I read a San Francisco Giants blog where this topic was discussed and thought it would be a fun topic to bring over to TheKeyPlay.
Here's the basics: For each of the roughly 26 positions on the football roster, you have to choose a player in a specific season. You can't repeat players and you can't repeat seasons.
So, to get the obvious one out of the way...
QB - Sean Glennon, 2007
Just making sure you're paying attention.
QB - Michael Vick, 1999
2065 YDS Passing for 13 TDs and 5 INTs, 682 YDS Rushing for 9 TDs, 3rd in Heisman balloting
Perhaps the pick that most of us would make, this was actually a harder choice than it appears at first glance. The 1999 had so many outstanding seasons, including Andre Davis and Corey Moore, that selecting Vick here means that those seasons are off the board.
Honorable Mentions: Tyrod Taylor (2010), Jerod Evans (2016)
RB - David Wilson, 2011
RB - Ryan Williams, 2009
Wilson: 209 ATT, 1709 YDS, 9 TD Rushing, 22 REC, 129 YDS, 1 TD Receiving
Williams: 293 ATT, 1655 YDS, 21 TD Rushing, 16 REC, 180 YDS, 1 TD Receiving
One of the hardest positions to select, Wilson and Williams get the nod over a slew of honorable mentions that could easily have been added to the roster. Wilson's 2011 ACC POY-worthy season was noted best for his consistency. He ran for over 100 yards in 10 out of 14 games that season, including a run of 7 straight where the Hokies went 6-1. Ryan MF Williams burst on to the scene as a freshman, rushing for over 100 yards in 10 out of 13 games. His 21 rushing touchdowns in a single season were only bested by Lee Suggs (twice). Williams won the Rookie of the Year award in the ACC in 2009.
Which may lead to the question: Why didn't you select Lee Suggs? Why didn't YOU select Lee Suggs?!?! Lee had the misfortune of having great seasons in seasons that were used to fill other positions. We needed offensive linemen and defensive backs on this list and the decisions get tough when you have to overlook a great season for a good one to fill a slot.
Honorable Mentions: Lee Suggs (2000, 2002), Kevin Jones (2003)
WR - Isaiah Ford, 2015
WR - Antonio Freeman, 1992
Ford: 75 REC, 1164 YDS, 11 TD
Freeman: 32 REC, 703 YDS, 6 TD
The old record holder and the new record holder fill out the wide receiver spots on the list. While Freeman's numbers do not jump off the page like Ford's, think of it more as a lifetime achievement award. That, and Freeman's biggest competition came from Andre Davis, Danny Coale and Jarrett Boykin, all of whom played with excellent players who were needed at their positions.
Ford's 2015 First Team All-ACC campaign looks even more impressive when you remember he had Michael Brewer and Brenden Motley throwing passes to him. His record-setting season led the ACC in receiving yards and touchdowns. He put on an almost equally impressive show in 2016, but ...
Honorable Mentions: Davis (1999), Coale (2011)
TE - Bucky Hodges, 2016
48 REC, 691 YDS, 7 TD
... I needed 2016 for the Tight End position. Looking through statistics for the last 26 years, I realized just how rare a great TE is in Blacksburg. The next best tight end in school history, Jeff King, never put up more than 304 yards in a season and totaled only 33 more yards in his whole career than Hodges had in 2016. While this is a reflection of the change in system and the change in college football as a whole, it was impossible to deny Bucky a spot on this list.
LT - Ed Wang, 2008
LG - Matt Lehr, 2000
C - Jim Pyne, 1993
RG - Todd Washington, 1997
RT - Jon Dunn, 2004
A group made up entirely of future NFL draft picks (one 4th-round selection, two 5th, two 7th), this group was the hardest to select because of my lack of knowledge of the offensive line. Is Jim Pyne better than Jake Grove? Is Matt Lehr better than Chris Malone? I don't know. And there's no stats to help easily identify one season as better than the others.
Wang's 2008 team rushed for 174 yards per game. Lehr's 2000 campaign led to a second-team All-Big East selection as he paved the way for Lee Suggs to rack up over 1200 rushing yards and 27 rushing touchdowns. Jim Pyne was the first unanimous All-American in Virginia Tech history in 1993. Washington was named to the first-team All-Big East team in 1997. Jon Dunn was a second-team All-ACC selection in 2004.
Honorable Mentions: Chris Malone (1995), Jake Grove (2003), Blake DeChristopher (2011), Probably lots more
DE - Corey Moore, 1998
DE - Cornell Brown, 1995
Moore: 70 Tackles, 14.5 Sacks, 3 Blocked Kicks, 2 Forced Fumbles, 2 Fumble Recoveries
Brown: 107 Tackles, 17 Sacks, 1 Forced Fumble
Another casualty of the one-per-season rule is Corey Moore's 1999 season. So I settled for his (still very good) 1998 season. Moore was selected as an AFCA first team All-American in 1998, as well as the Big East Defensive Player of the Year.
