DT Tim Settle Hoping to "Burn and Learn" As He Cuts Weight and Absorbs the Hokies' Scheme

Tim Settle wants to be more than just a defensive tackle at Virginia Tech; he wants to be the leader of a movement.

When fellow Stonewall Jackson HS alum and CB Greg Stroman committed to the Hokies as part of the team's 2014 class, Settle took notice.

To him, it wasn't just a decision by one of his closest friends. It was also a chance to kick off a new era for the Hokies in Northern Virginia.

"Stroman, once he committed, it was kind of like 'dang, we could just start this all over again,' because we grew up together," Settle said at Tech's media day on August 15. "We already have a history here with our school, we just wanted to start another franchise, try to bring our area back out here, try something new."

So far, Settle's vision is coming to fruition. The Hokies already have Raiders committed to both their 2016 and 2017 classes in safeties Reggie Floyd and Devante Smith, respectively.

But if the push can extend just beyond Settle's Manassas alma mater, he hopes the "703" can start to rival another area code that traditionally dominates Tech's rosters.

"A lot of people are here from the '757,' but we want people from our area to come out here." Settle said. "We've got a lot of talent in our area and we just haven't had a chance to show it yet."

Yet Settle's big dreams were very nearly derailed by his academic woes off the field.

He only officially learned that his grades and test scores were good enough to allow him to join the program in mid-July when he tweeted the good news.

Officially a HOKIE , Can't wait to be with my teammates in August #HokieNation— Tim Settle (@tim_settle) July 13, 2015

Settle admits that the experience of thousands of strangers obsessing over his grades on message boards wasn't the most pleasant phenomenon, but notes that doubt wasn't all bad.

"A lot of it was motivation from people doubting me," Settle said. "I prayed about it a lot, I just stayed with it the whole time, and things fall in place."

But rather than take too much pride in his classroom accomplishments, he says he's keeping his eye on the bigger picture.

"That's just one achievement that I achieved," Settle said. "I still have many more that I need to achieve."

One of those achievements would be earning playing time as a true freshman at the team's deepest position group. Even with redshirt seniors Luther Maddy and Corey Marshall, not to mention other talented DTs like Nigel Williams, Woody Baron and Steve Sobczak, tying up the depth chart, Settle thinks there's room for him in the rotation.

"I know that the defense and the team, they have a spot for me," Settle said. "I just need to meet expectations, keep doing what I'm supposed to do, and everything will fall into place, I'll be able to get some playing time."

But his position coach is a little less sure about all that. DL coach Charley Wiles thinks a redshirt year is more than likely for Settle.

"We're not in a position, right now, that we have to play him," Wiles said Wednesday. "The kid has got some tools, but just can't get him enough reps right now to get him ready to play."

Frank Beamer shares that skepticism about whether Settle will end up seeing the field this year, but does acknowledge his tremendous potential.

"That remains to be seen," said Frank Beamer earlier in August. "You want to play him enough to make it worthwhile, but I think when you've got a talent like that, you end up playing him there. And I'll tell you now, we've got a lot of good tackles, but he could be a good tackle, maybe a great tackle, so we'll see."

But the coaches uniformly agree that Settle's only shot at seeing the field includes a major effort to lose some weight.

"He's got a chance to be really special, but he needs to get some weight off, get stronger and get some weight off, and he'll do that," Beamer said.

Settle tipped the scales when he first arrived at camp, weighing in at a hefty 359 pounds, but as of media day, he says he's already slimmed down to 349 pounds with more weight loss on the horizon.

"I try to achieve something every day, burn one or two pounds a day, so hopefully by the end of camp I can burn 15 to 20 pounds," Settle said.

Over the course of his first year, he's hoping to maintain that change.

"I want to be anywhere to 330 to lower by the end of my freshman year," Settle said. "Throughout the year it'll probably be easier to burn, hopefully I learn how to maintain myself and self-control."

As might be expected for any high schooler joining a college program, the added discipline has done wonders for Settle's efforts to do just that.

"They pick the meals out for me, and it's easier when it's front of you, the food's in front of you," Settle said. "When you're on your own, it's harder to stick to a diet, you've got to keep making it, but it's here, so I'm taking advantage of it every chance I get."

Beamer personally wants him to use that nutrition plan to get to a weight more closely resembling the rest of the DT group to truly unlock his potential.

"I said 'it'd probably be amazing if we can just get you down under 300,' because he's got the lightest feet of any 340 pound guy you'll ever see in your life," Beamer said. "He's easy."

It's that combination of size and speed that caught the eye of Ken Ekanem, a Northern Virginia product himself out of Centreville HS.

"I remember watching a highlight film on him, and he used to go against my high school team, and his first snap was against my high school team, and he just blows past the center and blows up the running back and it's like 'god, we're getting this guy?'" Ekanem said earlier this month. "He's a good kid, really explosive off the ball and really good hips, surprisingly. He really opens up his hips when he does pass rushes and stuff. I think he has a lot of ability and a chance to make a difference on this team."

Ekanem notes that his locker bay is right across from Settle's and, even after his weight loss efforts, he still looks "ginormous" these days.

RT Wade Hansen readily admits that Settle is the largest human being he's ever lined up across as well.

"He's heavy, but he's a good kid," Hansen said after an early August practice. "He gets some reps, he's gonna develop into a great player."

But even as players and coaches alike marvel at Settle's size, the inescapable truth is that those reps may indeed be very tough to come by, both in training camp and during the season itself.

If a redshirt year is indeed in the offing for Settle, he seems at peace with the possibility.

"I think I can play this year, but if I don't, I understand," Settle said. "I'm not really gonna break myself down about being able to play because redshirting isn't really a bad thing because you learn and you get time to burn weight. But I'm going to try my best to get on the field this year."

Settle says he would welcome the chance to "burn and learn," as he puts it, particularly when it comes to puzzling over the nuances of Foster's defense.

"The first couple days (of camp) I felt a little lost, I've got to find myself into things," Settle said. "It's not high school anymore, I can't really do what I want."

Luckily, Settle has coaches and teammates with a wealth of experience to draw on for that kind of learning. Even if Wiles doesn't end up deciding to work him into the rotation, Settle will get the chance to learn from the best.

"It's just amazing to watch them, watching all of them because all of them are good," Settle said. "It's college, I'm not used to seeing what I see every day."

But perhaps the best lesson he can learn from Wiles and the rest of the DTs is patience.

"They started from the bottom as freshmen, and Coach Wiles tells me all the time, 'Lu didn't get how he is from one day in his freshman year,' so I take what they give me and I learn every day," Settle said.

Even after just a few weeks of watching Settle play, Wiles seems convinced he has the talent to follow adequately in Maddy's and Marshall's large footsteps.

"The kid is liable to be a three year starter for us," Wiles said. "I'd be disappointed if he's not."