Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 10 No. 5 | May 2018

24 Inside Hokie Sports First-team DEFENSIVE LINE solid , with young talent starting to emerge behind it by Jimmy Robertson At the conclusion of this past season, Tech’s staff started thinking about the future, and in looking ahead to the 2018 season, defensive coordinator Bud Foster and defensive line coach Charley Wiles expected the line to be the strongest part of the defense since four starters returned. But burly Tim Settle, a second-team All- ACC selection this past fall, made the decision to pursue NFL riches, thus leaving a gaping hole—both literally and figuratively. The 335-pound Settle finished with 12.5 tackles for a loss and four sacks in 2017, so this spring, Wiles needed to find a replacement for him out of the relatively unproven group behind Settle. That process actually began quickly after Settle made his decision, as Tech’s staff decided to move Vinny Mihota from end to tackle even though Mihota missed the final two games of this past fall and the entire spring with a torn ACL. “We get Vinny Mihota back in the fall, obviously, and Vinny has committed to moving inside,” Wiles said. “[That] will be good for Vinny because, for him moving forward, that’s probably his future—for him to get drafted and to have a pro career.” That move left Wiles looking at a first- team unit of Mihota, leader Ricky Walker, ends Trevon Hill and Houshun Gaines, who played well in two starts in place of Mihota. It also allowed him to focus on building much- needed depth during spring practices. Wiles was able to accomplish that second feat to a certain degree, as he came out of this spring feeling good about the performances of several players, starting with tackles Jarrod Hewitt and Xavier Burke. Hewitt, in particular, stood out. A redshirt freshman in 2017, he played in 10 games and finished with 13 tackles, but he admittedly was too heavy. A former powerlifter in high school and an avid weightlifter in general, Hewitt bulked up to close to 300 when he arrived at Tech, and that took away from his quickness. This winter, he slimmed down to 285, while maintaining his strength—and the difference showed on the field this spring. “Really pleased with the strides that Jarrod Hewitt has made,” Wiles said. “Jarrod knows he’s got to be a great-effort kind of kid to get the very most out of his abilities, and he’s got that kind of attitude. He’s attacked the weight room in the offseason. He looks great. He’s one of those guys that needs to stay in that 280 to 285 [-pound] range, and that’s what he’s done. “He’s really, really strong. Coach [Ben] Hilgart has done amazing things with him and just the way he looks. He’s real fit right now, and he had a good spring.” As for Burke, he came to Tech as a tight end, and then the staff moved him to defensive end. Then they moved him again, this time to defensive tackle, where he spent most of this past season. He’s finally adjusted to the position and played with more of a motor this spring than in the past. Wiles hopes to find a fifth defensive tackle once the season starts. That person may be incoming recruit Cam Goode, a 300-pounder from Maryland who enrolls in July. For the time being, Walker, Mihota, Hewitt and Burke comprise the two tackle positions. “I feel really good about those four guys,” Wiles said. At the end positions, Hill and Gaines give Wiles two quality starters. Hill finished sixth on the team in tackles this past season with 46 and tied for the team lead in sacks (5.5). Gaines played in 12 games, but really showed his talent in starts against Virginia and ZION DEBOSE