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There’s a good article in the Charleston Daily Mail today about former Hokie runningback Branden Ore, who transfered to West Liberty State (D-II) after being dismissed from Virginia Tech. We realize that some of you aren’t big Ore fans, but we thought we’d post a link to the article for those that are curious how he’s doing.

Click here to read the article.

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According to a release on HokieSports.com today, rising senior runningback Branden Ore is no longer on the team. This frees up the backfield competition to include incoming four-star recruit Ryan Williams to compete with Kenny Lewis Jr., Josh Oglesby and Jahre Cheeseman.

Read the release.

Update: ESPN is reporting that Ore was kicked off the team because “Hokies coaches grew weary of player’s attitude.” While ESPN summarizes that this will hurt the Hokies 110th ranked offense, I think it will help the team because there is one less player who isn’t giving 100 percent to the team and it opens the door for some fresh legs to show us what they can do.

ESPN Article

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According to a release issued by Virginia Tech’s athletic department, available at HokieSports.com, running back Branden Ore has withdrawn his name from the NFL draft and will return to Virginia Tech for his senior year.

“I am determined to make my family and my teammates, along with the university and its fans, proud,” Ore said in the statement release late yesterday (Jan. 17). “I plan on helping Virginia Tech to another successful season.”

This is a smart move for Ore personally, but unless he gets his head screwed back on straight … again … it could prove a distraction for the Hokies’ 2008 season. I would expect (and hope) that Head Coach Frank Beamer and Assistant Head Coach and Running Backs Coach Billy Hite will sit down with Ore and let him know that if shows up to spring or fall practice out of shape again, he will be dismissed from the team.

You would think that a guy with NFL potential would wake up and make it his soul mission in life to have the greatest possible senior year, become a senior leader and have NFL GMs giving him a good hard look on day one of the 2009 NFL draft.

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According to Branden Ore‘s high school football coach, the Virginia Tech runningback will file paperwork for entry into the NFL draft – though he will not hire an agent in case he decides to return to the Hokies for the 2008 season. The deadline to withdraw his name from the draft, however, is Friday, Jan. 18, so he does not have much time to make a decision.

Ore’s time at Virginia Tech has been tumultuous to say the least. He did not see much playing time during his freshman year behind Cedric Humes and he also competed with highly touted, but injury-prone George Bell. His attitude and commitment to the team was questioned by runningbacks coach Billy Hite who told Ore to get right or don’t come back.

What followed was a well-publicized, feel-good story of Ore taking the Spring 2006 semester off and working in a 7-Eleven freezer before returning to Blacksburg with a new and improved attitude. An attitude that carried him to an All ACC first team selection in 2006 behind 1,351 total yards and 16 TDs. But, when Ore returned to the team for the 2008 season, he was out of shape and his attitude apparently regressed.

Ore had one great season in which he did everything right. But, his relapse into his selfish ways is the last thing the Virginia Tech football team needs. He was given a second chance and he did not take full advantage of it. It is time to cut our losses and move on. We have about eight solid RBs coming in next season, plus Kenny Lewis Jr., and Jahre Cheeseman, so it isn’t like we will be hurting for talent in the backfield – especially considering that Ore struggled for most of the 2007 season.

Talentwise, this reminds me of Shyrone Stith back in the late 90s. His hand was forced because of his family’s financial situation, so he left Tech after his junior season to enter the 2000 NFL draft. He was a seventh-round pick by the Jaguars and played just 15 games in his short NFL career.

Obviously Ore’s hand is being forced by much different circumstances, but I believe the outcome will likely be the same in terms of his NFL career. I’m not even sure Ore would get drafted at this point based on one good season and three good games in the 2007 season. His attitude, if anything, will scare teams away, or at least it should.

Don’t get me wrong, I hope he can turn things around, but the path he’s on is clearly the wrong one.

What do you think?

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