Virginia Tech has brought in a few portal guys for the defensive line pool. There’s intrigue with this round of portal defensive linemen, though no one that’s a sure thing like Aeneas Peebles was, or a guy like APR who had potential out the wazoo if placed in the right situation.
Even elite teams generally respected Nash enough to attempt to double him since he is an active rusher who dominates the opposition at his level. He was Mercer’s defensive lineman most likely to get downfield when chasing the run. Among his many skilful moves was a spin. His size will be his greatest weakness against ACC-level opponents; he appears lighter than his stated weight, which is already below the majority of the Hokies’ defensive tackles, who are already small. Because of his short arms, he is outplayed by more skilled players, and combinations and doubles can cause him to move backwards off the line when blockers grip on to him.
In terms of the top opponents he played, NDSU mainly limited him while Alabama dominated him for the whole of the game the previous year. But I’m not dismissing him. Although Hokie portal newcomers who struggle against superior opponents usually end up far down the depth chart, I believe Nash wasn’t playing in the greatest position for him. He needs to get pushed loose on stunts and attack holes, but Mercer was frequently going up against skilled blockers, which isn’t his strong suit. The Hokies’ plan is still up in the air, but if the coaches let him go and let him to slice and stick as freely as Price’s DTs have,
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