Wyatt Teller's "Shoulders Broad Enough to Handle All the Attention" at Starring Role on OL

Given his well-known proclivity for mullets and cut-off flannels, it's clear that Wyatt Teller has always been a bit mischievous.

But make no mistake, the oddities associated with the Hokies' starting left guard are no recent development. The redshirt sophomore hasn't been afraid to play the practical joker since his very first day stepping on the football field as a freshman in high school.

As a 15-year-old, Teller wasn't quite the 6'6", 295-pound physical specimen he is these days, but he certainly didn't look like a future quarterback. Yet that's exactly where he lined up when he arrived for the first day of football tryouts at Liberty HS in Bealeton, Va.

"It was kind of a joke between some of the guys, they said 'you won't go out for quarterback' and I was like 'I don't care, I'll do it,'" Teller said.

He must've seemed severely out of place at the position because he quickly attracted the attention of then-head coach Tommy Buzzo.

"Coach Buzzo runs over, grabs me by the facemask and puts me with the offensive linemen, saying 'you're not a quarterback, you're not a quarterback,'" Teller said. "I thought it was all a joke, since I was a freshman and nobody was really looking at me, but apparently Buzzo was."

The episode might've been a bit exasperating for Buzzo, but he says it's one he's encountered plenty of times over the years.

"It happens a whole lot of times with young kids, they just need some guidance," Buzzo said. "There's no chance that that young man was going to be a quarterback, but in his mind he wanted to play defensive line and quarterback, so I just had to give him a little bit of guidance."

With his dreams of lining up under center dashed, Teller quickly adapted to his life down in the trenches.

"I think he had a quick two second pout, then he came down with the offensive linemen and was very eager to learn and he had a great camp," said Sean Finnerty, then Liberty's OL coach, now its head man. "And just by looking at the height and the size of the kid, we knew he was going to be a big kid, so he was heading down to the offensive linemen with me."

It would take Teller another five years to move to the position full time, but those early days in high school laid the foundation for a decision that could ultimately send him to the NFL. After starting just six of the Hokies' games last year, Teller already has scouts salivating about his potential and stands as perhaps the most talented player on Tech's offensive line.

But back at Liberty, Teller's first real experience on the field came on the defensive line. After playing on both sides of the line in his days on the freshman football squad, Buzzo decided to give Teller a chance to hone in on one position as his role started to expand as a sophomore, slotting him at defensive end.

"We just gave him an opportunity to focus on one side of the football where he could excel," Buzzo said.

Teller seized the opportunity and did plenty of excelling, piling up 13.5 sacks and starting the entire season at end.

"At defensive end, he would just shut down the entire half of the field," Finnerty said. "He was a very aggressive kid with a motor, he never stopped."

Entering his junior year, things started rapidly changing for Teller. Buzzo left Liberty to pursue a job in the college ranks, with Finnerty stepping in to take his place, but the biggest changes involved his rapidly developing frame.

"My sophomore year I was probably about 205 (pounds) and then my junior I was probably about 255, 245 playing weight," Teller said. "I remember weighing in at 245 and my mom was like 'oh my gosh, I didn't know you put on that much weight,' she sees me every day so she didn't notice. It was weird some people who I hadn't seen for a year were like 'who the heck are you?' I hit a growth spurt too, I was two inches taller and 50 pounds heavier."

Finnerty took note of that sudden change and decided to let Teller start at offensive tackle as well as end. He was still a terror on the defensive side of the ball, picking up 10 sacks and a whopping 145 tackles, but his versatility and size served him well on the other side of the ball too, and colleges took notice.

"That's when he got on everybody's radar, and became the big 50-offer kid," Finnerty said.

Moving into his senior year, Finnerty started getting creative to best utilize Teller's athleticism. He still played both end and tackle, but Finnerty started lining him up at fullback and tight end as well to terrify opposing defenders. Teller even got some stretches at the position that he considered a joke way back in the day.

"We even had a package for him where he was a wildcat quarterback, we'd just snap the ball right to him and allow him to run a little bit, because it was very hard to tackle the guy unless you just went low on him," Finnerty said. "He was always just a 'what can I do to help us win?' type of kid."

But through all the position switches, Teller was always confident that defensive end was his destiny in the college ranks.

"He thought that he was going to go on to college football and play defensive end, but I told him depending on the school he chose and the scheme that I would guarantee him that he would have a chance to stay on the defensive line and move him on the inside, but for him to explore his true talent and get a chance to have a huge successful college career and get the chance to play in the league, he was going to have to be on the offensive line," Buzzo said.

But despite those admonitions, Teller stayed focused on end, and most schools recruited him at the spot (and he was even rated a 4-star prospect at DE by the 247Sports Composite ranking).

