Pencil Corey Marshall in at "Defensive Weapon" on the Depth Chart

ESPN.com's Matt Fortuna posted an excellent Q&A with Virginia Tech defensive lineman Corey Marshall. The entire interview is worth the read, but I'm going to focus on a couple of specific quotes.

Corey returned to the team this past spring after redshirting for personal reasons. Marshall had an outstanding spring which concluded with him winning the defensive MVP award. During the public scrimmages and spring game, Marshall mainly took reps at d-tackle, but lined up at end in some specialized packages.

Marshall's answers to Fortuna's questions hint at what his role in Blacksburg might be this season (emphasis is my own).

What do you like playing better: end or tackle?

CM: I think I'm a defensive weapon, honestly. However (defensive line) Coach (Charley) Wiles sees fit to use me, that's how I'm going to go about it, approach it. You've got to be a team guy. You have to have those elements. But I think what I really respect (about) him and (defensive coordinator) Bud Foster is they really know how to exploit talent. They understand I have that type of natural defensive end body and they let me rush in those pass-rush packages, those 30 packages, and let me exploit that on the outside, to get after the quarterback a little after I do the dirty work inside. So it's just keep on (building) that relationship and understanding that if you do your job every day, they're going to look out for you.

Foster had Marshall playing mostly at defensive tackle this spring because: 1) that was a more pressing need for the defense, and 2) that's the position he believed Marshall's skill set fit best.

Marshall moved from end to tackle during the beginning of August camp prior to last season. That selfless switch earned him the praise of the coaches. "It was kind of a mutual decision," Marshall said then. "They had some concerns about the inside depth, and I understood that." A few weeks thereafter, Marshall took a leave of absence from the team because of "personal matters".

When it was announced Marshall would redshirt last September Frank Beamer said, "I think with Marshall, get him back out to defensive end, which is a position he likes to play."

Fast forward and now Marshall is happy to play wherever the coaches need him the most. This is reading between the lines, but it seems to me like Marshall and Beamer Co. reached an understanding. He's a defensive tackle, but will also get opportunities to rush the passer as a d-end. Back in April, French noted Marshall playing outside in a two-point stance as part of Tech's 30 package during an open scrimmage.

What do you see as the ceiling for you personally now?

CM: For a lot of guys, if you're not Jadeveon Clowney, people project your ceiling to be a lot shorter. But I think one of the benefits of not being just crazy royal gifted like that is that you continually get to shape your game and be very polished, as opposed to some of these others guys that don't take the fundamentals as seriously. You can really be an elite player because you do all the little things that build up to what you see on Saturdays or Fridays or whatever the case may be if you go out to play. So I think my ceiling is pretty high. I don't think I've touched it yet. I think once I put this weight on, in the season the double-teams will come even easier. Because a lot of guys will tell you I don't play like I'm 250. I play like I'm 270 already, so once I get that added weight on, there's a chance to be very, very disruptive, and that's something I look forward to getting to.

Given that Tech's d-ends are normally in the 245-255 range, and he's talking about facing double-teams, I'll conclude Marshall is bulking up to handle the majority of his duty inside.

Marshall has shown flashes of brilliance on the field, and after a setback is primed to be a major playmaker for Bud Foster and Charley Wiles. Wherever they line him up.