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Inside Hokie Sports
Continued on page 26
The Hokies lose three starters on the
defensive line—Woody Baron, Nigel Williams
and Ken Ekanem—and of those, Ekanem
figures to be the hardest to replace. Taylor
and Emmanuel Belmar should get plenty of
reps at the end spots, with Jarrod Hewitt, a
290-pounder from Florida, seeing time at
defensive tackle.
Fuente mentioned Belmar as one to watch.
The 6-2, 236-pounder from Georgia played
a lot at linebacker in high school, but Tech’s
staff loves his potential as a defensive end.
“Belmar looks good running around,”
Fuente said. “He doesn’t know what he’s
doing yet because he’s been over there [on
the scout team] running plays on a card, but
he’s continued to develop his body, and he
moves around well.”
Some expected Belmar to play backer
when he arrived at Tech—because of the
Hokies’ depth situation. Players like Dahman
McKinnon and Jamieon Moss left the
program, leaving a tenuous situation behind
starter Tremaine Edmunds.
But the coaches like Belmar’s tools coming
off the edge. He possesses the speed, and
more importantly, the athleticism to bend his
body. Plus, there is nothing more important
on defense than being able to rush the passer,
particularly in today’s spread-offense world.
“Coach [Bud] Foster said I could play
linebacker or defensive end—it was up to
me,” Belmar said. “I played defensive end my
senior year, so I thought, ‘Why not just make
the transition? I’ll probably end up getting
bigger anyway.’ I like it. I’m getting adjusted
to it.”
Like Jackson, Belmar knew he needed
more developing when he got to Blacksburg.
He arrived on Tech’s campus weighing 228
pounds—a solid number, but not nearly big
enough to take on the ACC’s top tackles.
Not only that, he saw that successful ends
like Ekanem and Vinny Mihota weighed 260-
plus. How much Belmar helps this spring
probably hinges on his ability to maintain his
weight, or even gain more.
“The weight training coaches got me
bigger, faster and stronger,” Belmar said.
“I’ve gained weight. I’m trying to be around
245 by springtime to play defensive end. My
number has been going up. I’m at 236 right
now. I’m came in at 230 and went down to
225, but now I’m going back up.
“You always wish you could come out here
and play as a true freshman, but sometimes
you have to wait for your opportunity. I
didn’t think too much of it [the coaches’
decision to have him take a redshirt year].
I had to get bigger, faster and stronger, so I
just decided to go in the weight room and try
to get better.”
Every winter and every spring is important
for the development of a football team.
These times afford individual players the
opportunity to develop and mature, both
physically and emotionally. They can work
on the nuances of their positions without
the pressure of absorbing a game plan. They
also develop chemistry with their teammates,
something of tremendous value, though often
understated.
The members of the 2016 recruiting
class who took redshirt years expressed joy
at seeing the season end. Now they get to
compete for playing time—and they are
ready to make their marks, both individually
and collectively.
“A lot of our class has potential,” Belmar
said. “They just need to keep their minds
right, keep in the weight room and get bigger,
faster and stronger. We’ll do our thing.”
Continued
from
page 23