A handful of Virginia Tech true freshmen made their college debuts in the 38-10 rout of Syracuse, but for the most part, things are as they were several weeks ago. Five true freshmen have already burned their redshirt, but it appears that everyone else will redshirt in 2023.

The best part is that all five of the freshmen who have already burned their redshirt have played — or will play — enough snaps to justify burning their shirts. If you’re going to play them, play them, and outside of one possible exception, the coaching staff has held to that mantra.

Here’s how it breaks down for the guys who have already burned their redshirts:

Star LB Caleb Woodson (6-3, 218): 8 games, 151 defensive snaps, 66 special teams snaps, 217 total snaps. Woodson’s playing time has dropped as Keonta Jenkins has recovered from his injury. He played 28-38 snaps in three straight games against Purdue, Rutgers and Marshall, with a start against the Scarlet Knights. However, he’s played just 42 snaps in the four game since. Still, he might end up knocking on door of 200 defensive snaps, which is a lot for a true freshman at a tough position. The experience will serve him well next season because there’s a chance Jenkins doesn’t use his COVID year and Woodson steps into a starting role.

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