Virginia Tech Football: What You Need to Know About New Faces on Offense

Virginia Tech will have eight new starters on offense in 2012.

Fortunately for the Hokies, quarterback Logan Thomas does return.  But the Hokies will face some fairly significant losses on offense. Record-setting running back David Wilson departs, as do the top two wide receivers in school history in Jarrett Boykin and Danny Coale. 

The Hokies should be fine at receiver, as seniors Marcus Davis and D.J. Coles are slated to start and both played a lot in 2011. 

However, replacing Wilson will be a bit tougher. Not only do the Hokies have four new starters on the offensive line, but they will rely heavily on two freshmen at tailback. 

Some of the new starters on offense will be relative newcomers to the program. Others, like senior offensive tackles Vinston Painter and Nick Becton, have been around.

Here are a few facts about four of the new starters on what the Hokies hope will be a high-powered offense in 2012. 

Michael Holmes

Holmes, a redshirt freshman, is expected to be the starter at running back after a strong spring.

Holmes was a two-time Virginia Group AA Offensive Player of the Year in high school. In his final two seasons at Harrisonburg High School, Holmes combined for 5,626 yards rushing and 82 touchdowns.

After being considered for playing time as a true freshman, the Hokies wisely redshirted Holmes.

Don't look for Holmes to be like Wilson. He is stronger and a good between-the-tackles runner. While not as fast as Wilson, he does have the ability to break off long runs.  

J.C. Coleman

Officially, Coleman isn't a starter. But while Holmes will start for the Hokies, look for Coleman to play early and often.

Coleman, a true freshman from Chesapeake, Va., will look to add the explosiveness to the Hokies' backfield that they lost in Wilson.

At 5'7" and 176 pounds, Coleman is diminutive in stature but extremely fast. Coleman has a powerful lower body and will surprise many with his ability to run inside.

A former high school All-American, Coleman didn't sign a national letter of intent and graduated early so he could enroll at Virginia Tech in January.  

Brent Benedict

Benedict was a highly-regarded offensive lineman out of Jacksonville, Fla. After committing to the University of Georgia, Benedict transferred to Virginia Tech before the 2011 season.

Originally an offensive tackle, the Hokies switched Benedict to guard in the spring where he is now penciled in as the starter on the right side, replacing three-year starter Jaymes Brooks. 

While not as athletic as Brooks, Benedict is a powerhouse and should be dominant in the running game. His experience at tackle should help him in protecting Logan Thomas on passing plays. 

Getting Benedict to transfer from Georgia was a coup for the Hokies. Shane Beamer, who recruited Benedict while he was at South Carolina, played a major role in getting Benedict to choose the Hokies. 

Vinston Painter

Painter isn't exactly a new face in Blacksburg. He is a fifth-year senior who came to the Hokies as one of the more highly-recruited offensive linemen in recent school history.

But for one reason or another, things haven't gone quite as planned for Painter.

During his redshirt year, the team switched Painter to defensive tackle, hoping to take advantage of his superior size and athletic ability. But Painter didn't adjust well to the switch and was moved back to guard.

Whether it was injuries or work ethic, Painter struggled to see live game action until 2011. He saw snaps in 12 games and looked much improved. 

Painter possesses rare physical ability for a man of his size, and he has worked hard to become one of the team leaders on offense. 

If Painter plays as well as the coaching staff believes, the Hokies will be in good shape at right tackle.