College Football 2010 Top 10 – earliest look

There is no time like the second week of January to begin looking ahead to the next college football season. The memory of Alabama's victory over Texas in an unusually thrilling national championship game is still fresh in everyone's minds, but that is no reason to start taking a look at who could lift the trophy a year from now.

1. Alabama

Virtually the entire offense returns for the Crimson Tide, including Heisman-winning running back Mark Ingram.

Greg McElroy had his ups and downs in his first season as the starting quarterback, but he should be more consistent as a senior.

Trent Richardson will spell Ingram at tailback, and it’s not too crazy to say he may be more talented than Ingram. In fact, Ingram himself has said before that Richardson has more natural ability.

Julio Jones figures to have his best season ever with such a loaded backfield, which will force opposing defenses to play a lot of man coverage while loading the box to stop the run. He is easily one of the early favorites for the 2010 Fred Biletnikoff award.

On defense, many pieces will need to be replaced, including Terrance Cody, Javier Arenas, and Rolando McClain. D’onta Hightower figures to replace McClain at linebacker; McClain is probably the biggest loss from this year’s national championship team.

A tough departure for Alabama will be kicker Leigh Tiffin, the program’s all-time leading scorer.

As long as there is experience on offense and Nick Saban on the sidelines, any team with that situation is in great shape.

2. Ohio State

Terrelle Pryor finally validated himself with a two touchdown, 266-yard performance in the Buckeyes’ Rose Bowl victory over Oregon. After all of the criticism that, fair or not, came his way in his first two seasons in Columbus, Pryor put out most of that fire with the stellar game in Pasadena.

Brandon Saine and Daniel Herron, who rushed for 739 and 600 yards, respectively in 2009 both return next season, giving Ohio State one of the most feared backfields in the country. Inexperience plagued that unit this season, but next year it will turn into the team’s strongest link.

The Buckeyes return six starters on defense, including Cameron Heyward at defensive end. He will be the star of that side of the ball in 2010.

3. Oregon

Ducks’ coach Chip Kelly is quickly becoming one of the most innovative offensive minds in the game. His Oregon team broke through this season with the first Pac-10 championship in eight years by a team not named USC. He returns rising sophomore phenom LaMichael James at running back, and thick-skinned Jeremiah Masoli at quarterback.

Oregon suffered a disappointing loss to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, but leave it to Kelly to let that defeat serve as the driving force behind his team’s off-season preparation for 2010.

4. Boise State

Poor Kyle Wilson. The Broncos’ star cornerback in 2009 will be the only starter from this past year’s team not to do it again in 2010. Every other starter is back, including rising junior quarterback Kellen Moore, who finished second in the nation in passing efficiency behind only Tim Tebow.

Boise State faces Oregon State and Virginia Tech in the first month of the season, giving it all the opportunity it needs to prove to the country that it belongs in the national championship game once and for all should they go unbeaten.

5. Nebraska

This may surprise some folks, but make no mistake about it: Nebraska is back. Starting quarterback Zac Lee returns, continuing the trend set by the first four teams in this list. After nearly being benched during a midseason cold streak, Lee bounced back to finish the year strong in 2009.

A 33-0 drubbing of Pac-10 runner-up Arizona in the Holiday Bowl was proof enough that Nebraska was a force to be reckoned with. The Huskers were literally seconds away from beating two top-10 teams in 2009. They lost to Virginia Tech on the road in the final minute 16-15, then allowed a last-second field goal by Texas to lose 13-12 in the Big 12 Championship Game.

They lose all-world defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who is likely to be the first player taken in April’s NFL Draft. Jared Crick will fill his shoes. Crick is a rising junior who has high expectations within the Husker community. While nobody can fill the gargantuan shoes of Suh, Crick could eventually help the memory of Suh fade if he lives up to his potential.

6. Virginia Tech

The Hokies return every skill player on offense, and they also will receive the services of running back Darren Evans, who in 2008 set the school record for rushing yards in a season by a freshman. He suffered a torn ACL in fall practice, though, setting up Ryan Williams to shatter record after record, including the mark set by Evans.

