Virginia Tech’s experience and depth at the wide receiver position has taken at least a short-term hit. Whether it will turn into a long-term issue remains to be seen.
Tuesday, Tech head coach Frank Beamer announced that Joshua Stanford has been granted a leave of absence from the football team. Other than to deal with a personal issue, no reason was given for the sabbatical.
It’s also not related to any type of school-mandated disciplinary action.
Stanford has started 13 of the Hokies’ 16 games the past two seasons, including two of three in 2014. He was third on the team in 2013 with 40 catches for 640 yards. This season he has just five catches for 35 yards, totals that rank seventh and eight, respectively.
As noted by Norm Wood of the Newport News Daily Press, “Stanford is the second Virginia Tech receiver to leave the team for a period of time this season due to personal reasons. Sophomore Carlis Parker was also absent from the team for the first two games, but he returned to practice last Tuesday.”