Eight position records fell and eight football players earned Super Iron Hokie status, the top level in the strength and conditioning program, as the staff conducted testing of Tech’s football players in late July. In all, 42 players received recognition for their work.
Kenny Younger, a fullback from Richmond, Virginia, enjoyed arguably the best summer, finishing in the top five in four of the six tests and earning Super Iron status. Blake DeChristopher, Josh Oglesby, Joey Phillips, Kwamaine Battle, James Gayle, Rashad Carmichael and Eddie Whitley joined Younger.
Two quarterbacks broke position records. Tyrod Taylor set the mark for a quarterback in the front squat with a lift of 410 pounds, while Logan Thomas set the mark in the power clean with a lift of 321 pounds.
Two tailbacks also broke position records. David Wilson’s 341-pound power clean now is the new standard for tailbacks, while Darren Evans’ 405-pound bench press shattered the old record held by Jon Jeffries.
Two receivers broke position records. Danny Coale set the mark for receivers in the front squat with a lift of 435 pounds, while Jarrett Boykin set a new mark with a 354-pound power clean.
On defense, Kwamaine Battle (475, front squat) and Telvion Clark (455, front squat) set the records for defensive linemen and linebackers, respectively.
Here’s a look at the top five in each category tested:
| Bench press | Front squat |
| 1. Josh Call (450) | 1. Kenny Younger (485) |
| 2. Blake DeChristopher (450) | 2. Kwamaine Battle (475) |
| 3. Steven Friday (440) | 3. Josh Call (470) |
| 4. John Graves (435) | 4. Telvion Clark (455) |
| 5. Kenny Younger (430) | 5. Vinston Painter (455) |
| Power clean | Push jerk |
| 1. Kwamaine Battle (365) | 1. Kenny Younger (380) |
| 2. Jarrett Boykin (354) | 2. John Graves (361) |
| 3. Joey Phillips (346) | 3. Josh Call (358) |
| 4. David Wilson (341) | 4. Blake DeChristopher (346) |
| 5. Josh Eadie (341) | 5. Andre Smith (341) |
| Vertical jump | 10-yard sprint |
| 1. David Wilson (40) | 1. Rashad Carmichael (1.64) |
| 2. Tyrod Taylor (40) | 2. Wiley Brown (1.64) |
| 3. Marcus Davis (39.5) | 3. Danny Coale (1.65) |
| 4. Logan Thomas (39.5) | 4. Marcus Davis (1.66) |
| 5. Martin Scales (38) | 5. Kenny Younger (1.68) |
(Note: The player with the lowest body weight wins any tiebreakers in any lifting category. David Wang also recorded a 341-pound power clean, Vinston Painter recorded a 430-pound bench press, and Beau Warren recorded a 341-pound push jerk.)
Acree, Fuller headline freshman testing
Nick Acree and Kyle Fuller put up top marks in freshman strength and conditioning testing conducted in late July. Acree, a 6-foot-4, 300-pound offensive lineman from King William, Virginia, topped all freshmen with a 450-pound bench press, while Fuller, a 5-11, 175-pound defensive back from Baltimore, led everyone in the 40, running it in 4.4 seconds, and in the 10-yard sprint, finishing it in 1.67 seconds. He also tied for the top mark in the vertical jump with safety Nick Dew – both recorded a jump of 38.5 inches. Dew, a 6-1, 188-pound safety from Virginia Beach, Virginia, ran a 4.5 in the 40 and a 1.7 in the 10-yard sprint, second best among the freshmen in both categories.
Matt Arkema, a 6-3, 272-pound offensive lineman from Midlothian, Virginia, and Derrick Hopkins, a 6-0, 284-pound defensive end from Highland Springs, Virginia, both recorded a bench press of 330 pounds.
| Bench press | 40 |
| 1. Nick Acree (450) | 1. Kyle Fuller (4.36) |
| 2. Matt Arkema (330) | 2. Nick Dew (4.48) |
| 3. Derrick Hopkins (330) | 3. Detrick Bonner (4.55) |
| 4. Zack McCray (320) | 4. E.L. Smiling (4.60) |
| 5. Jonathan Halfhide (300) | 5. Dominique Patterson (4.63) |
| Vertical jump | 10-yard sprint |
| 1. Nick Dew (38.5) | 1. Kyle Fuller (1.67) |
| 2. Kyle Fuller (38.5) | 2. Nick Dew (1.70) |
| 3. Detrick Bonner (38) | 3. Dominique Patterson (1.76) |
| 4. E.L. Smiling (36.5) | 4. Detrick Bonner (1.78) |
| 5. Dominique Patterson (34.5) | 5. Jonathan Halfhide (1.78) |
Martin joins staff as GA
Former Tech defensive end Orion Martin has returned to the Tech football program, joining the Hokies as a graduate assistant. He takes over for Jamel Smith, another former Hokie who played at Tech as a linebacker from 1996-99. In early July, Smith received an offer from Coastal Carolina head coach David Bennett to be the defensive line coach and decided to take it, returning back to his native South Carolina.
Martin played at Tech from 2005-08, redshirting in 2004 after transferring from Norfolk State. He earned second-team All-ACC honors his senior season after making 56 tackles and notching 7.5 sacks. He spent time with both the Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions before returning to Blacksburg to work in the Student-Athlete Academic Support Services office.
Randall plays well in Indoor Football League
Former Virginia Tech quarterback and fan favorite Bryan Randall was named the 2010 Indoor Football League MVP after a season in which he guided the Richmond Revolution to a league-best 13-1 regular-season record. Randall threw for more than 2,000 yards and 58 touchdown passes. He also rushed for 374 yards and 12 touchdowns. He won the award through an online vote available to all fans.
The Revolution lost to Rochester in the first round of the league's playoffs and finished the season with a 13-2 mark. Rochester accounted for Richmond's lone two losses.
Randall isn’t the only Hokie player on Richmond’s roster. The list includes Vince Hall, Noland Burchette, Josh Hyman, Lawrence Lewis and Chris Segaar.
