Virginia
Mercer DT Arias Nash Commits To Virginia Tech
Arias Nash
Defensive tackle
Mercer
6-1, 275
1 year remaining (Sr.)
Virginia Tech added depth up front on Monday evening when Mercer defensive tackle Arias Nash committed to the Hokies.
The Charlotte, N.C., native racked up 12.5 tackles for loss, nine sacks and 14 quarterback hurries this season with the Bears and was named an FCS All-American by FCS Football Central. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
In three seasons at Mercer, Nash notched 70 tackles, deflected three passes and forced one fumble to go with 14 sacks and the aforementioned nine TFLs over 1,038 snaps.
In 2024, he posted eight tackles in back-to-back games against Princeton and Samford. Nash also tallied four tackles, including a TFL, and two quarterback hurries in November at Alabama — his lone FBS competition of the year. The following week against Furman, he had his first career two-sack game vs. Furman while forcing his first career fumble.
PFF was impressed with his play this season. In 648 snaps, he received an 85.8 overall grade, an 80.2 mark for run defense and an 83.5 for pass rush. His tackling grade was poor at 46.0, though.
Nash is the second defensive tackle addition of the offseason for the Hokies, joining Hampton’s Jahzari Priester. He gives Tech eight scholarship tackles to work with next season, a group headlined by returners Kelvin Gilliam (r-Sr.), Kemari Copeland (r-Jr.) and Emmett Laws (r-Fr.).
He’s a product of Stuart Cramer High School, where he had 371 tackles, 15.5 sacks and two defensive touchdowns to accompany his 11 forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. As a senior, he was the region’s defensive player of the year and earned all-state accolades after compiling 114 tackles, 29 TFLs, six sacks, five forced fumbles and 22 quarterback hurries.
Despite that, Nash was an unranked prospect out of high school. He held offers from nearby Charlotte and Gardner-Webb, along with Emory & Henry and other Division II schools. This time around, he entered the transfer portal in mid-December and kept his recruitment quiet.
Overall, Nash is Tech’s 13th portal acquisition and the seventh on defense, five of which are defensive backs.
For more information on Virginia Tech’s comings and goings in the portal, click here for Tech Sideline’s roster management page.
Arias Nash links:
Mercer bio
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — West Virginia has plenty of state symbols, be it the black bear as the state animal, the cardinal as the state bird or the rhododendron as the state flower, but did you know that the Mountain State also has its own official gun?
The Hall Flintlock Model 1819 was first manufactured in Harpers Ferry by John H. Hall in 1811 and was adopted by the United States Army in 1819, making it the first breech-loading rifle ever adopted by a country’s military.
-
Model 1819 Hall Breechloading Rifle presented by Congress to Gustavous A. Bird for his participation in the Battle of Plattsburgh 9/11/1814 by John C. Bird via the Smithsonian Institution -
Model 1819 Hall Breechloading Rifle presented by Congress to Gustavous A. Bird for his participation in the Battle of Plattsburgh 9/11/1814 by John C. Bird via the Smithsonian Institution
All of this information is listed in Senate Concurrent Resolution 7, which was introduced and passed during the 2013 West Virginia Legislative session, and officially recognizes the Model 1819 as the official firearm of the State of West Virginia.
On top of being created in West Virginia, the resolution also points out that the rifle saw use during the Civil War, an event that directly led to West Virginia’s statehood.
While having an officially recognized state firearm may seem far-fetched, West Virginia is not the only state that has one. As a matter of fact, a fifth of the states in the country have officially designated a state firearm, including West Virginia’s neighbors in Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In this world of college football, with the transfer portal and recruiting battles, bad blood is present more than ever before between head coaches.
That’s not the case between the Virginia Tech head coach and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, however. In fact, Franklin revealed at ACC Kickoff on Thursday that the two are actually close friends, dating back to their time at the Nike trip that various coaches take over the summer.
“Dabo’s my guy,” Franklin said on Thursday. “We go way back. We’ve been on the Nike trip for a long time. His wife and my wife are friends.”
The long-time Penn State head coach is making the move to the ACC after being fired from the Nittany Lions in October. 12 seasons of being with the program had Franklin hold a 44-21 record against top 10 opponents, an impressive record for a new conference foe of Swinney’s.
