Context clues are sparse from Justin Fuente at Thursday’s team meeting. Virginia Tech players are there for the weekly reveal of the No. 25 jersey, Frank Beamer’s old number now on rotation between special-teams standouts.

Fuente’s monologues don’t deviate much week to week, so even keen ears struggle to pick up hints as suspense builds while he unfolds No. 25.

“Every week you hope he’s talking about you,” junior Greg Stroman said, “but the things he says are kind of the same.

As players edge forward in their seats, Fuente reveals the name on the back of the jersey. In two days, he’ll have the distinction of wearing Beamer’s number as that week of practice’s ace special-teams player.

Last week, Fuente flipped over the jersey to unveil Stroman’s name. He responded with an 87-yard punt return touchdown, third-longest in school history, on his first special teams touch of the game.

The No. 25 jersey is no longer just a weekend badge of honor. Those who have worn it have made game-changing plays on special teams, keeping Virginia Tech’s Beamer Ball identity alive.

Stroman returned the kick for a score. Tim Settle, who wore No. 25 the week prior, blocked a field goal not long after Stroman’s touchdown. It was the first career block for Settle, who rarely played special teams in high school and knew nothing of Beamer’s special-teams tradition before enrolling at Virginia Tech.

“You stand out when you wear No. 25. Everyone knows what it means -- that you’re a big part of the team when you wear No. 25,” Settle said.

Days before the season opener, Fuente announced the team’s special teams player of the week would wear No. 25 as an homage to the legacy Beamer built in his 29 seasons as coach at his alma mater. During his coaching career, Beamer’s teams blocked 136 kicks, and his first and last game as Hokies’ coach included a kick return touchdown.

Beamer said he is been touched by Fuente’s insistence on keeping him a part of the program during the transition. Fuente routinely invites Beamer to practices and games, and the 69-year-old Beamer has been at the Hokies’ last three games.

Fuente also has made it a point to emphasize special teams in the same manner Beamer did. Awarding the No. 25 jersey each week is not a hollow gesture for Fuente, who even gets miffed his team doesn’t celebrate special-teams plays such as punts being downed inside the 10-yard line. Last week, Settle said he and Vinny Mihota spent a lot of time studying the opposing kicker and working on their speed off the snap. The film revealed an opportunity to block a kick.

“He’s trying to keep Beamer Ball alive, and that’s a big part of the game anyway,” Stroman said. “He emphasizes going hard like Coach Beamer did.”

Beamer was walking to the Virginia Tech facility on Wednesday when Stroman passed him while driving to the stadium. Stroman slowed and yelled to his former coach the touchdown was a tribute to him.

When Stroman returned the first punt of Saturday’s game for a score, he celebrated by pretending to brush off the No. 25. A little dust must have collected as Beamer’s No. 25 hadn’t scored a touchdown since the 1960s when the former coach returned an interception for a score.

“Watching No. 25 get into the end zone was kind of neat,” Beamer said. “One time in college I intercepted and took it back and threw the ball directly into the stands. The coach said you need to act like you’ve been there before, and I said, ‘I haven’t been there before.’”

The way the Hokies’ special teams unit is rolling, his jersey might make it to the end zone a few more times in 2016. He’ll probably be there to see it, too.