Virginia Tech will have one of its best defensive players back in 2015.
Redshirt junior defensive end Dadi Nicolas announced on Twitter that he will return to the Hokies for his final season of eligibility.
The 6-foot-4, 231-pound Nicolas established himself as one of the top pass rushers in the ACC and earned second-team All-ACC honors. Nicolas led the 6-6 Hokies with 17.5 tackles for loss and nine sacks this season. In all, he had 63 total tackles and also blocked two kicks and recovered a fumble.
He made significant leaps from the 2013 season, where made 32 tackles, seven tackles for loss and four sacks. Additionally, as a redshirt freshman in 2012, Nicolas had 17 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.
According to the Roanoke Times, Nicolas said in recent weeks that he would declare for the NFL Draft if he received a first or second-round grade from the NFL Draft advisory board.
Defensive line coach Charley Wiles said last week that an extra year would help Nicolas at the next level.
"Dadi can certainly use more growth as a football player," Wiles said. "And then in the weight room when you’re just talking about over a 25-week period, it’s a lot of football. Can he sustain and hold up and hold his body weight? So it’s obviously not going to hurt him getting a year older, getting a year more experienced. And Dadi is a first- or second-round talent. But is he at that point right now?"
Nicolas and the Hokies will play Cincinnati in the Military Bowl on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. ET in Annapolis, Maryland.
For more Virginia Tech news, visit HokieHaven.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
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