James Gayle turned a lot of heads – most importantly, the Tech coaches – at Virginia Tech’s July camp, showing off quickness, athleticism and speed. The Bethel (Hampton, VA) product, a defensive end recruit for Virginia Tech, has demonstrated his athletic abilities and versatility on the gridiron as well… especially this season.

“I’ve been starting at defensive end, but then coach moves me to outside linebacker or inside linebacker,” Gayle said. “I’ve been playing those three positions and blitzing a lot from each of the linebacker spots. I’m starting to like inside linebacker a lot. I like it because I basically get to be part of the play no matter where it goes. You can only do so much at defensive end.”

With the success he has enjoyed at linebacker, is there a chance the 6-4, 215-pound prospect ends up playing linebacker at Virginia Tech?

“They are still recruiting me as a defensive end, but I’m pretty sure they could try me out at linebacker because of my size and speed,” said Gayle, who has also gained strength since last season. He can bench press a max of 335 pounds, up 90 pounds from his junior year.

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