Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 12 No. 1 | August 2019

inside.hokiesports.com 23 OFFENSIVE LINE by Jimmy Robertson 2019 OFFENSIVE LINE DEPTH CHART (in numerical order) 50 Will Pritchard (6-2, 301, Fr.) 51 Gene Kastelburg (6-0, 308, r-So.) 52 Austin Cannon (6-2, 323, r-Jr.) 54 Lecitus Smith (6-3, 316, r-So.) 56 Joe Kane (6-2, 301, r-Fr.) 57 John Harris (6-3, 303, r-Fr.) 58 Walker Culver (6-6, 300, r-Fr.) 60 Silas Dzansi (6-5, 325, r-So.) 61 Bryan Hudson (6-4, 315, Fr.) 66 Louis Mihota (6-2, 282, r-Fr.) 69 Luke Tenuta (6-7, 315, r-Fr.) 71 T.J. Jackson (6-6, 359, r-Jr.) 72 Jesse Hanson (6-5, 301, Fr.) 74 Doug Nester (6-6, 315, Fr.) 75 Zachariah Hoyt (6-5, 305, r-Jr.) 76 Brock Hoffman (6-3, 316, Jr.) 77 Christian Darrisaw (6-5, 311, So.) 79 Tyrell Smith (6-3, 308, r-Sr.) PLAYER TO WATCH Christian Darrisaw burst onto the scene as a freshman last season, starting all 12 games in which he played (he missed one game with an injury)—quite an accomplishment for a true freshman playing the left tackle spot. But he held up quite well, enabling offensive line coach Vance Vice to play Yosuah Nijman at the right tackle position and keeping the rest of the line intact. Darrisaw missed spring practice while recovering from an injury, but the staff expects no lingering effects. In fact, Vice and the rest of the staff expect the 311-pound, long-armed Darrisaw to play even better in 2019. Tech’s offensive line features just one senior—Tyrell Smith, whomay be the starter at the other tackle position. This leaves an opportunity for Darrisaw to provide some much-needed additional leadership, something that he’s capable of doing and arguably the next step in his development. With his size and work ethic, Darrisaw should develop into one of the ACC’s best offensive linemen. OTHERS IN THE MIX Tech’s 2018 offensive line featured three senior starters in Kyle Chung, Braxton Pfaff and Nijman. The line played well this spring, but Vice refused to name any starters, so fans can expect competition for starting jobs to go right up until the kickoff of the opener against Boston College. This spring, with Darrisaw out, Smith and Silas Dzansi, who played in 10 games as a redshirt freshman in 2018, worked mostly with the first- team unit as the tackles. Zachariah Hoyt started nine games last season (eight at center), so he stands as the favorite to remain in that job. The first-team guards this spring consisted of Lecitus Smith and John Harris, two promising young linemen. Smith played in 11 games and started four of those as a redshirt freshman in 2018, while Harris played in two before ultimately taking a redshirt year. The staff loves Smith’s size, strength and power and Harris’ versatility—he can play any number of positions on the offensive line. The second-team unit this spring consisted of tackles T.J. Jackson and Luke Tenuta, guards Austin Cannon and Jesse Hanson, and center Louis Mihota. Only Jackson and Cannon saw action for Tech in 2018. In addition to Harris, Luke Tenuta, Joe Kane and Walker Culver took redshirt seasons. Vice is high on each one of them. INTERESTING FACTS • Eight offensive linemen return who have played in a collegiate game. • Tech returns just 29 career starts on the offensive line. • The Hokies started five different combinations on the offensive line in 2018 after starting just two different combinations in 2017. • Darrisaw’s 12 starts last season are the most among any returning offensive linemen. • Among Tech’s offensive linemen, only Darrisaw, Hoyt, Dzansi and Lecitus Smith have started a college game. • Tyrell Smith’s 40 career games played are the most of any offensive lineman on the roster, but he has not started a game in his career. 2019 OUTLOOK Tech’s offensive line played well for the most part in 2018, and perhaps not coincidentally, the offense performed at a high standard. The Hokies finished with 5,566 yards, including 2,266 on the ground, and they averaged 4.4 yards per carry. They held up well in protection, too, as Tech ranked second in the ACC in touchdown passes (29) and fourth in passing yards (3,300). The Hokies’ offensive line features 17 players who weigh more than 300 pounds, and several of these players can play multiple positions. That versatility enables Vice to keep his top five linemen on the field at all times. In short, the group possesses the potential to lead the way again, but it will be young—only one is a senior and only four others are juniors. If these players can mesh into a cohesive unit, they give the Hokies a great chance at starting the season off on the right note. BOLD PREDICTION Darrisawand Lecitus Smith bothwill earnAll-ACChonors this season. Christian Darrisaw