Tyrod Taylor has come a long way from the freshman scrambler whose confidence throwing the ball was comparable to the high school science fair champion asking the prom queen for a date. In 2009 he made great strides with his patience in the pocket, as well as his accuracy, and he should have his best year yet in 2010.

The defense replaces seven players with starting experience, but leave it to Bud Foster, one of the most well respected coordinators in America, to have his bunch ready to go come September.

7. LSU

The Tigers better live up to this projection, or there will be Bedlam in Baton Rouge. Ironically, Bedlam is the nickname given to the rivalry game at head coach Les Miles’ former school, Oklahoma State. Since arriving at LSU, Miles has won a national championship, but lost nine games in the following two seasons.

Jordan Jefferson must improve at quarterback; he was much too error-prone and never seemed to have command of the team like a starting quarterback should. That is a problem that can be solved with off-season development, but how committed Jefferson is to improving is anyone’s guess.

Russell Sheppard was a highly touted athlete in the Percy Harvin mold, but never saw significant action in 2009. The coaching staff said he was having trouble adjusting to the speed of the game mentally, and he was not ready to handle the schemes the Tigers implored. Scary note for the rest of the SEC: the Virginia Tech staff said the exact same thing about Ryan Williams during his redshirt year in 2008. You see how that turned out.

8. TCU

Gary Patterson has developed a mini-dynasty in Fort Worth, mostly because of great defense. Next year, however, it will be his experienced offense that will be his strongest unit. Andy Dalton will be a senior at quarterback, and for most of 2009, he was everything the Horned Frogs needed him to be: a leader and an efficient passer. Next season, his role will take a big leap, as he will be called upon to make more plays.

The defense will be solid, despite losing end Jerry Hughes, arguably the best player to come through the program since LaDanian Tomlinson. Patterson always has a respectable unit on the field, and 2010 will be no different. It could be scary to think how good they could be given the experience returning on offense.

9. North Carolina

Sleeper Alert: North Carolina may have the best defense on paper coming into next season. Quann Sturdivant, Robert Quinn, Marvin Austin, Kendrick Burney and Deunta Williams are all back for another season to play for what was already the best defense in the ACC in 2009.

They allowed an average of 15.5 points per game last season, and with most of the players returning, they should shut down most of the teams in a conference that does not lack for meek offensive attacks.

T.J. Yates will be in his fourth season as the starting quarterback after a rough 2009. He showed promise during his sophomore season before being lost to injury, then this past season he threw more interceptions (15) than touchdowns (14).

With Greg Little back at receiver and Ryan Houston back at running back, he will have plenty of help and set up for a surprisingly strong farewell campaign in Chapel Hill.

10. Texas

Garrett Gilbert’s performance in the second half of the BCS National Championship Game told everyone all they needed to know about the fate of the Longhorns’ program. He shredded the nation’s best defense in Alabama for back-to-back touchdowns, nearly leading one of the most memorable comebacks in college football history.

Although Texas would have traded nothing to have had Colt McCoy healthy for the game and taken home the national title, the experience Gilbert gained from that game was invaluable.

The running game should be a strong point next season in offensive coordinator Greg Davis’ zone-read attack, and with Gilbert they will have the best pure passer the Longhorns may have ever seen. Colt McCoy was an accurate short to mid-level passer, but Gilbert’s arm is twice as strong and is a much more polished quarterback at the same stages in their careers.

Beamerball or Fosterball? Hokies' identity slowly changing

In the 1990s, Virginia Tech established a reputation on the football field for its unmatched success with special teams. Blocked kicks, punts, and touchdown returns became the trademark of the program, and soon became known as “Beamerball”, after its head coach Frank Beamer, who oversees the special teams himself.

During the 90’s, Tech averaged more than six blocked kicks per season, easily the best in the country.

Since then, the block party has become more of a casual gathering. From 2003 until 2005, the Hokies blocked only 11 kicks, half of the season average from the previous decade.

In 2009, the Hokies came up with a single blocked kick, when Jacob Sykes blocked Matt Bosher’s punt against Miami, leading to Matt Reidy’s recovery in the end zone for a touchdown.

It was well publicized for the longest time about the Hokies dedication to special teams, more specifically coach Beamer’s contributions to the success.

