Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 11 No. 5 | May 2019

30 Inside Hokie Sports Several Tech fans appear concerned about the depth at the defensive tackle positions, and some wonder about the overall situation along the entire defensive line. But there is a contrarian view gaining traction—this inexperienced, but talented, group could be very good this fall. Line coach Charley Wiles expressed optimism about the defensive line at the conclusion of spring practice. Injuries, attrition and inexperience bit the Hokies in the fall, but the experience gained with on-the-job training resulted in improved play this spring. In looking at the line, the Hokies lacked a senior leader this spring. Leaders, though, stepped forward in the form of Emmanuel Belmar and JarrodHewitt, two redshirt juniors. Belmar anchored things from his end position this spring, guiding a bunch of ends who went into spring practice looking to take the next step in their development. Belmar came on toward the end of last season, starting the final four games and recording five tackles in the Military Bowl against Cincinnati. He continued that progress this spring. He possesses the size and toughness to play the run, but also the quickness to rush the passer, as evidence by his two sacks in the Spring Game. “He’s got a lot of reps in him now, and he’s got himself into really, really good shape,” Wiles said. “Our most consistent performer at this moment probably would be Emmanuel. He’s physical now. There’s a lot of difference between being 19 and 21, and he has a good understanding of the position now—and he really wants to be a good player. He’s going to be a pivotal part of our defensive line, for sure.” At the other end spot, TyJuan Garbutt received most of the first-team reps this spring. Injuries and attritionopened the door for himto get playing time toward the end of last season, and like Belmar, he produced, recording three tackles for a loss against Pittsburgh and at least four tackles in the final four games, including six in the Military Bowl. Garbutt, though, needs to use the summer to get bigger and combine size with his instincts. He is listed at 245 pounds, but Wiles said he finished spring practice in the “220s.” He wants Garbutt to get to 250—and stay there. “He has some big features, and he has a chance to be a big person,” Wiles said. “We just have not been able to keep the weight on him consistently. That’s really a big part of his goals, and for us to be better is for him to play 13 or 14 games and hold up and not get dinged up. He doesn’t need to be dealing with all the little things that can hold him down or hinder his improvement.” The remaining four ends include redshirt sophomores Zion Debose and Nathan Proctor, along with redshirt freshmen Jaevon Becton and Eli Adams. Head coach Justin Fuente said during the early part of spring practice that he wanted to see more from Debose and Proctor, and Wiles did, too, as the two of themcombined for just 10 tackles in 2018. They answered the challenge, displaying more knowledge of the defense and more playmaking skills as a result. Becton and Adams also enjoyed fine springs. Wiles considers Becton a “high ceiling” type of player, with a lot of untapped potential, and he likes Adams’ quickness and explosiveness. “Zion and Nate had to get better, and they did,” Wiles said. “It was very similar to Emmanuel, when he took another step. Very similar to TyJuan taking another step. They’ve taken another step, and they’ve closed that gap, but so did Jaevon and so did Eli. “That’s exciting that you’ve got competition there. I don’t see a guy in that group of kids that’s a bust. I feel very comfortable with any of those four guys in the game.” Moving inside, Hewitt probably serves as the leader of the entire defense. He learned from Ricky Walker and applied what he learned during winter workouts and spring practices. He is a vocal leader—something this defense needs—but Wiles wants him to be more of a playmaker. He finished with just 15 tackles in 2018, and Wiles wants him to put up numbers like Walker (49 tackles, 10.5 for a loss). “He’s put the work in in the weight room and on the practice field to put him in position to have a really good junior and senior season,” Wiles said. “Where I’ve challenged Jarrod is to be more of a playmaker. He’s been in position to make some plays and hasn’t necessarily made them. Missed a tackle here and there, missed a sack … we’ve got to make those plays. “It’s time for Jarrod to have that level of success … He deserves some recognition for his work ethic and his approach, so it’s time to have eight TFLs [tackles for loss] in a season and have four or five sacks. Jut have some production to get some recognition and to help this football team.” Beside Hewitt, junior college transfer DaShawn Crawford received most of the first-team reps. Crawford enrolled in January because the Hokies need for him to be ready to play this fall, especially given the lack of depth at the tackle positions this spring. Crawford quickly bought into the strength and conditioning program, and perhaps more importantly, caught on to the scheme quickly, maybe even more quickly than Wiles anticipated. The junior’s continued development over the summer and August practices is paramount for the Hokies. “Glad he’s here,” Wiles said. “He picked up the defense surprisingly well. He’s kind of a quick learner. He has quickness and has some twitch. He’s like a lot of kids. I’m not sure what his expectations were, but at times, I think he maybe expected more instant success and didn’t handle the challenges, but he’s grown a lot since January. He has high expectation and is critical of himself, but he’s grown from that standpoint on being coachable. He wasn’t negative, just disappointed, but he has quickness and good lower body strength.” Behind those two, though, things are a little more uncertain. Wiles really likes the potential of Robert Porcher, but Porcher missed a good portion of spring practice while recovering EMMANUEL BELMAR