2003 Football Preview: Defensive Line
by Will Stewart, TechSideline.com, 8/6/03

The Depth Chart

Here's a look at the depth chart. The chart below represents the latest depth chart released on BeamerBall.com on August 5th, with a couple of minor adjustments based on our prediction of how the chart will look on opening day.

The two-deep in the chart is color-coded by class, and returning starters (9) are listed in bold italics.

Every one of these starters returns in 2003. (click to enlarge)

Despite returning nine starters, including the entire front seven, you can see that the Hokie defense still has just five seniors on the two-deep, an encouraging sign for next year, as well. The starting rotation is all juniors and seniors, with the exception of free safety Jimmy Williams, giving this defensive team high hopes heading into 2003.

In the following text, statistics are for the full 14-game season, including the bowl game; snaps played are for the 13-game regular season.

"Stud" Defensive End

Starter: 99 Cols Colas (6-0, 226, r-Sr)
Backup: 96 Noland Burchette (6-2, 240, r-Fr)

The Stud defensive end spot is the pass-rushing spot, historically manned by lighter, faster players, guys who get converted to linebacker in the NFL -- think Cornell Brown, who defined the position, and Corey Moore, who perfected it.

The heir to the Brown/Moore legacy, and a player who has yet to live up to it, is redshirt senior Cols Colas. Colas played running back in high school, and during his redshirt year at Tech, when he was working out at linebacker, the VT coaches saw that certain something in him that made them think he'd be a good Stud end.

Like Brown, Colas is a tiger on the field, and like Moore, he's a strength and conditioning standout. In recent preliminary fall max testing, Colas had the fourth-highest bench press on the team (420 pounds), the fifth-highest power clean (326 pounds), the highest push jerk (370 pounds), the fastest 10-yard dash (1.49 seconds, the best by almost a tenth of a second), an impressive 34-inch vertical jump, and a respectable 530-pound squat.

And as I've remarked a number of times, he's a little crazy, too, though Brown and Moore were much more antisocial on their worst days. Brown once wore a paper bag over his head to a media event and was arrested for his involvement in a fight in the summer of 1996, while Moore threatened to punch a TV cameraman at a 1999 Sugar Bowl practice.

Jim Davis (95) will redshirt with an injury this year, but Cols Colas (99) will be back to pressure the QB. (click to enlarge)

Colas' worst offense is a silly personal foul penalty against Miami QB Ken Dorsey in the 2001 game in Blacksburg. Not exactly tabloid stuff (though it was costly -- it led to a Miami field goal in a game the Canes won by two points).

While the comparisons to Corey Moore have been frequent in Colas' career, so far, he's no Corey Moore. Colas had 3.5 sacks in 2001 and tied for the team lead in sacks with nine in 2002. He also led the team in 2002 in QB hurries (24), tackles for loss (19, including his 9 sacks), and forced fumbles (3). For comparison purposes, Moore's best year was 17 sacks, 28 TFL's, 25 QBH's, and 3 forced fumbles ... over 11 games, not 14, like last year for Colas.

Colas is a very good defensive end, but he lacks that take-over-the-game ability that Moore and Brown had. Hokie fans are hoping that changes this year, and that Colas puts up 15 sacks or more and is a constant force throughout every game. Just recently, for the second year in a row, Colas was named to the 29-player Watch List for the Ted Hendricks Defensive End of the Year Award.

Backing up Colas is redshirt freshman Noland Burchette, who weighs a solid 240, bigger than your typical Stud end. Burchette isn't nearly as explosive as Colas or Moore -- who is? -- but at 6-2, 240, he is more of a prototypical defensive end. Burchette has earned positive reviews from the VT coaches for his athleticism and energy, to the point where he was named the top defensive newcomer this past spring. That award sets a high level of expectations for Burchette, and he'll have his first chance this year to see if he can translate his work on the practice field to the playing field. He almost got to play last year, but a hamstring injury in the fall slowed him down, and Darryl Tapp got to play as a true freshman, instead.

True freshman Mike Brown is an outside shot to play this coming season. At 6-3, 218 (as listed in the media guide), Brown is a Stud-sized DE with an explosive first step.