However, a few changes in recent years have led to the Beamerball demise.

First of all, virtually every Tech opponent began developing unique schemes in their alignment to confuse the Hokies.

In a 2002 game against Temple, the Owls spread all ten men besides the punter from one sideline to the other, forcing the Tech defense to spread their men out as well. That was one of the first games in which the Hokies’ opponent clearly made an effort to not succumb to the Tech trademark.

Since that point, many other formations and adaptations to the typical special teams strategies have kept the Hokies from blocking so many kicks.

Another reason the blocks are fewer and farther between now is coach Beamer isn’t the only man paying special attention to that area of the game, no pun intended. Many head coaches, including Urban Meyer at Florida, take care of the special teams themselves, or if they don’t they hire a very strong special teams coordinator to do the job.

Before this shift in emphasis to the kicking game, Beamer was one of the few guys on the block (man, I’m getting carried away with the play on words here) that spent a significant amount of time practicing special teams. He’s simply not on his own anymore.

The other part of the Hokies’ games that fell under the “Beamerball” classification was the team’s knack for opportunistic defensive play. Forced fumbles and interceptions are the mark of a great football team, but no team scored as many points on defense as the Hokies did during the 90’s, and that tradition continues today.

For those of you still following along, that means that the special teams, coached by Beamer, has seen a dip in productivity in recent years, while the defense, coached by Bud Foster, remains on top of its game.

Maybe it’s time to shed the Beamerball image and adopt Fosterball instead.

Let’s face it; the Hokies won back-to-back ACC championships in 2007 and 2008 thanks to a defense that was ranked in the top five nationally. Neither year was the offense very productive, ranking in the bottom 30 in total yards both seasons.

2009 saw a spike in offensive productivity, and a slight statistical dip from the defense, thanks in large part to an inexperienced front seven. Despite the early season struggles from Foster’s unit, they responded in the final five games of the season to allow exactly zero points in the second half of all those games.

Foster has been sought after by other programs year after year. Two years ago, West Virginia courted Foster for its head-coaching job. In 2008 it was Clemson doing the same thing. Just last month, Georgia head coach Mark Richt offered Foster the defensive coordinator job with his program.

In each instance, Tech Athletic Director Jim Weaver tossed a sizable raise Foster’s way to keep him in town. This year, he signed Foster to a five-year deal worth over $2 million, making him one of highest paid at his post in the country.

The one item that stands above all in the Tech program is the lunch pail, a Foster establishment representing the hard work that goes into every practice, workout, and game for his defense.

It has come to be the adornment of Hokie Nation, and it will forever remain a symbol of what the program stands for.

How much clearer could it be that Foster has become the heart and soul of this program?

If he wanted to leave for a head-coaching gig, he would have done it by now.

Beamer has told me before that he will stick around as the Hokies’ coach until “the time is right,” but logical thinking says that won’t be too awfully long. Foster, 50, seems primed to hold tight in Blacksburg for another five years or so before taking over for Beamer.

The defense in 2010 will undergo a major overhaul; replacing seven players with starting experience will be no small task. But anyone who’s been around the Tech program, namely Foster, knows he will stop at nothing to have the lunch pail tradition upheld with honor.

There is not a Hokie fan on the planet that has any doubt in Foster, and that’s the mark of a program linchpin.

Rodgers' patience paying off

Packers at Cardinals, Sunday, 4:00 p.m., FOX

If you’re a Packers fan, you know the story by now. In the 2005 NFL Draft, Aaron Rodgers waited for over four hours backstage before being selected by Green Bay with the 24^th pick.

It was a tumultuous start to a career that made Rodgers the heir apparent to a living legend. The moniker “Brett Favre’s successor” became inescapable for the next three seasons as Rodgers became the highest paid backup quarterback in the NFL.

In 2007, his third season in the league, Rodgers had his first encounter with the spotlight, when Favre was injured in the first quarter of a week 13 Thursday night game in Dallas.

Playing for the right to stay atop the NFC standings, Rodgers’ play was remarkable. Despite losing to the Cowboys 37-27, the Packers’ second-string quarterback threw for 201 yards and a touchdown, without an interception.

