Shortly before spring practice began, Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster called all of his troops together for a brief meeting.

At that meeting, Foster asked the group how many of them had never played a snap of college football.

More than half of them raised their hands.

With that in mind, Foster and his staff began the reloading of a defensive unit which led the Hokies to the national championship game. Foster's defense led the nation in scoring defense (10.5 points per game), finished third in rushing (75.9 yards per game) and total defense (247.3 yards per game) and ended up seventh in pass efficiency defense (98.1 points). The Hokies lost four All-Americans in that group. They lost six All-Big East performers. They lost eight starters and 10 lettermen, 11 if Derrius Monroe fails to be reinstated.

Those numbers might scare most people. In fact, those numbers probably concern a lot of Tech fans. But knowing everyone will be looking mostly at his defensive unit this spring, Foster and his staff relish the challenge of alleviating those concerns. Particularly after seeing all those young kids dominate in winter workouts - the first quarter in Tech's preparation for the next season. Hopefully, they can do that during spring practice, the second quarter in Tech's preparation.

But with questions abound, yours truly sat down with Tech's 14-year assistant coach and posed the following to him:

Q: Given the number of players you lost, and the quality of those players, how critical is this spring compared to others since you've been here?

FOSTER: All springs are critical. Some maybe more than others and this one maybe more because of the inexperience we're dealing with. We're going to have to replace some quality players and we're going to need some of those young guys to step up. They're going to need to grow into their positions and learn their positions this spring. But they're a very good group and they're eager to learn, eager to please. That's what's exciting about this group.

Q: Great defenses usually rely on great defensive lines and you lose five terrific players on the defensive line, maybe six if Derrius Monroe doesn't come back. Will the defensive line receive your utmost attention this spring?

FOSTER: We're going to focus in every area and at every position. Not just one. But we do need to create some depth along the defensive line. We feel we've got two solid tackles in David Pugh and Chad Beasley. We just need to find a couple of backups who can help us there.

At end, none of our ends return. We need to find some playmakers there because that's a position where you can make some plays. Our only guy with experience there is Ron Cook. But Lamar Cobb has a lot of promise. Nathaniel Adibi and Cols Colas do too, but they've never played. Cols has never been in a three-point stance. We're going to get back to the basics with this group because up front is where it's won and we need some guys to step up.

Q: There's been a ton of talk about Nathaniel Adibi during the offseason, particularly after he earned Iron honors in the weight room and ran a 4.4 in the 40. Is he the real deal?

FOSTER: I hope so. He's got a lot of potential and promise and I expect him to be a major contributor. He can run, he has the size and he's gotten stronger. But again, he hasn't played a snap in college. He'll be doing things for the first time. He needs to learn his position and hopefully he'll play at the level we expect him to play.

Q: What led to the decision to move Nick Sorensen from safety to whip and how do you think he'll do at that position?

FOSTER: We moved him because of some things I want to do from a personnel standpoint. You know, the trend on offense these days is to go to three- and four-receiver sets and spread you out. In my eyes, with the way we play the whip, that player is more like a free safety. By moving Nick to whip and Ben Taylor to backer, we've really improved our speed at those positions. We won't have to substitute in passing situations because Nick and Ben give us speed and better coverage at those spots. And physically, we've improved ourselves. They're closer to the line of scrimmage and they're both tough, hard-nosed players.

Q: You've said that Sorensen will play whip only if someone fails to stand out at free safety. If no one stands out and you move Sorensen back to safety, who will play at whip?

FOSTER: It really depends on how we feel about the other guys. That will determine what we'll do. We've got Tee Butler there and he had a great offseason. We could also move Phillip Summers. I've got a lot of confidence in Phillip. He works hard and really he gives us another starter. He's played both rover and whip and will do so again this spring. We're going to play the guys who are the most consistent and we'll find that out this spring.

Q: What are your thoughts on the safety position and who are the top candidates for that position?

FOSTER: We need to find someone with the athletic ability to play the position and the confidence to communicate because that person makes a lot of our calls and checks. You have to be confident mentally and physically.

We're trying a number of guys there. Right now, Willie Pile leads the group because he's played the position before and has the experience. He knows our defense very well. We've also got Billy Hardee back there and we're playing him some at corner too. We'll have to see where he fits in best. And we've moved Deon Provitt there. He's got a lot of talent. We'll just have to see how quick he can pick up things at that position.

Q: How do you feel about the secondary, knowing that you'll have to replace both cornerbacks?

FOSTER: Actually, I feel very good about the secondary. I've been impressed with Ronyell [Whitaker] and Larry [Austin]. They've got good skills and they're aggressive. Last year was a learning experience for them. They played a lot and they've grown up a lot.

I think we'll be fine there. We'll be faster and both of those guys will be playmakers.

And Garnell Wilds had a good offseason. He could see a lot of time as that third corner. We're also looking at Sam Fatherly and Hardee there and at safety. We'll have to find out where both of those guys fit in best.

Q: Overall, what will you have hoped to have accomplished by the end of spring practice with this unit?

FOSTER: We want to improve each athlete fundamentally and we want them to learn their positions and our expectations of them. I want to see them develop a great work ethic, chemistry and togetherness. We're going to take it one play at a time and master that. We need to play every play as if it's a critical play. Don't just be happy playing.

In many ways, we're like that 1997 group when guys like Ben Taylor, Chad Beasley and David Pugh were freshman. Those guys gave us depth and were productive off the bench. Now, we need for some other guys to assume those roles.

We have a tremendous opportunity to do something people don't expect us to do. All of us want to work hard and improve and get better each day. If we continue to do that, I think we'll be a solid unit.