A bevy of Hokies are competing for carries and catches during the 2009 season. The Hokies are loaded at running back thanks to freshmen Ryan Williams and David Wilson. They have good depth at wide receiver, but none have separated themselves from the pack.

Not all of these players will be able to get the carries and catches they feel they deserve. But maybe instead of being unhappy about it, they should follow in the footsteps of Justin Hamilton.

Hamilton came to the Hokies as a running back and redshirted in 2001. He spent the next two seasons as a wide receiver since the Hokies weren't very deep at those positions and had Kevin Jones at running back. In 2003, he was second on the team in receptions. With four good receivers joining the mix in 2004, Hamilton was on the move again, this time back to running back where he carried the ball 75 times for the ACC champions.

The biggest move came in 2005. The Hokies had lots of depth at both receiver and running back with the emergence of Cedric Humes, Mike Imoh and Branden Ore. With no room at receiver, either, Hamilton moved to the other side of the field to free safety where the Hokies didn't have a lot of experience.

Hamilton was a significant contributor on one of the best Hokie defenses in recent memory. They led the nation in total defense, were third in pass defense and second in scoring defense. Hamilton was in on 35 tackles and had three interceptions that year.

He turned his newly found defensive skills into a seventh round pick of the 2006 NFL draft by Cleveland and is currently a safety for the Washington Redskins. In my opinion, Hamilton is one of the most self-less Hokies in Frank Beamer's tenure and an example for all Virginia Tech players.

Surely, there are players on the 2009 team who could follow Hamilton's example. Who do you think would be best served by a move to defense, where the Hokies don't have a lot of depth this season?