It was the kind of performance that rose more than a few eyebrows within the Packers’ organization. There was no longer any question of whether Rodgers could be a starting quarterback once Favre finally departed.

So what did the Packers do? After coming within seconds of an NFC Championship, which was lost after a costly Favre interception, he finally decided to retire. The Packers forced his hand, though, making him come to a decision much earlier than the typically undecided Favre would have liked.

It was clear that Green Bay was ready to open the Aaron Rodgers chapter of the franchise, and they were going to stop at nothing to make that happen.

In his first season with the keys to the offense all to himself, Rodgers lived up to most expectations. He was sixth in the league in passing efficiency and completed 63.6 percent of his passes. His 28 touchdown passes were fourth most in the NFL.

But that is not why Packers’ brass left the fate of the team in his hands, though. They expected Rodgers to win games, and he did not do a whole lot of that. A year removed from that NFC Championship appearance, the Packers finished 6-10.

Rodgers play in and of itself was better than expected, and quite frankly it was a defense that couldn’t keep teams out of the end zone enough that lost many of those ten games. Still, with success comes the glory, and with failure comes the blame for NFL quarterbacks, and Rodgers was feeling the heat.

In the offseason, management brought in respected defensive coordinator Dom Capers to fix the team’s woes and implore a 3-4 defense.

They also drafted B.J. Raji and Clay Matthews, two of the best defensive players available in the 2009 draft. It was clear that the Packers were committed to bringing the defense up to speed with Rodgers and the offense.

This season started out very ho-hum, going 4-4 in the first eight games. The offense was averaging 26.8 points per game, while the defense was allowing 21.5. The switch to the 3-4 defense was a work in progress, and the adjustment period was long.

The Packers figured it out finally, and proceeded to win seven of their final eight games. During that stretch, Rodgers threw for over 300 yards three times, and the defense allowed only 15.6 points per game.

With the strong finish down the stretch, Rodgers finally vindicated himself and evaded the Wisconsin-sized shadow Brett Favre had cast over his career.

He finished the season with 4,434 yards, 30 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. His numbers were good enough to be the fourth highest rated passes in 2009, and earned him his first Pro Bowl selection.

That’s all well and good, but Brett Favre set a standard on this team that includes more than Pro Bowl berths. Super Bowls are the standard against which all success is measured in Green Bay. It’s been a long five years before Rodgers could even taste the playoffs as a starter.

He’s used to waiting though.

Alabama wins 13th championship in unruly fashion

It has been almost nine years, and Greg McElroy still has not lost a football game. The Alabama quarterback led his team to the 2010 BCS national championship, beating the Texas Longhorns 37-21 Thursday night, and he did it the hard way.

McElroy was sacked five times against the Longhorns while completing only 6-of-11 passes.

Though it was a tough night for the McElroy in the passing game, he left the dirty work up to his running game. Powered by a 116-yard, two-touchdown performance from Mark Ingram, Alabama dominated the Texas on the ground for 205 total rushing yards.

As far as normality goes, don’t look to this game for a good example of such. On the game’s first possession, Alabama faked a punt from its own 20-yard line. Punter P.J. Fitzgerald lofted an underthrown pass towards an open receiver, and Blake Gideon intercepted it at the Alabama 37-yard line.

It was a bit of ironic redemption for Gideon, whose dropped interception in the Longhorns’ loss to Texas Tech in 2008 eventually cost them a chance to play in last year’s title game.

Fans barely had a chance to discuss one of the most questionable play calls in BCS history before the biggest play of the night would take place. Colt McCoy kept the ball on an option play, but was stopped for no gain. At the end of the play, McCoy took a hit to the right shoulder from Tide defensive linemen Marcell Dareus.

McCoy, who has been the face of Texas football for the last four seasons, left the field in apparent pain. In one of the most unceremonious ends to a star quarterback’s career ever, McCoy would never return to the game.

In came Garrett Gilbert, a true freshman who was ranked the second-best quarterback recruit in the country in 2009. Despite all of the high regard, he had attempted just 26 passes all season.

