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The ACC's Stars: Defense

Last week in TSLMail, we went over the top offensive players in the ACC to this point in the 2007 season. This week we'll take a look at the best defensive players in the conference. Defensively, the pool of players to choose from is much larger, as the ACC has more talented defenses than offenses.

Starting up front on the defensive line, the ACC has one of the top defensive ends in the nation in Chris Long of UVA. Long leads the ACC in sacks with seven, and should be a first round draft pick next April. Calais Campbell of Miami is perhaps the most physically imposing lineman in the conference, though his numbers are down a bit this season.

Other very good defensive ends in the ACC include Hilee Taylor (UNC), Phillip Merling (Clemson), Jeremy Thompson (Wake Forest), Vegas Franklin (Miami), Jeffrey Fitzgerald (UVA), and Everette Brown (FSU). There are more, and it's impossible to name them all.

At defensive tackle, the ACC really doesn't have a headliner this year. It would have been B.J. Raji at Boston College, but he is academically ineligible and is redshirting this year. Teraz McCray is having a very good year for Miami, and Vance Walker has 5.5 sacks for Georgia Tech, which is a very high number for a defensive tackle. Vince Oghobaase is also putting up good numbers for Duke (6 TFLs, 1.5 sacks).

A good defensive tackle doesn't necessarily have to put up great stats. He just has to get penetration and blow up plays. The ACC has a number of those types of defensive tackles, including Carlton Powell (Virginia Tech), Letroy Guion (FSU), Budd Thacker (FSU) and Antonio Dixon (Miami). UNC's Kentwan Balmer has been mentioned as a possible first round pick in April.

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There are also a number of very good linebackers in the ACC, although a few stand out more than the others. They are, in alphabetical order, Xavier Adibi (Virginia Tech), Vince Hall (Virginia Tech), Erin Henderson (Maryland) and Philip Wheeler (Georgia Tech).

Adibi and Hall are the most productive linebacker duo in the country. As good as Vince Hall has been throughout his career, Adibi maybe have passed him this year, which says quite a bit about how good Adibi is. Erin Henderson is all over the place for Maryland, and although Wheeler doesn't rack up the tackles like the other guys on this list, he puts constant pressure on the quarterback.

Henderson is second in the ACC in tackles (11/game), while Hall (10.2/game) and Adibi (9.5/game) rank fourth and fifth.

UNC's Durell Mapp is close to being on the list above as well (third in the ACC in tackles with 10.2 per game). Other very good ACC linebackers are Aaron Curry (Wake Forest), Jo-Lonn Dunbar (BC), Nick Watkins (Clemson), Geno Hayes (FSU), Derek Nicholson (FSU), etc. There aren't very many linebackers in this league who don't belong.

At cornerback, there are some major playmakers in the ACC, and there are also some guys who quietly shut down their side of the field. Perhaps the biggest playmaker in the conference is Wake Forest cornerback Alphonso Smith. Smith has four interceptions on the season, including three that he has returned for a touchdown. His 100 yard interception return against Maryland sparked a big comebacke. Against Florida State last night, he had an interception and broke up three passes, and he had another pick last night against the Noles, a crucial one in the Wake end zone that changed momentum of the game.

Smith is very aggressive, and sometimes that aggressiveness can get him in trouble, but he's a very good player.

DeJuan Tribble of Boston College has three interceptions this year. He picked off seven passes last season. It's very dangerous to throw to his side of the field. He leads the Eagles' secondary, along with free safety Jamie Silva.

Virginia Tech has two excellent cornerbacks in their own right. Brandon Flowers is quiet for the most part. He has just one interception on the year, but he is the most physical cornerback in the ACC. Flowers has seven tackles for loss, and ask the Clemson receivers how hard a hitter he is. He's one of the most instinctive players the Hokies have ever had.

Macho Harris has a little more flash than Flowers. He led the team with four interceptions last season and has two so far this year. He is a much improved player from a year ago, and he was already pretty good.

With the year Jamie Silva of Boston College is having, he's almost a lock for All-ACC honors. He leads the conference with five interceptions, and he returned one of those for a touchdown. Silva will also come up and hit you in the running game.

The ACC has a number of physical safeties, including Michael Hamlin and Chris Clemons of Clemson, and Myron Rolle of Florida State. In the preseason, Kenny Phillips of Miami was regarded as the best safety in the conference, and although he's been somewhat quiet, he's still very good.

In the future, watch out for UNC free safety Deunta Williams. The r-freshman has three interceptions already this year, and seems to always be around the ball.

A Quick Peek Down Memory Lane

Eagle-eyed observers will note that this is the 300th edition of TSLMail (yes, that's hard to believe). The first edition of TSLMail came out on September 18th, 2001 and featured an interview with an uncommitted recruit who later signed with VT and wound up playing a little rover before he moved on: Cary Wade (right)

There was also a little basketball recruiting news, announcing the commitments of three guys who would have varying degrees of success in their Tech careers: Winston Robinson (never enrolled), Phillip McCandies (played sparingly, transferred to College of Charleston), and Markus Sailes (solid contributor, though never a star).

TSLMail #1 also has some links to old TSL articles and features (including Beerman's Picks, remember that?), some of which are dead, and some not. There's even a link to a TechLocker.com sweatshirt that was probably a pretty neat item, though the image is long gone.