Other than the loss of All-American cornerback Jimmy Williams and free safety Justin Hamilton, the Virginia Tech secondary will return virtually intact in 2006. The Hokies regularly place defensive backs in the NFL, and there will be a lot of future NFL talent on display in Tech’s secondary this fall. Despite the loss of Williams and Hamilton, this group could end up being even better than 2005.

The biggest change in the secondary will be new coach Torrian Gray. Gray, a former All-Big East performer at Virginia Tech, replaces Lorenzo “Whammy” Ward, who moved on to the Oakland Raiders. The transition is not expected to be a difficult one. Gray has six years of coaching experience, including stints at Maine, UConn and the Chicago Bears.

Gray will have a good mixture of youth and experience to work with. Here is our projected depth chart for the spring.

After taking a quick glance at that depth chart, it looks like the Hokies recruited very well at defensive back in the 2005 recruiting class. That class has four players (Cheeseman, Martin, Porch, and Harris) projected to be second string in just their second season in Blacksburg, and all of them have a chance to see a lot of playing time.

Now let’s take a look at what the Hokies have coming back at each position.

Jimmy Williams was the only senior cornerback on the 2005 team. Every other player returns for 2006. This is one of the most talented groups of players on the team, if not the most talented group. Tech returns a junior with a year of starting experience in Roland Minor, a sophomore who saw a lot of playing time in 2005 in Brandon Flowers, another sophomore (Victor Harris) who is one of the most highly touted recruits the Hokies have ever signed, and a r-freshman who posted impressive testing numbers (Jahre Cheeseman). Let’s take a look at the individuals.

Minor is a big, physical corner who had a very good year in his first season as a starter. Some would argue that he had a better season than his much-hyped teammate, Jimmy Williams. Minor intercepted three passes in 2005, and broke up three more. He returned one of his interceptions for a touchdown, against Duke. Minor played field corner in 2005, but he has the skill set needed to play boundary corner as well.

Flowers is a good, but not great athlete. He isn’t the biggest corner in the country, but he certainly isn’t small. His most impressive attribute is his instinct for the game, which is the best of any of Tech’s cornerbacks. He is aggressive and a good tackler. Although only a sophomore, Flowers played in one game in 2004, returning an interception for a touchdown. He was then forced to take a medical redshirt. Flowers had one interception and four passes broken up in 2005, and he is the favorite to start opposite Roland Minor in 2006.

Harris came to Virginia Tech as one of the Hokies’ top recruits ever. He played as a true freshman, but generally only on special teams. Harris is a gifted player who relied on natural ability in high school, rather than technique. He is a very aggressive cornerback who likes to make contact with the wide receiver at the line of scrimmage. He could end up starting in 2006, but he must use the spring to improve his techniques. He has a tremendous amount of potential.

Cheeseman is a talented young player who made a big splash in the weight room over the winter. He is aggressive and not afraid to take on bigger players. He is one of the strongest and most athletic members of the secondary, despite his size. Cheeseman will likely be Tech’s fourth cornerback in 2006, and how much playing time he receives will depend on his performance this spring.

The Hokies lost Justin Hamilton, but return D.J. Parker. They will also gain the services of Cam Martin, a young player the coaching staff is very high on.

Parker was a part-time starter in 2005, splitting time with senior Justin Hamilton. Parker got a lot of experience last season, and should be ready to have a very good season in 2006. He is a very athletic player who possesses excellent speed and acceleration. His only drawback is his height (or lack thereof).

Martin is a very good free safety prospect who will vie for a lot of playing time in 2006. He has a chance to push Parker for the starting spot. Spring practice will be very important for Martin, as it is for every freshman. He’ll get a chance to be coached for the first time, rather than spending the majority of his time as a scout team player.

This position is a question mark simply because the whip linebacker position is a question mark. If Aaron Rouse is forced to move back to whip, then the rover position is wide open. We’ll assume that the Hokies find a whip and Rouse can stay at rover. Note that the rovers are coached by Jim Cavanaugh rather than Torrian Gray, but we are including them with the defensive backs because they are more of a strong safety than an outside linebacker

Rouse is perhaps the most physically gifted player on the Virginia Tech defense. He has tremendous size and exceptional athleticism. He is a big hitter and a great run stopper, but he can also defend the pass. Rouse had four interceptions in 2005, a mark that led the team. He also broke up five passes. A future NFL player, Rouse will develop into one of the team leaders this spring.

Porch almost played as a true freshman last season, and certainly could have if he had been needed. He is actually much bigger than the size listed above, which was copied from HokieSports.com. He now weighs closer to 200 than 180. Porch put up very good numbers in the weight room over the winter, and he will be fighting for the starting spot at rover if Aaron Rouse moves to whip.

Wade is a good player for the Hokies. He’s not athletic, but he has been in the system and he knows what to do. However his size limits him, and he’ll likely never rise above his status as a key backup and special teams standout. But he could be forced into action if Rouse moves to whip.