1) Defensive end: walk me through the options if nobody else is added. – st_andrew

Chris Coleman: Let’s assume that true freshmen Jason Abbey and Ishmael Findlayter redshirt, as they most certainly should. That leaves Virginia Tech with the following options at defensive end in order of seniority…

Pheldarius Payne (6-3, 260, r-Sr.): Payne played 369 snaps at Nebraska after transferring in from JUCO but missed last season at Virginia Tech with an Achilles injury. He was a role player at Nebraska, and I always considered him a two-deep guy for the Hokies and not an ideal starter. I still view him as such, only with an injured Achilles thrown in for good measure. He can help and probably will, but it would be a surprise if he turned into an impact player.

Cole Nelson (6-3, 241, Jr.): Nelson played 352 snaps last year and has 456 for his career. His run defense grade jumped from a 58.8 as a true freshman to a 73.2 as a sophomore. That’s a very nice jump. Nelson is what I thought he would be coming out of high school – he’s solid against the run but isn’t a dynamic pass rusher. I would pencil him in as a starter at this point. At worse, he’ll have a solid career for the Hokies. How good he can be will depend on whether he can develop more pass rushing skills.

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