Quarterbacks
Tyrod Taylor(pictured) will look to run and pass his way into the
endzone in 2008. Taylor will get the nod over senior Sean
Glennon, who has never quite broken out to be a big time QB. While
Glennon has the experience, his physical attributes don't quite match those of Taylor.
Glennon will see time in a backup role and will fill in as as serviceable replacement should Taylor get injured. Taylor looks to follow a Virginia Tech tradition of speed
QBs, following the likes of the Vick brothers. Junior Jeff Beyer will round out the corps, filling in as the third QB.
Key Attributes:
Tyrod Taylor 85
OVR 91
SPD 90
AGI 90
ACC 90
ELU 94
JKM 91
THP 81
THASean
Glennon 80
OVR 89
THP 83
THA 69
AWRJeff Beyer 74
OVR 87
THP 82
THA 62
AWRRunning Backs
Redshirt frehsman Darren Evans(pictured) has big shoes to fill. Leading rusher Branden Ore flirted with ideas of stardom, however after choosing to come back to Tech he was kicked off the team. Virginia Tech looks for a new beginning with a deep pool of candidates. Evans will get
teh starting nod at first, however Juniors Kenny Lewis and
Jahre Cheeseman could also step in and steal the show. Ryan Williams will sit out the year on
redshirt. Josh
Oglesby will check in at fourth on the depth chart and will see some late work. Kenny Jefferson leads the way at fullback.
Key Attributes:
Darren Evans 86
OVR 91
SPD 76
STR 91
AGI 94
ACC 84
BTK 90
ELU 89
JKM 83 CAR
Kenny Lewis 84
OVR 90
SPD 92
ACC 91
AGI 87
ELU 83 CAR
Jahre Cheeseman 82
OVR 90
SPD 90
ACC 83
BTK 93
SFAJosh
Oglesby 79
OVR 89
SPD 74
STR 91
ACC 86
SPMKenny Jefferson 74
OVR 72
SPD 76
STR 62
PBK 62
RBK 65
IBLWide Receivers/Tight Ends
Dyrell Roberts(pictured) and Ike Whitaker lead a young but talented receiving corp poised to grow with young QB
Tyrod Taylor. Roberts comes in as a true freshman with plus speed and plus talent. His co-freshman counterpart Jarrett
Boykin will sit out the year to gain experience and save a year of eligibility.
Boykin and Roberts both possess similar builds and should battle each other over the next four years. Whitaker comes in as more of a possession type, with average speed but terrific height and catching abilities. Brandon Dillard will get the nod in the slot, and he should show flashes of Eddie Royal-like ability. Dillard has elite speed and can turn a small drag into a 60 yard touchdown in seconds. His ability to turn up the heat should help him break away from defenders. His catching is no joke either, as Dillard's ratings fall in line with those of his competition.
Redshirt freshman Danny
Coale will fill in as a fourth receiver, giving the
Hokies a versatile passing attack with many options. DJ
Coles will provide a big target in the
endzone for Taylor, rounding things out as the 5th receiver and measuring in at 6'4". Xavier boyce, Marcus Davis and Jarrett Boykin will be redshirted.
Tight End is another area of the Hokies offense that has plenty of depth. With the three ends so close in talent, expect to see each of them hit the field at some point this season. Greg Boone provides solid strength and blocking as the starter, and Andre Smith provides another blocking option in two Tight End sets. Boone measures in at the size of another lineman, providing a bruising 6'3" 290 pounds. However, don't forget about Sam Wheeler, who offers the receiving alternative. With good speed for a tight end, expect to see Wheeler make some noise.
Key Attributes
WR:
Dyrell Roberts 93 SPD 91 AGI 92 ACC 76 CTH
Ike Whitaker 87 SPD 91 AGI 90 ACC 91 ELU 80 CTH 84 SPC
Brandon Dillard 98 SPD 92 AGI 97 ACC 88 JKM 78 CTH
Danny Coale 90 SPD 91 AGI 89 ACC 90 ELU 83 CTH
DJ Coles 76 OVR 6'4" 86 SPD 90 AGI 87 ACC 80 CTH
TE:
Greg Boone 85 OVR 74 SPD 84 STR 62 PBK 68 RBK 85 IBL
Andre Smith 84 OVR 75 SPD 78 STR 76 ACC 74 AGI 70 PBK 70 RBK 63 IBL
Sam Wheeler 83 OVR 82 SPD 86 ACC 78 AGI 74 CTH 86 RTE
Offensive Line
Ed Wang(pictured) hopes to protect Taylor's blindside, providing a stable but not outstanding option at the Left Tackle position. Wang possesses good size, however his strength and blocking could use some work. Nick Marshman gets the nod at Left Guard in his senior year. Marshman has immense strength and size, however his mobility is limited. Look for him to be punishing defenders all year. Senior center Ryan Shuman will be responsible for snapping the ball. Shuman is a solid center and will provide a holdover. However his time here will be short, as he only gets one season before handing it off to Redshirt Sophomore Beau Warren. Sergio Render is the highlight of the O-line. Render comes in as a junior with steller measurables. His presence will be felt in ensuring T-Mobile with plenty of time back there in the pocket. Aaron Brown takes over the Right Tackle position, providing excellent size and strength. His youth will enable him to progress into a stellar option heading into the future.
