To steal a phrase from the PGA Tour, these guys are good. Despite losing one of the best cornerbacks in Hokie history, Brandon Flowers, the secondary will still be the backbone of the defense in 2008.
Senior Macho Harris flirted with the NFL draft before deciding to come back for one last season. Harris tied for the team lead with five interceptions in 2007. He moves from field to boundary corner this season, meaning he will be needed more often to stop the run.
Sophomore Rashad Carmichael, freshman Cris Hill and junior Stephan Virgil will battle for the field cornerback position. Virgil is also expected to backup Harris. He and Carmichael are the leading contenders for the starting job.
Both saw time in all 14 games last season and both will see significant time in 2008. I would put my money on Carmichael to win the job with Virgil backing up both Harris and Carmichael.
Junior Kam Chancellor moves from rover to free safety for 2008 and there's no one else I'd rather have quarterbacking the defense. Chancellor is athletic, instinctive and can deliver crushing hits.
Rover will be either junior Dorian Porch or sophomore Davon Morgan. I was impressed by Morgan last year and think he'll take the starting spot over Porch, who backed up Chancellor at rover last season.
If the defensive ends can make life hell for opposing quarterbacks and force them to make mistakes, this unit will capitalize. Harris and Chancellor are playmakers and I expect the secondary to be good enough to allow the linebackers to be more focused on stopping the run.
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