Cornell Brown's 1995 season was just Virginia Tech's 3rd consensus first team All-American selection. He had four games during the season in which he put up 3 sacks. He helped lead Virginia Tech to their first major bowl win in the Sugar Bowl over Texas.
Honorable Mentions: Corey Moore (1999), Jason Worilds (2009), John Engelberger (1999)
DT - JC Price, 1994
DT - David Pugh, 2001
Price: 69 Tackles, 4 Tackles for Loss, 3 Sacks, 1 Fumble Recovery
Pugh: 50 Tackles, 14 Tackles for Loss, 3.5 Sacks, 1 Forced Fumble, 1 Blocked Kick
JC Price was an unheralded member of the 1994 defense that featured Cornell Brown and Torrian Gray. Price had a solid year in 1994 before developing into a 3rd team All-American in 1995. Price's 1994 season included a monster game against #6 Miami, where he recorded 10 tackles and a sack. He went on to get drafted in the 3rd round by Carolina.
David Pugh's senior season in 2001 sprung him to a 6th round selection be the Indianapolis Colts. He earned first team All-Big East honors in what was his first season as a starter.
Honorable Mentions: Darryl Tapp (2005)
Mike - Jack Tyler, 2012
Backer - Xavier Adibi, 2006
Whip - James Anderson, 2005
Tyler: 119 Tackles, 13 Tackles for Loss, 2.5 Sacks
Adibi: 82 Tackles, 6.5 Tackles for Loss, 3 Sacks, 3 Forced Fumbles, 3 Interceptions, 1 Fumble Recovery, 1 TD
Anderson: 82 Tackles, 8.5 Tackles for Loss, 3 Sacks, 1 Forced Fumble, 2 Interceptions, 1 Fumble Recovery, 1 TD
Because someone from the 2012 team had to be picked, Jack Tyler benefited from being the bright spot on a 7-6 team. In the opening game against Georgia Tech, Tyler recorded 17 tackles and 1 TFL. Tyler rode that momentum through the season and was selected as a first team all-ACC LB.
Xavier Adibi was a force to be reckoned with next to Vince Hall for Bud Foster's defense. Though he wouldn't receive first team All-American honors until the 2007 season, Adibi's junior season in 2006 was excellent also. Adibi's standout game of the 2006 season came against Miami when he recorded 9 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, and an interception as Tech defeated the Hurricanes 17-10.
James Anderson manned the Whip position for the Virginia Tech defense, starting in his junior and senior seasons. In his senior season in 2005, Anderson helped the Hokies to an 11-2 record. In his last game in a Hokie uniform, he shined in the Gator Bowl victory over Louisville, recording 5 tackles, 1 fumble recovery, and an interception he returned for a touchdown to ice the game.
Honorable Mentions: Vince Hall (2006), Mook Reynolds (2016)
CB - Brandon Flowers, 2007
CB - Jayron Hosley, 2010
Flowers: 86 Tackles, 5 Interceptions, 1 Fumble Recovery, 1 TD
Hosley: 39 Tackles, 9 Interceptions, 1 TD
Shuffling different cornerbacks in different years was the hardest part of this roster. Every time I would decide on a cornerback, I would need the year to fill another position. Luckily, the wealth of cornerbacks over the years left plenty of options.
Brandon Flowers' 2007 season led to many honors and a first round selection in the 2007 NFL draft. He was named a first team All-American by AFCA, but was only voted to the All-ACC second team. Statistically speaking, Flowers took major strides in every category from 2006 to 2007. His 5 interceptions in 2007 made up half of his career total at Virginia Tech.
Jayron Hosley tied a 43-year old school record with his 9 interceptions in a single season in 2010, leading the NCAA. His standout season led to a first team All-ACC selection, as well as a first team All-American selection by the Walter Camp Football Foundation.
Honorable Mentions: Kendall Fuller (2014), Kyle Fuller (2013), Macho Harris (2008), Jimmy Williams (2005), DeAngelo Hall (2003),Tyronne Drakeford (1992)
FS - Willie Pile, 2002
106 Tackles, 4 Interceptions, 2 Forced Fumble, 2 Fumble Recoveries, 1 TD
Willie Pile's stat-stuffing season led to an All-Big East second team selection in 2002. Playing with DeAngelo Hall and Vegas Robinson, Pile finished second on the team in tackles and tied for the team lead in interceptions. Sporting News also selected Pile as a second team All-American.
