2011 Spring Football Review: The Defense

Coming off an average year defensively, Bud Foster made a few tweaks to his defense this spring. The scheme is the same, and the positions are the same, but the Hokies showed more defensive fronts than they have in the past. By the end of the spring, Foster had developed what appears to be a good starting defense. In August, he’ll hope to develop some depth along the defensive line.

Defensive Line

Chris Drager moved to tight end, while Steven Friday and John Graves used up their eligibility following the 2010 season. Charley Wiles had some holes to fill up front this spring, and he had to do it with some very young players.

James Gayle (r-So.) and J.R. Collins (r-So.) took over the starting positions at defensive end. They played well last season in a backup role, and both looked ready to move into the starting lineup this spring. Gayle is a terrific athlete and explosive off the edge. In the offseason, he took home Virginia Tech’s most prestigious weight room honor: The Excalibur Award.

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