Season Preview: Defense

The Keydet defense will be young this season, but will be led by a pair of returners. Shane Wilkinson has been a two-year starter, as he saw a substantial amount of time when VMI advanced to the MAAC Championship two seasons ago.

This year, Wilkinson will be the defensive unit’s veteran and will be paired with Kyle Hofstetter, who started every game a year ago as a true freshman. Hofstetter’s combination of size and speed should be ideal in attempting to slow down opposing offensive players.

A cast of youngsters is competing for time behind those two players. That cast includes Chris Kitchen, a former attackman who has recently been shifted to long pole and has impressed the staff with his coachability. Freshmen Alex Papoojian and Max Jeffrey are also very much in the mix.