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Former Virginia Tech Stars Laud New Ohio State Offensive Line Coach Tyler Bowen’s Work Ethic, Football Smarts
Virginia Tech had three offensive players at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine, and new Ohio State offensive line coach Tyler Bowen played a part in helping all three of them get there.
While Bowen will be the offensive line coach at Ohio State, he was the offensive coordinator at Virginia Tech for the last three years. Three of his top offensive playmakers over the last two years were running back Bhayshul Tuten and wide receivers Jaylin Lane and Da’Quan Felton; now, all three of them have a chance to be selected in the 2025 NFL draft.
All of them praised Bowen’s coaching during their interview sessions at the NFL Scouting Combine on Friday.
“I love Coach T-Bow, man,” Lane told Eleven Warriors. “He’s a hard worker, one of the hardest-working coaches I’ve been around. And I’m happy for him, going up to Ohio State, and I know he’s going to be just as vigilant as he was as an OC for their O-line. So they got a good one.”
Like Lane, Tuten also pointed to Bowen’s work ethic when asked about his former offensive coordinator.
“He’s a great coach,” Tuten said. “He comes in day in and day out, puts his best foot forward. He was our OC, so he tried to find a lot of ways to make us successful. He puts a lot of hard work in, hours in; usually like the first one in, last one out, we see his truck out there. So he definitely cares about the team he’s coaching for, and I definitely think they’re getting a great coach.”
Felton said Bowen was “always encouraging and motivating” and that “he has a great love for the game.” Tuten and Felton both pointed to Bowen’s football smarts as another one of his strengths, praising his ability to scout opposing defenses and put together effective game plans.
“He put us in the best position,” Tuten said. “He did a great job scouting defenses and drawing up plays that he thinks we’ll be most successful with, and I think that’s what helped us a lot.”
“One of the hardest-working coaches I’ve been around.”– Former Virginia Tech WR Jaylin Lane on new Ohio State offensive line coach Tyler Bowen
From a statistical standpoint, Bowen’s results as Virginia Tech’s offensive coordinator weren’t spectacular. The Hokies’ most successful season with Bowen calling their offensive plays came in 2023 when they ranked 56th in scoring offense (29.5 points per game) and 60th in total offense (391.5) en route to a 7-6 record.
That said, Bowen’s last two offenses at Virginia Tech were effective in the run game. With Tuten leading the way, the Hokies ranked 23rd in rushing yards per game and 24th in rushing yards per attempt in 2023 and 43rd and 46th in those same categories in 2024. While Bowen won’t be calling plays at Ohio State, with Brian Hartline taking on that role in 2025 as OSU’s new offensive coordinator, Bowen will have a hand in drawing up rushing plays as the Buckeyes’ run game coordinator in addition to his offensive line coaching duties.
Playing in Bowen’s offense meant lots of blocking for Virginia Tech’s receivers, as the Hokies ran the ball nearly 300 more times than they passed it over the past two seasons, but Lane appreciated the way Bowen drew up plays for him in the running game to utilize his explosive playmaking ability.
“He was big on getting me touches, and he helped me realize that I’m a big-play guy. Just give me the ball and get busy, and him having faith in me to do that for our offense was big for me,” said Lane, who had 18 carries for 116 yards and two touchdowns in addition to 38 catches for 466 yards and two touchdowns last year at Virginia Tech. “Obviously you’ve got Bhayshul Tuten in the backfield, so be prepared to block for him, but I took that on the nose, because that’s my dog, and I wanted him to be successful. But a lot of RPO game, a lot of stuff like that, it was a fun offense to play in.”
One big reason why Ohio State hired Bowen was because of his track record as a recruiter, and his former players at the combine said Bowen was someone they knew they could trust off the field, as well.
“His office door was always open for whatever player wanted to come in and just chat,” Tuten said. “He was a great resource just to talk to outside of football.”
Bowen won’t be the only new coach working with Ohio State’s offensive line in 2025 as the Buckeyes also hired former Purdue offensive line coach Marcus Johnson and former Oklahoma State offensive line coach Charlie Dickey to work alongside Bowen as assistant offensive line coaches. While Oklahoma State didn’t have any offensive linemen at this year’s combine, Purdue has a projected early-round draft pick in Marcus Mbow, who said the Buckeyes will be getting another great coach with Johnson joining their staff.
“That’s my guy. I’ll always love Coach Johnson, I feel like he’s a tremendous coach,” Mbow said. “He’s helped me grow on and off the field and he kind of let me play how I wanted to play and helped me add more tricks to my bag and when to use them and whatnot.”
Purdue offensive lineman Marcus Mbow on new Ohio State analyst Marcus Johnson, who was previously Purdues offensive line coach: Hes a tremendous coach. Hes helped me grow on and off the field, and he kind of let me play how I wanted to play.
On new OSU tight end Max Klare: pic.twitter.com/cNPUFXo21y
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) March 1, 2025
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In this world of college football, with the transfer portal and recruiting battles, bad blood is present more than ever before between head coaches.
That’s not the case between the Virginia Tech head coach and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, however. In fact, Franklin revealed at ACC Kickoff on Thursday that the two are actually close friends, dating back to their time at the Nike trip that various coaches take over the summer.