How’s this for a welcome-to-college-football moment? Gilbert took over the reigns for a living legend in Texas lore, not to mention facing the task of beating the nation’s top-ranked defense in the national championship game.

Alabama seized its golden opportunity. With the Texas offense flustering, the Tide grabbed a 17-6 lead with less than a minute to play in the second quarter. Texas faced a second down with half a minute remaining, when Mack Brown outcoached Saban in a bad way, topping the questionable fake punt call with a risky shovel pass.

Gilbert’s shovel bounced off of several players in a cluttered play, when Dareus eventually grabbed the ball in midair and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown. All of a sudden, a 17-6 deficit that still seemed to have a breath of hope turned into a 24-6 nightmare. The rout was on.

At least that’s what the Tide seemed to believe. In an uninspired third quarter for the Tide, Gilbert slowly gained the confidence of his coaches and of himself, leading a touchdown drive late in the quarter to draw the ‘Horns within 11 points.

It’s never easy for a team that feels comfortable with a sizable lead to revitalize itself if the lead shrinks. Alabama spent the beginning of the fourth quarter adjusting to the idea that the game was once again competitive.

Texas recovered an onside kick following the touchdown, but was held to a three-and-out. Alabama held strong, but failed to deliver on the following drive. Thanks to two 15-yard penalties by the Texas defense, Alabama drove to the Texas 35-yard line before being held to a fourth down.

With a two-possession lead and facing an unproven quarterback, Saban could have very easily elected to try to punt the ball and pin Texas deep in its own territory. Instead, he turned to the program’s all-time leading scorer Leigh Tiffin for a 52-yard field goal. He narrowly missed the kick wide left, opening the door for another Texas scoring drive.

Gilbert delivered just that. In a nine-play succession, he instantly went from overwhelmed rookie to Tom Brady in a burnt orange uniform. Texas never took the ball out of Gilbert’s hands on the drive in which he completed 7-of-8 passes for 64 yards, culminated by a 28-yard touchdown strike to Jordan Shipley.

He wasn’t quite done, either. Trailing 24-19, Gilbert stepped back on the field for a two-point conversion. He delivered a laser to a smothered Dan Buckner in the back of the end zone to draw Texas within a field goal of the lead.

With six minutes and some change left to play, a game that at one point looked to be a snoozefest all of a sudden had the chance to be an all-time great.

Texas’ defense, led by end Sergio Kindle’s fierce pass rush, allowed the Tide only one first down before forcing a punt.

Fitzgerald, who played a great game when he was left to his normal punting duties, pinned Texas back at its own 7-yard line.

The stage was then set for potentially the most memorable drive in college football history. On the same field just four years earlier Vince Young led Texas back from certain defeat to win one of the most memorable championship games in history.

Garrett Gilbert had a chance to out-Vince Young Vince Young. The odds were against him, but it’s not like he’d been playing with house money to that point in the game. He took the snap on the first play and came up with an incomplete pass, but before the ball hit the turf, a yellow flag beat it to the punch.

Defensive holding against Alabama gave the Longhorns some breathing room out to their own 17-yard line.

On the following play, Gilbert returned to earth when he held onto the ball in the pocket one second too long. Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart came with a blitz from Gilbert’s blind side and rocked the young quarterback, knocking the ball loose. The ball rolled free before Alab Courtney Upshaw at the three-yard line for the Tide.

That’s as close as Gilbert came to college football immortality. The Tide took three plays to punch the ball into the end zone and seal their 13^th national championship in program history.

11 of the 25 incomplete passes Gilbert threw were dropped by his receivers, including two of his interceptions. The final interception came on a deflected pass down field that bounced off his receivers’ chest, which was not the quarterback’s fault.

Alabama was given the biggest break they ever could have received with the loss of McCoy, and they still had to work hard for the victory.

What they did instead was nearly commit the most monumental collapse in championship game history, before reawakening at the last possible moment to claim the victory.

McElroy, meanwhile, curiously represented the team he led to the win Thursday night. He was not spectacular, and he left the door for a Texas comeback wide open, but in the end, he just doesn’t lose.

Alabama 24, Texas 13, start of 4th quarter

We have a Garrett Gilbert sighting!