"All my grade school career, Coach Buzzo said 'Wyatt, you'll be a good defensive lineman, but you'll be an NFL prospect offensive lineman,'" Teller said. "So I always thought about that, but I just didn't really like offensive line in high school, because we don't get a lot of notoriety. Luckily, we do at Tech, but offensive linemen don't get a lot of notoriety and as a high school player you want to get a lot of notoriety."

Teller had plenty of big time offers to sort through, with programs like Notre Dame, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee all jockeying for his services. Yet he never really considered leaving the Commonwealth.

"He was always going to stay close to home," Finnerty said. "He had offers from all over the country, but he always wanted to stay close to home so parents could watch him play."

That made Tech and UVA obvious contenders for his services. Charlottesville was a quick drive from Bealeton, making the Hoos seem like an obvious choice.

But despite stopping by the campus on plenty of occasions, he just never felt at home.

"I used to go to UVA all the time, so I thought that was going to be a good place for me, and I really liked the coaches," Teller said. "But then being on campus, I really didn't like that I saw people in suits and ties and everything, that's not me. I'm a guy that wears cut-off flannels and jeans, not suits."

Once he got a chance to compare UVA to his experiences in Blacksburg, his decision was sealed.

"When I went to UVA, maybe two or three students would talk to us, nothing serious, I'm not trying to bash them or anything, but it didn't really seem like it was homey feel for me," Teller said. "But then when I went to Tech, everybody was talking to me, like 'oh my gosh, we love Tech football,' it was a totally different atmosphere.

"Obviously I was going for school too, but I was also going for football, and to have the entire student base behind what you're doing, and even at this point, we weren't having the greatest seasons, I think it was the first year ending the 10 win season streak, but all the students still loved the football players, so it was just a totally different atmosphere. I saw people in camo and everything like that, and I just said 'this is where I'm going to spend my next four years.'"

Tech signed him as a defensive end, but there's no doubt that then-offensive line coach Jeff Grimes stole some envious glances over at Teller on signing day.

"I actually had a conversation with Coach Grimes before the season started and I said, 'if you can, you might want to steal him. Because I really feel his best position was offensive line,'" Finnerty said. "And Grimes would laugh and say 'oh, if I can, I might try to do that.'"

As it turned out, no theft was required. Teller came willingly to the position just two weeks into his first fall camp, seizing on a chance to bypass a crowded field on the defensive line and help the team at the same time.

"I noticed that I think four or five offensive linemen were injured and their backs were against the wall. Maybe one wasn't going to do anything, but maybe if I made that change, other people would try to make that change as well, so I thought that would be a good team move to move to offensive line to help out the team," Teller said. "So one day after practice I said 'I'm willing to move to offensive line, I played offensive line in high school, and I'm not afraid to make the change.'"

Grimes was incredulous at first, but the team's dearth of depth encouraged him to quickly accept the offer.

"I get a call one night from Coach Grimes saying 'hey, Wyatt came up to me today and said he wanted to switch because he wanted to help out the team. Does he really mean that or is he just trying to make an impression?'" Finnerty said. "I said 'if Wyatt came up to you, and said he wants to play offensive line and help the team, he really means it. That's just the type of kid he is.'"

But the change hardly went smoothly. Teller admits that he very nearly gave up on the whole endeavor multiple times.

"It was one of the toughest things I ever went through," Teller said. "I basically had no consistency, I don't know how I stayed or how I did it. Looking back on it, it was just so tough, I was making mistakes all the time. I think I had one victory in one-on-ones, I was literally losing every time, but I stuck with it and I got a lot of notoriety for that move. I guess it was like I gave him my word that I wouldn't back on it, but it was still tough. Looking back on it, I'm happy I did it, but it was still tough."

While Teller did end up dressing for the first three games of his true freshman year, the staff ultimately decided to redshirt him to give him more time to adjust to his new role. Teller calls that time off absolutely critical to his development.

"I was never one of those guys that would walk up and be like 'coach I need to play', I was never one of those players, even in high school," Teller said. "Instead of being upset that I was taken out, I would learn from it. Like next time I get in, I'm not going to do the same thing, I'm going to get better. That definitely happened this past season. From my freshman season, sitting those first three games and watching that process, watching how offensive linemen are, watching all these things, as one of those undercover guys, it helped a lot and it definitely made me focus on the little things instead of just trying to change everything in one day."

Heading into his second fall camp ahead of the 2014 season, Teller had a better shot to see the field, but more experienced guards like David Wang and Caleb Farris kept him on the sidelines early.

