BLACKSBURG, Va. – Fans likely won’t have a good idea of what this football team looks like until this fall, but spring practice has provided a little bit of a hint. It seems like the position group that has taken the biggest hit since 2020 is the offensive line, putting an emphasis on the next man up mentality.
“Yeah we‘ve got a small number in the spring right now,” offensive line coach Vance Vice said. “The number one thing is the room is open to do what we need to get done. Sometimes that’s guys knowing multiple spots to create some depth.”
Vice said last year his group was about 10 players deep, this year 6 or 7, giving guys like Luke Tenuta an opportunity to grow their leadership.
“Me being an older guy now, I have to step up and talk more, lead by example guy,” Tenuta said. “But yeah, definitely taking a bigger leadership role this year.”
And as guard Lecitus Smith says, they’re only as strong as their weakest link.
“That’s why I always emphasize bring the young guys along, whether he’s a 2 or a 3, a freshman sophomore it doesn’t matter, we need everybody,” Smith said. “We need those young guys to step up, you know, get them on their stuff.”