Virginia Tech mike linebacker Andrew Motuapuaka will miss up to four weeks with an MCL sprain, according to a press release by Virginia Tech.
Motuapuaka started the first two games of the season, making eight tackles. He was injured in the third quarter of the Furman game. His backup, r-sophomore walkon Sean Huelskamp, is 207 pounds and coming off a torn ACL in the 2014 Ohio State game. He made two tackles in about one half of play against Furman.
Right now, Huelskamp’s backup is r-freshman walkon Trent Young (5-10, 212). He has played special teams in the first two games of his career. It remains to be seen whether or not Bud Foster will pull the redshirt on true freshman Carson Lydon, who is his only other scholarship mike after Motuapuaka. Either way, Foster’s options are limited.
The press release also included the following information on Marshawn Williams…
1: Originally had surgery on December 16, 2014.
2: His diagnosis was not only a torn ACL, but he also had several other structures damaged.
Expected his recovery time to be in the 8-12 months range.
3: To date, we are pleased with his progress and he continues to make strides in the criteria set forth by his surgeon and our sports medicine staff.
4: His last appointment was September 13.
5: Dr. McPherron was encouraged that Marshawn was in the last stages of his rehabilitation and that with continued work, he should be cleared within the next 30 days.
My gut feeling is that there’s a strong chance that Williams redshirts in 2015.
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Why not move Trey Edmunds to linebacker where he should have been all along? He was an absolute beast at linebacker in high school.
I agree. Put him on a crash course. Best chance for him to make it to the next level is as a LB. He’ll never make it as a running back.
Huh? Re RB, isn’t he our #2 RB right now? And when the diminutive JCC is knocked out of the game, we’re back to TE and SM with any exp, backed up. By the new Travon McMillan. He has played well- in two games.
Why have such a cluster at backer? We are doomed if we go with the current options at mike
Exactly. Asked the question on a Friday Q/A amd Chris said it was because the positions are too different. The backers are accustomed and better suited to play from the outside in, as opposed to the inside out. And that the Mike is such an incredibly difficult position to pick up, make the calls etc. I’m not questioning that I’m sure he’s right. But now we have two, 200 pund walk ons atop the depth chart. I know I don’t get it apparently, but it seems like the current circumstances dictate that we better move one or two of the backers to Mike and we better do it yesterday. I mean we have Minor at 6’2″ 220, McKinnon at 6’1″ 225, Clarke could potentially slide over at 6’1″ 227, Tremaine Edmumds at 6’5″ 236 ( I know it’s impossible to play the position as a freshman…. Not to mention Lydon a true Mike true Freshman at 6’2″ 233), Moss at 6’2″ 213, Van Dyke at 6’5″ 215, Drew Burns who I know nothing about except he’s a redshirt junior LB at 6’3″ 220, and a couple others. Out of all those guys only Vandyke is listed on hokiesports as an OLB. Every one of those guys is bigger, faster and stronger than anyone we have at Mike. I realize I don’t get it and I must be missing something but it makes no sense to me not to move a couple of them. If it’s so hard to play the position as a freshman than any recruit we may get this year wouldn’t be able to help us until 2017. So what’s the plan? Stick with Motu, and no depth for at least the next two years? Stuff like this is why we haven’t been a top 25 team for 4 years and until we can recruit better and more consistently at every position, (especially at positions like mike LB, which apparently takes a genius to learn how to play in our system), it’s going to be tough to get back there.
And don’t forget moss at 6’2 220
I understand that Mike is the D’s QB1. Is it impossible to have one of the outside LB positions as the DQB? What happens with nickel? Does the Mike come out anyway when there are 5 DBs? Who is DQB on those plays?
Not to pile on, but our linebacker recruiting is just plain pathetic. I just do not understand with our awesome DC, how can recruiting be so bad
Bud is a bad recruiter. Look at what he does with the most average recruits and look at what he did when he pulled good ones like Adibi and Hall. Problem is we never put guys in the NFL at linebacker. Honestly we never had many good recruiters back in the day. That’s why we had the reputation of turning 2 stars into good players because that’s all Beamer and company could land… Imagine what these coaches could do with continuos 4 and 5 star guys.
Chris – going out on a limb with that my gut says he redshirts in 2015? If he doesn’t redshirt, the entire staff should be fired.
Shane was hoping to work him into the running back rotation though.
LOL!
This is why Shane B is very questionable as an effective RB coach.
Haha I wouldn’t even say it’s a question. He’s just awful
Bud and T. Gray also …. can we keep some of the medical staff ? 🙂