Virginia Tech Football: Week 2 Fall Camp Stock Report

The Virginia Tech Hokies wrapped up their first full week of fall camp with a scrimmage Saturday in Lane Stadium. The highlight of Saturday's scrimmage was 359-pound freshman defensive tackle Tim Settle picking off a tipped pass and returning it for about 15 yards, displaying staggering athleticism for a player of his size.

More on Settle later. 

The most newsworthy item from Saturday's scrimmage was the number of players not participating. Dadi Nicolas, Corey Marshall and Wade Hansen were among the starters who sat out nursing various ailments. Several backups also sat out, too, allowing some younger players the opportunity to step in and get some valuable practice reps. 

With Ohio State looming in just under three weeks, head coach Frank Beamer and his staff must be cautious with not overworking the starters in practice over the next couple of weeks. 

The Battle at Rover

Last week, it looked like junior Desmond Frye was in the lead to start at rover. Now, after the coaches had the opportunity to watch all of the players for one full week, freshman Adonis Alexander has entered into the mix to start at rover.

Frye remains the starter, but that hold may be tenuous. Defensive coordinator Bud Foster lavished the praise on the first-year player from Charlotte, North Carolina, per Jimmy Robertson of Virginia Tech's official website:

"

He’s a dynamic, special guy. He’s obviously got to learn and continue to develop. I think he’s a guy that can be a dynamic playmaker for us. He’s long. He reminds me of Kam Chancellor. He can really run, and he’s physical. He’s played rover the last three days, and I think he’s a guy that can help us down the road. How quickly? We’ll find out. I’m hoping sooner than later. 

"

Frye is a player who's been around the program four years and has yet to make his mark. He has good size (6'2", 200 lbs) and athleticism, in addition to a strong grasp of Foster's defense.

However, Alexander has obviously impressed the coaching staff.

At 6'3", 192 pounds, Alexander has outstanding size and the frame to add 15 or 20 more pounds of muscle in Tech's strength program. 

Expect Frye to begin the season, but don't be surprised if it's Alexander taking the majority of snaps midway through the season.

Settle's Impact

Defensive tackle is the deepest position on Virginia Tech's roster, and it's not even close. The Hokies return a pair of former All-ACC players in Luther Maddy and Corey Marshall in the starting lineup. Behind those two players, Tech has Nigel Williams, Woody Baron and Ricky Walker. Williams and Baron could start for a number of teams.

Also in the mix are a pair of redshirt freshmen: Vinny Mihota and Steve Sobczak. Mihota will likely play snaps at defensive end because of the lack of depth at that position, plus coaches just want to see him on the field. 

Speaking of coaches wanting to see someone on the field, Settle perfectly fits that description. But coaches will be facing a dilemma with the talented newcomer: Should they redshirt him or let him play and be a third-team defensive tackle? 

In a perfect world, all coaches want the best players on the field, and you never know when an injury—or two—could weaken a strong unit. It would not be in Tech's best interest to pull a redshirt off Settle six or seven weeks into the season. Foster is arguably the top defensive coordinator in the country, and he should just find a way to get Settle in the mix this fall. 

Beamer has certainly taken notice of Settle's athleticism, according to Andy Bitter of the Roanoke Times.

"He's got the lightest feet of any [350]-pound guy you've ever seen in your life," Beamer said. "He's easy."

Bitter reports that starting defensive end Ken Ekanem was impressed with Settle after seeing him dominate his old high school.

"I remember watching a highlight film on him, and he used to go against my high school team," Ekanem said. "His first snap was against my high school team, and he just blows past the center and blows up the running back. I was like, ‘God, we’re getting this guy?’"

Seeing what happens with Settle will be one of the more intriguing storylines to follow the next three weeks. 

Raymon Minor Now at Whip Linebacker

Minor, a 6'2", 221-pound redshirt freshman from Richmond, practiced at the 'backer position during his first season on the team, as well as this past spring. With depth possibly a concern at the whip linebacker position, Minor has now moved there.

Minor is a great athlete and should excel at the position.

At one time, whip linebacker was one of the more important positions on Tech's defense, but the increased use of the nickelback has diminished the significance of the position to a degree. However, if Tech is in its base defense, the whip linebacker will be on the field.

Foster felt Minor was a natural at the whip linebacker position, per Mike Barber of the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

“I see a dynamic big athlete that’s not afraid, explosive,” Foster said. “That was kind of that move. Let’s play to his strengths.”

Keep an Eye on Yosuah Nijman

While Settle and freshman quarterback Dwayne Lawson are the most-hyped members of this freshman class, keep an eye on offensive tackle Nijman.

Nijman, a 6'6", 277-pounder, arrived in January as a defensive lineman. Coaches quickly felt Nijman would make a dominant offensive lineman with his combination of power, length and athleticism and moved him to the offensive side this past spring. 

Offensive line coach Stacy Searels loves Nijman's potential and sold him on the move by referencing former Hokie Duane Brown, who arrived at Virginia Tech as a tight end and moved to offensive tackle, per Will Grooms of The Key Play.

"Duane Brown was a tight end, and now he's an offensive tackle for the Houston Texans, and he's making $54 million. That would sell for me," Searels said. "A lot of those guys that have played nine or 10 years in the league were tight ends or defensive linemen and have moved over."

Nijman has been playing first-team offensive tackle in the first week of fall camp, as starter Jonathan McLaughlin's been a little banged up. 

According to Robertson, offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler loves what he sees:

"

He’s going to be a good player … not a good player, a great player. He’s long. He’s super athletic. Things are starting to slow down for him. Is he complete right now? No. He needs to gain weight. He’s 277 pounds. But that guy is a talented guy. If he continues to develop, he’s going to be a special player for us.

"

Don't be surprised if Nijman, like Settle, forces his way onto the field sooner rather than later.