Hokies' Nick Gallo to miss 2023 season after knee surgery
He was unavailable for the opener, and now Virginia Tech Hokies fans know tight end Nick Gallo's absence will be much longer. The fifth-year senior tight end will miss the entirety of the 2023 football season after undergoing knee surgery.
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While head coach Brent Pry mentioned that Gallo would seek a waiver to return for one more year in 2024, that shouldn't be necessary: he is a fifth-year senior, but has yet to take a traditional redshirt (and his 2020 season does not count against eligibility, as is the case for every player in the country). A traditional redshirt should suffice given that he has not played and will not play this season, barring a miraculous recovery.
In his career to date, Gallo has played in 46 games with 27 starts, making 55 grabs for 469 yards with one touchdown reception.
In his absence, the Hokies ran out a healthy dose of redshirt freshman Benji Gosnell along with true sophomore Dae'Quan Wright in a win over Old Dominion Saturday evening. Redshirt frosh Harrison Saint Germain also saw time, and now it's likely that walk-on Cole Pickett or true freshman Zeke Wimbush will see an enhanced role.
The on-field impacts can certainly be minimized (for all his use last year, Gallo was only a moderately effective pass-catcher, and his run-blocking wasn't enough to make up for it), but losing one of seven team captains is nonetheless a blow from a leadership perspective. While Gallo can still lead from the sidelines, he's been more of a by-example type in his career.
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