“Dabo’s my guy,” Franklin said on Thursday. “We go way back. We’ve been on the Nike trip for a long time. His wife and my wife are friends.”
The long-time Penn State head coach is making the move to the ACC after being fired from the Nittany Lions in October. 12 seasons of being with the program had Franklin hold a 44-21 record against top 10 opponents, an impressive record for a new conference foe of Swinney’s.
But when that trip comes around, there’s a camaraderie between Swinney and Franklin and both of their wives. In fact, the two hang out with each other instead of the other coaches at times. It simply comes to an “edgy” time in college athletics that raises tempers.
“I’m going to be honest, I wouldn’t say we’re necessarily like the type of people that love a lot of other coaches and a lot of other programs,” Franklin said. “It’s hard when you just compete year-round.”
On Swinney’s end, there are a few who could immediately come to mind among Clemson fans. Perhaps the most recent would be Ole Miss coach Pete Golding, who played the most significant role in the tampering of former linebacker Luke Ferrelli.
It’s a select list of coaches who make the good side of the Tigers’ head coach, and Franklin is certainly on that list. On the other hand, Hokies’ head coach has Swinney on his own shortlist.
“Obviously, tremendous respect for what he has built at Clemson and what he’s done at Clemson, and what he’s done for the ACC,” he said.
The two will see that close relationship face off at Memorial Stadium this upcoming season. Clemson will host the Hokies on Oct. 24 in what could be a potential title-eliminator for the ACC Championship.
Of course, the last game that we’ve seen the Tigers play in was against Franklin’s former team in Penn State at the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. That game ended in a 22-10 contest that saw a foundation of Franklin players end Clemson’s season in disappointment.
Swinney will see many of those players once again in October, including starting quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, in that contest. The anticipated Hokie starter recorded 260 yards and two passing touchdowns on the Tigers in the Bronx that day.
Although friends become foes, another ACC coach has given Swinney his flowers for what he’s been able to do for the conference. In the upcoming moments, Franklin will look to prepare his team to prove itself on one of the biggest stages in the ACC, while Swinney looks to put his team back at the top of a conference he’s dominated for over 15 years.
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MARTINSVILLE, Va. (WSET) — Extreme drought conditions in parts of Virginia have prompted an emergency drought warning for a wide swath of the region, including Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Pittsylvania and Roanoke counties, along with the cities of Danville, Roanoke, Salem and Martinsville.
The governor has warned that if conditions worsen, she will activate mandatory nonessential water-use restrictions.
In Martinsville, city leaders have issued a voluntary water conservation notice and are urging residents and businesses to cut back where they can. The request comes as local businesses that rely heavily on water say the drought is already affecting day-to-day operations.
SEE ALSO: Botetourt County residents adjust daily routines as voluntary water restriction continues
John Hughes, owner of John’s Car Wash, said the dry conditions have hit his business hard in recent weeks. “For the last 3 weeks, it’s been hitting pretty hard. We done three yesterday and haven’t done anything today with the drought and hot weather. Yeah, I’m really concerned about it,” Hughes said.
Restaurants are also feeling the strain. David Kitzmiller, an owner of Be Wiched, said water is essential for routine tasks such as washing dishes and preparing some menu items.
“We use a lot of water for washing dishes and some of our recipes if they limit us in anyway defiently can’t produce and its a scary aspect,” Kitzmiller said.
Kitzmiller added that cutting back is not always realistic for businesses that must meet sanitation needs. “Not really feasible for a business that depends solely relies on water to wash their dishes, so that can’t definitely be an impact there,” he said.
City leaders emphasized that the conservation request is voluntary for now, but they are encouraging everyone to do their part by taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet when it is not in use, washing only full loads of laundry, and limiting outdoor watering whenever possible.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Five people were charged after Virginia Beach Police conducted a two-day human trafficking and vice operation on July 3, according to the Virginia Beach Police Department.
The department’s Special Investigations Bureau conducted the operation, which was aimed at identifiying human trafficking victims, reducing the demand for commercial sex and targeting individuals seeking to exploit or recruit children for prostitution.
Detectives used many investigative techniques to proactively identify individuals involved in criminal activity related to prostitution, human trafficking and offenses against children. The operation was conducted in Virginia Beach, involving personnel from all of the bureau’s squads.
As a result of the operation, five people were identified and charged with offenses ranging from solicitation of prostitution to sex trafficking and crimes involving minors. Two vehicles and U.S. currency were seized during the operation. Other people were connected to victim services through Samaritan House.
The operation led to the following people being charged:
- Shane Carter, 28, of Norfolk, was charged with solicitation of prostitution.
- Robert Harris, 64, of Virginia Beach, was charged with solicitation of prostitution and assault and battery.
- Larry Pittman, 53, of Portsmouth, was charged with sex trafficking and use of electronic devices to facilitaate certain offenses involving minors.
- Kenric Frazier, 46, of Portsmouth, was charged with sex trafficking, use of electronic devices to facilitate certain offenses involving minors and solicitation of child pornography.
- Cameron Lewis, 24, of Norfolk, was charged with solicitation of prostitution.
Investigators also developed leads about people who are suspected of trafficking and exploiting others for commercial sex. Those are now active and ongoing investigations. There may be more charges and arrests pending further investigation and consultation with the Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
If you’re a human trafficking victim or know someone who is, you can report it to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
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