Spring Football: OL Gets a Strength Boost

Virginia Tech must replace four offensive line starters this spring. Fortunately, they have plenty of experience amongst their backups.

The Hokies were one of the top rushing teams in college football a year ago, finishing 28th in the nation in yards per game, and they allowed only 17 sacks in 14 games, good for 22nd in the country. The Tech offensive line gradually improved over a three-year span from 2009 through 2011, culminating with a very good year a season ago. Now Blake DeChristopher, Jaymes Brooks, Greg Nosal and Andrew Lanier are gone.

Overall, the Hokies should be a bigger and more physical offensive line this year. However, some guys don’t have a lot of game reps under their belt. Fortunately the two-deep seems to be set right now. Michael Via is out for the spring, but other than that it’s not too difficult to project the depth chart. A few guys might change positions between now and August, but for a team that just lost four starters up front, Tech’s offensive line seems pretty stable.

Offensive Tackle

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