Virginia Tech Offensive Line Coach Addresses the Offensive Line Situation After Practice on Wednesday

Crook faced the media after practice on Wednesday.

Cincinnati Bearcats offensive line coach Ron Crook speaks to the offensive line during Cincinnati Bearcats football practice Wednesday, July 31, 2019, at the University of Cincinnati. Cincinnati Bearcats 82 / Albert Cesare / The Enquirer via Imagn Content Services, LLC

There’s some added intensity to this upcoming week before the Hokies take on Vanderbilt. Layth Ghannam has challenged the starters for a spot in starting five in week one. Ron Crook addressed all that and more.

Here’s everything Ron Crook had to say.

Question: Well, we asked you this time last year if you were ready for the season. You said you probably could use another week. How about this time around?

Ron Crook: I'm going to say the exact same thing. Glad we got another week, but love the way the guys are going, love the way they work. I've said this a lot—they enjoy playing football, they enjoy getting out here, they enjoy being together. So that makes coaching the group fun, and you know, it's a lot of fun to get out there with them, see them compete, see them battle with each other. It's been a good camp.

Question: How close do you think you are to picking out a starting five?

Ron Crook: At this stage, we're still bouncing guys around. We've got seven or eight guys that we're working in with the first unit and probably six more that we're working in with the second unit, so it's still very fluid.

Question: We've seen a combination with Layth at left guard, Braelin at center, and Kaden at right guard. What do you like about that alignment?

Ron Crook: I think you always like guys who are athletic, guys who have the ability to recover on things. On the other end of things, you also like guys that have been playing in positions for a while, so that game experience—you can't trade that. There's a lot of different things that we're looking at for a lot of different reasons, and it's going to play out here in the next several days. But we're still bouncing guys around and looking.

Question: Do you like Layth at that guard spot versus tackle or something?

Ron Crook: I don't know if I'd say I like him more at guard than tackle. I like that he's athletic. He moves with his foot movement—that's really impressive. That's great at left tackle, that's critical at left tackle. So, it's about how the five that gels the best, how they work together.

Question: How crucial have the reps been for Braelin Moore at center since camp started?

Ron Crook: I mean, getting a guy a chance to play that position and practice at that position—you can't trade things like that. It's something that he's embraced and he's excited about. Again, moving forward, it's about how the best five fit in and where it goes from there. It's good to know that we've got some options at different positions.

Question: Have you come back and watched film of Barelin, of Kaden Moore and Parker Clements together on the right side? How do they match?

Ron Crook: You know, we did a little bit. Our offense has evolved since then, so they were doing some different things. But of course, we watched to see how they work together on some of their combination blocks.

Question: How many different guys do you have at center at this point?

Ron Crook: Oh shoot, when we go out for CQ exchange, I think there's like seven or eight guys that are in there doing that most of the time. Anytime a guy comes in as a guard that we think he's going to play guard, we have him at least learn to snap the ball. That way, if we ever have to make that transition, it goes a lot smoother.

Question: Where you got Montavious working right now?

Ron Crook: Braelin spent all last year—even though he never played a down at center—snapping the ball in that period as well. Montavious has been playing at tackle for the last several days. I'm trying to think how many, but the days all run together. Again, we like him there. Another long athletic guy that can do some good things on the edge. He's played a lot at guard since he got here all spring and a lot during the early parts of preseason camp. So just again, trying to evaluate where his best spot is and how he fits in the best to help us.

Question: He played a lot of tackle last year, I believe. Does that factor in when you go?

Ron Crook: Sure, it does. But again, it's watching and evaluating how he fits in with the other guys and where we need him the most.

Question: How has Johnny Garrett looked moving over to the left side?

Ron Crook: He looks very comfortable over there. It's funny—I don't really know why, but he's been playing a lot stronger. I don't know if it's because of the move or he's finally starting to feel a little bit more comfortable, believing in himself a little bit more. We've been constantly talking to him about that, but he looks like he's playing stronger over there.

Question: What stood out to you the most about the way Xavier went about his work in the offseason and his growth from the spring to now?

Ron Crook: Well, first off, coming off a little bit of a knee issue that he had, he came back. He's bigger than he's ever been, he's stronger, and he's moving better. So his work throughout the entire offseason, the entire summer, has been really, really unbelievable. He's put on weight, he's put on good weight—not the kind that I've put on over the last three months—but looks really good and is moving really well.