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262. That's how many total tackles Brendan Hill, Xavier Adibi and Vince Hall, Tech's starting linebackers in 2006, combined for during the course of last season. The three varsity lettermen were a huge part of why Virginia Tech's defense was ranked No. 1 in the country for most of the season.
The Hokies, however, have always managed to stay focused on the present and not let the past, no matter how bright or discouraging it may have been, affect their play or what they set out to do. 2007 is a new beginning for the Hokies and their linebacker core. They start the long road to the regular season as if last season never took place.
The core does take a major hit with the loss of Brendan Hill. Hill, who had 52 total tackles last season, leaves a major hole to be filled by any one of an array of qualified candidates. Even though Hill was a key component of the defense last season, Bud Foster, Tech's defensive coordinator, remains optimistic about the situation.
"Right now we've got Corey Gordon who's back and played very well thus far," Foster said."We moved Cam Martin up (to the linebacker position) from safety. He's about 218-220 pounds. I think that's a good move for us and for him. Cody Grimm, who's a good football player, is not as big as the rest of the guys but, pound-for-pound, he's probably one of our better football players on the field. Then we moved Steven Friday from the (defensive) end position. Steven's an active guy and kind of an outside linebacker with his size. He can rush the passer and he's athletic, but he's got to learn to play in space. So we've got four guys right now who we're gonna look at hard this spring."
What may be even more important than the depth at the linebacker position is the relationship that has developed these past few years between Xavier Adibi and Vince Hall, Tech's two returning starters at linebacker. The two go all the way back to their high school days playing on rival teams in the Hampton Roads area. Now entering their senior seasons, Adibi and Hall have grown accustomed to their position side-by-side.
"(Our bond) has grown since we lived in Cochrane and we stayed right beside each other," said Vince Hall, the team's starting middle linebacker. "We've always lived in the 757 and played against each other in high school. First we thought we were going to compete for the same position but after we found out we weren't going to, it's been a tight bond from there. We wanted to be the best linebacker core in the nation."
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