Ten minutes ago I was on my couch crushing cupcakes and watching a terrific first-half of the NCAA Basketball Championship, when all of a sudden the Virginia Tech football signal appeared.
@AndyBitterVT @thekeyplay Per Beamer's website, Caleb has been moved to Wide Receiver, and Nijman has been switched to Offensive Tackle.— Matt Barr (@MattyLight11) April 7, 2015
The HokieSports.com roster confirms said Tweet. Given how much defensive line Coach Charley Wiles gushed about Yosuah Nijman's athleticism and measurables, and the lack of depth at end, I thought Nijman would've at least made it through all of spring on the defensive side of the ball. Although, perhaps I was blind to the writing on the wall.
"(Yosuah Nijman) is still light years away from where he needs to be but he's getting better," defensive coordinator Bud Foster said following Tech's scrimmage Saturday. "Nijman is still raw at this point. His football IQ seems to be okay but I'll take him. He's got a great upside and I'm excited about him."
And Wiles turned the classic, "head tying up his feet" line to eleven after last Thursday's practice.
"I've got him coached into paralysis right now," Wiles said. "He's just information overload. He's 4-whatever fast, can run, jump, and he's playing slow. We've got a lot of stuff with him. Hopefully he can come on here by the end of spring. He's got some tools, so we'll see where he can fit in."
If you want a glass half-full take, maybe the light really has come on for Seth Dooley, or Melvin Keihn can punch above his weight class (at 211 pounds, that's featherweight for ends), or maybe Beamer Co. knows its getting some help at end when the rest of the 2015 class arrives on campus this summer.
I do completely trust Foster's and Wiles' ability to evaluate talent for their scheme. If the 6-7, 265 pound Nijman doesn't have a future on the d-line, then it's prudent to move him as soon as possible.
French noticed receiver turned tailback turned receiver Joel Caleb repping with the wideouts before anyone else. For the moment, depth at tailback seems fine. J.C. Coleman, Trey Edmunds and Travon McMillian comprise a capable top-three. Caleb was always an afterthought at tailback. Former Hokies wide receivers coach Aaron Moorehead didn't think he could cut it at wideout, and Caleb never earned much more than garbage time carries at running back.
Kendrick Holland's and Carlis Parker's pre-spring departure from the program left a hole at wide receiver, and if Caleb doesn't stand a chance to make noise at wideout, why not let him try to fill it? Best case scenario is he develops a rapport with new wide receivers coach Zohn Burden, contributes and Tech fans grit their teeth thinking about the two seasons Caleb spent in limbo. The worst case scenario is the same as the current one, Tech's thin at wideout and still has a stable of running backs.
The position coaches provided Frank Beamer's website with some insight of where their units stand.
Shane Beamer purposely didn't scrimmage Trey Edmunds or J.C. Coleman. The purpose of Saturday's scrimmage to was to get the younger tailbacks work. "I'm really excited about Travon McMillian," the Hokies running backs coach told BeamerBall.com. "He had a couple of nice runs. He gives you that burst, and speed, and he's a strong guy who showed it in the weight room by earning Super Iron Hokie. He also catches it well, runs good routes, and I think he can be a real weapon for us. D.J. Reid, got better, but he has to use his size and his pad level."
"Bucky Hodges, we're letting him play in space," tight ends coach Bryan Stinespring told BeamerBall.com. "I'd say that 75% of his time, he's out in space. We want to build on that. He can do both, and he too has a lot on his plate, and we want to build on what he was able to do last season. I think that getting him over with the receivers makes him faster, helps give him a broader knowledge of the offense and makes him, and us, better. He's a little banged up, battled through that and had a good scrimmage."
Pardon me while I drool over the thought of Bucky creating mismatches all over the field and Mossing tiny cornerbacks.
Kalvin Cline suffered a seemingly minor left hand injury during Saturday's scrimmage.
Comments
My tweet made the article. This was the beginning of my amazing career in the sports industry as we all know it.
All joking aside, great quick write up Joe. I think the Nijman move is for the better long term, but it always reminds me of the pain of the Dalton and Sweat misses as well as the Trevon Hill injury. Love what I've been hearing about Dooley though. As far as RB, very impressed with watching McMillian and the coaches' words have been nothing but encouraging, plus McClease coming in who could be a major threat catching balls out of the backfield.
Houshun Gaines- you wanted opportunity, well you have it.
