first two years and only have nine scholarship seniors on the roster, I don't think they'll take a big group this year, which will probably affect the rankings some as well, since a lot of it is volume-based. So will it be in the Top 25? Ehh, possibly, although the Hokies pretty generally finish somewhere between 20th and 30th, and there's not much of a difference between the top and bottom of that range. In-state, it's not looking good, with Cox High athlete Tayvion Robinson the Hokies' best bet at landing someone in the top 10 (and he's right at No. 10). O-line commitment Jesse Hanson's at No. 12 on that list. Another one, athlete Jahad Carter, is at No. 18. So it's definitely not going to be a banner year for in-state recruiting. Devyn Ford's decision all but guaranteed that. That doesn't mean the Hokies can't still land a decent class, and that's where Garry's question comes in.

If nothing else, Fuente and his staff seem to have expanded Virginia Tech's footprint in their first couple years on campus. They've hit Texas for some recruits and just nabbed Quincy Patterson II from Chicago. They've hit North Carolina particularly hard, which is probably wise, since places like Charlotte and Greensboro are closer to Blacksburg than the 757 and D.C., and the Tar Heel state has produced a good amount of talent over the years, rivaling, and in many ways surpassing, Virginia's. The bottom line is recruiting is about talent acquisition. And while it's nice to slap a "This Is Home" or "NC2VT" tag on it, that's really just branding. You get talent from all over the place. Make no mistake that Tech would like to do better in the state. Fuente has said his staff will service Virginia first, and that's important because locally you should be able to have the best relationships with coaches and therefore get an honest and up-front evaluation of these players' talent, which is crucial for a school like Tech that has to make the most of the players it does sign. 

Just look at Virginia Tech's recruiting history and you'll see that it's not like the Hokies' success was all based on in-state talent staying home. Yes, that sure helped, especially in the post-Michael Vick years when in-state recruiting reached its peak. But Tech got to that point by taking guys from all over. Jim Pyne was from Massachusetts, Billy Conaty from New Jersey, J.C. Price from Maryland, Derek Smith from West Virginia, Pierson Prioleau from South Carolina, Anthony Midget from Florida, Corey Moore from Tennessee, Andre Davis from New York, Ben Taylor from Ohio. All of those guys were All-Americans in the '90s through 2000.

So in terms of strategy, Fuente and his staff will continue to pursue guys they think will fit in their system, preferably from around Virginia because that makes the evaluation a little easier, but stretching into natural extensions of the Hokies' recruiting territory (North Carolina, D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Florida) and hitting some new areas every now and then if it's familiar to the coaching staff (the Midwest, Arkansas, Texas, etc.). I don't think a reasonable fix to recruiting is to say, "OK, just go get all the best guys." That's never been the case for Virginia Tech and, based on recent commitments, is not going to be the case anytime soon when you're going up against recruiting heavyweights like Penn State, Florida State, Ohio State, Alabama, Clemson and others for top-tier local talent.

Fuente's goal in recruiting is to find talent that best fits what he's trying to do. So I think the recruiting plan is staying true to that evaluation, making the most out of the players you do sign (ie. avoid busts) and peppering the roster with the occasional studs like the Hokies have been doing the last couple years. It might not be what a lot of the fan base wants to see on the recruiting trail, but it's the most realistic path to success right now. And in turn, if that translates to more success than trips to the Belk and Camping World Bowl, perhaps you'll start to turn the tide with elite in-state recruits a bit more. The "stay home just cuz" argument hasn't worked on Virginia talent in a long time. You have to give those kinds of players something more to stay home for, especially when other schools can offer the chance to play on a major stage in the biggest games on the college football calendar. Reversing that trend will be incremental and take time. 

There was an article in last Saturday's Knoxville paper about Tennessee's AD being open to another Battle at Bristol. States Jerry Caldwell, BM Speedway exec VP intends to host another football game. Given the $4.5 million available to each team, and your recent article about the ACC trying to make up financial ground on other leagues like the SEC, I would hate to see the next game there not include the Hokies/ACC. Watching two teams from leagues already awash in money play would be truly aggravating. So what's the word Andy, given your inside track position with Whit?

-- Lewis Butt, Vonore, Tenn.

My guess is that Virginia Tech, while certainly open to it, might not be the team of choice this time around. For starters, it would take some shuffling of the schedule to make it happen. Secondly, it's a been-there-done-that kind of situation. I have no doubt Bristol will try to make another game happen there. The financial benefits are just too great. But there is a novelty to it, and that wears off if you have the same teams there. Part of the allure of the first one was a lot of people saying, "I just want to see how they pull this off." Once you've taken in the spectacle of the whole thing, the seconds time around is probably not as thrilling. It's then that you start to realize just how far away from the field your seat is. So I don't think if Tennessee is back in that the Hokies would be the opponent. Maybe a team like Clemson or another Southern squad that comes from a NASCAR-inclined area. 

My sense, talking to Babcock over the years, is that high-profile neutral site games aren't high on the list of priorities in scheduling. When he's looking for matchups, he wants games on campus, with really good programs coming into Blacksburg to play in Lane Stadium. Neutral site games are nice, but they don't really help season ticket sales when your best games aren't even part of the package. So my gut would say no, that Tech wouldn't go back to play in Bristol. Perhaps that changes if someone other than Tennessee gets involved, but I just don't see it being a priority by the Hokies' brass.

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