The Hokies are doubly-squeezed in the low secondary. The true corners are down a good player in Armani Chatman, and the nickel spot never got settled, with the now-graduated Chamarri Conner having to fill in late in the year. By bringing in Derrick Canteen, the Hokies have a guy who could help either problem…or maybe even both. Formerly of Georgia Southern, Canteen seems like an athletic, smart ball player. A bonus I like the heck out of is that he seems like a high-character guy who used NIL money to run a free football camp back in his hometown, so I’m rooting for him to have a good year.

Cateen has got a number of skills, and at 5’11, 190, he’s got the build to play all over the secondary. As a r-freshman, he made headlines for nabbing six interceptions on the year as a traditional cornerback. He covered pretty well, but maybe half of those picks were off other folks’ tips, so take the number with a grain of salt. He tore his pec the next year, and then, under a new coaching staff, he transitioned from playing wide to more of a nickel role.

What jumps out to me is that he covers pretty well out of the press. This is from a win over Nebraska (a win that proved to be the last straw of the Scott Frost era):

That’s not a complete blanketing, but it’s solid. He chops the inside arm and stays hip-to-hip just like you want. He can be easy to spot on the field pre-snap, as he keeps his torso almost parallel to the ground. In the clip above, he uses a single-arm technique. He’ll also completely bail from the press, and he’ll use a cap technique where he makes sure to stay on top of the receiver, like you’ve seen Pitt’s corners do. Interestingly, he also has a lunging jam I’ve seen him use a few times:

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