NORFOLK, Va. – The coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of not just all collegiate spring sports seasons, but also all off-season practices and team workouts for the time being. That includes spring football practice and intrasquad scrimmages.

In lieu of reports from spring practice, NSUSpartans.com will instead give a breakdown of each position grouping for Spartan football this spring. This week features part two of the defensive breakdown with a look at the linebackers.

New NSU linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator Zach Tenuta already had a lot on his plate when he rejoined the staff this February after a one-year absence. As linebackers coach, Tenuta planned to spend the spring semester learning his new group, which had to replace its leading tacklers in All-MEAC performer Nigel Chavis (107 tackles) and Cephas Harden (57), who completed their eligibility last season.

The pandemic added a new layer of challenges for Tenuta, who was on the coaching staff at UTEP last season after spending the previous two years at NSU. Tenuta never had the chance to evaluate his position group in a practice setting before the shutdown. All he could do was evaluate last year's film and the end of winter workouts, and pair those observations with his recollections of the few upperclassmen who were on the roster during his previous stint.

"It's definitely been a different than normal spring for me," Tenuta said. "The positive is that we have three older guys in Tyre Givers-Wilson, Marquis Hall and Matt Hodges who I've seen play before in our defensive system. But for the younger guys, I still need to find out what they can do."

With that in mind, Tenuta will look to the trio of Givers-Wilson, Hall and Hodges to provide leadership for a unit that must replace two starters in Chavis and Harden. All three have been key cogs for the Spartans to this point in their careers.

Givers-Wilson has started as an outside linebacker the last two seasons, including all 11 games in 2018. Givers-Wilson, a former quarterback who will be a fifth-year senior this fall, dealt with an injury that slowed him down midway through the 2019 campaign, but still finished with 41 tackles, three for loss, and an interception.

"Tyre came over from offense a couple years ago and has done a great job," Tenuta said. "He is one of the smarter guys I've coached with the way he sees formations. He does a great job of communicating."

Hall, who will be a redshirt junior, missed last year with an injury. But in 2018, he played in all 11 games and started five times as an inside linebacker. He posted 47 tackles, four for loss, and one sack that season. He figures to man the "Mike" position in NSU's defense.

"Marquis played a lot as a younger guy," Tenuta said. "He's ready to take on a leadership role and is a good student of the game. He's very vocal in meetings and never makes the same mistake twice."

Hodges has been a valuable and versatile contributor over the last three years. A steady special teams performer, Hodges has played in 33 games as a Spartan and made a career-high 23 tackles in 2019. He has moved around the defense in his tenure, but Tenuta envisions him settling in this year at the "Sam" linebacker position.

"Matt is unique in that he has played every linebacker position in our defense," Tenuta said. "He has the athleticism to be able to do a lot of different things. Now he has the opportunity to be in a steady role and be an every down guy for us."

Behind that trio of upperclassmen is another threesome that has seen the field for the Spartans, albeit mostly on special teams. Redshirt junior Mark Brown and redshirt sophomores Treashawn Smith and Jonathan Hall will all have the opportunity to assume larger roles this season.

Brown, a former defensive back, now plays outside linebacker. He has seen action in 23 games over the last three years. Smith was a special teams standout last season, making nine tackles in 10 games. Jonathan Hall transferred from ODU before the 2019 season began and saw action in seven games last year, also primarily in special teams.

"Mark Brown is a smart kid who understands the defense. He has played a couple different positions for us," Tenuta said. "Tre Smith is a tough kid who runs well and we definitely think he will be able to see some snaps for us at the 'Will.'

"Jonathan Hall is physical with good athleticism and we think has the natural instincts to make plays for us."

The Spartans also welcome back two players who redshirted last year as freshmen in Shamar Hill and Damari Owens, and also welcome walk-on Patrick Miles to the fold.

"Shamar redshirted last year but I remember him from when we recruited and I know he's athletic and can rush the passer," Tenuta said. "He along with Damari and Patrick will have the chance to get their feet wet when camp starts."

The Spartans also added two players to the linebacker room from the 2020 recruiting class. Shawn Johnson is a product of Jireh Prep (N.C.), where he played one post-graduate year in 2019. Johnson graduated from Archbishop John Carroll in Pennsylvania, where he was a second-team All-Catholic League and All-Delco performer as a senior.

Johnson enrolled at NSU in the spring, so Tenuta hopes that brief exposure to the campus and program will shrink his learning curve.

"Shawn runs well and we think will be a physical 'Mike' for us," Tenuta said. "He's picking up the scheme well even though we didn't have spring ball."

The other new addition is local standout Ikeem Wright. The Norfolk native was two-time state 4A Defensive Player of the Year at nearby Lake Taylor High. He helped lead the Titans to the state championship as a senior, amassing 91 tackles, 12 for loss.

"Ikeem definitely has athleticism, can run well and fits what we're looking for," Tenuta said. "He tackles and disrupts blocks well. All those are attributes that we feel can be positives for us. We look forward to throwing him and some of the younger guys on our roster into the fire when camp starts."

With three experienced veterans to lead the way for an athletic younger group with a diverse set of skills, Tenuta is eager to get his proteges to camp to begin molding the new-look linebacker room.

"We hope they come back in best shape that they can be in," Tenuta said. "Obviously we'll need those three most experienced guys to be leaders for that room. For the less-experienced guys in the group, camp will be important for them to sharpen their skills and find their roles."