Breaking down the offensive line as the Hokies prepare for spring practice
Virginia Tech’s spring practice is fast approaching, with drills beginning March 27. To prepare you for what should be a highly-anticipated spring session, I’ll be breaking down the Hokies by position groups over the next week and a half.
Read the previous installments by clicking on the links: quarterbacks, running backs and receivers and tight ends. Today, it’s we’ll do the offensive line
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The 2012 numbers
– Nick Becton, 13 starts
– Vinston Painter, 13 starts
– David Wang, 10 starts
– Michael Via, 9 starts
– Andrew Miller, 7 starts
– Brent Benedict, 6 starts
– Caleb Farris, 5 starts
– Matt Arkema, 2 starts
– The Hokies averaged 145.8 rushing yards per game, 79th nationally. They allowed 25 sacks, 60th nationally
The departed
– Becton
– Painter
– Via
– Darian Fisher
– Tyler Barfield
Spring cast
Centers
– Andrew Miller, r-Sr.
– Caleb Farris, Jr.
– Jack Willenbrock, r-Fr.
Guards
– David Wang, r-Sr.
– Matt Arkema, r-Jr.
– Brent Benedict, r-Jr.
– Laurence Gibson, r-Jr.
– Marcus Mapp, r-So. (walk-on)
Tackles
– Nick Acree, r-Jr.
– Mark Shuman, r-Jr.
– Jake Goins, r-So.
– Augie Conte, r-Fr.
– Adam Taraschke, r-Fr.
– Jonathan McLaughlin, Fr.
– Parker Osterloh, Fr.
Fall reinforcements
– Braxton Pfaff, Fr.
– Kyle Chung, Fr.
The question
Can the Hokies get back to being the smashmouth, “tip of the spear” kind of line that new offensive line coach Jeff Grimes said he wanted to have when he was hired in January?
The star attraction
Miller was the lone returning starter on last year’s line but went down with a Maisonneuve fracture in October and missed the rest of the season. Surgery to repair a broken fibula and torn ligaments in his left ankle had a 4-5 month rehab timetable, which still puts his spring in doubt (UPDATE: he’s participating in the 6 a.m. workouts and earned an effort shirt, so that’s encouraging). But the rising senior is the leader of the offensive line, particularly now that seniors Becton, Painter and Via are gone. With 21 career starts, he has twice as many as the next closest linemen (Wang with 10). Even if Miller isn’t able to go in the spring, the veteran will still be the key cog in getting Virginia Tech to buy in to Grimes’ approach.
The battle
Anybody who can play tackle will probably get a shot. Losing Becton, Painter and Via has left the Hokies depleted on both ends. Shuman got some playing time in blowouts and Gibson practiced at right tackle after injuries forced Via to work on the interior, but nobody other that Becton and Painter got extensive work at tackle, leaving the position up for grabs this spring. There are plenty of candidates. Gibson, thought listed as a guard on the online roster, will probably get a look at right tackle, where he finished last year. Shuman was the backup at left tackle last year. But nothing’s for certain. Acree is coming off an ACL tear, although he was starting to turn a corner before he got hurt last August. Conte had a strong offseason conditioning program after redshirting last year and might be a candidate at left tackle. Goins and Taraschke are both returning players in the mix, as well as newcomers McLaughlin and Osterloh. McLaughlin prepped at Fork Union last year, so he’s not fresh out of high school. Considering Grimes will probably wipe the slate clean heading into spring, figuring out who has a leg up is next to impossible.
The new guys
McLaughlin and Osterloh enrolled in January, so they’ll be able to get in to the mix this spring. The 6-foot-4, 310-pound McLaughlin was originally an East Carolina commit who switched to Virginia Tech after a semester at Fork Union. He said he considers that his redshirt year and hopes to compete for playing time immediately. Osterloh, at 6-foot-8, 301 pounds, has the size to compete right away, although he played o-line for only his senior year in high school, so he might need time. Pfaff and Chung won’t arrive until the summer. The former was the highest-ranked offensive linemen in the state in 2013. The latter is the son of former Hokies star Eugene Chung.
