Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 11 No. 1 | August 2018

24 Inside Hokie Sports Season Preview 2 18 OFFENSIVE LINEMEN For the most part, Blacksburg and the New River Valley are thriving economic areas, but the local Cookout saw its business take a rather large hit this summer. As part of an effort to trim a few pounds, Yosuah Nijman decided to give up his late-night milkshake runs to the popular Blacksburg stop on South Main Street. When a 300-pound man gives up a restaurant’s noted item, he leaves a rather large void and creates a rather precipitous drop-off in business. Tech fans, though, should be happy to know that the 314-pound hulk with arms the size of car axles feels great after losing 10 pounds and using the offseason to get healthy after missing the final five games of last season with a leg/foot injury. “I feel, at this weight, I can move around like I did my sophomore year, but still have a lot more muscle than I did my sophomore year,” Nijman said. The veteran offensive tackle headlines a big, tough, experienced offensive line that returns three starters who played a part in the Hokies’ averaging 173.4 yards rushing per game a year ago. Nijman and fellow seniors Braxton Pfaff and Kyle Chung are primary reasons why the offensive line ranks as one of the strong points of the 2018 squad, even though the unit lost longtime stalwarts Eric Gallo and Wyatt Teller. Tech’s offensive line played very well in 2017 despite Nijman missing half the season. The 6-foot-7 New Jersey native did not play in the final five games of the fall, forcing Tech line coach Vance Vice to go with oft- injured Parker Osterloh and inexperienced D’Andre Plantin at left tackle. “It was very frustrating,” Nijman said of the injury. “I couldn’t be out there with the team. I couldn’t practice. I couldn’t go to any away games … so I’m excited to be back.” Nijman returned this spring, but not at the same position. After starting 22 consecutive games at left tackle, he found himself at right tackle, as Vice elected to flip him to the other side. Redshirt freshman Silas Dzansi played left tackle with the first team, while Plantin saw most of his action at left guard. The quiet Nijman never complained about the move, though most offensive linemen want to play left tackle—the glamour position on the line and the one of arguably the most importance. Instead, he went about his tasks, working his hardest to become the best right tackle on the squad. “It’s whatever is best for the team,” Nijman said. “Everything is flipped. It’s no biggie. I’ve been playing one position since I’ve been here, so it was a little bit of a challenge for me to play right tackle. As you saw in the spring, OFFENSIVE LINEMEN August, 2018 (in numerical order) 50 Patrick Kearns (6-5, 297, r-So.) 51 Gene Kastelburg (6-0, 301, r-Fr.) 52 Austin Cannon (6-2, 317, r-So.) 53 Aiden Brown (6-2, 300, r-Fr.) 54 Lecitus Smith (6-3, 313, r-Fr.) 55 Luke Tenuta (6-7, 285, Fr.) 56 Joe Kane (6-2, 281, Fr.) 57 John Harris (6-3, 282, Fr.) 58 Walker Culver (6-6, 277, Fr.) 60 Silas Dzansi (6-5, 315, r-Fr.) 61 Kyle Chung (6-3, 310, r-Sr.) 62 D’Andre Plantin (6-5, 315, r-Jr.) 63 Daniel Bailey (6-3, 303, r-Jr.) 65 Matt Christ (6-3, 280, r-Jr.) 66 Louis Mihota (6-2, 278, Fr.) 68 Connor Kish (6-2, 305, r-Jr.) 69 Yosuah Nijman (6-7, 314, Sr.) 70 Kevin Kish (6-2, 290, r-Jr.) 71 T.J. Jackson (6-6, 333, r-So.) 72 Brennon Garrison (6-1, 296, r-Fr.) 74 Braxton Pfaff (6-5, 315, r-Sr.) 75 Zachariah Hoyt (6-5, 308, r-So.) 77 Christian Darrisaw (6-5, 295, Fr.) 79 Tyrell Smith (6-3, 305, r-Jr.) BIG, STRONG , veteran offensive line ready to lead the way for TECH OFFENSE by Jimmy Robertson Yosuah Nijman