BLACKSBURG, Va. (WDBJ) - One of the best kept secrets in Blacksburg was revealed a few weeks ago at the NFL Combine as the world got its first taste of former Virginia Tech running back Bhayshul Tuten’s speed.
A skill he developed as a kid in Paulsboro, New Jersey.
“Football started from playing street football, backyard football. Always loved it growing up, it was always one of the main sports we always played,” he recalls.
At Paulsboro High School, Tuten excelled and was named the South Jersey Times Football Offensive Player of the year in 2020. From there, he spent two seasons at North Carolina A&T before being drawn to Blacksburg and a program being rebuilt by Virginia Tech headman Brent Pry.
“They did a great job of building a roster to fit the overall characteristics of the team. I was digging that and I was very comfortable with the staff here and Coach Pry’s philosophy,” he explains.
His two years as a Hokie are highlighted by setting the single game rushing record with 266 yards and eclipsing 100 rushing yards in six of the 11 games in which he played in 2024.
The spotlight on Tuten only grew brighter at the Combine, where he ran a 4.32 40-yard dash, the fastest in his running back draft class.
“Stepping up to that line, I was just telling myself relax, relax. Stay calm. Don’t over push yourself. Don’t strain. Remember your mechanics. That was where my mind was. To show a time like that definitely did pay off for all of us.”
For a player who has hustled his entire playing career, now, Tuten waits for his name to hopefully be called in late April, where his dream of becoming a professional can be realized.
“That’s my ultimate goal coming in, hoping that a team sees everything I can bring to the table and is willing to have me on the team. Making the roster is where I want to be at,” Tuten adds.
No matter how far away from Southwest Virginia his goals take him, Tuten says he’s grateful to be a Hokie and the time in his life when he called Blacksburg home.
“When I got here, ya’ll backed me and supported me from the jump,” he says to Hokie fans. “I appreciate the support here. I’m always loved here and feel loved here and I’m always welcome here and willing to come back.”
The first day of the NFL Draft is April 24th.
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