*searches for review of Gaines to see how much I need to worry* oh, look at that, French called it.....
I will never *NOT* upvote anything Horsemen related (or, pro-wrestling related in general).
Also? BMW-Baller? You're fabulous.
So I guess we know the frontrunner for next year's starting RT.
So who takes over for Nijman at the 2nd DE spot in the interim?
Seems like only walk-ons left and Haynes covered for Alford surprisingly well last year. Otherwise, I guess we wait for troop reinforcements in the summer.
Great move for Nijman in the long term. Searels has probably been long awaiting getting his hands on him.
I am guessing Laird Gardner or Jeremy Haynes will move back outside.
Welp my prediction about how Nijman being a pro prospect at DE was wrong!!!!
I'm guessing Keihn offers a huge leverage problem for tackles. If he can get past their arms I'm guessing he's going past them.
He seems like the kind of guy who's gonna either get blasted off the ball or draw a ridiculous number of holding calls.
Nice thought, but I'm pretty sure there's an unwritten rule for the refs concerning VT that you only call a hold on VT's opponent if a: It's a clear tackle of the defender, and b: the quota on holding calls has not already been met.
At least he won't have to deal with what our basketball players go through when playing Duke or Syracuse.
Speaking of Basketball, 6-7 263 0r 277..... From NJ.
Nijman I've got a position switch you might like if you loathe the OL.
I'm half-joking, but gosh wouldn't be nice to have an enforcer 4 solely for boxing out being physical.
Hopefully he can get really low cause our 6'0 qb taint gonna be looking over a 6'7 lineman...
well if he's 2nd string, he's gonna be paired with Osterloh at OT, then we just need our 2nd string QB to be closer to 6'4-6'6...oooooohhhhh
'
Writing has been on the wall for Caleb. His best options coming in were WR and Safety or Whip LB. Getting a fresh start at WR with Coach Burden in combo with Kendrick Holland leaving gives him an opening. The rest of spring practice will obviously tell the tale. If he takes to the coaching from Burden, he has all the physical tools to be a very good receiver. At a minimum, he can block and break tackles in the screen game, and he'll be more physical than most DBs he'll face.
Actually thought there was a chance for Nijman to stick on D. But if a move is to be made, now is the best time. Physically, he can be a prototype OL.
Foster can run Marshall or Mihota at end if he has to. And perhaps French can weigh in but seems like we saw more 3 down lineman looks, or at least more variable down lineman looks, from Foster in the last year. The Hill injury and prominent recruiting misses sucked and we have little depth but I'm still not as concerned as some. I would submit we are better off at DE than this time last year.
Don't count on Caleb being around much longer....players that are not true wide outs never work out in our system.
I think he has at least as good a shot as guys like Marcus Davis (HS QB), Dyrell Roberts (HS RB), and DJ Coles (HS Running Back). Each of them were able to find at least some success at WR and having spent 2 seasons at running back, I would expect that he already blocks better than Davis.
He has a pulse so I assume he blocks better than Marcus Davis.
EXISTENTIAL CRISIS: Which is greater, the number of effective blocks by Marcus Davis or the number of fans at UVA's spring game?
Upon careful consideration, it's clearly Davis' blocks. Crisis averted.
Interesting way to look at things but I guess I would have to agree. The concern for this year is that we still have to manage another injury free year at DE. The much bigger concern might be for the future since we whiffed on most of the highly recruited guys to play the position after this season.
We've seemingly righted the ship in recruiting several positions that had been deficient prior to the coaching changes (OL first and foremost, but WR and QB as well). It would be a real shame for these next few teams to be held back due missing out on these DE recruits.
WR. DE. OT.
Three positions to hope for health.
I think that our great depth/talent at tight end will make up for the lack of depth at WR. Expect a lot of 2 or 3 tight end sets, particularly if none of the young WRs (everybody but Ford and Phillips) separate themselves.
I wonder if the coaches have had any involvement with Notre Dame on how they used Tyler Eifert. Hodges heading out with the WRs is exactly what ND used to do when they had Eifert at TE. Flex him out or put him in motion to create huge mismatches. ND being "in the ACC" might prevent this though
My only worry is can he put on the weight to stand up as a Left or Right Tackle. 265 is a little light for the OLine.
He has a frame that can easily put on weight. He also has until next fall
He was at 277 coming in..he lost the weight to try and stick at DE. He'll beef back up.
