Virginia Tech's Defense Could See Another Freshman in Linebacker Chase Williams

The Hokies saw six freshmen, including three starters, contribute on defense against East Carolina. They soon may add to that number, according to the Washington Post's Mark Giannotto:

Beamer said Tuesday he's been impressed with (Chase) Williams's play on the scout team the past couple weeks -- "He has some natural instincts," the coach said -- and that the team would be "giving him a look" in practice this week in hopes of being ready to play at some point in the near future.

Williams, who was expected to redshirt this season, will now battle fellow freshman Tariq Edwards for the right to back-up starting backer Lyndell Gibson. Edwards saw the field briefly against East Carolina after Gibson was briefly hobbled and assisted on one tackle.

Williams, the son of New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, looked good during the spring and was listed as the No. 2 backer coming into the preseason. However, a hamstring injury kept him out for much of fall practice and plans were to redshirt him.

According to Giannotto, that could still happen. But the coaches are high on him and if he's healthy and ready to contribute, he'll probably see the field sooner rather than later. My gut feeling tells me this has more to do with Williams' ability and promise rather than the coaching staff seeing something negative out of Edwards.

The Hokies' youth movement on defense continues.