The wild card
It’s not a player. It’s Grimes. Coming in, he’ll have no preconceived notions on who will play. At Auburn, he said repeatedly that he was looking for the five best guys to be on the field. If that takes someone switching positions to make it work, that’s what is means. With so much uncertainty on the line, it’ll make for an interesting spring. He has some options on the interior, based on guys who played last year. But finding two tackles from a bunch that hasn’t played a whole lot will be a difficult task.
The fact
The Hokies’ returning linemen have 43 combined starts in their careers. Take away Miller (21) and Wang (10) and the remaining players have started only 12 combined games (Benedict 6, Farris 4 and Arkema 2). After Miller’s 1,425 career snaps, the next highest total of the linemen is Benedict, at just over 600.
March 19, 2013 - 10:46 AM
Every year, the offensive line seems to be a question mark for the Hokies. I hope this group, with Grimes coming in will gel and more emphasis is put on O-line recruiting in the future.
Not a lot of experience to go againest alabama this fall. Can VT overcome this and make the opening game close or win Andy ? I know there is decent talent , but geeze not many starts scares me.
If Shuman wins the starting job, will it be based totally on merit or will the fact that his dad is the coach at FUMA play a part in the decision? I hope he’s obviously the best man for the job so there isn’t any question.
Andy, I’d be interested to see what kinds of first-year turnarounds Grimes has been responsible for in the past. He’s moved around a lot, so there should be plenty of data.
One statistics that did not make the list is the Tackles for loss allowed and it is not pretty. Tech was among the worse in the nation in that statistical category.
My hope is that Grimes will not start guys based on seniority, but rather on those who will play up to his a) expectation, b) ability, and c) execution.
Grimes have the track record to prove that he is successful as a line coach wherever he went, and I am hoping he can turn around the woeful offensive line into a respectable line, but not quite feared yet.
I think Grimes’ familarity with Alabama front seven and their tendencies will help Grimes prepare the OL for that trench battle.
I know I carry lots of luggage, so everyone take the Q-Tips from your ears. I ABSOLUTELY believe that if Grimes is given free rein, he will convert the OL into what a college OL SHOULD be, and not just a bunch of fat guys that Gentry sends to pig out at PK’s weekly.
He’s a good coach, and IF – that is a huge preposition – he is allowed to implement his mindset with his group of players, (It is RIDICULOUS we even have to question that he could, but we’re talking Frank Beamer here) if Grimes can do it HIS way, then perhaps Frank Beamer’s Conestoga offense could move along.
Everyone understand that? If the ‘OUTSIDER’ Jeff Grimes is allowed to implement his strategies, then St. Francis can win more games. ORR… we could continue The Circle Of Trust. And keep losing.
#3, I know you’re all about legacy – to the third degree, right? – but it is ridiculous to question the integrity of John Shuman. The man does it the RIGHT way. He asks no favors, nor extends any for unsavory reason. You show your ignorance by supposing the opposite. If anything, his son’s talent have been wasted thus far by the farcical ineptitude of the VaTech football coaching staff, and John has remained totally silent about the matter. See, he has character. He’s NOT about the phony ‘family’ atmosphere, unlike some.
Last time I looked, Willenbrock was listed at 6’2″ 245 pounds. I sincerely hope he puts on weight because that size is unacceptable for an offensive lineman at this level of competition. I know he was drew harris’s teammate, and that is how he got noticed. But this is another example, in my opinion, of VT’s pour offensive line recruiting. Hopefully he turns out to be an all-american, but I believe that tech needs to start out with the right kind of mold(size) for the offensive line position.
Andy, any idea when an updated roster with their new heights and weights will be posted?
VT hopes to have a pre-spring depth chart out early next week, before drills begin. I’m not sure if it will have updated heights and weights or not.
Zack, I might take a look at that a little bit later in the spring or in the offseason. I do know that the group Grimes inherited at Auburn in 2009 was a fairly experienced group. Had a couple of multi-year starters (Ryan Pugh, Lee Ziemba) that helped pave the way during the national championship season in 2010.
Long overdue change right here. Grimes will fix the seemingly annual problem of O-line at VT if he’s given time
crooked road? – You seem to imply that changes need to be made to Gentry’s Strength & Conditioning program.