"Truthfully, I'm not going to lie, I would've loved to start the first game, but I talked to (OL coach Stacy) Searels about it, and I was not ready. Not one bit," Teller said. "I still didn't know the plays, I was thinking too much."

But as the season wore on and injuries beset the normally steady Farris, suddenly there was an opening for Teller to get on the field. He got his first start in the team's horrific game against Miami, and never looked back.

"Once I got to game seven, coach put his trust in me and said 'hey, are you ready?' and I was like 'yes sir, I'm ready' and I went out there in the second half and that was kind of a big part of the season," Teller said. "Having those games to sit, watch and learn, take my time really changed the player I was. I wasn't so anxious like 'oh, I missed this, I've got to do this,' I kind of took a breath, relaxed, and it just all came together."

Yet he still admits that he wasn't perfect in his first few outings, frequently earning the ire of left tackle Laurence Gibson.

"Last year, I knew what I was doing, but sometimes I wouldn't tell Laurence and he'd get mad at me," Teller said. "I remember my first game against Miami, I forgot to tell Laurence a call and he was ready to rip my head off."

But as time went by, Teller developed into the line's most physically dominant player and finished the season looking like the bedrock of Tech's offensive line for the near future.

Even from afar, his old coaches have noticed the transformation.

"You don't see offensive linemen with his athleticism and you don't see offensive linemen with his type of motor," Finnerty said. "He's an offensive lineman with a defensive personality."

Yet Teller notes correctly that one player on the line can only make so much of a difference. Luckily, he says that the unit is closer than ever before thanks to some newfound continuity.

The starting five of Teller, left tackle Jonathan McLaughlin, right tackle Wade Hansen, right guard Augie Conte and center Eric Gallo remained unchanged for the entirety of spring practice, and Teller says that's a very welcome development.

"It's kind of crazy, last year I had friends all over the team," Teller said. "But now it's like all my best friends, like Jon and Wade and Augie and Gallo, we're all together. It's not like we've got some on the second line and some on the first line and third line. We're best friends and we're all together."

It might seem trivial, but Teller says that friendship is starting to make a difference on the field, as well as off it.

"We know each other and we know each other's calls, like Gallo and I, I'll say 'blah blah blah,' and he'll say 'oh, I know what you mean,' and I'll be like 'wow, we know each other,'" Teller said. "We're a great communicating offensive line, we know where we're going. Very rarely do we have missed assignments, not like last year."

But that camaraderie doesn't start and end with just the front five. Teller notes that the line has started to spend more time with their signal callers, including one infamous game of putt-putt with starter Michael Brewer, and it's starting to have a similar effect on the whole unit's communication.

"Now we're all hanging out, we're all having cookouts, we're all chilling with each other, playing video games with each other, it's definitely a difference when everybody gets to hang around (Brewer)," Teller said. "That's a huge part to building great communication. That's part of communication to know each other's calls, know each other's jokes, know each other's mannerisms. It's a huge part of knowing each other and being together."

For all his deflections about the importance of the group over the individual, there's no denying that Teller truly stands out from the pack. Teller says his work on the line means that "I'm here to be the unnamed hero and do my part, which most people will not see," but his dominant play and colorful personality mean that plenty of people are taking notice of him.

"He's always been a character. He does well with it," Finnerty said. "I always make the joke that he has shoulders broad enough to handle all the attention. He thrives on it, and he's just a great kid. It's easy to like him. He was a favorite of everybody at Liberty, all the teachers loved him, he's still a favorite of my wife. When he comes to town, he still comes over for dinner. He's just such a great kid, great character."

Before long, it'll be impossible for that combination of character and talent to slip under the radar completely, especially if the NFL calls Teller's name. He's already popping up on prospect sites, and should he demolish the competition this season, he would eligible to declare for the draft if he wanted to.

"He's very, very physical and he has all the tools of someone as a redshirt freshman that has the ability to develop and polish up those fundamentals and get an opportunity to play on Sunday," Buzzo said.

But football is an unpredictable sport, with a career-ending injury never more than one play away. Should things take a turn in the next few years, and Teller be forced to contemplate a future without football, Finnerty says he doubts that his old protege will lack for options.

"I could definitely see Wyatt being successful even with football not in the picture. He's a very intelligent kid, he's a high GPA guy," Finnerty said. "We've also talked about him getting involved in real estate and working that profession, so he always had other things. He was always prepared for plan B, plan C."

While wearing his favored mullet and cut-offs might be frowned upon in the business world, it seems a sure bet that the playfulness that guided those fashion choices will serve Teller well wherever he goes.

"He's an absolute down to earth, good, honest kid who has a little sprinkle of immaturity still with him and when you wrap all that up together, you get the Wyatt that I know," Buzzo said.