Yeah, I would think getting back up to 275-280 won't be too difficult. But the next 20 pounds could take a little time.
Darius Fullwood has ben working hard to get ready for fall camp. he is a solid DE prospect. Foster has a plan.
Isn't Fullwood being looked at more for DT?
That was kind of the buzz during his recruitment but after we missed on Sweat the tone shifted a bit to him being started out at DE to see if he can be effective there.
My recollection - and I could be completely mis-remembering this - is that Stiney kinda said (perhaps implicitly) he would be a DT on his spring tour.
I'll look at my notes later and confirm.
I do! I do rember that time!
With Nijman switching to OL this worries me. I knew his roommate at Fork Union and he said that Nijman wasn't going to come to VT if he was going to play OL. #sources
I wouldn't be surprised if not only coaches, but peers may have also whispered advice to him over the last couple of months (and perhaps links to web pages showing NFL left tackle salaries). That...plus a week up against D-1 Off Linemen and seeing D-1 Def Lineman made him realize that maybe DE wasn't his best position after all.
Neither was Sergio Render.
That was before Beamer and Searels showed him Duane Brown's $54 million contract.
It's not like plenty of folks didn't see it coming but the Nijman move sure doesn't help alleviate any of the perception problems handicapping VT 'crootin.
This is a non-event from a recruiting perspective. Every program moves players, has players that felt they weren't given a shot, etc., etc.
Any recruit that gets turned because of something like this was looking for a reason to go where they're going and to not go where they're not going.
It's something I see tossed around on message boards but is there any legs to it? Has anybody ever commented that they chose not to go to Tech because the coaches move players around?
Maybe in the short run, but if Nijman ends up getting drafted then it helps recruiting in the long run.
Plus, wins matter more than anything. If Nijman helps the team win at Oline instead of defensive end than that's the move you have to make.
Would probably help OL 'crootin. Still need to get those front-7 guys into the draft (and then to stick in the NFL) though.
Agry about the winning, but probably best not to have to make those decisions... especially as much as VT seems to make them.
I'm praying that Settle will be the player that turns the defensive line NFL dry spell around. If Foster can turn him into a monster, top recruits might start considering Virginia Tech a place that can prepare them for the show. If not, then I don't think it'll ever happen with Foster's scheme.
Do you not think Maddy could be just that? Before he was injured last year, a couple draft sources had him as a borderline 1/2nd round pick
Yeah but Maddy was a 2* guy out of high school, not the 5* guys we try to land (and usually don't) year in an year out on the line.
The thing is that we usually don't have the type of guys who can be top-round picks, but are quick enough and low enough to be successful in Foster's scheme. Here, Maddy is outstanding for Foster and also happens to be the type of guy who could also do well in the NFL. If Maddy is a high draft pick, Foster can then go to those 4-and 5-star guys and say, "look at that. He was a 2-star coming out of high school. If you've got the right body type and work your tail off, no way my system will keep you out of the draft."
That's coming down the pipe in Maddy and Ekanem, though they're probably not the 1st rounders that recruits look for...
We're never gonna consistently get elite linebackers. Just a product of the system.
Nijman never looked like a DE when I watched his film . How many NFL guys are 6'7" inches and play DE . Not many are quick enough maybe Clowney and Peppers but very few and Nijman wasn't.
We are much better at DE this year than we were last year going in . Keihn was a prize recruit last year and think he will come on this fall but we are much better with Daddy and Ekanem starting , Dooley, Keihn and Marshall . We needed Marshall at tackle because we were super thin there last year but could easily move him out and not miss a beat. Our D Tackle spot is loaded now with experience and young talent and if Settle gets here we are really set . Our Offensive line will be improved and I think Hansen will be fine, he was really put in a tough spot but played the majority of snaps in the last 2 games when our run game started to click. If we can get Chung and Pfaff healthy I think we could get to 8-9 deep this fall and will be more talented then we have in a while. We need to redshirt all the young OL guys if possible .
I think Searels is the right fit and and we see a nice move by the offense if we don't then I think AD needs to evaluate. Of all the spots no one is talking is LBs , there is were I am worried about depth and injury , we are with unproven and inexperienced out the you no what
Marshall is poised to have a huge year at defensive tackle, if he had to move out to defensive end Tech would see a huge drop in production. Much better for Tech if they keep him at tackle to keep that production up and take the hit at just one position instead of two.
