What do good teams with good players do? They lean on their talent. The Hokies have caught lightning in a bottle with Pop Watson. There is no question that the Hokies’ gameplan revolves around Mr. Watson. He has all of the aspects and attributes that you would expect out of an elite quarterback. Not only is he a great leader, he has an exceptional arm, he’s never panicked, he’s so confident, he’s so fast, and he can throw the ball 40 yards in a flick.

Virginia Tech has a chance to trot out the future of their franchise at quarterback for the game that’s going to matter the most, there’s no reason to not put the entire trust of the offense in his hands. Get Watson in space, give him time to load up, bootleg him to the strong side of the field and have him throw absolute bombs all game. If nobody’s open? Fine, run the ball for countless yards down Minnesota’s throat. If Malachi Thomas does not play, Watson will be the most effective runner on the field.

Put the ball in Pop Watson’s hands. He knows what to do with it.

This will be hard to do with a short handed defense, but it’s no question that Brosmer is a rhythm quarterback, he thrives off timing and if he’s not on, he’s really not on. Iowa put on an absolute clinic on Brosmer earlier in the season. Outside of the second quarter, Minnesota’s quarterback really had minimal success. Outside of the second quarter, Brosmer was 11-for-18 with just 91 yards, two interceptions, and no touchdowns.

Minnesota couldn’t really drive down the field against Iowa, and Virginia Tech, although limited in their players, have to abide by similar rules. Play aggressive defense in the secondary, get Brosmer out of his rhythm, and attack from there. Minnesota is definitely a beatable offense but if the Hokies let the Gophers walk all over them, it’ll be a long day.

How does one beat a team that seems to be in a better position than one’s own? Surprise them. The key example of this was earlier in the season when the Vanderbilt Commodores took down Alabama, the Commodores thrive off of chaos. Did they win because they had the most talent on the team? No. They caused chaos offensively and defensively, but because of the Hokies’ situation on offense, any gameplan should be considered chaos.

Now defense is the big question mark here. It’s entirely possible that Brent Pry goes really conservative with his plan on defense, doesn’t throw out any new looks, and they get smashed on defense. But it’s also possible that after the departure of Chris Marve, Pry is going to throw new looks in the air. That’s what I imagine happening in this game if the Hokies are prepared to win.

Virginia Tech Football: Hokies Land Commitment From 2026 Four-Star Wide Receiver Carnell Warren

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One of the less noticed features of the Virginia Way is the long-running tendency of the commonwealth’s leaders to conduct their decision-making behind closed doors. While the Virginia Freedom of Information Act presumes all government business is by default public and requires officials to justify why exceptions should be made, too many Virginia leaders in practice take the opposite stance, acting as if records are by default private and the public must prove they should be handled otherwise.

In this feature, we aim to highlight the frequency with which officials around Virginia are resisting public access to records on issues large and small — and note instances when the release of information under FOIA gave the public insight into how government bodies are operating. 

Heightened concerns over drone activity

A Chinese national was sentenced to six months in prison in September after pleading guilty to illegally flying a drone over ship repair yards in Newport News, court records obtained by the Virginian-Pilot reveal. 

The incident raised national security concerns due to the proximity of the yards — used by BAE Systems and NASSCO — to the Naval Station Newport, the world’s largest naval base, located along the York River. 

According to the records, Fengyun Shi, a graduate student from China studying agricultural engineering at the University of Minnesota, purchased the drone on Jan. 3, 2024, The Pilot reported Thursday. Two days later, he traveled from San Francisco to Newport News, where he took photos of the repair yards and Newport News Shipbuilding.

His surveillance came to an abrupt halt when light rain forced his drone into a tree near 65th Street and Huntington Avenue on Jan. 6, attracting the attention of local residents and law enforcement as Shi attempted to retrieve it. 

Shi left for California before wind gusts dislodged the drone. Law enforcement later recovered the device, prompting an investigation by Newport News Police and the FBI. Shi was arrested in San Francisco on Jan. 19 while attempting to board a one-way flight to China.

The case underscores growing statewide concerns about unauthorized drone activity near sensitive areas. Reports of mystery sightings in the western and southern Virginia, including Danville, Fincastle, Floyd, Pulaski, Radford, Roanoke, Salem, and Vinton, have prompted state officials to ramp up surveillance.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced on Dec. 14 that the Virginia State Police Homeland Security Division and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management are monitoring the issue through the state’s Fusion Center, which coordinates intelligence among law enforcement agencies.