After a 1-for-10 performance in the first half, the backup quarterback on whose shoulders rest the hopes of Longhorn Nation came out firing late in the third quarter, connecting on a 44-yard touchdown with Jordan Shipley.

There is no reason that Alabama should not have already run away with this game by now. Texas is playing a true freshman at quarterback who clearly had no confidence when he was abruptly inserted to the lineup after Colt McCoy’s injury.

Instead, the Crimson Tide seemed to be satisfied with their 18-point lead and did not manage to threaten to score on any possessions in the third quarter.

After the late Texas touchdown, the Longhorns pulled a surprise onside kick and recovered. However, Gilbert had two passes dropped and Texas went three plays and out.

Alabama needs to regain some of the edge it played with in the first half, especially offensively. A few drives that chew precious minutes off the clock should be enough to hang on in a game where all the excitement was packed into the first half.

Alabama 24, Texas 6 – Halftime

James Cameron could not have written a more unpredictable script to Thursday night’s national championship game.

Alabama, facing a third-and-18 from its own 20-yard line, faked a punt on its first possession. Blake Gideon intercepted the pass, and Texas took over on the Tide 37.

On third down, Colt McCoy suffered an apparent shoulder injury.

Garrett Gilbert entered, and the drive ended with a field goal. Thanks to a recovered pooch kick by Texas on the ensuing kickoff, Gilbert had another chance to lead the offense. He failed to produce a first down, and Texas kicked another field goal.

Greg McElroy, the Alabama quarterback, was sacked three times in nine plays.

The second quarter provided much more glory for the Tide. Thanks to dominant running from Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson, not to mention an interception return by a defensive lineman, Alabama is in control 24-6.

Trailing 17-6 with under a minute to play, it looked like Texas had done enough to stay within striking distance going into halftime. Although the offense had failed to move the ball very well, the defense was doing all it could to keep the ‘Horns in the game.

Then Gilbert threw a shovel pass into a crowd of linemen. The ball was batted around before defensive tackle Marcell Dareus took the ball in midair, and rumbled 28 yards for the final score in the half.

McCoy’s injury is undisclosed at the moment, but nothing short of a miracle will let Texas win this game even if he returns. Texas’ running game has been as successful as possible when they have absolutely no threat to pass the ball, running for 86 yards on 18 carries.

Gilbert is 1-for-10 passing for minus-4 yards and two interceptions. Late in the half, offensive coordinator Greg Davis opened up his playbook slightly and allowed Gilbert to make a few throws downfield. He had a touchdown pass knocked away, intended for Malcolm Williams. It was a very good throw, and the defensive play on the ball was simply spectacular.

Trailing 14-6, Gilbert lofted a fade pass to a wide-open Jordan Shipley, but it fell just out of reach.

Mark Ingram is on his way to the best performance for a Heisman winner in the national title game since Matt Leinart in the 2004-05 season. He has 90 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown so far.

Gilbert, a true freshman and the Gatorade athlete of the year in 2008, will have brighter days, but tonight’s task is simply over his head.

Texas 6 Alabama 0: end of first quarter

So there you have it. It’s been 32 days since Alabama and Texas were selected to play in the national championship game. Those days have been filled with bookoos of prognostication and predictions.

Three minutes had not gone by in tonight’s game before it was all for naught. Colt McCoy, the Texas quarterback, better known as the Longhorns’ Only Hope, left the game with an apparent shoulder injury and has not returned.

Garrett Gilbert is McCoy’s backup, and he took over on the first drive, leading Texas to a field goal.

Too bad Nick Saban can not see into the future. The usually conservative coach called a fake punt on fourth down with 18 yards to go from his own 20-yard line. The pass was intercepted by Blake Gideon at the 37.

It was a ironic redemption play for Gideon, who dropped an easy interception last year against Texas Tech, ultimately costing Texas an undefeated season and spot in last year’s national championship game.

After the Hunter Lawrence field goal, Alabama muffed a pooch kick and the Longhorns recovered. That was perfect for Gilbert, who was limited to mostly handoffs on the drive. Texas added another field goal after failing to convert a first down.

