2024 Position Group Previews: Defensive Line
The Room: (2023 Stats)
#2 Keyshawn Byrgos 6’5” 247 JR Chesterfield, VA (18 TKLS, 4.5 TFL, 2 Sacks)
#6 Josh Fuga 6’2” 308 GS Woodbridge, VA (13 TKLS, 1.5 TFL, .5 Sacks)
#13 Kemari Copeland 6’3” 280 JR Virginia Beach, VA (38 TKLS, 4.5 Sacks)
#16 Aeneas Peebles 6’1” 290 GS Raleigh, NC (44 TKLS, 5 Sacks)
#17 Cole Nelson 6’3” 249 SR Johns Creek, GA (27 TKLS, 7.5 TFL, 4.5 Sacks)
#22 Kelvin Gilliam 6’3” 295 Rs JR Richmond, VA (3 TKLS)
#31 Jason Abbey 6’3” 231 Rs FR Richmond, VA (2 TKLS
#32 Deric Dandy 6’4” 219 FR Mount Airy, NC
#39 Jordan McDonald 6’4” 253 Rs JR Salem, VA (6 TKLS, 2.5 TFL, 1.5 Sacks)
#45 Elijah Klock 6’1” 259 Rs SO Moraga, CA (1 TKLS, .5 TFL, .5 Sacks)
#46 Ishmael Findlayter 6’4” 253 Rs FR Toronto, Ontario, Canada (2 TKLS, 1 TFL, .5 Sacks)
#50 Gunner Givens 6’5” 285 Rs SO Covington, VA (1 TKL)
#52 Antwaun Powell-Ryland 6’3” 246 Rs SR Portsmouth, VA (40 TKLS, 14.5 TFL, 9.5 Sacks)
#54 Malachi Madison 6’3” 289 Rs SO Chester, VA
#55 Gerard Johnson 6’4” 255 FR Virginia Beach, VA
#56 CJ McCray 6’3” 247 Rs SR Lumberton, NC (21 TKLS, 3.5 TFL, 3.5 Sacks)
#57 James Jennette 6’4” 217 Rs JR Durham, NC (2 TKLS, .5 TFL, .5 Sacks)
#90 Andrew Hanchuk 6’5” 283 FR Berea, OH
#91 Wilfred Pene 6’3” 285 Rs SR Tours, France (10 TKLS, 1.5 TFL, 1 Sacks)
Emmett Laws 6’2” 265 FR Elkton, MD
Khurtiss Perry 6’2” 265 Rs SO Pike Road, AL
2023 Review
Going into the 2023 season, the Hokies defensive line had some questions that needed to be answered. After Brent Pry’s first season at the helm, the defense had a couple of issues, namely, getting after the passer and stopping the interior run. Hokie fans heard throughout ‘22 going into ‘23 that the defense had issues with “fitting” against the run and winning one on one battles up front on the defensive line. In 2023, Tech brought back Norell Pollard, Mario Kendricks, and Pheldarius Payne for their final season in the hopes that the senior leadership would lead to increased production for the D-Line. The Hokies then dipped into the transfer portal and grabbed Antwuan Powell-Ryland from Florida in the hopes that he could add to the pass rush and win some of those one on one battles that Pry had mentioned going into the season.
After a slow start, in the first four games, the defense seemed to find their way at times and started to look as advertised. The Hokies D-Line, for the most part, continued to underperform, especially in the interior. The combination of Pollard, Payne, Kendricks, and Fuga who primarily rotated in the interior of the line, still had problems against stiffer competition in losses to FSU, Louisville, and NC State. In those games the Interior line struggled to get to the passer, and got blown off the ball at times defending the run. The Louisville game in particular, showed interior weaknesses that needed to be remedied going into the ‘24 campaign. Cards running back Isaac Guerendo, lit up the Hokies on interior runs and put the game out of reach early. (Check out the Hokie Hitter Below) While it’s difficult to place all of the blame on the D-Line, the line got pushed around seemingly at will and could not adjust against a solid offensive line.
In the pass rush game, the Hokies made great improvements with the addition of Powell-Ryland from the portal and the individual growth of Nelson, Burgos, and McCray off the edge. APR, led the team with 9.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss over the season, and over the course of the season, became one the top pass rushers in the ACC. The overall improvement of the D-Line and the winning of one on one battles in the pass rush game was a big factor in the overall improvement of the line and helped the Hokies improve their record year over year.
2024 Spring Recap
Going into the spring, the Hokies had some serious depth issues to address. While Tech was able to bring back Josh Fuga for his final campaign, the Hokies lost ¾’s of their interior line depth chart. The remainder of the room, being very young, the Hokies once again dipped into the portal for some instant depth. Tech grabbed Aeneas Peebles from Duke, Kemari Copeland from JUCO, Kelvin Gilliam from Oklahoma, and Khurtiss Perry from Alabama. The additions of these players, especially Peebles not only replaces the lost talent, but have the potential to be better than the product that the Hokies put on the field in ‘23. Peebles, an all ACC performer last season at Duke, had almost as much production individually, as all four interior linemen on the Hokies two-deep last season. In the Spring game Copeland, Peebles had standout performances and showed Hokie fans that the line should be much improved from last year. What surprised many Hokies, however, was the improvement of Keyshawn Byrgos coming off the edge. Brygos showed increased quickness off the edge and speed to the passer, that combined with APR, Nelson and McCray, give the Hokies four legitimate pass rushers. The spring performance should give many fans a reason to be excited going into the ‘24 campaign.
2024 Preview
The Hokies defense going into the ‘24 campaign has not gotten as much attention as the offense has, but perhaps they should. The defensive line, in particular, should give Hokie fans some positivity going into the season. The portal additions of Perry, Copeland, Gilliam, and Peebles, combined with the growth of Fuga, APR, Burgos, McCray, and Nelson, provide the Hokies with a two-deep that is rich with talent. Especially with DC Chris Marve going into his second year calling the defense, the Tech D-Line will be able to play with controlled aggression and speed, and based on previous seasons, should have increased output. A few big questions remain, however.
Can the Hokies sure up the run game?
Last season, especially against the top half of the conference, the Hokies struggled to stop the interior run and were gashed early in the season against Marshall and Rutgers. With Peebles anchoring the interior and the uncanny strength of Gilliam (seriously, check out the weight room videos) the Hokies should not get pushed around as much on the inside, especially against double teams, and allow the second level to run freely and make plays.
Can the Hokies Get to the passer with more consistency?
We know what APR can do. His 9.5 sacks were the most a Hokie defender has had in many seasons. Can the trio of McCray, Nelson, and Byrgos coming off the edge, create enough pressure to put stress on the pass protection schemes of the opposition. It is imperative that these three get to the passer with consistency and allow for APR to get as many one on one matchups as possible. If this happens, the lockdown backfield should have light work throughout the season.
How will some of the unknown/unproven transfers perform?
Peebles is a proven commodity in the ACC. Gilliam, Copeland, and Perry are not. Copeland, coming from JUCO, has not been tested at the P4 level. Gilliam, although a freak in the weight room, had very limited production at OU with only 3 tackles to his credit. Perry is a very interesting player, who can play both inside and outside and has speed on the interior which can create havoc for the opposition. Neither of these three have been tested at the P4 level and will be interesting for Hokie fans to see how they perform against better competition throughout the year.
If the Hokies D-Line can show even a slight improvement, especially in the run game, Tech fans should be in for a treat when the defense is on the field and hopefully become a force to be reckoned with in the ACC.
