2014 Preview: Whips

Each year, the same question is asked. How much will Bud Foster choose to use the whip linebacker this season? That’s a difficult question to answer.

James Anderson and Cody Grimm were terrific whips for Virginia Tech, and in fact Anderson is still in the NFL as a traditional linebacker. Grimm was an NFL safety. That begs the question: what is a better fit at whip, a linebacker type or a safety type? I suppose it depends on who the Hokies are playing, the formations they like to use, and the personnel.

Bud Foster has already said that his nickel will be Chuck Clark (6-0, 208, So.) this season. If the past four years are any indication, we will see Clark on the field more than Tech’s whip linebackers. At 6-0, 208, Clark has the size to hold up in the run game, but we could see Ronny Vandyke or Josh Trimble on the field against power formations.

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