Spring football practice started a week ago Saturday, on the 21^st of March, and like most Spring practices, it promises to be an interesting one. This year should be particularly spicy, as Coach Beamer has created a bunch of "ties" on the depth chart to encourage competition amongst the team members for starting jobs.

The far future is bright for the Hokies, with the excellent recruiting classes from 1996-1998, but the short-term outlook remains murky. This year's areas of major concern are the offensive line and the fullback.

Offensive line

On the OL, the Hokies lost All Big East performers Gennaro DiNapoli and Todd Washington from a unit that was solid but didn't exactly blow people off the ball. Returning starters Dwight Vick (left guard) and Derek Smith (tackle) will be looked to for leadership.

Smith will be moved from left tackle, the quarterback's blind side, over to right tackle. Smith's old spot at left tackle will be taken over by former defensive lineman Anthony Lambo, who has been moved over to offense this spring and is already projected as a starter on the O-line.

Keith Short is pegged as the starter at center, but JUCO transfer Daniel "Shorty" Nihipali is expected to push Keith for playing time. On the right side of the line, redshirt sophomore Josh Redding has top billing at the guard slot, and as I mentioned before, Derek Smith will be at tackle.

So to sum it up, here's the lineup, from left tackle to right tackle: Lambo, Vick, Short, Redding, and Smith.

The word around the Tech camp is that the incoming freshman will not help any this year. Long gone are the days when a true freshman, and in most cases, even redshirt freshman, can contribute on the offensive line.

I remember Jim Pyne starting as a 250-pound true freshman waaaayy back in 1990, and he was followed just a few years later by other freshman starters, including Chris Malone and Billy Conaty. Conaty set a record, starting 48 straight games over his four year career, but in these days of 300 pounders, it's rare for that to happen, and in fact, it may never happen again.

In my opinion, the only incoming freshman who could help on the OL would be Tennessee monster Anthony Nelson, but it looks at this point as if Nelson will not qualify. Let's hope we can hang on to him during his likely year in prep school, because by all accounts, he'll be a great one.

Fullback

As for fullback, Cullen Hawkins returns and has the starting job for now, but he is undersized at roughly 210 pounds. The Hokies are still looking for the next Brian Edmonds (on the field, ON the field!) at that spot. Behind Hawkins is a large group of "possibles," including most notably Manny Clemente, Derek Piniella, Jarett Ferguson, and Wayne Briggs. Shelley Ellison continues to be a non-factor, and by now, as a rising redshirt junior, his chance to ever make a significant impact is rapidly slipping by.

Defense

In other areas, the Tech coaches are tweaking the team, in particular the defense, in an attempt to return the Hokies to glory. Tech's aging defensive scheme will not be scrapped, but a large number of players have been shifted around in an effort to get the 11 best defenders on the field at one time.

The most notable changes are that DE and holy terror John Engelberger will be tried at tackle, in particular nose guard, this spring. The early word is that the Berger has looked good in practice and scrimmages, but then again, he has always been a great performer in the spring. If he can stay healthy, he'll be a good one in the fall, too.

The other change that I'm excited about is that Lorenzo Ferguson has been moved to the Whip linebacker spot, where he is penciled in as the early starter. Ferguson will be a rising sophomore, and any effort made to get him significant playing time is a smart move, in my opinion. Ferguson, who wore #6 last season, was ranked by one service as a Top 100 player out of high school (that's in the country, folks), he has great speed, and he hits like a ton of bricks.

The Whip position has a great history, from Dewayne Knight, who was the first to ever play it, to Brandon Semones, who was perfectly suited for it. Ferguson brings the same speed that Semones and Knight had, or better, but he is a bigger hitter. I can't wait to see him the first time he comes around the corner on a blitz and closes in on a quarterback's blind side. Hopefully, Lo will hold down the position and excel at it.

Other Tidbits

In other news, the Tech no-huddle offense has reportedly been scrapped, and the Hokies will now operate from the huddle. This is probably a good decision. It appeared to me that the Hokies weren't taking advantage of the no-huddle with quick snap counts, and it was getting to the point where I couldn't figure out why they weren't just huddling up, anyway.

If you want to check out spring practice or a scrimmage or two, practice is held every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 4:15-6:30, and Saturdays either at

10 or 2. I think the scrimmages are held on Saturdays.

HokieCentral Tailgate Planned

Ahh, you didn't think I'd get away without mentioning this, did you?

First of all, the Spring Game is on Saturday, April 18th, at 2:00 p.m.  I plan on having an informal HokieCentral tailgate that day, in the field across Southgate Drive from Lane Stadium (I think that area is called "Chicken Hill" - last year, it was Lots 5 and 6 for Hokie Club parking).

We'll do the tailgate like we did last year's Spring game tailgate.  It will be BYOE, which is short for Bring Your Own Everything.  That means that HokieCentral will be providing no food or drink, just a gathering point for anyone who wants to stop by.  I'll be driving the HokieCentral mobile (repeat after me:  1981 Chevy Impala wagon, two-tone brown and gold paint, ugly as all get-out), so look for it, perhaps with my 8-foot "www.HokieCentral.com" banner hanging off of it.

Last year's Spring Game Tailgate was small and fun.  I have a feeling that this one will be a little bit larger.  I will arrive at the spot around 10:00-11:00 in the morning, which gives us about 3-4 hours to hang out and talk Hokie football before we head into the stadium.  Unfortunately, this timing clashes with all of the Virginia Tech Athletic Fund (VTAF) events that are going on that day, but that's life.

I'll have a few HokieCentral items for sale, and I plan on raffling off a special item that day, so stop by - it should be a good time!

New Official Tech Web Site Unveiled:  if you haven't seen it yet, be sure to check out the new official Virginia Tech sports web site, www.hokiesports.com. The site is now hosted and run by FansOnly, which runs a number of official sites for colleges, including UVa. The hokiesports.com web site is great for getting scores and schedules, but don't bother to check out their on-line store front - there's no Hokie stuff there. And be wary of the occasional misspelling, like a "Hoakies" that slipped on to the site once, shortly after it started up.

(Funny but true story: I almost bought that domain name - www.hokiesports.com - at the end of 1997. I was contemplating switching www.hokiecentral.com over to www.hokiesports.com, but a few marketing savvy friends, and even Mrs. HokieCentral, convinced me that that would be a stupid move, after spending nearly two years building up brand identity. Imagine my surprise when the official site took the name three months after I had pondered it.)

HokieCentral's First Sponsor:  HokieCentral welcomes its first-ever sponsor, Whitley's Peanuts (you have no doubt noticed the new banner ads sprinkled around the site by now). There have been a number of inquiries into HokieCentral sponsorship, but Whitley's was the first and only to plunk down the bucks for prime advertising space here at HC. Be sure to check out their web site, as well as a brief description of Whitley's and their Tech ties, on HokieCentral's Sponsors Page, where you can get the lowdown on a special discount for Hokie fans if you place an order on Whitley's web site.

Me? I loooooove peanuts.

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