Friday’s training was open for some photography

The media were given a few practice segments to take photos and notes for the evening practice on Friday, August 9. The weather was stunning after being gloomy and threatening for most of the week. I remember football practice in August when the basic instruction to the Almighty was not to avoid getting hurt, but just to deal with the heat, the dust and that strange, peculiar mud that formed in your eyes from dirt and sweat.

John Schneider – SB Nation

It’s nice and a real relief to see players and coaches relaxed and focused on their tasks despite the physically demanding exercises. There was plenty of fluids and everyone seemed to move easily between stations. It was a good session and we were lucky to be able to get a few snaps.

But we’re not here to talk about practices, we’re here to talk about how the Hokies are set up for the defensive line this season. That’s not a trivial task, because some people on the interior have moved on to other roles, and the defensive tackle situation is of paramount importance. That’s where most of the new players are, and we need to see how they adjust and get along with their new coaches and new environment.

No one is here to sugar coat anyone’s skin, but 2023 started off a bit problematic on the D-line. Some of the issues were tied to the linebackers and a lack of experience there, but part of that falls on the shoulders of some of the biggest and strongest guys on the team. Defensive line coach JC Price was on his own in 2022 and 2023, in charge of both the defensive ends and tackles. There was a period of adjustment at the end, but Price has a kind of granite chin and just seems to speak the same language as Brent Pry (which is no surprise given their personal history).

Patience seems to be paying off soon. The first big news was the steady improvement in line play over the course of the 2023 season, followed by a number of key signings that brought back several key leadership players and some new interior additions that are expected to improve the interior play.

Last season (and the last couple of years as well), the Hokie defensive line was kind of an inconsistent hodgepodge of talent and skill, making consistent play between the 1s and 2s a problem, and also a problem in critical down and distance situations. The 2022 and 2023 interior players got run plays and limited big cuts, but they struggled to get the critical 1-3 yard penetration into the A gap and the interior parts of the B gap. Some of that had to do with pure size levels, but some had to do with the need for updated technique and coaching-style stability. No one is going to kid anyone about Bud Foster’s defensive lines.

Coach Foster wasn’t a big fan of big, slow guys between the offensive tackles. He liked players who could move and develop some quickness. With a few exceptions, that meant losing weight for quickness. The new Pry philosophy seems to change that formula. JC Price helps build a new recruiting base and fills out what appears to be a respectable three-man lineup. A three-man lineup is something the Hokies just haven’t had for the last decade.

This season looks like it will be similar to the end of 2023, and things will be a little different between the tackles. Let’s look at the roster and go through the players and positions by class and playmaking potential, just like we did with the O-Line.

There are several torments here, so we’ll put them in the same categories as before, but with one major caveat. Last season, especially toward the end when the success really started to happen, there were no true starters on the defensive line depth chart. You were just as likely to see an end or tackle on the field as another. So the starting lineup was a tactical decision based on something the coaching staff wanted to accomplish. So this season we’ll go with Primary, Secondary, and Support/Redshirt roles. It’s the same set of probabilities, but we’ll give them more general names.

Primary Defensive Players

Tackles – Josh Fuga will be a primary defensive player. He will likely be captain again. Fuga’s strength lies in his leadership skills, more than his talent on the field. Transfer from Duke, Aeneas Peebles will be a starter and also a primary tackle. Wilfried Pene, Ishmael Findlayter, And Malachi Madison seem to have risen to the level of primary tackles in the first depth charts of the season between spring and fall.

End/Edge – Antwaun Powell-Ryland – This is the biggest no-brainer ever… APR owns the No. 1 edge rusher for 2024. Keyshawn Burgos, Cole Nelson, Jordan McDonaldAnd CJ McCray are all either No. 1 or No. 2. The Hokies’ defensive end/edge position in 2024 is deep and will definitely present some challenges to opposing offensive systems. Together and independently, they are nearly impossible to block – at least not for very long – and there will be a lot of competition over who gets on the field and when.

Secondary boys

Okay, so how do you sort out the rest of the guys who have a serious chance to play on game day? It’s not a long list with this bunch of primary players, the normal number 2s on the rankings are shifted a bit.

Kemari Copeland, who came from community college, stands out for his enormous strength and determination to qualify for the rankings. The coaches have noticed. Kelvin Perry, Jr. has also emerged as a candidate for snap time. They will complete a 3-deep defensive tackle position that the Hokies have not been able to boast in a long time. In the meantime, Khurtis Perry attracts attention for future repetitions at the end/edge.

Support and redshirt roles

The rest of the D-line roster is not to be dismissed lightly, but we are preparing them to move up as some players’ eligibility expires at the end of the season. If we haven’t mentioned them, it’s not because we’re not thinking about them, but because given the current primary and secondary depth on the DL, their roles will be to learn to get bigger, faster and stronger.

The defensive line will determine how good the entire defense is this season. If they can consistently gain 1-2 yards in the A gap and control the AB gap, they will be able to shut down most teams’ runs inside. If they can add much-needed pass pressure inside, they will make those quick and powerful defensive ends even better.

A return to the Hokies’ smashmouth defense and their intimidating presence on the field throughout the game will go a long way in changing the team’s culture and success.

You can take a look at Friday’s practice pictures on the Gobbler Country Facebook group page.

Next up for me. Back to the offense and the running backs.

LET’S GO, HOKIES!!!