Georgia Tech Football: Early Look at Virginia Tech's Defense
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Virginia Tech for years was known for their aggressive and tough-minded play on defense under legendary coordinator Bud Foster. The Hokies lost that edge in the last couple of seasons, but new head coach Brent Pry is looking to restore that toughness on the defensive side of the football and he has some good players to build around in 2022.
Georgia Tech was not able to do much against the Hokies' defense a year ago, but it was not all bad news for the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech racked up 183 yards on the ground, but two turnovers and losing time of possession were the deciding factors for Georgia Tech.
Pry is going to have some potentially strong units on this defense, particularly at linebacker and in the secondary. Who will be the guys that should have Georgia Tech's attention? Let's break it down below.
TyJuan Garbutt- Defensive End
Virginia Tech defensive end TyJuan Garbutt
The Hokies had a relatively weak pass rush last season and they are going to need that to change if they want to have a bounce-back season on defense.
The guy I think could be ready to have a breakout season on the Virginia Tech defensive line is TyJuan Garbutt. Garbutt is a 6-1 255 LBS athletic edge player that had 3. 5 sacks last season and he has the potential to double that this season.
Someone is going to have to step up as the top pass rusher for Virginia Tech this season and Garbutt is the top guy in my opinion.
Dax Hollifield- Linebacker
Virginia Tech linebacker Dax Hollifield
The leading tackler and leader of the defense for Virginia Tech last season was linebacker Dax Hollifield, who finished the season with 92 tackles and 4.5 sacks. He is the best linebacker on what might be the best linebacker group in the ACC Coastal.
Hollifield does so much for the Hokies' defense and he is going to be relied upon for another heavy workload in 2022. I think an All-ACC season could be on the horizon for the versatile linebacker.
Armani Chatman- Defensive Back
Virginia Tech defensive back Armani Chatman
Virginia Tech is going to be bringing back their entire secondary in 2022, but there is one guy that Georgia Tech is going to have to be watching amongst them all.
Cornerback Armani Chatman led the team with seven pass deflections last season and I have a feeling that he is going to improve upon that number this season. Georgia Tech is looking for someone to step up as their top receiver, but it will be tough with a corner like Chatman on one side of the field.
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