Virginia Tech 2007 Preview

At a school still recovering from the shooting rampage that left 33 dead, coach Frank Beamer’s football team should help lift spirits and continue the healing process on campus.

The Hokies went 10–3 in 2006 and this year, they expect to contend for the ACC championship. Eight starters are back on both sides of the ball.

“I think we’ve got a chance to be good,” says Beamer, who’s in his 21st season as coach at his alma mater. “We’ve got to make it happen, though.”

In the wake of the April tragedy at Tech, Beamer canceled the final week of spring practice. The extra work would have been helpful, but the missed time won’t set the Hokies back significantly.

Tech’s defense was the nation’s best in 2006 and could well hold that distinction again this season. Its offense, however, lagged well behind. “We can be better, we should be better, we will be better,” says coordinator Bryan Stinespring. If those words become reality, the Hokies may find themselves in the Bowl Championship Series.

Quarterbacks
Whether Tech fans like it or not, junior Sean Glennon enters the season entrenched as the starting quarterback. Glennon passed for 2,191 yards last season but threw as many interceptions (11) as touchdowns (11), and his four turnovers in the Chick-fil-A Bowl were a major reason why the Hokies blew an 18-point halftime lead and lost to Georgia. Glennon shined in spring practice, however, and the gap between him and backup Ike Whitaker, who missed the bowl game while getting treatment for an alcohol problem, is considerable. Tech’s coaches selected Glennon as the offense’s top performer in spring practice. Waiting in the wings is true freshman Tyrod Taylor, who Beamer would prefer to redshirt this season — just like Michael Vick did in 1998.

Running Backs
If junior tailback Branden Ore emerges as a leading candidate for the Doak Walker Award this season, no one will be surprised. Ore is fast, elusive and tough, and he rushed for 16 touchdowns in 2006 and made the All-ACC first team — despite operating behind an average line and missing most of two games with an ankle injury. Ore will get most of the work at tailback. But Tech also can turn to Kenny Lewis, who impressed as a true freshman during Ore’s absence. George Bell, Elan Lewis and Jahre Cheeseman, a converted cornerback, provide additional depth in the backfield. For all of Ore’s talent, the Hokies ranked in the middle of the ACC pack in rushing last season. They should be productive this fall if the line improves as expected.

Receivers
A year from now, the receiving corps may be a concern for Beamer, but he enters this season with four senior wideouts — Josh Morgan, Eddie Royal, Justin Harper and Josh Hyman — who combined to catch 101 passes for 1,380 yards and eight TDs in 2006. Their understudies include Zach Luckett, a redshirt freshman whose potential Tech coaches love. At tight end, the Hokies should be set for years. Sophomores Sam Wheeler and Greg Boone showed promise in the passing game last year — between them they caught 18 passes for 267 yards and three TDs — and they’re joined by redshirt freshman Andre Smith, who might be the most talented of the group.

2007 Schedule
S. 1	East Carolina	W
S. 8	at LSU	*
S. 15	Ohio	W
S. 22	William & Mary	W
S. 29	North Carolina	W
O. 6	at Clemson	W
O. 13	at Duke	W
O. 25	Boston College	W
N. 1	at Georgia Tech	*
N. 10	Florida State	W
N. 17	Miami	W
N. 24	at Virginia	W
Games in bold represent swing games. W or L indicates a projected win or loss.

Offensive Linemen
This group, which lost left tackle Brandon Frye, center Danny McGrath and left guard Brandon Gore, has been reconstructed since the end of last season. “We’re going to get the five best on the field,” Beamer says, regarding what should be an improved and athletic young line. All-America candidate Duane Brown, a 6'5", 290-pound senior, was moved from right to left tackle, and junior Ryan Shuman shifted from guard to his natural position of center. Junior Nick Marshman, a tackle last season, is now at left guard, and the right tackle is sophomore Ed Wang, who like Brown began his career at Tech as a tight end. Sophomore Sergio Render returns as the starter at right guard. Backups include sophomore guard Richard Graham and redshirt freshman tackles Aaron Brown and Clark Crum.

Defensive Linemen
The glory in Tech’s swarming defense often goes to the ends and linebackers, but the tackles play crucial roles in Bud Foster’s scheme, and he has an outstanding set this year. Seniors Carlton Powell and Barry Booker are returning starters, but classmate Kory Robertson —     a mammoth run-stuffer in the trenches at 6'2" and 339 pounds — might be the best NFL prospect of the group. Providing additional depth are sophomore Cordarrow Thompson and redshirt freshman John Graves, who moves well enough to line up at end, too. Senior Chris Ellis, who had offseason shoulder surgery, is a two-year starter at end, and the 6'5", 260-pounder brings a rare mix of size and speed to the position. The new starter on the line is junior end Orion Martin, a former walk-on who played his way onto the first team of the stop-unit. Among the group challenging for playing time at end are sophomore Nekos Brown, who started his career as a linebacker, and redshirt freshman Jason Adjepong.

Linebackers
Can any team in Division I-A top Tech’s 1-2 punch of seniors Vince Hall and Xavier Adibi at this position? Probably not. Hall led the ACC with 128 tackles — including 10.5 tackles for a loss and two sacks — last season, while also forcing two fumbles and recovering another. Meanwhile, Adibi had 82 tackles, with three sacks, three interceptions and three forced fumbles on the season. The “X-factor” also scooped up a fumble recovery and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown at Wake Forest. Expect Hall and Adibi to take their game up a notch this year. Outside at whip linebacker, senior Corey Gordon takes over for Brenden Hill. Injuries to Hall or Adibi could be devastating, because the drop-off from the starters to their backups, juniors Brett Warren and Purnell Sturdivant, is significant. “Not only do we have to develop some depth, but it’s got to be quality depth that can play and perform,” Foster says.

Defensive Backs 
Tech’s tradition of strong play in the secondary should continue this season. Three starters return, including juniors Brandon Flowers and Victor “Macho” Harris, who team to form one of the nation’s premier sets of cornerbacks. Flowers was a third-team All-American in 2006, and Harris impressed in spring practice. Senior Roland Minor, a former starter, provides valuable experience at corner. Back at free safety is senior D.J. Parker, who had two interceptions and broke up seven passes last season. The new starter, at rover, is sophomore Kam Chancellor. At 6'4", the 217-pound Chancellor is a towering figure in the secondary, and he runs well enough to have backed up Flowers at cornerback last season. Of the projected starters, Chancellor is the lone sophomore among a veteran group. Sophomore Dorian Porch may also work his way into the rotation at rover as Chancellor’s backup.

Specialists
Beamer oversees Tech’s special teams, so he knows well the importance of a sound kicking game. The departures of kicker Brandon Pace, punter Nic Schmitt and punt-snapper Nick Leeson left a special-teams void that concerns Beamer. Pace — who converted 18-of-19 field goals and 38-of-40 extra point attempts for a team-high 92 points last season — was named second-team All-ACC, and Schmitt’s per-punt average of 42.2 yards ranked third in the ACC. Leeson would have attracted notice only if his snaps had been errant, but they weren’t. Beamer likes the potential of the likely replacements. Senior kicker Jud Dunlevy, sophomore punter Brent Bowden and senior snapper Bart McMillin are all talented players but have yet to perform under the bright lights. Kicking-game breakdowns could derail a Virginia Tech team that should be potent on offense and stellar on defense.

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