Alabama responded with a drive down to the Texas 3-yard line as the quarter came to an end. They seem poised to score a touchdown and take a 7-6 lead.

The Crimson Tide’s offense struggled prior to this most recent drive. Greg McElroy was sacked three times in nine plays and was clearly rattled in the pocket. If he settles down, and the Tide commit to running the ball down Texas’ throats, it’s highly unlikely the Longhorns’ offense can keep up if McCoy does not return.

Texas needs big plays from its defense and special teams to have a chance. Turnovers and field position become the biggest factors, bar none.

Worilds departure leaves youthful line for 2010

Jason Worilds, the redshirt junior defensive end for the Virginia Tech Hokies, declared himself eligible for the NFL Draft Thursday.

Worilds finished the 2009 season with 49 tackles, 11 for a loss, and 4.5 sacks.

Worilds is the 12th-rated defensive end according to nfldraftscout.com, making him a likely third or fourth-round pick.

The move seems to be a smart one for the second-team all-ACC performer, who has dealt with injury issues throughout his career. Clearly, Worilds did not want to risk a serious injury in 2010, costing him millions of potential dollars.

His departure leaves the Hokie defense in a tight spot next season. Already graduating on the defensive line are starters Nekos Brown, Cordarrow Thompson, and Demetrius Taylor.

John Graves is the only player on the 2010 roster with starting experience on the defensive line. The rising senior started eight games in 2009.

Chris Drager is expected to take Brown’s spot at the “stud” end position. Drager finished 2009 with 22 tackles and 2.5 sacks as the backup. He is a converted tight end who was stuck behind Greg Boone, Andre Smith, and Sam Wheeler on the depth chart, and the coaching staff felt Drager was too athletic to keep off the field entirely.

He was very impressive for the playing time he had this past season, the first year playing the position in his life. He will need plenty of repetitions in spring practice and will have high expectations come August.

As far as Worilds’ replacement, Steven Friday, a product of the high school juggernaut Phoebus, will step in for his senior season. Friday was a highly touted prospect out of Phoebus (he was a four-star recruit in the class of 2005, according to rivals.com) but has failed to live up to the hype so far. Here is his chance to validate those expectations.

Graves will anchor the interior of the defensive line. When healthy, he has been a dominant force at nose tackle, with great strength and quickness that would be expected of a former defensive end.

He was third on the team in 2009 with 10 quarterback hurries, despite being sixth on the defensive line in number of snaps played. When he is on the field for entire possessions at a time next season, he could have a breakout senior year.

The other defensive tackle will be Antoine Hopkins, a Richmond product out of Highland Springs High School. Hopkins played 20 snaps in the bowl game behind Taylor. Most Hokie fans would remember Hopkins for his interception and near return for a touchdown against Alabama in the season opener.

The coaching staff is very high on Hopkins and will need him to become more consistent at shedding blocks in the running game. His natural pass rushing ability for a defensive tackle is remarkable, and he could become a very poor man’s Ndamukong Suh next season (not trying to be sacrilegious—he simply plays a similar style).

As usual, defensive line coach Charley Wiles will have a very fast defensive line in 2010. The Hokies are notorious for having great depth in that unit and always having fresh bodies flying to the football.

When three of the four starters have no prior experience starting at this level, depth could be an issue. Here are some names to look for to emerge as the backup linemen next season.

· Isaiah Hamlette, Stud End: 6'4", 245 lbs., will be a redshirt sophomore, athletically ready to play, mental aspect of the game is holding him back so far.

· Kwamaine Battle, Nose Tackle: 6'0", 281 lbs., will be a redshirt junior, needs to commit himself in the offseason to improve strength and stay in shape.

· Dwight Tucker, Tackle: 6'1", 280 lbs., will be a redshirt sophomore and will battle Hopkins for starting spot.

· Zack McCray, Defensive End: 6'4", 240 lbs., will be a true freshman, seventh-rated defensive end in class of 2010 according to rivals.com.

· David Wang, Nose Tackle: 6'2", 310 lbs., will be a redshirt freshman, shoulder injury held him out of practice all season, but is a great athlete with strong football background (brother of graduating left tackle Ed Wang).