Andy Bitter confirms a bit of chatter that had been making its way around the Interwebs for a little while now.
Linebacker Nick Dew, safety Theron Norman no longer on team, expected to transfer, Virginia Tech confirms. No reason given. #Hokies— Andy Bitter (@AndyBitterVT) June 27, 2012
Dew was a 4-star recruit from Virginia Beach that a lot of Hokies had high hopes for. He played 14 snaps at Whip when Tweedy went out with an ankle injury against Boston College. With both Tweedy and G-W out against Duke, UNC and UVa, Dew played just 15 out of 188 defensive snaps. The coaches opted for more Nickel looks / playing Kyle Fuller at Whip. The writing on the wall was when Dew was listed 4th on the spring depth chart at Whip, behind newcomer Ronny Vandyke. Not only does a player have to be athletic enough to cover the field and make tackle after tackle at Whip, but Bud Foster needs to trust him. It's a bit of thinking man's position, where decisions need to happen instantaneously. It's a hard position to recruit for, and play well.
Theron Norman played just 11 snaps in 2011, and finished buried on the spring depth chart behind Kyshoen Jarrett/Detrick Bonner and Boye Aromire.
Going forward, two more scholarships open up, and that's a good thing considering all the talent in Virginia for 2013-14. Unless there were a lot of injuries, neither of these guys would have seen the field outside of special teams in 2012. Sometimes highly recruited players don't work out.
Best of luck to the both of them moving forward.
