Virginia Tech sideline reporter Andy Bitter joined Matt Moscona on After Further Review to discuss Mansoor Delane and Braelin Moore, the two former Hokies transferring to LSU. Below are a few quotes about what Tiger fans can expect from two of the newest members of the LSU football program.
On cornerback Mansoor Delane’s Virginia Tech career…
“He was a summer arrival in 2022 and had a little bit of an injury issue in August. He didn’t get on the field right away. But in the middle of the season they started playing him and starting him in the secondary. He looked very good, was a freshman All-American by some outlets out there. Sort of a versatile guy that can play safety, can play cornerback. That was sort of his role in 2023, shifting between those two things because they had some injuries at safety. Moreso at cornerback this past season. I think he had four interceptions. Some games were not his greatest. I think you look at the Vanderbilt opener, that was not his best game. They picked on him quite a bit. But he bounced back the next week and played really well, and I think he had a solid season. I think he’s a high potential guy who has shown flashes throughout his career, but still could put it together for an entire season.”
On Delane’s position…
“I would view him as a cornerback. I think he has the skills to play both, but if you have the coverage skills that he has, you take advantage of that most by playing him at cornerback.”
On Braelin Moore’s Virginia Tech career…
“He started up as a guard, and his brother Kaden, who is a year older, was actually playing center. They moved Kaden to guard this year. They moved Braelin over to center, and I think it was with the idea in that they were going to get two years out of him at center. You like to have that established, have a guy that is returning there the following season. Now, maybe that was foolish in the portal era to think that you think you’re going to get two years out of a guy when he could be in demand if he goes out there as a transfer, but I think that was the plan…He played pretty well. I don’t think he was All-ACC or all-conference or anything like that, but he played pretty well. I think he turned in a pretty good season.”
On Moore’s strengths…
“He’s a pretty strong guy, a pretty stout guy as a center. You look at his size. He’s got guard size playing the center position. I don’t really feel like I remember too many snapping issues last year. That’s always new for a guy who has never played the position before. How does he handle that responsibility on top of everything else?….He’s somebody who’ going to be very missed on the interior of that offensive line as somebody who made all the calls and did everything for an entire season.”
