Franklin's First Wave: The Linebacker Room

There is very little an impartial observer can do to sugar coat it. The linebacker position has been an Achilles heel for the Virginia Tech football program since the departure of Tremaine Edmunds. From a lack of physicality to poor execution of the scheme, Virginia Tech hasn't found talent or schemed solutions outside of sending extra defenders into the box, which only puts extra pressure on the secondary. Noah Chambers flashed the skills to develop into a viable P4 inside linebacker when pressed into duty as a true freshman, but Caleb Woodson hasn't lived up to the considerable hype of his recruitment, and Kaleb Spencer showed that he is much more comfortable playing in a WHIP/nickel-linebacker hybrid role than moving inside to face offensive linemen.

There is no doubt that the Hokies and now-defensive coordinator Brent Pry will have to turn to the portal to address immediate needs for linebacker depth. Pry's last couple of dips in the transfer portal proved to be misses, with only Spencer demonstrating capacity to warrant significant playing time. Antwone Santiago may return, but at best is a depth option who looked completely out of his element playing on the edge last season.

But as we have seen, reliance on the portal can have damning consequences when you miss, particularly when it inhibits player development. Foundational players have to come from high school recruiting, and James Franklin targeted three players to round out this freshman class of linebackers. Each has a unique skill set.

The Sledgehammer

When you think about linebacker play, you expect assertive gap fits and excellent tackling. Of the recruits, Patriot High School linebacker Mathieu Lamah looks that part. Packing 215 pounds on a 6-3 frame, the Patriot HS (Bristow, VA) three-star prospect showed on film as a physical presence in the middle of the defense.

On this trap play, the left guard pulls across as the right side of the offensive line blocks down. A bubble was created between the defensive tackle and the edge. Without hesitancy, Lamah stepped into that seam, which seems simple enough but how many times have we seen a Hokies linebacker floating three yards behind the line of scrimmage as a play develops. As Lamah fit into the gap, he felt the guard pulling. If you slow down the tape, he initiates contact with his inside, right, shoulder. This allowed him to maintain outside leverage, but by initiating he prevented the lineman from getting into his body, and maintained his feet and shed the block. I also like how he lowered his angle before contact, minimizing the available blocking surface, before exploding off the guard to make the tackle.

Lamah adds a few strengths to the room that have been woefully absent. He is physical at the point of attack and fits gaps properly. He initiates contact. And he utilizes the appropriate technique to spill or force runners to other defenders if he doesn't defeat a block.