Grimes will make the difference between night and day. Guards and centers not bad and not as much difference in the way those positions are played from system to system. This group just needs a different mindset.(attitude adjustment) Tackles without much experience may not be the worst thing. Less to unteach before teaching. With a nastier demeanor a guy like Benedict could become dominant on the interior. Miller was a quality center before he got hurt. This could be a big spring for the future of the program. I believe everyone puts too much on Beamer holding the O back. He has let them expierment outside his comfort zone the last few years with pistol etc. Looks like the new additions are here to implement what he has always been a believer in. Knock the snot out of you up front and have playmakers on the back end to make big plays. (Beamerball)
Andy what happened with – Darian Fisher and Tyler Barfield?
Wre they Seniors or did they Transfer or +just leave the team?
Bob
Barfield was a senior. Fisher was a fourth-year junior. My guess is he got his degree and decided he was done with football.
The guards and center position, coached by Newsome last year, were a disaster. They were routinely beaten by lesser talented defensive linemen and there were injuries issue that hampered the strength of the line. Contrast that to the tackles, coached by Stinespring, and the tackles were more productive than Newsome’s coached group.
That’s why I am optimistic that Grimes, coaching the entire line, is going to implement what he wants to do with the offensive line. Stinespring is a better postional coach than a play caller, so it’s a bit of fresh air, even if it’s a demotion for Stinespring, courtesy of some arm twisting by big money donors.
Our pedantic Devine All Knowing Master Professor of Everything, aka “crooked road” has been ragging on Gentry a lot lately. Not as much as he rags on “family”, but Gentry is rising on his flagpole. Since crooked is not usually totally wrong, I would be interested in his objective reasoning for the rag. I know Gentry coincided with our rise in the football world, I have always given him great credit for it, but I will admit that I do not keep up with the world of strength and conditioning. I will also admit that the last year or so, our guys didn’t seem as well conditioned as years past, so I am open for enlightenment, oh crooked.
#12 RH, yes.
The Chokie Hokies are the same old, same old, and I don’t see a single thing to make it any different in 2013. They will open the season with Alabama handing them their sorry azzs just like Alabama did to Notre Dame back in January! They will very fortunate to equal the pathetic record of 7-6 last season. I think this time it will be 6-7! It’s time for Beamer to retired down to the Georgia lake!
#17 Perch, I’ll admit you’re correct this time.
Being superior in the 90′s doesn’t equate to being average in the 2010′s (?) 20th century vs. 21st century? Is that a better analogy? I’m (probably) not going to hammer Gentry as much as I would a couple of my previous pinatas. I am just going to put out there that he is not the level he once was, re:national S&C expertise.
A return to my mantra of busting the bubble – when you have someone at a position of responsibility for several decades on end, there exists a high possibility of complacency, and a lack of desire for innovation. I could & will give specific foundation later. For now, folks need to open their eyes to that facet of the structure.
Don’t you like the way I’m being so polite?
Gentry needs to re-evaluate his program. The strength of our linemen is questionable. Painter entered school as a perfect physical speciman. When I saw his bench press numbers at the combine, I was appalled. 19 reps on the bench press with running backs and linebackers doing in the 30′s. Also, when we played Stanford in the bowl game, Stanfords strength & conditioning coach had interned under Gentry. You would figure similar numbers right? You saw the result, Stanfords line dominated from a strength perspective. I think part of the problem is the overall weakness of the ACC’s players not pushing Tech to require more. Gentry needs to step it up a couple of notches, I think he’s gotten comfortable and complacent.
Wow Scamuel…You just sounded like a blubbering idiot.
Grimes will get the OL going. I think Shuman and Conte should have the upper hand on tackles going into spring and that they could be very good there. Acree has all of the tools (much like Painter did), just can’t seem to put it together. Hopefully Grimes can coach him up, he has alot of potential but not much time to get it done now.
The interior of the OL has alot to prove after last years performance. Benedict, Wang, Farris, and yes, even Miller was very inconsistent, and at times, downright bad. Grimes will have to make them tougher and meaner, or not much will change in regards to the running game this year.
Painter did 32 reps at the combine. Becton did 19.
And only three RBs or LBs topped 30. RB Tommy Bohanon 36, LB Cornelius Washington 36 and RB Knile Davis 31.
AB, Painter has always been known as a workout warrior. Becton has not, thus he’s closer to the ‘norm’. The better question would be how many OL benched at Indy, and how many pushed 20 or more reps on the bench? Or, perhaps, how many didn’t? Also, what’s considered the average number of reps for an OL?
