Virginia Tech Spring Football Preview: A Look At the Offensive Line

Virginia Tech has made tremendous improvements on the offensive line over the past couple of seasons, but there is still plenty of work left to be done.

Tech returns four starters from last season, and will only feature three seniors in the entire two deep this season.

Last year, the Hokies really had depth problems along the lines, but this year depth should not be much of a concern.

Left Tackle

First String

Senior Ed Wang will return for his final season in a VT uniform as the starter at left tackle.

Ed has had a bit of a rough career here at Virginia Tech.  He started as a backup tight end and decided to move over to right tackle after his redshirt freshman season.

However, during fall practice, Ed broke his fibula and was sidelined for seven weeks following the injury. He finally returned to the roster and played the final six games of the season.

Then this past year, Wang was once again on the move as he switched over to left tackle to take over for Duane Brown, who departed for the NFL.

So after a bit of a tough season at left tackle, Wang should have more of a solid senior year, especially since he’ll be able to get a breather every once in a while.

Second String

Greg Nosal has a perfect frame for an offensive tackle and should really blossom this spring and earn the back up left tackle job behind Wang.

The game should begin to slow down some for Greg this year, and I would expect him to actually see some significant playing time this fall.

He needs to learn to play a little faster like most young linemen but Nosal has a very high ceiling at this position.

Left Guard

First String

Sergio Render moved to left guard for the Cincinnati game and the offensive line turned in one of their best performances in years.  

I have a feeling that Render will probably stay at left guard since Jaymes Brooks is a bit ahead of Will Alvarez at this point. 

Render should have a very good senior season and hopefully he’ll become another first round NFL draftee for the Hokies.

However, Sergio is going to miss all of spring practice this year due to offseason surgery, which will give Alvarez the possible reps he needs to become a player Coach Newsome can depend on this fall.

Second String

Will Alvarez barely got through the clearinghouse back in 2007 and you can say that he’s had a bit of a roller-coaster ride on the field so far in his young career.

He almost played as a true freshman in 2006 but the coaches decided to redshirt him then last year he got passed over for Richard Graham and never played in a game.

However, Will has all the tools to become a great offensive guard here at Virginia Tech.

He just needs to keep working everyday and keep getting better. If he has a good spring this year he should solidify himself as the back up option to Sergio and put his name in the hat for a starting job in 2010.

Third String

The Hokies are a bit short on depth at the guard spots, so expect Matt Baldwin, a walk-on from Richlands, to see some action at both left and right guard this spring.

Matt is a redshirt sophomore and has done well in the weight room up to this point, but he may still be a year away from truly helping this team in a meaningful game situation.

Center

First String

Beau Warren is the youngest of the Warren brothers and will be the go-to-guy this year at center.  Warren was thrown into the fire in his freshman year and really played well when Shuman went down with a knee injury.

Last year he played in about 20 percent of the offensive snaps and graded out better then Ryan in most of the games he played. Now in his junior year, Beau should be able to manage the offensive line and really live up to the potential the coaches knew he had when they signed him.

Second String

With Shuman gone and Barrett Mears not returning to the team this spring, Tech will have to look for a back up to Warren.

Richard Graham is a redshirt senior that has moved around a lot in his career.  He was the starter for Ed Wang when he broke his fibula back in 2007, and also played some guard when Render or Nick Marshman were injured over the past couple seasons.

So look for Richard to get some work this spring as the back up center for Beau Warren

Also, it appears that Khalil Latif, who is a redshirt sophomore, could also get a look at center this spring.  Latif started off his career here in Blacksburg at left guard, but failed to put on enough weight to stay there.

The coaches moved him over to defensive end last season and Latif still never had a chance to play.

Look for Latif to be on the move again this spring, possibly to the center spot to add some more depth.

Right Guard

First String

Sophomore Jaymes Brooks should finally get his chance at a starting job after spending his first two years on campus as Sergio Render’s backup.  

Brooks started his first ever-collegiate game against the Cincinnati Bearcats this past January and played very well, grading out at over 80 percent.

Brooks has a real mean streak that has been lacking in the Hokies linemen over the last few years. I expect Jaymes to continue improving this spring and become one of Coach Newsome’s best linemen this fall.

Second String

Vinston Painter has an NFL body and the kid is only 19 years old. Painter decided to play defensive tackle last year but didn’t pick up the system quick enough and had to redshirt.

This year, “Fire” has moved back over to the offensive line and will backup Jaymes Brooks at right guard.

Vince may struggle a bit early on since he’ll be learning an entire new system on the offensive line, but it’s a more natural position for him and after a few weeks he should be back to dominating anybody who lines up across from him.

Right Tackle

First String

Blake Dechristopher played very well in his redshirt freshman campaign as he started the majority of the season at right tackle.  

Dechristopher is a very aggressive lineman who will only improve as he gains more experience and could easily find himself on an NFL roster in a few years. 

He’ll need to continue to improve his quickness and overall strength since there were times he got completely manhandled last year, but the sky is the limit for Blake.

Second String

The back up right tackle job will be a battle between three players: Michael Via, Nick Becton, and Andrew Lanier.

If I had to guess, I would have to say that Via will probably be the guy that wins the job.

Michael, who is a redshirt freshman, had a long offer sheet in high school but always wanted to play for the Hokies and he is now living his dream. If he improved his strength enough over the last year or so he should be able to win this job away from Becton and Lanier, although this battle should be fun to watch.

Third String

Nick Becton was a monster in high school but he has a ways to go with his strength and conditioning.  This spring will be huge for him if he can improve in those two areas since he is a guy that really could help this offensive line down the road.

Andrew Lanier spent most of last year at tight end but decided to do most inside line since there wasn’t much playing time to be had at that position.

Lanier is an athletic kid that will need another year to grasp the offensive line system but he’s strong enough to possibly earn some additional reps this spring.

Summary

Coach Newsome inherited a mess when he took the job here back in 2006 but he’s finally starting to straighten it out. This year’s offensive line should be the best we’ve had in a long while and it should continue to improve in the future.

I think this will also be the first year in a while that we’ll actually have some depth on the line and if one person does go down then we have somebody waiting in the wings to back him up.

Last year Coach Newsome went eight deep on the line and he should be able to go about ten deep this year.

Players Lost from 2008

OG Nick Marshman (Graduation)

OC Barrett Mears (No Longer With the Team)

OC Ryan Shuman (Graduation)

OG Aaron Brown (No Longer With The Team)

OG Hivera Green (No Longer With The Team)

Players Enrolling in Fall

OT/OC Andrew Miller