Reloading Virginia Tech must replace magic bullets on defense

By Darrell Laurant  |   Thursday, January 10, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

Virginia Tech Hokies
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The three-point loss to Kansas in the Orange Bowl wasn't the end of the world for the Virginia Tech football team, of course. But it was a window of opportunity for a top-five ranking, and it may be awhile before that window opens again.

Not that the Hokies will devolve into Atlantic Coast Conference doormats next year. Under Frank Beamer's stewardship, Tech has become a team that reloads rather than rebuilds. Still, the losses on defense and at wide receiver are daunting.

Linebackers Vince Hall and Xavier Adibi, defensive end Chris Ellis and cornerback Brandon Flowers will definitely be playing on Sundays next fall. Defensive tackle Barry Booker might be. Also departing will be starters or part-time starters Carlton Powell (DL), Kory Robertson (DL), and D.J. Parker (safety).

The "D" will now be reconstituted around rover Kam Chancellor, CB Victor (Macho) Harris, DE Orion Martin and Martin's brother, LB Cam.

These are all good players, while Harris and Chancellor also have NFL futures. The thing is, Hall, Adibi, Ellis and Flowers were more than just good players - they were arguably as effective and dynamic as any Hokies at their positions in a decade, and the fact that all of them played together is remarkable.

Meanwhile, there's the question of wide receiver, where the top four pass-catchers - Josh Morgan, Justin Harper, Eddie Royal and Josh Hyman - will say goodbye.

In the case of Royal, it's a double whammy because he was one of the top punt returners in college football.

True, most of the offensive line is back, along with both rotating quarterbacks (Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor) and RB Branden Ore. Taylor shows all the indicates of becoming Michael Vick without dogs; Ore has pro size and speed. Moreover, Tech now has a commitment from Ryan Williams of Manassas, Va., one of the top high school running backs in the country.

Still, the combination of an inexperienced quarterback (Taylor) throwing to inexperienced wideouts could give Beamer and his staff some headaches next fall. The ninth-ranked Hokies finished 11-3 this past season and 7-1 in conference play, but it will be a minor miracle if they approach those numbers in 2008.

Don't ask any of the other ACC coaches to bestow any sympathy on Beamer, though. They've seen Tech rise from the ashes too many times.
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