Key Attributes:
Ed Wang 83 OVR 88 STR 74 AWR 89 PBK 89 RBK 70 IBL
Nick Marshman 6'5" 357 lbs 44 SPD 96 STR 90 PBK 91 RBK 89 IBL
Ryan Shuman 90 STR 76 AWR 90 PBK 90 RBK 80 IBL
Sergio Render 62 SPD 92 STR 76 AWR 92 PBK 93 RBK 90 IBL
Aaron Brown 6'6" 320 lbs 90 STR 82 ACC 89 PBK 90 RBK 85 IBL
Defensive Line
Orion Martin(pictured) headlines the defensive line, providing a solid pass rush while proving no slouch in the run game either. Martin possesses a rare combo of strength and speed which will undoubtedly frustrate opponents. On the right end, Jason Worilds and Steven Friday will duke it out to see who will start. Both offer solid speed and will apply serious pressure to the quarterback's blindside. Plugging up the middle of the line will be John Graves and Cordarrow Thompson. While neither is elite, the two will combine for a solid pair in stifling opponents running lanes. Graves falls more into the pass rushing type of DT, while Thompson projects moer as the NT and run stuffer.
Key Attributes:
Orion Martin 92 OVR 78 SPD 80 STR 80 AGI 82 ACC 86 AWR 80 FMV 72 BSH 80 TAK
Jason Worilds 84 OVR 82 SPD 72 STR 81 AGI 84 ACC 74 PMV 72 FMV 71 BSH 74 TAK
Steven Friday 81 OVR 84 SPD 72 STR 82 AGI 84 ACC
35 PMV 75 FMV 65 BSH
John Graves 82 OVR 70 SPD 85 STR 70 AGI 74 ACC 69 PMV 76 FMV 76 BSH 82 TAK
Cordarrow Thompson 80 OVR 56 SPD 92 STR 52 AGI 62 ACC 80 PMV 70 FMV 75 BSH 85 TAK
Linebackers
Cam Martin (pictured) will be the star of the Virginia Tech linebackers during the 2008 season. Martin is in his junior year, and shows all around talent. His plus speed will help him in coverage and blitzing situations, and his strength will help him wrap up ball carriers and shed blocks. Martin is an all around world class talent. Brett Warren will hold down the mike position. Warren lacks the physical prowess of the other linebackers, but his experience and skills have helped him to succeed thus far. Purnell Sturdivant will hold down the fort at LOLB. His combo of size, strength and experience give him the edge over Jonas Houseright and Hunter Ovens. Quillie Odom will redshirt and take over the position, most likely, in the 2009 campaign.
Key Attributes:
Purnell Sturdivant 83 OVR 82 SPD 78 STR 80 AGI 84 ACC 70 AWR 80 TAK 82 PUR 78 BSH
Brett Warren 84 OVR 78 SPD 80 AGI 82 ACC 77 AWR 84 PUR 80 PRC 85 BSH 86 TAK
Cam Martin 91 OVR 86 SPD 70 STR 86 AGI 87 ACC 80 AWR 86 TAK 84 POW 82 BSH 90 PUR
Defensive Backs
The defensive backfield is where the okies will truly shine. All American Victor Harris headlines a group of solid corners, providing shutdown coverage on one side of the field. Harris is a Senior and will surely be missed next year. His play this year will hopefully propel him into the ranks of the all-time greats. Stephan Virgil gets the nod at the opposite side. He will see plenty of targets with Harris shutting down opponents number one, so this year will be make or break for him. Kam Chancellor (pictured) has shown ball hawking abilities as a free safety and with two years of eligibility left, Chancellor's chances at becoming a short term legend are pretty good. If Chancellor puts up good numbers this year, expect him to be ranked with the elites in next years crop. True Sophomore Davon Morgan will get his chance to show the world what he's got this year. Morgan comes in as solid but with plenty of room to grow. He could stand for a little more size, however he projects to perform well.
Key Attributes:
Cornerbacks
Victor Harris 94 OVR 94 SPD 94 AGI 92 ACC 80 AWR 85 CTH 95 MCV 90 ZCV 93 PRS 78 RLS
Sam Virgil 90 SPD 89 SGI 90 ACC 70 AWR 70 CTH 75 MCV 85 ZCV 68 PRS 68 RLS
Rashad Carmichael 96 SPD 91 AGI 96 ACC 66 AWR 63 CTH 81 MCV 65 ZCV 64 PRS 74 RLS
Cris Hill 81 OVR 95 SPD 91 AGI 94 ACC 64 AWR 70 CTH 80 MCV 70 ZCV 55 PRS 60 RLS
Safeties:
Kam Chancellor 93 OVR90 SPD 88 AGI 78 STR 90 ACC 65 CTH 76 TAK 94 PUR 90 BSH 88 PRC 94 ZCV 82 PRS
Davon Morgan 81 OVR 92 SPD 93 AGI 91 ACC 72 AWR 65 TAK 58 POW 77 PUR 71 MCV 84 ZCV
Special Teams
Dustin Keys(pictured, top) will be holding the keys to the kicking duties in his final year at the Tech. Keys is a solid college kicker who may have a shot at the next level, however he will probably be one of the NCAA's student athletes who never goes pro if he does not work hard during the season. Brent Bowden will be punting for the Hokies. His appearance on the field will not be a welcome sight, if only for the fact that it would be better for the punter to never see the field. Bowden provides a strong and accurate leg, as well as stability at the position for at least one year. Victor Harris(pictured, bottom) will look not only to return interceptions but kicks and punts as well. Harris is an elite returner who uses his combo of speed and moves to get to the endzone. Assisting him on punts will be Brandon Dillard, who's breakaway speed will hopefully turn into points this season.
Key Attributes:
Dustin Keys 77 OVR 61 AWR 89 KPW 86 KAC
Brett Bowden 86 OVR 78 AWR 90 KPW 88 KAC
Victor Harris 94 SPD 94 AGI 92 ACC 87 ELU 94 SPM 96 JKM
Brandon Dillard 98 SPD 92 AGI 97 ACC 80 ELU 88 JKM
AT #18
AT #18