ROV - Kyshoen Jarrett, 2013
71 Tackles, 2 Interceptions
Playing alongside TWO Fuller brothers would make any safety look good, but Kyshoen had a knack for standing out by making plays like this one:
The coaches voted Jarrett to a third team All-ACC selection 2013. I'm guessing Paul Chryst was one of those who kept him off the second team.
Honorable Mentions: Pierson Prioleau (1997)
K - Shayne Graham, 1996
10-16 FG, 39-39 PAT
Another lifetime achievement award, Shayne's 1996 season was unremarkable from a statistics standpoint. However, this was the last position I filled, picking the kicker in the one season I had left. I was hoping it would be Cody Journell so I could use this section to talk about his BWW-Pepper Spray incident. But instead, I just brought that up on my own.
P - AJ Hughes, 2014
80 Punts, 39.9 Yards/Punt, 22 Downed Inside the 20, 13 50+ Yards
Another beneficiary of a down season, AJ Hughes makes the list as possibly the best punter in Hokie history. He set records in many categories that identify the offensive ineptitude that plagued AJ's time at Virginia Tech: Most Punts (310), Most Punt Yardage (12,962) and Most Punt Yards in a Single Game (586!!!!!!! against Alabama in 2013). Yet, despite being used more than any punter in VT history, he still had enough energy to average the third best yards per punt in school history. And led to lots of cool memes.
RET - DeAngelo Hall, 2003
33 Returns, 487 Yards, 3 TD
Electric in both pass defense and the return game, you just knew DHall would make his way onto the list, one way or another. Hall's highlight game was against Syracuse, where he returned two punts for touchdowns within 100 seconds. Even after that, Syracuse still kicked the ball to him two more times. They kicked it away from him the other six times they punted. Hall was selected as the first team All-Big East Punt Returner for his efforts.
Honorable Mentions: Andre Davis (2000)
So to recap, 26 positions, 26 years:
QB - Michael Vick, 1999
RB - David Wilson, 2011
RB - Ryan Williams, 2009
WR - Isaiah Ford, 2015
WR - Antonio Freeman, 1992
TE - Bucky Hodges, 2016
LT - Ed Wang, 2008
LG - Matt Lehr, 2000
C - Jim Pyne, 1993
RG - Todd Washington, 1997
RT - Jon Dunn, 2004
DE - Corey Moore, 1998
DE - Cornell Brown, 1995
DT - JC Price, 1994
DT - David Pugh, 2001
Mike - Jack Tyler, 2012
Backer - Xavier Adibi, 2006
Whip - James Anderson, 2005
CB - Brandon Flowers, 2007
CB - Jayron Hosley, 2010
FS - Willie Pile, 2002
ROV - Kyshoen Jarrett, 2013
K - Shayne Graham, 1996
P - AJ Hughes, 2014
RET - DeAngelo Hall, 2003
Comments
I like Jayron at field, he excelled there and was very productive with interceptions. That's a horribly tough call to make on who the field corner should be. Boundary is easy Brandon Flowers.
Disagree with Jack Tyler over Vince Hall. I like Jack, but Vince was Bud's perfect Mike.
If you remove Tyler to get Hall, you lose Adibi in 2006. Do you take Bruce Taylor (the backer in 2012) to keep 2012 on the board?
The hardest part of getting the team full is the Domino effect on the other years/positions.
I skimmed the article and I must have missed the rules, oops haha.
NO FULLERS??!!!??
Concur, your list is broken. First step is to insert the best year of each Fuller, then proceed to complete remainder of roster.
OR, OR, what if the Fullers came together like Voltron? FULLTRON. Hold on, I gotta go pitch Netflix...
The only real atrocity I see is not having Jake Grove on the squad. Solid arguments are made for the others. Good job, good post.
No honorable mention for Cody Grimm at Whip (2008)?
The only omission I really took issue with.
Very cool idea for a list; it's a lot more difficult to pick a team when you can use one player per year. Nice work in putting the time and effort into this.
I'm only seeing 25 players/years, from 1992 - 2016. Does this mean you get to pick someone from the 1991 squad? If so, go for Eugene Chung and your o-line will improve dramatically.
Oops, counting is hard.
Originally I had a punt returner and kick returner and included 1991. Titled my spreadsheet "26 years" and never backchecked it.
I was about to yell at you for not including Duane Brown on the OL, but then I realized I hadn't read your rules.
So this....this is pretty good.
Man do I miss years like 09 and 11 when we had those running games
You missed Kevin Jones. He was far and away our best ever ball carrier.
Your honorable mention at WR sucks. No Eddie Royal, he was light years better than Coale.
At linebacker you need to have Ben Taylor.