Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 10 No. 5 | May 2018

inside.hokiesports.com 29 cobbtechnologies.com| 800.346.8228 Cornerbacks 3 Caleb Farley (6-2, 197, r-Fr.) 5 Bryce Watts (6-0, 171, So.) 26 Jovonn Quillen (6-0, 187, Jr.) 28 Jermaine Waller (6-1, 179, Fr.) 36 Adonis Alexander (6-3, 207, Sr.) 39 Tyree Rodgers (6-1, 185, r-So.) what Greg Stroman, Brandon Facyson, Kendall Fuller and all of those guys before them have done, and that’s to challenge wide receivers day in and day out.” Others who received a lot of work this spring included Tyree Rodgers, a rising redshirt sophomore who played in seven games this past fall, and true freshmen Jermaine Waller and D.J. Crossen, both of whom enrolled at Tech in January. The 6-foot-1, 191-pound Crossen played just as much at rover as cornerback, if not more. “We didn’t miss [on] athleticism,” Mitchell said of the early enrollees. “Both kids have great football IQ. I mean, they’re going to be welcome additions to our future. The work ethic is there, but just seeing bright-eyed … you know, kids that should be getting ready for prom right now or graduation are here on campus right now … where they [now] have a chance to help us in the fall.” An X-factor at cornerback comes in the form of Caleb Farley, the star of last year’s spring game—as a receiver. Farley, though, spent most of his time at cornerback before being moved to receiver for the final few practices and was set to play receiver this past fall before tearing his ACL in August. He missed the entire season. This past winter, head coach Justin Fuente decided to move Farley back to cornerback, with the possibility of also working him as a receiver this fall. The 6-2, 200-pounder first needs to get his knee healthy, as he missed all of the scrimmage work this spring. “Having him back on our side of the ball, I’m excited,” Mitchell said. “Another big, long, rangy kid that can run and challenge wide receivers day in and day out —why wouldn’t I be excited? It’s just going to add to DBU [Defensive Back University] and give us an opportunity to go out there and play great defense.” Tech also gets some help later this summer in the form of junior college transfer Jeremy Webb. The 6-3, 190-pound Florida native played at ASA College in Brooklyn, New York this past fall and earned all-conference honors before signing with the Hokies. Mitchell hopes to get himup to speed quickly. “One, to bring some maturity to our group,” Mitchell said when asked what Webb will bring to the cornerback positions. “I mean, there’s a big gap between Bryce Watts and Adonis Alexander. We don’t have but one junior in that slot right now, and that’s [Jovonn] Quillen. Tyree Rodgers is going to be a redshirt sophomore. Bryce will be a true sophomore. We will have [Jermaine] Waller, a true freshman, D.J. a true freshman, and Nadir Thompson [an incoming recruit], a true freshman. “Webb is going to give us the opportunity to bring some maturity there, bring some experience at a different level and hopefully some gamesmanship, where he can get out there and win a starting job.” All that being said, the Hokies need a healthy and focused Alexander to lead this group throughout the summer and into the fall. The lone senior in the bunch, he possesses the most experience, having played in 34 games (15 starts) in his career and recording seven interceptions. The Hokies have a lot of intriguing pieces at the cornerback positions, but they come with questions. Can Watts be a shutdown specialist? CanQuillen keep improving?Will the freshmen develop enough? What about Farley’s knee, or Webb’s ability to learn the scheme in a short time period? Hopefully, those answers come in early August—and hopefully they’re positive. Tech’s 2018 pass defense strategy hinges largely on that.