Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 10 No. 1 | August 2017

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Game—and finishing it this time. To
accomplish that, Tech’s defense needs
big seasons from Motuapuaka and fellow
linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.
Edmunds finished second behind
Motuapuaka with 106 tackles, and he tied for
the team lead with 18.5 tackles for loss last
season. A special talent at 6-foot-3 and 250
pounds, Edmunds was named to the “watch list”
Returning starters: Andrew Motuapuaka (29
career starts), Tremaine Edmunds (16 career
starters)
Starters lost: none
Projected new starters: none
Top reserves: Anthony Shegog, Tavante
Beckett, Sean Huelskamp
Newcomers: Dylan Rivers, Jaylen Griffin, Rico
Kearney, Rayshard Ashby, Daniel Griffith
Breakout candidate: Edmunds
Notes: Motuapuaka has scored four touch­
downs in his career—three by fumble return
… Edmunds’ 18.5 tackles for a loss tied for the
most by a Tech player since 2002 (Cols Colas,
19) … Edmunds recorded a tackle for a loss
in 13 of the Hokies’ 14 games last season …
Motuapuaka and Edmunds each recorded four
games with at least 10 tackles … Motuapuaka
has recovered five fumbles and intercepted four
passes in his career … Motuapuaka has started
23 straight games, while Edmunds has started
15 straight … Shegog has played in 33 games
in his career (seven starts).
QUICK FACTS
ON TECH’S LB’S
MIKE LINEBACKERS
14 Tavante Beckett (5-10, 221, So.)
16 Dylan Rivers (6-1, 233, Fr.)
23 Rayshard Ashby (5-10, 227, Fr.)
41 Jaylen Griffin (6-1, 238, Fr.)
53 Trent Young (5-10, 215, r-Jr.)
54 Andrew Motuapuaka (6-0, 236, r-Sr.)
56 Sean Huelskamp (6-1, 225, r-Sr.)
58 Zack Treser (6-5, 222, r-So.)
87 Tre Coghill III (5-10, 161, Fr.)
BACKERS
24 Anthony Shegog (6-2, 230, r-Sr.)
38 Rico Kearney (6-0, 230, Fr.)
48 Daniel Griffith (6-0, 230, r-Fr.)
49 Tremaine Edmunds (6-5, 250, Jr.)
AUGUST • 2017 (In numerical order)
VIRGINIA TECH
LINEBACKERS
for three awards—the Butkus Award (nation’s
best linebacker), the Nagurski Trophy (nation’s
best defensive player) and the Bednarik Award
(nation’s best defensive player).
“He just has it all, really,” Motuapuaka
said of his teammate. “He has the size
and the speed. Maine’s a freak. He’s been
definitely taking strides, making his game
better, studying film, stuff like that. That’s
what’s going to separate us defensively from
other teams.”
Tech went into spring practice with little
depth behind this duo, but Foster moved
Anthony Shegog to backer behind Edmunds,
and Tavante Beckett played outstanding
behind Motuapuaka this spring. So he feels
better about the situation.
Shegog seems to make plays when he gets
the opportunity—he recorded six tackles, a
sack, a forced fumble and an interception in
Tech’s 35-24 win over Arkansas in the Belk
Bowl. Beckett may have been the best player
on the field this spring.
Also, Sean Huelskamp returns. Though
he missed spring practice with an injury, he
certainly brings experience to the fold.
These five guys arguably serve as the
heartbeat of this season’s Hokie defense. If
the Hokies want to win the Coastal Division
again and return to the ACC Championship
Game, they probably need for these five to
play critical roles.
“That’s our expectation, and we don’t
lower our expectation because the team
changed,” Motuapuaka said of the team’s
goals. “That’s definitely where we want to be.
If we don’t make it, it is what it is, but that’s
definitely the goal.”