But when that trip comes around, there’s a camaraderie between Swinney and Franklin and both of their wives. In fact, the two hang out with each other instead of the other coaches at times. It simply comes to an “edgy” time in college athletics that raises tempers.
“I’m going to be honest, I wouldn’t say we’re necessarily like the type of people that love a lot of other coaches and a lot of other programs,” Franklin said. “It’s hard when you just compete year-round.”
On Swinney’s end, there are a few who could immediately come to mind among Clemson fans. Perhaps the most recent would be Ole Miss coach Pete Golding, who played the most significant role in the tampering of former linebacker Luke Ferrelli.
It’s a select list of coaches who make the good side of the Tigers’ head coach, and Franklin is certainly on that list. On the other hand, Hokies’ head coach has Swinney on his own shortlist.
“Obviously, tremendous respect for what he has built at Clemson and what he’s done at Clemson, and what he’s done for the ACC,” he said.
The two will see that close relationship face off at Memorial Stadium this upcoming season. Clemson will host the Hokies on Oct. 24 in what could be a potential title-eliminator for the ACC Championship.
Of course, the last game that we’ve seen the Tigers play in was against Franklin’s former team in Penn State at the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. That game ended in a 22-10 contest that saw a foundation of Franklin players end Clemson’s season in disappointment.
Swinney will see many of those players once again in October, including starting quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, in that contest. The anticipated Hokie starter recorded 260 yards and two passing touchdowns on the Tigers in the Bronx that day.
Although friends become foes, another ACC coach has given Swinney his flowers for what he’s been able to do for the conference. In the upcoming moments, Franklin will look to prepare his team to prove itself on one of the biggest stages in the ACC, while Swinney looks to put his team back at the top of a conference he’s dominated for over 15 years.
Follow
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (WSET) — Extreme drought conditions in parts of Virginia have prompted an emergency drought warning for a wide swath of the region, including Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Pittsylvania and Roanoke counties, along with the cities of Danville, Roanoke, Salem and Martinsville.
The governor has warned that if conditions worsen, she will activate mandatory nonessential water-use restrictions.
In Martinsville, city leaders have issued a voluntary water conservation notice and are urging residents and businesses to cut back where they can. The request comes as local businesses that rely heavily on water say the drought is already affecting day-to-day operations.
SEE ALSO: Botetourt County residents adjust daily routines as voluntary water restriction continues
John Hughes, owner of John’s Car Wash, said the dry conditions have hit his business hard in recent weeks. “For the last 3 weeks, it’s been hitting pretty hard. We done three yesterday and haven’t done anything today with the drought and hot weather. Yeah, I’m really concerned about it,” Hughes said.
Restaurants are also feeling the strain. David Kitzmiller, an owner of Be Wiched, said water is essential for routine tasks such as washing dishes and preparing some menu items.
“We use a lot of water for washing dishes and some of our recipes if they limit us in anyway defiently can’t produce and its a scary aspect,” Kitzmiller said.
Kitzmiller added that cutting back is not always realistic for businesses that must meet sanitation needs. “Not really feasible for a business that depends solely relies on water to wash their dishes, so that can’t definitely be an impact there,” he said.
City leaders emphasized that the conservation request is voluntary for now, but they are encouraging everyone to do their part by taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet when it is not in use, washing only full loads of laundry, and limiting outdoor watering whenever possible.
-
Missouri2 minutes ago
Missouri Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 winning numbers for July 16, 2026
-
Montana8 minutes agoMissoula and Western Montana neighbors: Obituaries for July 17
-
Nebraska14 minutes agoObituary | Stephen C. Mason
-
Nevada20 minutes agoNevada Attorney Gen. Aaron Ford responds to what he calls President Trump’s ‘misleading speech on elections’
-
New Hampshire26 minutes agoWoman Taken To Concord Hospital On A Trauma Alert After A Rollover Crash On South Main Street
-
New Jersey32 minutes agoNY-NJ World Cup host group failed to register with state | Exclusive
-
New Mexico38 minutes agoExpectations Have Changed: UNM enters 2026 as a Mountain West title contender
-
North Carolina44 minutes agoNorth Carolina’s Republican-led election board makes it easier to reject ballots
