Shai McKenzie began his Virginia Tech career as one of the most decorated members of the Hokies’ 2014 recruiting class. In the end, and thanks in part to injury, he’ll fall far short of the hype.
On his personal Twitter account Thursday evening, the running back announced his decision to transfer from the Hokies and continue playing elsewhere. McKenzie plans to graduate from Tech this summer, meaning he would be eligible to play immediately at another FBS program in 2017 if that’s the path he chooses.pic.twitter.com/u7LVxpaQXm
— ShaiMcKenzie (@Mckenzie_era) January 13, 2017
The second chance to which McKenzie referred came back in 2015 when he was arrested and charged with two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The back was suspended and then reinstated, but served a one-game suspension to start the 2015 season.
A four-star 2014 recruit, only one signee was rated higher than McKenzie in Tech’s class that year. His career actually began with promise as he was second on the team in rushing as a true freshman when he went down with a torn ACL in the fifth game of the season. At that time, he had 269 yards on the ground; on the two years since, he ran for a combined 126 yards. His 2015 season was limited to two games because of the lingering effects of the ACL injury.