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Phil Steele Names Four Hokies All-A.C.C.

Legendary Pundit Forecasts Big Things From Blacksburg

By Roy Hatfield
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Phil Steele makes a living predicting the future.  He can tell you who will win the Big-10.  He can tell you who will win the Maxwell Award.  His latest tome of all things college football will hit the shelf July 1st.  On his website, he features a countdown that lets you know exactly when the issue drops.  I always look for these type of publications this time of year, and his is arguably the gold standard.  Rivals.com loves him.  Most of the college football insiders agree that his predictions are more accurate than most.  What I like about him is that he personally writes the two page preview for every team. He doesn't farm it out. He does the work.  The pages are stat laden, and pull no punches.  They are are typically not what you want to hear, but what you need to know.  Steele tapped four Hokies to have all-conference seasons.

The thing that gets me fired up is that Steele has picked both of our DE's as FIRST TEAM. There has been plenty of hype around #DBU (rightfully so). #DBU for the twittersphere newbie folks is the call sign of Defensive Back University. The fact that Steele has Kendall Fuller as a first team all-American somewhat cements that reputation, but how crazy would it be to have a Corey Moore, Cornell Brown type tag team at end? The possibilities are endless. Imagine Bud Foster rarely having to blitz to get pressure? If they choose to put Fuller on an island (they will!), the extra backer should get plenty of sack opportunities. Ekanem and Nicolas should provide a ton of pressure this year. You can't favor one side of the field either. On the other corner, Brandon Facyson was named 2nd teal All-A.C.C. from Phil Steele. Where do these teams plan to throw?

Bucky Hodges was the lone offensive player to garner first round love. No surprise here, as a QB's best friend aside from a strong running game is a reliable TE. If I was Michael Brewer, I would definitely be picking up the tab for lunch. Hodges has the potential to be a game changer. He's a matchup nightmare for opposing coaches. With imposing size and incredible hands, he will be playing on Sunday. It would be a blessing and a curse to be ranked going in the game against Ohio State, but it would be nice to not have to shuffle all the way to the back of a magazine to read a sad little paragraph for Virginia Tech. We are less than 100 days until kickoff, and Steele is painting a pretty picture.

Follow me on Twitter @roybhatfield

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