1. Virginia Tech
The Hokies led the nation in pass defense in 2006, and three starters are back for ’07, plus another starter from 2005. Cornerback Brandon Flowers led the ACC with 21 passes defended last fall (three interceptions, 18 breakups), and was consistently good from one week to the next. Victor “Macho” Harris lines up in the other corner. He led the 2006 Hokies in interceptions with four, and ran one back 72 yards for a touchdown. Flowers and Harris both are juniors. A third cornerback, senior Roland Minor, had five interceptions over his first two years and was a starter two years ago, but an injury delayed the start of his 2006 season. He returned to the rotation around midseason and is back full speed for ’07. Senior safety D.J. Parker is being looked to as a leader in the secondary. He racked up 41 tackles with a pair of interceptions last season, and also forced two fumbles.

2. LSU
LSU finished third in the nation in pass defense last fall, and both starting cornerbacks are back, plus a part-time safety. Jonathan Zenon returns in the left corner after picking off four passes last fall and running back two of them for touchdowns. He also tied for fourth in the SEC with 12 passes defended. At right cornerback, senior Chevis Jackson returns for his third year as a starter. He registered 14 passes defended last year and added two interceptions and 46 tackles. He led all Tiger defenders with six tackles in the Sugar Bowl win over Notre Dame. Zenon and Jackson both fit the term “lockdown cover corners.” Craig Steltz notched 42 tackles and matched Zenon’s team-leading four interceptions after coming into games off the bench and is now the full-time strong safety, with hard-hitting, athletic junior Curtis Taylor taking over at free safety.

3. Oklahoma
Lendy Holmes and Marcus Walker both return at cornerback for Oklahoma. Walker was second-team All-Big 12 after his performance in the regular season. Then in the Fiesta Bowl he added a third interception to his season total and ran it back 33 yards for a touchdown to give the Sooners a 35–28 lead with 1:02 to play. The cornerback picture will get crowded this fall when Reggie Smith, a first-team All-Big 12 pick last year, moves back there after a year at strong safety. Smith picked off three passes last year and ran one back 42 yards for a touchdown, and returned another 52 yards to set up a score. Free safety Nic Harris, second-team all-conference in 2006, is the top returning tackler on the team and also led the Sooners with four interceptions, two of them in the Oregon game.

4. USC
All four starters return in the secondary for the Trojans, plus two others who have been starters. Taylor Mays, the 2006 National Defensive Freshman of the Year, is back at free safety. He led the team with three interceptions and added 62 tackles. Josh Pinkard began ’06 as the starting free safety, but a knee injury in the opener at Arkansas ended his season, opening the door for Mays. Pinkard, whom coach Pete Carroll calls the best football player on the team, is back too. So are strong safety Kevin Ellison and cornerbacks Terrell Thomas, Cary Harris and Kevin Thomas. Terrell Thomas picked off a pair of passes and broke up 12 others. Sophomores Vincent Joseph and Shareece Wright are also working their way into the cornerback picture.

5. Arizona
All-America cornerback Antoine Cason is one of three returning starters in the Arizona secondary. Cason finished third among Wildcat defenders last year with 62 tackles. He also picked off three passes and ran one back for a score. He nailed down Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Week honors twice last fall, against Washington State and California. Cason and Wilrey Fontenot, who posted a team-high eight pass breakups at the other corner, both are seniors who have been starters their entire careers. Sophomore Devin Ross and redshirt freshman Mike Turner, two highly regarded recruits last year, provide depth on the corners. Free safety Dominic Patrick is back after his 59-tackle, six-pass breakup 2006 campaign. Michael Klyce finished last year as the starting strong safety and added three interceptions to the team’s total.

Next Up:
6. UCLA
7. Miami
8. Wisconsin
9. Rutgers
10. Western Michigan

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