Spring football begins Wednesday at Virginia Tech and culminates Saturday, April 25, with the spring game.

The Hokies are still relatively young, despite winning an ACC championship and the Orange Bowl last season, which makes this spring and the development possibilities it presents very important.

Twice during a 20-minute teleconference with reporters Monday, Tech coach Frank Beamer addressed national championship talk. That might seem like a bit much on such an early date, but the Hokies return a lot of talent – 16 starters from January’s Orange Bowl – and have high aspirations for 2009.

“I think there’s a lot of us around the country that have aspirations of winning a national championship at this point in time. … When it’s all done and the games are played, there are only going to be two of us,” Beamer said. “We’re trying to get there. I think you have to have a little luck to you. You have to have a team that’s good enough. Having a team that’s good enough starts Wednesday with us trying to improve.”

Some of the more interesting storylines of the spring …

1. It’s Tyrod Taylor’s team now. How will he improve? Junior-to-be starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor no longer has to contend with Sean Glennon for playing time. He can focus this spring on chemistry with the Hokies young receiving corps. He can work on the “hitch” in his throwing motion that became a hot topic midway through last season.

“That’s a work in progress there,” Beamer said of the hitch. “I don’t want Tyrod to think so much about that. I think Tyrod does things generally very very well. Now’s a good time to get things very exact, so we’ll continue to do that.”

Other than that, Beamer said he wants to see Taylor improve his “overall development” this spring.

2. Who will be Taylor’s backup? Injuries have forced Taylor to miss time in each of the last two seasons, but Glennon was always there to fill in when needed. He’s gone now, and the Hokies must find a trustworthy replacement.

Beamer and his staff still haven’t decided how the reps at No. 2 quarterback will be split. Marcus Davis, who made the move to wide receiver last fall before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery, will start the spring at quarterback and battle with Ju-Ju Clayton, who spent most of last season as the scout team quarterback, for the backup job. Tight end Greg Boone, who was recruited to Tech as a quarterback, will also get some reps there this spring.

3. Who’s out and who’s back? Linebacker Cam Martin (knee), offensive guard Sergio Render (shoulder), tight end Andre Smith (shoulder), defensive end Jason Worilds (shoulder), running back Kenny Lewis (Achilles) and wide receiver Randall Dunn will all miss spring practice while recovering from surgeries.

Rover Davon Morgan (knee) and wide receiver Brandon Dillard (Achilles), who both suffered season-ending injuries last season, are expected back. Morgan will be limited to pass skeleton drills. Dillard should be back to full speed.

4. Why is John Graves playing defensive end? The Hokies have an abundance of defensive tackles, but a shortage at end. Because of that, they’ve moved Graves to end. At first, this might seem like a spring-only move, but Beamer said Monday that it’s long term.

Worilds is still recovering from off-season shoulder surgery that could limit him all the way up to the start of the season, and Nekos Brown is the only other Tech end with extensive playing time.

5. New faces on the offensive line. Starting right guard Render is out for the spring. Jaymes Brooks, who started and played well in the Orange Bowl, will fill his spot. Greg Nosal, who played sparingly last season at tackle, is listed as the starting left guard. There was once talk of playing Vinston Painter on defense, but the 6-foot-5, 310-pound redshirt freshman-to-be will start the spring at right guard behind Brooks.

6. What about Ryan Williams? This is an important spring for a lot of players. One who could prove to be very special come the fall is running back Ryan Williams, a SuperPrep All-American in high school. He didn’t get on the field last season. He didn’t have a complete grasp of the playbook and his blocking needed some work. He could improve in those areas this spring and become a factor in the backfield along with Darren Evans.

“We fully expect Ryan to be right in the middle of things,” Beamer said. “I think that the defensive people were impressed with him when he was a scout team back last year, and I think he’s certainly got the ability. I don’t think the learning is going to be an issue. We fully expect him to be involved with it at that position.”

Other spring tid-bits …
Rising senior cornerback Stephan Virgil will make the move to boundary corner. That move proved beneficial for both Macho Harris and Brandon Flowers their final seasons in Blacksburg.

Barquell Rivers and Jake Johnson will open the spring as the starting inside linebackers, but Quillie Odom and Bruce Taylor are still in the competition for those two spots.

Matt Waldron and Justin Myer are listed No. 1 and 2 on the depth chart at placekicker. Incoming freshman Cody Journell could factor into the competition in the fall, Beamer said.

Zach Luckett’s status has not changed, Beamer said. The wide receiver was suspended last year after receiving his second DUI in a year.