Earlier today was covered UNC transfer linebacker Michael Short and how the minimal minutes Short was offered at UNC could prove to make him a vital piece for new defensive coordinator Sam Siefkes. Now it is time we look at fellow linebacker Antwone Santiago.
Like short, Santiago was not able to see the field a lot during his last season as a part of a Temple squad that went 3-9 in the AAC. However, like Short, Siefkes has honed in on these players for a reason, likely because they can both be useful in a variety of different sets that Siefkes will look to implement.
Santiago spent three years as an Owl, where he tallied 35 tackles, including 25 last season.
Santiago was a part of the rotation at linebacker and a core member of the special teams coverage units. Santiago set a career high in tackles with four at Navy. Santiago made his first career start vs. Army at SLB, and blocked a punt at UConn that was recovered in the end zone for a touchdown by Temple. Santiago recorded a career-high six tackles and four solos at East Carolina.
Both Santiago and Short are going to be asked to fill the roles left by over 30 players that have departed from the Hokies since last season’s disappointing 6-7 that saw Tech depart from former defensive coordinator Chris Marve, to then bring Siefkes onto the Hokie staff.
The Hokies are going to be tasked with replacing the likes of Jayden McDonald, Sam Brumfield, and Keli Lawson. Brumfield totaled 12 games played in his sole season at Virginia Tech. Brumfield tallied 60 tackles and a fumble recovery in his lone season as a Hokie.
Last year, Lawson played 11 games where he posted 40 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. Lawson was once a 2023 All-ACC Honorable Mention, but has since moved to UCF.
