Hokies Secondary Continues to Shuffle, Returning Pass Rushers Show Improvement

The Virginia Tech football team's perpetual game of musical chairs with the defensive backfield has made it difficult for some players to settle on seats.

Such is the case for early enrollee Mook Reynolds. However, the freshman early enrollee is doing his best to accommodate any chair.

"Over the past two months," Reynolds said when referencing a massive leap in body weight.

The Greensboro, North Carolina, native claims that he's gone from 164 pounds to 183 since his arrival in Blacksburg. One would think such a drastic increase would have to have been the result of a 7,000-calorie Wade Hansen-type diet.

Reynolds insists otherwise.

"I've done 200 pushups a night and drunk my shakes," he said nonchalantly of his 12-percent mass increase.

The three-star recruit has worked in at both corner spots, spurred in part by the hamstring injury to Greg Stroman, and at nickel — the spot where he's likely to end up.

"Our initial plan was to play him at nickel during the spring and let him get work there," said secondary coach Torrian Gray. "But with the guys we had out in the first couple days, we started him at corner. We let him rotate in since we're still short, until we get Greg Stroman back."

Gray's long-term plans are based on the fragile assumption that all afflicted with injury will return for the fall.

"I haven't gotten a chance to evaluate him as a nickel but I think we'll be pretty good at corner if everyone's back," Gray said. "He'll compete to be in the two-deep at corner or nickel."

Stroman is day-to-day with a hamstring injury, and joins cornerbacks Kendall Fuller and Brandon Facyson — who will remain out for the remainder of the spring — in the ranks of the disabled.

Reynolds has taken his first few weeks in stride, and is willing to accept any role.

"I've moved around. I started at nickel and when Greg (Stroman) got hurt I moved to corner," Reynolds said. "I started off at field and I moved to boundary and then moved back to field.

"I like being around the ball. I have a nose for the ball. If it's a passing team I like to cover guys. If it's a running team I like to be in there with the action. Either way, it's going to be fun."

Defensive coordinator Bud Foster referenced the even level of play throughout the ranks of the cornerbacks. Reynolds hopes his aggressive style of play will separate him from the rest.

"I bring aggressiveness," Reynolds said. "(Adonis Alexander) and I came early so we want to prove ourselves early. I learn from all the young guys that have been here. I know I'm young and there's a lot of young guys out there."

Alexander, Reynolds' early enrollee counterpart in the secondary, has also shuffled around over the last few weeks in an effort to find an optimal fit.

"He started off at free safety and we moved him to corner," Gray said. "He's raw — we're talking about a guy that played high school linebacker so he hadn't even played safety. Seeing how he runs and his agility, he can change direction and press so we're going to try him at corner. Once he learns it I think he has a huge upside."

Like Reynolds, Alexander is flexible.

"I was a safety in high school but I played closer to the ball," Alexander said. "I was always about six to eight yards off the ball so it was kind of a linebacker position. The transition isn't a big difference."

The Charlotte, North Carolina, native noted that the hardest position he's had to learn is free safety.

"You have to know the whole defense and get people lined up," Alexander said of playing the position.

The youngster is finding his way with the help of his position coach.

"For the most part Coach Gray has helped me understand it," Alexander said. "He understood I was young so he's taken me step by step to correct mistakes.

"I wanted to get a head start and learn the plays before the season came around so I could have a good feel for whatever position I would be working in at."

Alexander referenced his position exchange with Terrell Edmunds that was made after the scrimmage, meaning that Edmunds is now playing free safety.

Of the names tossed around by Alexander and Gray, here's the revised list of defensive back shuffling in chronological order:

Mook Reynolds: Nickel, CB

Adonis Alexander: Rover, FS, CB.

Chuck Clark: CB, worked in at safety spots, CB

Terrell Edmunds: CB, FS

Gray made a reference to the ever-variable Clark when discussing contingencies.

"We're going to leave Chuck at the corner spot," Gray said. "He's been doing such a good job this spring. We'll evaluate him after the spring to see if he stays where he is. It's musical chairs. If we get Brandon (Facyson) back and he's healthy... we have contingency plans.

Gray also noted that Edmunds is a great prospect who's coachable, talking about his value down the road.

Odds and Ends from Brown, Dooley and Motuapuaka

Outside linebackers coach Cornell Brown is encouraged by the stability at the whip position, insisting that Ronny Vandyke is more than capable of solidifying the spot should he stay healthy.

"The kid knows what's expected and he knows the defense," Brown said. "He just has to stay healthy. That's it."

Brown also noted that converted defensive back and top prep school prospect Holland Fisher has shown promise at whip, drawing comparisons to 2013 grad Alonzo Tweedy.

"He has that body type," Brown said regarding Fisher's relatively undersized frame. "I have experience in dealing of guys with that size so size isn't a problem.

"Being closer to the ball allows him to use more of his assets. It's a good matchup for us putting him on tight ends and backs. We like what he's shown and it puts him in a good position moving him to whip."

Vandyke and Fisher figure to be contributors, even though the need for their position continues to wane with the years.

"It depends on the team when the whip will be involved," Brown said. "When you play the East Carolinas of the world we have matchup problems with a whip. That's what the game's gone to. It's more of an athletic game. It's basically a basketball game on grass."

The onus for the position group instead will fall more on the redshirt sophomore mike, Andrew Motuapuaka, whose hardest adjustment was becoming a leader.

"Lining everybody up and making calls was the hardest part," Motuapuaka said. "Leading the whole defense is a pretty demanding position. Being vocal was hard.

"One of the things I've been trying to work on is being vocal. So far I've been doing well with it."

The Virginia Beach, Virginia, native had the good fortune of sitting back and learning from an experienced veteran in front of him.

"I didn't think I was going to be ready last year but watching (Chase Williams) before he got hurt helped me a lot," Motuapuaka said. "I still talk to him. He was there today in practice. He gave me good advice on one of my pass rushes about clubbing."

Also improved is defensive end Seth Dooley, whose list of goals coming into the spring was extensive.

"Pass rush, seven-technique, five-technique, I just tried to improve on everything," Dooley said. "I'm playing a little bit harder. This spring is my shot to be the third guy in there with Dadi and Ken."

Like Motuapuaka, Dooley gathered a lot of his repertoire from watching and learning.

"James Gayle has a similar body type to me so I've always looked up to his pass-rushing technique," Dooley said.

The redshirt sophomore didn't, however, adopt Gayle's gift for trash talk.

"I talk a little bit, but not really," Dooley said. "Usually I just keep my mouth shut and play."