Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 14 No. 1 | August 2021

18 Inside Hokie Sports POSITION OUTLOOK After developing Dalton Keene into a third-round NFL Draft pick, tight ends coach James Shibest appears to have another potential pro prospect in the pipeline with James Mitchell. While Mitchell could be poised for a big year, DeIuliis and Gallo give Tech the flexibility to utilize multiple tight end sets, which can be particularly important in short yardage and goal line situations. With a good group of young players in this position group, tight end appears to be a spot where the Hokies will continue to be strong going forward. OFFENSIVE LINE PLAYERS TO WATCH It’s impossible to focus on just one player when you’re dealing with the Vice Squad. Lecitus Smith owns 34 games played (27 starts) in a Tech uniform. Brock Hoffman is the emotional leader of the group and returns for his second campaign in Blacksburg. And after starting nine games at right tackle a season ago, Luke Tenuta is slated to make the move to left tackle, a spot that was occupied by first-round NFL Draft pick Christian Darrisaw the past three seasons. Smith, Hoffman and Tenuta all earned postseason honors a year ago and form the nucleus of arguably the best offensive line in the ACC. OTHERS IN THE MIX Offensive line coach Vance Vince frequently talks about getting the “best five” on the field. It will be interesting to see where Maryland transfer Johnny Jordan fits into that mix. An All-Big Ten honorable mention selection for the Terrapins in 2020, like Hoffman, Jordan owns experience at both center and guard. Silas Dzansi is also back for the Hokies, giving Vice and company another versatile player with starting experience. Two-time team captain Tyrell Smith also returns for a seventh, yes that’s correct, a seventh season. And then there’s the right tackle spot vacated by Tenuta. In the spring, Parker Clements took a lot of work at that spot, but as usual, expect Vice to work multiple players at multiple positions throughout camp. OL NOTES • The Hokies return 63.6% of starts on the offensive line from 2020 (35 of 55). • Hoffman and Lecitus Smith were the only two offensive linemen to start all 11 games for the Hokies last season. • Lecitus Smith has started the last 24 games for the Hokies. • Tyrell Smith leads all Tech players with 54 games played but has never started a game for the Hokies. POSITION OUTLOOK Tech registered three games with 300+ rushing yards in 2020 after accumulating no such outings the previous nine seasons. While Darrisaw was a huge part of that success on the ground, you’d be hard pressed to find a better returning trio in the league than Lecitus Smith, Hoffman and Tenuta. There will likely be a number of talented players auditioning for playing time on the right side of the offensive front. And remember, Coach Vice isn’t afraid to throw young players into the fray. Remember Darrisaw starting as a true freshman on the road at Florida State in 2018? DEFENSIVE LINE PLAYER TO WATCH Amaré Barno had a breakout campaign in 2020 in his first season as a defensive end after moving to that spot from linebacker. Barno was an All-ACC Honorable Mention selection last season after leading all Power Five players with 16.0 tackles for loss, including 6.5 sacks. The Blythewood, South Carolina native played in all 11 games last year (six starts). He got off to a hot start with 8.0 TFL and 3.5 sacks in the season’s first five contests. With last season’s experience under his belt and a full spring working at the position, the upward trajectory for Barno in 2021 should continue to ascend. OTHERS IN THE MIX While the Hokies hope Barno continues his rapid development as an edge rusher, the addition of Clemson transfer Jordan Williams to the interior of the defensive front could be intriguing. The Virginia Beach native produced 55 total tackles, 9.5 TFL and 4.0 sacks during his stint with his Tigers. Williams figures to be part of an interior line rotation that also includes Mario Kendricks, Norell Pollard and Josh Fuga. Kendricks and Pollard are both Florida natives who flourished under Bill Teerlinck last season and should only benefit from the addition of J.C. Price to Tech’s staff. TyJuan Garbutt started 11 games for the Hokies in 2019 and came on down the stretch for the Hokies. He owns 62 career tackles, 10.0 TFL and 2.0 sacks. While it’s unclear whether he’ll be able to return after an injury cost him the final half of 2020, Emmanuel Belmar owns 29 career starts and earned ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors following a 3.0-sack performance at Duke last year. D-LINE NOTES • Defensive line coach Bill Teerlinck made an immediate impact in his first season with the Hokies. Tech ranked sixth in the nation with 36.0 sacks, while averaging 3.27 sacks per game to rank ninth among FBS squads. • Of Barno’s 16.0 TFL in 2020, 14.0 of those were solo efforts, the second-highest total among all FBS players. • The Hokies ranked 10th in the Power Five with 76.0 TFL in 2020, with 65.1 percent of those tackles coming from the defensive line. POSITION OUTLOOK Teerlinck and Price developed a solid rapport in the spring, and it was evident that their players enjoy working with them. While Barno will deservedly get plenty of preseason hype, Tech needs solid work from the interior quartet of Kendricks, Pollard, Williams and Fuga. After missing the early portion of 2020, a healthy and inspired Garbutt could provide a nice bookend to Barno at defensive end. Unquestionably, the Hokies will need other players to step and take quality snaps throughout the year. Jaylen Griffin, Maxx Philpott and Eli Adams all saw duty a year ago and could help keep Tech’s frontline players fresh. football Continued from page 17