In a statement, Youngkin said he is “concerned” about a lack of sufficient information shared by federal partners regarding drone incidents. “Virginia has consistently sought information from federal partners, and to date, the information shared with the commonwealth has been insufficient,” Youngkin said. 

Va. Beach city council to weigh future of Pharrell’s Something in the Water festival

The Virginia Beach City Council will decide whether organizers of the popular Something in the Water musical festival, founded by hometown star Pharrell Williams, can move forward this April after organizers missed a Dec. 31 deadline to announce their lineup and begin ticket sales, the Virginian-Pilot reports.

The multi-day festival, launched in 2019, has drawn high-profile performers, including Virginia natives Missy Elliott, Chris Brown, Clipse and Trey Songz, and other popular artists, such as Usher. Organizers had agreed to receive up to $500,000 in city funding, contingent upon meeting specific goals and ensuring transparency in the planning. 

Last year, organizers faced delays, postponing the festival from October to April and missing a deadline to sign a sponsorship contract that would grant the city greater oversight of planning and coordination. While the contract was eventually signed, the city council is set to revisit the issue on Tuesday. 

Manassas Park seeks charter change amid timing concerns

Manassas Park officials are pushing for changes to the city’s charter, including updates to candidate requirements for city council and rules for the city manager’s residency. However, InsideNOVA reports that the General Assembly may not act on the proposal this year. 

City Attorney Dean Crowhurst told the outlet that the council’s Dec. 10 decision to approve the changes came too late for legislation to be filed before the upcoming session.

If adopted, the changes would allow, city council candidates to qualify for office without party nominations or petition signatures from registered voters.

The proposed updates would also ease residency requirements for the city manager, allowing them to live within 30 miles of the city rather than inside city limits.

Have you experienced local or state officials denying or delaying your FOIA request? Tell us about it: [email protected]

Carnell Warren 
Wide receiver, Class of 2026 
Bluffton, Bluffton, S.C. 
6-4, 195 

Virginia Tech received its first commitment in the 2026 class on Thursday from wide receiver Carnell Warren.

The Bluffton, S.C., product picked the Hokies on ESPN2 during the Under Armour All-American Game. He’s a top-300 talent in the class who had other Power Four offers from Cincinnati, Duke, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest. Appalachian State, Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, East Carolina, Georgia State, Liberty, Miami (OH) and Toledo were among the Group of Five teams interested.

Warren is rated higher on ESPN and On3 than 247Sports and Rivals. Here’s a breakdown:

247Sports Composite: No. 277 nationally, No. 44 WR, No. 6 S.C. (Four-star)
ESPN: No. 203 nationally, No. 30 WR, No. 4 S.C. (Four-star) 
On3: No. 185 nationally, No. 23 WR, No. 5 S.C. (Four-star) 
247Sports: No. 43 WR, No. 4 S.C. (Three-star) 
Rivals: No. 10 S.C. (three-star)

As a junior this season at Bluffton High School, earned all-region honors after catching 59 passes for 846 yards and 14 touchdowns while adding an interception on defense. Including his sophomore year, which featured 53 receptions, 723 yards and nine scores, Warren’s posted 112 catches, 1,569 yards and 23 touchdowns in two campaigns. He also plays basketball and averaged 13.6 points per game as a sophomore with the Bobcats.

Warren received an offer from the Hokies last May before camping in July. He had two unofficial visits to Blacksburg during the 2024 season, along with one to Tennessee.

It’s another big addition to the wide receiver room for Fontel Mines, who has constructed a talented room. Looking ahead, of the 10 wideouts slated to be on the roster in 2026, six of them — including Warren and Tennessee transfer Cameron Seldon — were once four-star prospects out of high school. Keylen Adams, Chanz Wiggins, Micah Matthews and Shamarius Peterkin are the others.

Warren is the second player in the 2026 class to verbal to Tech, though quarterback Peyton Falzone backtracked and decommitted in November after his original pledge in July.

Carnell Warren links: 

247Sports 
ESPN 
Hudl 
On3 
Rivals 
Twitter