Much of that is due to two men – linebackers Vince Hall and Xavier Adibi. Both men are seniors this season and are consistently ranked as two of the best players in their position in the country. They are the cornerstones of a nationally ranked defense.
Hall's name has been thrown around throughout the offseason as a candidate for the Butkus Award, the prestigious trophy given to the nation's top linebacker. Adibi has also been garnering attention as a standout linebacker, getting recognition for his playmaking chops.
"I've seen a lot of football," said defensive coordinator Bud Foster. "I think this is the best linebacking core we've had at Virginia Tech, and I'd like someone to show me two better linebackers in the country than [Hall and Adibi]. If one of those two is not a finalist for the Butkus Award, something's wrong."
Hall and Adibi go way back to their high school days, when they met on the playing fields of the Hampton Roads area. Hall attended Western Branch High School in Chesapeake while Adibi attended Phoebus High School in Hampton. As soon as the two entered Tech together, their bond began to grow.
"It's grown since we lived in Cochrane," said Hall. "We've always been from the 757 and played against each other in high school. First we thought we would be competing for the same position, but after we found out we wouldn't be, it's been a tight bond since. We kept telling each other we were going to be the best linebacker corps in the nation."
Both men claim that playing on the same defense makes them better players. Since the two began playing together in 2004, their season tackle totals have increased every year.
"Playing with Vince Hall kind of makes my job a little bit easier," said Adibi. "Just having another linebacker on the field who is just as good as I am and being able to fly around and having a knack for just getting the ball makes my job easier."
The friendship between the two does hasn't seemed to hurt the overall strength of the defense, either. Hall and Adibi led a top-ranked defense in tackles with 128 and 82, respectively. Hall's 128 tackles was also the best in the ACC. After finishing a statistically tremendous season, there's no telling what Hall, Adibi and the rest of the defense could do for a curtain call.
"We can go as far as we want ourselves to," said Hall. "It's not us really playing against the other team; it's us playing against ourselves. We know what we have to do. But with the way our defense is, if one person messes up, we all break down. As long as we all stay on the same page, we can go a long way."
You might be interested in...- Letter: Celebrate the holidays however you see fit
- Local GOP cleaning house, aiming high
- ACC weekend preview: Four conference battles elsewhere