"End" Defensive End

Starter:  83 Nathaniel Adibi (6-3, 255, r-Sr)
Backup:  55 Darryl Tapp (6-1, 246, So)

The "End" spot at VT is more of a classic NFL-type defensive end. He's typically a bigger player who can take on offensive tackles head-to-head, instead of relying on pure speed to beat them around the corner. The prototypical "End" is John Engelberger, who played opposite Corey Moore.

The big news here is the loss of Jim Davis to injury. Davis tore a pectoral muscle, had it operated on, and will not be ready for 2003, so he'll redshirt to give it time to fully heal, as detailed in a News and Notes update last month.

Davis' absence caused the coaches to move Nathaniel Adibi from Stud end, where he was listed as a co-starter with Colas at the end of the spring, back to End, as fall practice opens.

After a strong redshirt freshman campaign in 2000 (45 tackles, 5 sacks), highly-touted Nathaniel Adibi's performance fell to 41 tackles and just 1 sack in 2001. Prior to last season, Sporting News called him the most overrated player in the Big East, and Adibi responded with 55 tackles and 9 sacks, to tie for the team lead in sacks with Colas. He was second behind Colas in QB hurries (16) and tackles for loss (15).

Adibi's best game last year was a 3-sack game against Texas A&M, and he had a 13-tackle, 2-sack effort in the otherwise dismal defensive effort against Syracuse. This spring, he earned Super Iron Hokie honors for the first time, and like Colas was named to the Watch List for the Hendricks Award.

Adibi is not a ferocious pass rusher, but he has his moments, and 9 sacks from your second-most productive defensive end is something any coach will take. Engelberger, for example, never had more than 7 sacks in an 11-game season, and Adibi's 9 sacks are just as productive, when comparing 11-game and 14-game seasons.

Adibi is a good athlete and a pro prospect at defensive end, and if the team gets incremental improvement from him -- say, 65 tackles, and 11 or 12 sacks -- they'll be more than happy. Adibi and Colas have the chance to put up 25 sacks or more between them in this 13-game season coming up (assuming a bowl game).

Darryl Tapp changes numbers from 58 to 55 (his high school number) this year, and has put about 10 pounds on his frame. He won Super Iron Hokie honors this spring and is a man on a mission. Last year, he played 89 snaps from scrimmage and an eye-popping 282 snaps on special teams, with the highlight being his recovery of a blocked punt for a TD against Virginia.

The coaches are very excited about the young duo of Tapp and Burchette, and they think they've got two guys who will be in the rotation for years to come.

True freshman Chris Ellis is also a guy the coaches are excited about, and he and Mike Brown will show their stuff when preseason practice opens. It's likely that the coaches will settle on one of them as the fifth defensive end and redshirt the other. The guy most likely to get the nod is Ellis (listed at 6-4, 245), but much like the Tapp/Burchette situation last year, an injury could change that and thrust Brown to the forefront.

"Nose" Defensive Tackle

Starter:  70 Kevin Lewis (6-1, 292, r-Jr)
Backup: 71 Tim Sandidge (6-1, 283, r-So)

23-year old Kevin Lewis played in pain late last season, starting the first 11 games before a torn pectoral muscle finally sidelined him for the last three games of the year. Watching him try to play against WVU with the torn pec was difficult to see. Unable to go even half-speed, he bowed out, had it operated on back in early December, and should be ready to go for fall practice.

Lewis had 49 tackles in 11 games last year, plus a sack and six QB hurries. He has a strong motor, and if he comes back full strength and shows improvement over his redshirt-sophomore year, he can continue to grow into the disruptive force that David Pugh was.

Backing him up is Tim Sandidge, who played in 13 games last year, starting two. A little-known fact about Sandidge is that he was fourth on the team last year with four sacks, a pretty good accomplishment for a redshirt-freshman defensive tackle.

Of Tech's six backup defensive tackles last year (behind starters Kevin Lewis and Jason Lallis), Sandidge was one of only two to stay on the team and remain at the D-tackle position. Jimmy Williams was lost to disciplinary problems, Mark Costen left the team, and Chris Pannel and Jason Murphy moved to the offensive line. Only Sandidge and Jonathan Lewis remain as D-tackles, and there's a reason why Sandidge is still around: he can make plays, and if he can keep putting on weight and building strength while keeping his speed, he'll be a good one.