Once those numbers are posted, then the point will be better made.
Proves my point Andy, maybe the report I saw was off, said Painter. Doesn’t make any difference, Painter or Becton, 19 reps. No RB or LB should have outperformed him. How many RB’s and LB’s beat 19. Unacceptable. I also believe the injuries Tech is having is due in part to their conditioning, or lack of, especially hamstrings.
No, it doesn’t prove your point. UVa’s Aboushi only repped 225 pounds 17 times. He’s still considered a pretty good draft prospect. And some guys will rep it 40 times and not amount to anything in the NFL. It’s not all about upper body strength, especially when it comes to linemen.
Cherry picking one player’s number in one category and saying it’s an indictment of VT’s entire strength program is overstepping a bit.
As to post#6, where is the evidence that any assistant coaches have been hired, forced to toe the corporate line, and were treated as “outsiders” once they were hired. You barked for changes and you got them. One man’s luggage
Is another man’s baggage.
crooked you show your ignorance every time you open your mouth. It’s obvious you have no contact with the team and don’t know what’s really going on with them. Beamer is certainly going to let Grimes coach the line his way that’s why he hired him, you don’t become one of the most respected coaches in the country by stepping on your assistants toes. Frank has fought for them tooth and nail and has even passed up raises to make sure his assistants are paid competitively, there is no fake family atmosphere in Blacksburg. As far as Mike Gentry goes he is a very well respected S&C coach that demands the best from his players as we are seeing from the O line records being broken. It’s time for you to crawl back under your bridge troll.
I played in the trenches a long time, it’s all about quickness and strength, upper and lower body. UVA couldn’t run the ball either.
Spring practice is going to be interesting to observe the results of the practices and the resulting positions players are assigned for this season.
Good luck, and let’s go Hokies !!!
Well said Marine!
CR is a perpetual ‘glass not only empty but broken’ kind of fella. Not all of us have the “Frank is God” illusions he ascribes to us, but Frank Beamer has done more for and been more to Virginia Tech thananyone else I can think of, on a par with T. Marshall Hahn whe it comes to increasing national awareness of the university. It’s just in some folks nature to look for the negatives!
Did Barry move?
#31, thanks for being the poster child of the day. ANYONE who thinks a ball coach of any type should be the face of a university is a self descriptive… well, is ridiculous.
It’s just in some folk’s nature to desire to be a lemming.
Like the man says -’ You don’t understand. I ain’t scared…’
When will you learn?
#20 crooked, you very politely said nothing at all. Thanks a whole lot…I guess.
#34 Perch, you’re not happy when I’m blunt, and you’re not happy when i am not blunt. You decide on what you want, then you can decide when to applaud my always correct honesty.
I already told you, I’m not going to pound the bongo as hard on Gentry as I did the overwhelmingly large object d’art – Stinespring. Not because it doesn’t matter, but it’s all a matter of tenor. Someday, no… you’ll never understand. Neither will your Tejas brother, who ‘gets it’ even less than you.
It’s all about following the old skool Soviet logo, which you’ll never be able to transpose. Ask Tommy Burleson & Doug Collins, they might enlighten you…
Charles, we are definitely two different folks. I do respect Georgia Tech as my late Grandfather went there. But, I bleed Chicago Maroon and Burnt Orange!
#35 huh? As for Stiney, you didn’t hit him any harder than I have for ten years, you didn’t invent that, crooked.
OK, you said you weren’t going to froth over on Gentry, I get it, I read it, but you still have said a couple of things to the effect that Gentry was coasting and I would like to know why you said it, simple as that. Being blunt is ok, I would expect nothing more or less from you, but you didn’t give any real reasons for your comments about Gentry and I actually was trying to get your reasoning more than your always snarky sarcasm. You are usually full of verbiage to support your blather du jour, but the Gentry thing seems uncharacteristically thin. Sorry, I don’t hang out with the Burleson/Collins crowd so that ain’t a-gonna happen, so I just asked the local know it all blowhard and he won’t answer my question. I will ask it again…Hey crooked road, what, other that your vague “been there too long to still care” charge is Gentry doing wrong? You don’t have to beat it with a stick or pound the bongo, just explain your comments without the Tejas brother olk skool Soviet logo misdirection. Save your more clever stuff and just ‘splain, man.