Hokies Football: Mook Reynolds Forces His Way Into a Starting Role

Last season, the Virginia Tech Hokies once again had multiple players make an impact as true freshmen including defensive back Mook Reynolds who played in all 13 games, starting in 2 of them, and became the latest Hokie DB to play as a true freshman, joining a group that includes guys like Kendall Fuller and Brandon Facyson. While Mook Reynolds is definitely a cornerback starter for the future, Reynolds is currently behind Brandon Facyson, Adonis Alexander, and Greg Stroman but the talented Reynolds doesn't plan on letting that stop him from being a starter this fall. When Virginia Tech released their first depth chart, Mook Reynolds was listed as the starting whip linebacker though many expect that Reynolds will also be used heavily as a nickel cornerback. However, Bud Foster also praised the versatility and talent of Reynolds to shift between playing in nickel and play the whip linebacker spot. https://twitter.com/techlunchpaild/status/770294435758440448 https://twitter.com/techlunchpaild/status/770294529610117120 Reynolds showed last year that he could be dangerous in more than just pass coverage as he had 30 tackles and 4 tackles for loss on 252 defensive plays (294 overall plays) he was included on last season. Those numbers show just how valuable Reynolds has the potential to be playing more around the box in the blend of a whip linebacker-nickel cornerback role. Reynolds also is very good in man coverage and immediately gives Foster another talented pass coverage player on the field that can do exactly what Foster says, disguise defensive packages. For an elite defensive coach like Foster to be able to have someone that can allow him to regularly disguise what he's looking to do makes Reynolds a very dangerous weapon on the defensive side of the ball. Of course, we could see Anthony Shegog get more reps throughout the season given that Shegog has more size to play more of a linebacker spot in situations when the Hokies need a bigger, physical player at that spot but the development of Reynolds not only in pass coverage but also in run defense has given Bud Foster something quite dangerous. Mook Reynolds has developed into a dangerous, defensive weapon for Bud Foster and while he may not be starting at cornerback, Reynolds has proven that he's a player Bud Foster must get on the field a lot this fall.