I like Marshals experience and quickness at tackle . By all accounts Baron is coming on and Williams is a starting quality DT . Marshal is a tweaner and is a good player at both spots but not sure he is much better than the others in that DT pack . Add Mihota , Walker, Sobzak and Settle.
We could afford to move him out and he would be better than any incoming freshman out there.
I agree, I would prefer he stay in but that is where we are at .
He is, Marshall is a play maker at defensive tackle. Moving a proven playmaker to another position is almost always a mistake. Plus, I have serious reservations about Marshall's skill set translating at defensive end, there's a big difference between pass rushing up the middle vs the edge. Regardless, if the injuries get to the point where Marshall has to move to defensive end, it'll end up being a rough year.
I love Woody Baron and Nigel Williams. They are very good DTs, as is Ricky Walker. But NO PLAYER and I do mean NO PLAYER won the Ohio State game and created more chaos inside than Corey Marshall. While Marshall isn't a prototypical tackle, for the way he is used at the position he is a major weapon and a game changer that opposition coaches have to game plan around.
Well with Luther coming back and we know he is a playmaker Nigel put up comparable #s
I like the athleticism Marshall brings but I would rather have him at DE if needed than a true frosh.
That is the question . Barron played hurt last year and some of the others will be improving as they
get more reps . A Marshall , Williams , Maddy , Daddy DL would be solid . Last year Ken had not played and Daddy was starting for the first time full time . So I stand by we are in a lot better shape here then we were last year and Marshall is a viable option to move out if necessary. That is what the coaches will do if injury bug hits the DE spot. We were lucky out there last year Ken and Daddy played pretty much every snap
Corey Marshall 12-9 15 26 41 9.5-40 2.5-21 1-7 1 2 23 - - - -
Nigel Williams 13-10 15 19 34 9.5-46 4.5-31 - - - 10 1-29 - - -
I mean no disrespect, and I like Nigel Williams. But, if there was EVER a case where the numbers don't tell the story, this is it. Maddy and Williams when he replaced Maddy usually play a three technique, which is a position where you get to make tackles. At the nose, your job is to create chaos at the mesh point, and then the other guys clean up. If you watch the game film closely, no single player was more difficult for opposing offenses to block than Corey Marshall. If you interviewed tOSU's OL and they were honest, I'd bet they still have nightmares.
If he has another season like last year, he will be sought after as a 3-4 End at the next level.
Just my 0.02.
I always wonder what the kids think when they are moved. Any comments from Ninja? I know some are just happy to play and contribute, and in some respects they see that it is a true correction, ie bucky.
I feel like in HS, talent gets put in specific spots and if good enough, they excel Because of it. When it hits college and pros, talent can find its real home, and the shifting begins.
No comments from him that I know of.
But I do know that list of players who have successfully moved from either their desired position coming out of HS or the position the recruiting services divined for them is much, much longer than the list of kids who transferred or left the program because they switched positions.
While we have not seen an updated depth chart in awhile, one thing that I didn't include in my review that I noticed last night- at safety right now, Riley is playing as the number 1 free safety, and Desmond Frye is the top rover.
My goodness, I love Stacy Searels.
[Messes up, tackles Brewer]
[Searels throws hat, it lands in Scott Stadium, explodes and destroys the stadium. UVA football PR people begin intense Photoshop work because "it's OK, no one was here to see that."]
This made me chuckle.
don't want to be a downer but definitely doesn't sound too positive when they say a guy just moves for depth in the spring and it probably won't be permanent. oh Joel Caleb.. the ATHLETE that couldn't find a position. sad stuff
They didn't say it probably wouldn't be permanent, they just said that if it didn't seem like it was working out at WR, he'd come back to RB. Personally, I'm optimistic. 1) it's the offseason. Eff your reason and logic. 2) Burden did a great job last year at ODU turning a QB into one of the team's best receivers. I think that combined with Caleb's experience in the system should give him a good chance to get it done at receiver.
Sometimes the coaching staff does not get it. This is a bad move on many fronts.
I understand that this can be used against us in recruiting, but otherwise:
ALWAYS gets a leg!
someone please photoshop mike London's head on here. I heard he was a cop
And much, much, much more frequently, some fans just don't get it.
Please tell us what the "coaching staff" with years of experience don't understand that you do?