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Hokies Football: Torrian Gray, Charley Wiles Will Both Be Retained On Justin Fuente's Staff

When the Virginia Tech Hokies announced that Bud Foster would be returning as the defensive coordinator in 2016, many speculated as to whether long-time defensive assistants like Charley Wiles and Torrian Gray would also be back with the Hokies. Rumors had been circulating about the Hokies keeping both Wiles and Gray, but Virginia Tech confirmed what many were expecting. https://twitter.com/VT_Football/status/672440199595597824 https://twitter.com/VT_Football/status/672478883350974464 Virginia Tech made theses announcements after hours beforehand sending out a tweet trying to calm down speculation about who would be on Justin Fuente's staff. However, no one is surprised about these announcements given that Foster likely wanted to bring two top defensive assistants back in Gray and Wiles. Gray has been coaching with the Hokies since 2006, and has helped Virginia Tech gain the reputation of being DBU. Under Gray, the Hokies have produced a lot of NFL-bound defensive backs including Kam Chancellor, Brandon Flowers, and Kyle Fuller. This season, Gray has to deal with having an All-American cornerback in Kendall Fuller suffer a serious injury and only play in the first three games. Gray also had a young secondary that improved weekly led by Brandon Facyson, Chuck Clark, and freshman Adonis Alexander who has become the latest example of how good of a job Virginia Tech does at developing defensive backs. Gray may not be in Blacksburg much longer as it seems surprising that no one has given him a chance just yet as a defensive coordinator. Wiles has been with the Hokies since 1996, and has done a great job of building tons of great Virginia Tech defensive lines with players like Corey Moore, John Engelberger, and Darryl Tapp. This past season, Virginia Tech's Luther Maddy was named to the All-ACC First Team and received a vote to be the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Wiles's defensive line this year was somewhat of a disappointment, but still proved to be one of the best in the ACC and the country. Wiles has a talented defensive line returning even with the loss of three starters led by Ken Ekanem, who surged towards the end of the season, and Woody Baron who had a breakout season. Keeping Charley Wiles and Torrian Gray is another solid move for Justine Fuente and Virginia Tech as they put together the Hokies' next coaching staff.
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