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Inside Hokie Sports
Most of the spotlight during Virginia Tech’s
spring practice centered on the quarterback
position, as the coaching staff evaluated
several candidates for the all-important spot.
If offensive coordinator Brad Cornelsen
needed yet another option, he could have
looked to the other side of the ball, where one
certain individual rushed for more than 1,200
Stroman
LEADS
a trio
of veterans at
cornerback
spots
by
Jimmy Robertson
yards and threw for more than 1,500 yards in
his final season of high school—making him a
rather nice fit for what Cornelsen likes in the
position.
“Nah, I haven’t said anything to him,”
Greg Stroman said, smiling. “My job is hard
enough. I’m going to stick with my job. Those
guys put a lot of time into what they do, and
it’s definitely tough. I’ll let them stick to the
hard part.”
Stroman, who dabbled as a receiver on
offense his first two seasons at Tech, played
strictly cornerback last fall and developed into
an all-conference player. He led all of Tech’s
cornerbacks with three interceptions and 13
passes defensed (interceptions and breakups),
which led to him earning third-team All-ACC
honors by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media
Association.
All his production a season ago came despite
a lower leg injury that forced him to miss three
games in November and play sparingly in both
the ACC Championship Game and the Belk
Bowl. Offseason surgery led to him missing
2
Tyree Rodgers
(6-1, 185, r-Fr.)
3
Greg Stroman
(6-0, 181, Sr.)
26
Jovonn Quillen
(6-0, 187, So.)
27
Shawn Payne
(6-3, 189, r-Jr.)
28
Bryce Watts
(6-0, 167, Fr.)
31
Brandon Facyson
(6-2, 197, Sr.)
36
Adonis Alexander
(6-3, 197, Jr.)
37
Devante Smith
(6-1, 202, Fr.)
39
Tyrone Thornton
(5-9, 197, r-So.)
42
Erikk Banks
(5-10, 180, r-Jr.)
AUGUST
•
2017
(In numerical order)
VIRGINIA TECH
CORNERBACKS
spring practice, but he spent the summer
rehabbing and feels ready to go.
“I feel like things are coming along well,”
Stroman said. “I feel strong. I’ve had a lot of
time in the weight room to build my upper
body strength, and my lower body is coming
along. I’m doing everything in the weight room.
I’ve been making all my times [in conditioning
drills], so everything is going well.”
Stroman
quietly
headlines
Tech’s
cornerbacks group—a unit that also features
redshirt senior Brandon Facyson and junior
Adonis Alexander. For whatever reasons,
those two seem to get more publicity than
Stroman, but Stroman deserves to be in any
discussion when it comes to the talent on
Virginia Tech’s defense.
He received national recognition this past
summer when Pro Football Focus College
Football analyzed his 2016 season and
revealed he allowed just a 52.4 passer rating
when targeted in coverage - second best
among returning cornerbacks in the ACC.
Only Clemson’s Ryan Carter allowed a lower
20
17
PREVIEW
CORNERBACKS
GREG
STROMAN