Virginia Tech LB Alan Tisdale plans to use extra COVID year next season

Virginia Tech linebacker Alan Tisdale said he intends to use his extra year of eligibility next season and use his COVID year, per Andy Bitter of The Athletic. He was suspended for the first six games of the 2022 college football season for betting on NBA games. It was a self-reported violation, and he hoped he’d get leniency from the NCAA. Instead, he was handed a nine-game suspension that was reduced to six upon appeal. Tisdale had bet a little bit over $400 on a professional sport that he doesn’t play, and only won $41.

In just the four games he’s played so far this season, Tisdale has racked up 35 tackles, one tackle for loss, and one sack. Last season, he finished with 84 tackles, ranking fourth on the team. One of his best games came on Nov. 13 against Duke–when he racked up nine tackles, two tackles for loss, and 0.5 sack.

During his 2020 campaign, Tisdale saw action in nine games, making five starts. He tallied 59 tackles–ranking third on the team. One of his best games that year came against Boston College, when he racked up eight tackles and forced a fumble.

He’s wise to decide to use his COVID year next year, since it’s a free year of eligibility that the NCAA granted to student-athletes across sports, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Perhaps the best game of his Virginia Tech career thus far came during the 2019 Belk Bowl vs. the Kentucky Wildcats when he racked up a career-high 14 tackles (8 solo).

As a high school prospect coming out of Page High School (Greensboro, NC)–Tisdale was rated as the No. 47 linebacker in America and a four-star prospect, according to the On3 Consensus Rankings for the 2018 cycle. He helped guide Page to a 11-2 overall record as a senior, after he racked up 112 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, and two interceptions.