UPDATE: Corey Marshall Now Taking Time Away From The Virginia Tech Football Team

UPDATE: 8/19 ACCORDING TO AN E-MAIL FROM VIRGINIA TECH'S ASSOCIATE AD FOR FOOTBALL OPERATIONS, JOHN BALLEIN, AFTER TALKING IT OVER WITH COACH BEAMER AGAIN MONDAY, COREY WILL BE TAKING SOME PERSONAL TIME AWAY FROM THE TEAM. THIS IS A SEPARATE DEVELOPMENT FROM THE ONE WE ANNOUNCED YESTERDAY IN WHICH COREY HAD LEFT THE TEAM. WE'LL HAVE MORE WHEN MORE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.

UPDATE: ACCORDING TO THIS MIKE BARBER POST, COREY MARSHALL IS NOW BACK WITH THE VIRGINIA TECH FOOTBALL TEAM AND WILL BE STAYING AFTER TAKING THE WEEKEND AWAY FROM THE TEAM AND SPEAKING WITH FRANK BEAMER ON SUNDAY.

According to a source with knowledge of the situation, junior defensive end Corey Marshall is no longer with the football team now back with the team at Virginia Tech.

Marshall started four games a year ago and one in 2011, and has played in every game since arriving on campus as a true freshman in 2011. He saw action on 440 plays a year ago and over 240 in 2011. In 2012 Marshall tallied 26 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 12 quarterback hurries, 1.5 sacks, a pass breakup and a pass defensed. In 2011, Marshall totaled 13 tackles, 3 for a loss, and added 3 sacks and 3 quarterback hurries.

This news is would have been the most significant of the transfer/leaving the program variety in many years, as Marshall was firmly entrenched in the two-deep and would have spent a lot of time on the field at both defensive tackle (where he is listed as the primary backup according to the most recent depth chart released on August 16) and defensive end, where he has played the majority of his snaps over the last two years.

He saw action on 440 plays a year ago and over 240 in 2011, and while that is not as much as the two primary starters played, it is a significant chunk of the 906 plays Virginia Tech opponents ran last year. In fact, the two players who started the majority of the games at defensive end (James Gayle and J.R. Collins) only logged 601 and 490 plays respectively (though Gayle did not play as often as he would usually play while struggling through injury issues). The decision appears not to be related to his switch back to defensive tackle, a position he has said he is not as fond of.

Marshall becomes the eleventh player The Hokies have had ten players (as far as I can tell) leave the program since the end of the 2012 season. Since the start of camp, the Hokies have lost non-scholarship kicker Brooks Abbott, and scholarship players Jarontay Jones, Davion Tookes and after another absence Donaldven Manning to transfer, and offensive lineman Adam Taraschke who decided to stay at Tech but quit the team. In addition, Michael Holmes was dismissed from school and Kevin Asante was kicked off the team for this year. It was also announced that Riley Beiro, Nick Acree and Jake Goins have all been lost for medical reasons, though it is unsure if Goins' issue is a career-ending one. Additionally, the Hokies have lost Tony Gregory and Ronny Vandyke for the season and Mark Shuman for 4-6 weeks to various injuries. That is in addition to the serious injuries to Antone Exum and Mark Irick, as well as the nagging injuries to D.J. Coles, Deon Clarke and the five others listed with injuries that comprise the Hokies walking wounded. The Hokies also had four players (Drew Harris, Holland Fisher, Cequan Jefferson and D.J. Reid) from previous recruiting classes (2012 and 2013) who didn't qualify. Whew, did I miss anyone? Yes, it's that ridiculous.

While I cannot publish the details of Marshall no longer being with the team (these are still unpublishable), they were shocking considering that I held Marshall in such high regard as a player as well as a person in my recruiting profile of him back in 2010. As always, Corey has our best wishes going forward.

For continued coverage of Virginia Tech football in 2013, as well as all other varsity Virginia Tech sports, keep it here on Gobbler Country.