Again, Virginia Tech has gone and grabbed itself a much-needed portal gem for the defensive line. Last year, Antwaun Powell-Ryland came home from Florida, and this season, Aeneas Peebles* has headed north from Durham and past the Alban Hills on his way to Blacksburg. The third-team All-ACC defensive tackle is bringing legit juice to replace what’s been lost with the departures of Norell Pollard, Pheldarius Payne, and Mario Kendricks. The Hokies appeared to have some stiff competition, with Louisville, Missouri, Colorado, and SMU all taking a look at the disruptive DT. Watching him play, I’m not surprised he got some interest.

Peebles only had one start on the season, but don’t let that fool you into thinking he was a bench-warmer, as he finished second on the DL in terms of snaps for Duke. In fact, his 478 snaps were more than any Hokie DT took last season. Instead of rotating guys piecemeal, Duke at times seemed to have two “starting” lines that swapped in and out, often after each set of downs within a drive. Peebles was the star of that second group, getting 33 pressures with six sacks, as well as 20 stops (tackles that constitute a “failure” for the offense), and per PFF was the best grader on the DL (and second overall on a good Duke defense.)

As a point of comparison, Peebles is about the same size and has the same slashing style as departing Hokie defensive tackle Norell Pollard. Pollard had roughly similar (but not quite as good) stats in his 445 snaps, with PFF giving him 30 pressures with three sacks, and 11 stops.

In even fronts, Peebles was usually the 3-tech lined up between the guard and tackle, giving him more opportunities to take advantage of one-on-one fights. Unlike Pollard, who’d break out a quick rip, a swim, or a spin move at the snap, Peebles has a more bullish style:

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