Antwaun Powell-Ryland Jr. is putting together one of the greatest single seasons in not only Virginia Tech history but all of college football history. The 6-foot-3, 252-pound product from Indian River has firmly grabbed the record book at Virginia Tech and he’s not ready to let it go. After signing with the Florida Gators out of high school, he began his career as a linebacker.
In the COVID year of 2020, he only saw action in two ball games. In 2021, he was on the field a ton more. The Hokies were lucky enough to nab him out of the portal and it’s been one huge performance after another. This season alone, APR has had two (TWO) four-sack performances. Virginia Tech has been lucky enough over the past two decades to have some “sack masters” in the defensive line group. In a tradition that started with all-timer Bruce Smith, the Hokies have had a plethora of game-changers.
J.C. Price, Bruce Smith, and Antwaun Powell-Ryland Jr. all share the single-game sack record with 4. APR has a long way to go to eclipse Bruce, who holds the single-season mark with an astonishing 22 sacks.
It will be tough for Virginia Tech to generate pressure on Cade Klubnik against a very formidable Clemson offensive line. It will be imperative for APR to “ball out” and do some special things for Virginia Tech to have a realistic shot.
If you look at APR’s game-by-game performance, he has been pretty consistent. You chalk some of his poor showings and constant double teams. If you reverse scout the Hokies, APR would be at the top of the list in the pass protection scheme. A natural-born pass rusher needs to be accounted for every single long-yardage play. Let’s just hope the Hokies have a plan to garner him some one-on-one opportunities.