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Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Ranking ACC’s top defenders
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Pinehurst, N.C. — The ACC preseason meetings wrapped up Tuesday morning and now the caravan moves on to Birmingham for the SEC meetings on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. But before we leave this beautiful place, here are the top five defensive players to watch in the ACC this season:
1. Calais Campbell, Jr. DE, Miami. A lot went wrong at Miami last season but it wasn’t the fault of the defense. The Hurricanes fielded the best defense against the run in their history (67.9 yards per game) last season and Campbell was a big reason why. He also had 10.5 sacks and posted at least one sack in seven straight games. This guy is a junior and if he has the kind of year that everybody expects, next season he will be playing on Sunday.
2. Vince Hall, Sr., LB, Virginia Tech. Led the ACC with 128 total tackles (9.8 per game) and anchored a defense that led the nation in yards allowed per game (219.5). He joins with Xavier Abidi (another senior) to give the Hokies one of the best linebacker tandems on the planet.
3. Phillip Wheeler, Jr., LB, Georgia Tech. Incredibly athletic and almost impossible to knock off his feet. Last season Wheeler shared the defensive spotlight with fellow linebacker KaMichael Hall. This year he will be the star of a very good Yellow Jackets defense.
4. Kenny Phillips, Soph., FS, Miami. Best free safety in the country. Hurricane fans thought they would never have another safety as good as Sean Taylor or Ed Reed. This guy is just as good or may be better. Had four interceptions in 2006.
5. Chris Long, Sr. DE, Virginia. Long is a high-energy player who was virtually double-teamed on every single play last season. Still, he had five sacks, 12 tackles for loss and 21 quarterback pressures. He is the unquestioned leader of the Cavs and one of 10 starters returning for the Cavaliers on defense. If the name sounds familiar it should. He is the son of former NFL great Howie Long.