The VT coaches are listing true freshman Kory Robertson (6-3, 295) as the #3 Nose tackle, but it's not likely that Robertson will get PT this year. He's got very good footwork and is light on his feet, but he probably needs a year in the weight room, and based upon the high school film I've seen, needs to work on his technique. He was able to overpower opponents in high school, but to succeed at the college level, he'll need to learn to square his shoulders, play lower, and hit the ball-carrier lower. Still, with the feet he's got for a player that big, he has a bright future.

"Tackle" Defensive Tackle

Starter:  91 Jason Lallis (6-0, 250, r-Jr)
Backup:  56 Jonathan Lewis (6-1, 292, So)

Friendly fire: Jason Lallis pursues Bryan Randall in the 2003 Spring Game. (click to enlarge)

Take a good look at Jason Lallis, because he's a dying breed at Virginia Tech, and college football in general: a 250-pound defensive tackle.

Like Kevin Lewis, Lallis started the first 11 games before an injury -- in his case, a separated shoulder -- sidelined him for the remainder of the year. He showed no ill effects during spring practice and should be ready to play in the fall, full-speed.

Lallis had 48 tackles last year, four tackles for loss, and two sacks, and he led defensive tackles last year with seven QB hurries.

Why is Lallis a tackle, instead of a defensive end? Perhaps the VT coaches were looking for a disruptive force at tackle. Lallis plays hard down after down and pursues relentlessly. That makes him a good pass-rusher for a tackle, particularly when the pocket breaks down and he can leave his blocker to pursue the QB. He can get lost in traffic during running plays and passing plays where the pocket holds up, but when a play breaks down and turns into a free-for-all, Lallis has great speed and a nose for the ball.

He also has powerful legs, evidenced by a 595-pound squat figure that is better than both Lewis brothers by 45 pounds.

One thing is clear: a move back to defensive end, where Lallis started his career, doesn't appear to be in the cards. The coaches seem to be happy with the quartet of Adibi, Colas, Burchette, and Tapp at DE, though Lallis might be moved if one or two of those guys go down with injuries.

Right there with Lallis is budding star Jonathan Lewis, who is more of what the VT coaches want their future defensive tackles to be. Namely, big. Jonathan moves very well for a big man and played very well at times last season, flashing the potential that may lead him to overtake Lallis as the starting defensive tackle. As a matter of fact, Lewis is listed as a co-starter with Lallis as the Hokies prepare to open 2003 preseason practice (we list him as a second-teamer here based on last year).

Lewis played in all 14 games last year, starting the last two, and led the defensive tackles with 56 tackles. He will give Lallis a run for his money this fall, and as they say, competition is good.

Behind Lallis and Lewis is UNC transfer Isaac Montgomery, also a big man at 6-4, 297. The lowdown on Montgomery is that he is strong and a hard worker, but that he is still raw, having played very little college football. He redshirted at UNC, played sparingly as a redshirt freshman, transferred to VT, and had to sit out a year. Then he strained an MCL in his knee after just six practices this spring, setting him back.

Montgomery remains a guy who is probably a year away, but if injuries start to take their toll, he may be pushed up into some playing time.

Defensive Line Summary

The Hokies are in very good shape all along the defensive line, provided they don't get torn up by injuries again. But even if they do, they've now got players who are more ready to play. Last year, they had to give significant playing time to a bunch of DT's who weren't ready: Sandidge, Pannell, Murphy, and Jimmy Williams. The upside of that was that it enabled the coaches to figure out that Sandidge had a future at DT, while Pannell and Murphy didn't. This year, the coaches have four DT's who are ready to go, though some are still young and will develop further. At least they're not totally inexperienced.

With Jim Davis out for the year, redshirting because of a torn pectoral muscle, the defensive end spots are a little more dicey. Tech is fine -- heck, they're great -- as long as injuries don't start occurring. Noland Burchette in particular is a guy that you don't want playing more than a handful of snaps a game, because he's never been on the field. Ideally, he and Darryl Tapp can be brought along slowly, without the Hokies having to rely on them like they had to rely on young defensive tackles last year.

But overall, the defensive line situation looks very good, with a true two-deep, eight-man rotation to work with, plus a guy in Jason Lallis who can fill in at either position, tackle or end, if injuries start requiring players to be move around.

Next: The Linebackers

Our next article in this series will concentrate on the linebackers, where the Hokies look for Vegas Robinson to get back up to speed and for Mikal Baaqee and Brandon Manning to continue to develop and improve.