Hopple headed to USF
Published 9:55 pm Wednesday, July 25, 2018
Former Nansemond River High School football standout Jarrett Hopple is transferring to the University of South Florida.
After spending a couple of seasons at Virginia Tech, Hopple has decided to transfer to USF. Hopple decided in the spring that his time will be best served somewhere else.
Due to NCAA rules, Hopple won’t be able to play this season because of the transfer. However, he is excited about his opportunity at USF.
“I wanted to stay at a (Football Bowl Subdivision) school,” Hopple said. “I thought USF would be a great opportunity for me, and it is also a good school academically as well.”
Coming out of Nansemond River, Hopple was a three-star offensive lineman national recruit. He had offers from some of the top college programs in the country. He was ranked No. 75 tackle in the country for the class of 2016. Offers were coming from schools like Pittsburgh, Marshall University, University of Virginia and Wake Forest University.
Even though he is transferring, Hopple is thankful for his time in the Virginia Tech football program.
“I have enjoyed every minute of it,” he said. “I met a lot of great friends and developed and matured on and off the field. I also learned more about college football and life in general.”
Even though he will have to sit out, Hopple sees this year as crucial to his development.
“I am going to use this season to get acclimated to the offense as well as the program,” he said. “I am going to continue to keep getting bigger, faster and stronger and just mentally continue to prepare myself for when I am able to play.”
His coaches feel he will add great depth to the program. After the season is over, Hopple will get his chance at making an impact once next spring comes around.
“I feel great about it all,” he said, “The coaches want me just to get as acclimated as possible both to the offense and program. I am just going to get ready for when the time comes during the spring.”
At Nansemond River, Hopple was an All-Conference and All-Region standout. He was ranked among the 30 best players in Virginia in his class.