Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 12 No. 4 | March 2020

inside.hokiesports.com 19 Proud to be the Preferred Senior Living Provider of VT Athletics (800) 796-5420 WeLoveOurResidents.com EnglishMeadows_VT Ad_8Jan2020.indd 1 1/8/20 9:04 PM JH: As we sit and talk about what calls we’re going to make, whether it be line calls or coverage calls or checks, when I sit there and think, ‘This call’s going to belong to the mike linebacker,’ the guy [Ashby] is going to be able to learn it. He’s going to master it, and he’s going to be all over it. You don’t have near the concern as you would if a young guy were there, or a new guy, because he’s going to master the system mentally. If there is a call that’s supposed to be made, he’s going to make it. It’s a very nice security blanket from that aspect, and then when you watch the guy play, you know what caliber of player he is. I kid him all the time, if you have to look at guys, look down the line, I don’t know where he’d get picked. I don’t know if he’d be a high pick, but that guy is an absolute warrior. Q: There is a lot of buzz surrounding Amaré Barno. What can you tell fans about him? JH: He’s physically a freak. When you look at a guy with his length and his size and you watch him run and the play happens, and when he makes a decision to take a straight line to the ball, wow … I believe in juco and in high school, he was an outside linebacker, and then he moved inside. The vision of the game totally changes when you do that. He was a little uncomfortable, at least seemingly, so for him, it’s going to be important that we help him understand what he’s seeing and understand how to react to it based on whatever call we’re in and then having the flexibility to move him to some different spots. Maybe get him off the edge some in some pass rush situations, or put him in the threatening position and have him drop from there. He can almost touch the tackle and be in position to handle the flat just because of his length. Then you put him inside, and he can be a blitzer from there, or he can cover. He can be a guy that, if he gets in the line of scrimmage, he can play off some blocks, or a guy that if he’s in a rush situation and the quarterback gets the ball off before he gets there, he can get his hands in throwing windows and get tipped balls, or close if someone else tips a ball. I wouldn’t say we have high hopes because I don’t want to put pressure on the kid, but we really like him. Q: In the secondary, you lost Reggie Floyd to graduation, and it appears that Devon Hunter is the top candidate there at rover. How important is the next several months for Devon? JH: It’s an important time for Devon. I hope it’s his time because he deserves it, and he’s going to have every opportunity to prove that it is his time. With my relationship with him, he’s going to have every opportunity without the pressure of, ‘Oh, I have to go prove this.’ He’s going to know what to do, he’s going to know where to be, he’s going to know what’s happening around him, and he’s going to communicate. He’s going to do it not because he wants it to be his time, but because he wants the defense to work. He has really good skills. He’s a big guy that can run and change directions. He’s a really good open-field tackler, too. That showed up this year, and that helps at the safety position. Hopefully, with some of the things that will be different, we’ll put him in position where he’s not just in man coverage. He’ll be able to be a zone defender. He’ll be a blitzer or a blitz threat. He’ll be an underneath guy. He’ll play some man coverage, but he’s able to do some things that fit his natural skill set a little more. Q: Caleb Farley, Jermaine Waller and Armani Chatman, your top three cornerbacks, were going to be out with injuries this spring anyway. What will you do at those two spots if the team is allowed to return to the practice field? JH: Nadir Thompson will be there. Brion Murray, who was back and forth last year between corner and nickel, will be there. Jeremy Webb will be there. Hunter Green, who has been an awesome walk-on for us, will be there. If you need something for this or for that, he’ll jump out there, and he’s going to know what to do. We’ve got a couple of other walk-ons, too. I’d like to get some work over there for Nasir Peoples and Ny’Quee Hawkins, and not necessarily saying, ‘Hey, you need to go be a corner,’ but to be able to build in some depth and just see those guys. A lot of times, the best ideas have been birthed out of necessity, and if one of those guys shows up and that’s something they’re natural Continued on page 20