Hokies linebacker Dylan Rivers will medically retire

It's already been a less eventful offseason of attrition for Virginia Tech than last year's, but it continues once more: Junior linebacker Dylan Rivers will medically retire from the game of football due to neck injuries.

Not a HokieHaven.com subscriber? Join today for access to all our premium content and message board community.

In three years as a Hokie, Rivers appeared in 29 games, including seven starts as a true sophomore. He finishes his career with 43 total tackles, two for loss with 1.5 sacks. He also intercepted one pass and hurried the quarterback twice.

A four-star just outside the Rivals250, he was flipped from Penn State late in the Class of 2017, and was one of the Hokies' headliners in the group. He received sparing playing time early, but emerged as a starter in his first year making contributions (after coming in third-string behind fifth-year senior walk-ons as a true frosh, a major mistake in personnel management that the coaching staff would certainly like to take back). He faded late during his sophomore year, and was a backup to Dax Hollifield, Rayshard Ashby, and Alan Tisdale this season while contributing on special teams.

With his football career over, Rivers will move into a student-coaching capacity with the program to remain a member of the Hokies - a path similar to the one taken by previous medical retirees. That's one silver lining for the Hokies. Another is that the on-field impact will be minimal, given that his health had relegated Rivers to minimal playing time (16 total snaps in 2019) in the base defense.

With his scholarship no longer occupied, Virginia Tech is at exactly 85 scholarships committed for the 2020 season, though other attrition (to the NFL, for playing time or personal reasons, or other medical issues for players) will likely see 2-5 more openings that can be filled by 2020 prospects if the coaching staff can land additional talent in the group. Otherwise, those slots will likely go to deserving walk-ons.