1. MICHAEL VICK
The voters got it right here. Never mind his future off-the-field indiscretions, Vick -- arguably the university's most popular icon -- lifted Tech football to new heights. His clutch last-minute drive against West Virginia in 1999 landed Hokie football in its only ever national championship game, and cemented orange and maroon as a national powerhouse. Whether it was through highlight reels, word-of-mouth, consumer apparel or endorsements, the level of "cool" Vick added to the program could've only been topped if they'd then recruited the mythical quarterback introduced to the world during last week's Florida State game -- "Macho Taylor."
2. BRUCE SMITH
As with Vick, we really have no issue with No. 2 on the list. Putting his Hall of Fame career aside, Smith was a major name during his time at Tech. There is no doubt that Smith has had the greatest effect of any defensive player in Hokie history. He recorded 46 sacks, with an astounding 22 of them in 1983 -- a season in which he was named to the All-America first team. The next year, he won the Outland Trophy and was a consensus All-American. His teams may not have won a conference title, but no Tech player put up more staggering numbers on the defensive side of the ball.
3: COREY MOORE
If Tech's generations-long run of producing superior defensive ends would be considered a dynasty, then Moore's reign is the Han. Regularly ruining the Saturdays of opposing quarterbacks in the late '90s, Moore was the Big East's greatest defensive player in the year prior to Tech's national championship appearance. He somehow followed up that act with the most dominating defensive performance during Tech's Sugar Bowl run. While he didn't take home championship hardware, his trophy case remains plenty full.
4: BRYAN RANDALL
In the 2004 season, Randall accomplished the college football equivalent of Genghis Khan uniting the Mongols. Everyone knows the 2003 team distressed Frank Beamer unlike any other in recent memory. Case in point: Marcus Vick shared time at quarterback.
The season ended with a 52-49 Insight Bowl loss to California. The next year, Randall, who was criticized as perceivably not having quite the skill set of Vick, managed to snag the starting job and unite the team, the order of which probably overlaps. With leadership skills every Tech player from then on out can look up to, the Hokies far surpassed expectations and won the ACC championship in their inaugural year in the conference, falling only a field goal shy of Sugar Bowl glory.
5: CORNELL BROWN
This move down the ladder is not a knock on Brown. It is more because of the successes of Moore and Randall. Brown's noteworthy stats and honors are undeniable. He was part of four consecutive bowl appearances and two straight Big East Conference championships. His junior year, 1995, was his most impressive. Brown led the Big East in sacks with 14, and had 103 tackles. He was also the conference's defensive player of the year and became the first Tech junior to earn consensus All-American honors.
Brown was a great player and, in all honesty, there was serious consideration toward keeping him at No. 3. However, the stats and performance of Moore and Randall were slightly better.
6: KEVIN JONES
The standing for Jones didn't change much. He is No. 2 on the school's all-time rushing yardage list, despite having 227 fewer carries than leader Cyrus Lawrence. Add in the fact that Jones split time with Lee Suggs -- another standout running back for the Hokies -- and Jones may have been at the top. In his freshman season, Jones ran for 957 yards and claimed Big East Rookie of the Year honors. He then compiled 1,647 yards in 2003, the most by a Hokie back in a single season.
7: CYRUS LAWRENCE
As mentioned above, Lawrence is Tech's all-time career rushing leader. He is below Jones on this rundown, but he was nowhere near the readers' top 10. This is probably a prime example of us younger people voting for players we've seen and known -- which is completely understandable. But put some research into Lawrence's stellar career and one can see why he's one of the best. He led the Hokies in rushing yards for three consecutive years -- from 1979 to 1981 -- and is one of only three to have multiple 1,000-yard seasons. Lawrence also holds the Tech record for most games with at least 100 yards on the ground (16).
8: BRANDON FLOWERS
Remember how boring that Kent State game was before Flowers blew that guy up, or how nervous Drew Weatherford was making Lane Stadium before Flowers showed Florida State that protecting its quarterback was a good idea? The most miraculous thing about this is that he was dropping the hammer from the boundary-cornerback position -- meant to shut down receivers. After two All-American selections and 60 chin bruises from dropping my jaw to the floor, shame on the voters for leaving Flowers out of the top 10. Shame!
9: JIM PYNE
Offensive linemen are overlooked in terms of ranking the best players and for good reason. They don't have the gaudy stats next to their name. However, an offensive lineman's success can be reflected in several areas. First, there are quarterback sacks. Pyne played more than 2,700 snaps in four seasons and only allowed just one sack. Protection of the quarterback gives the passer more time to throw, leading to solid numbers on offense. That was certainly the case in 1993, when the Hokies averaged more than 441 yards and 36 points per game. Tech was 14th in the nation in total offense, 11th in scoring and 10th in rushing. Pyne was rewarded for his efforts that year, garnering first-team All-America honors from the Associated Press.
10: EDDIE ROYAL
Eddie! Eddie! ... No love for fast Eddie Royal? Wow, not someone you all should've left out of the top 10, either. When Tech football and Frank Beamer come to mind, what do you think of? Pretending this year didn't happen, great special teams of course.
Royal scared punters, coaches and gunners white for four years, and really made the stopping-Tech-from-blocking-kicks effort exponentially tougher. His receiving numbers aren't quite up to snuff with what he's doing in his Rookie of the Year campaign in the pros, but I guess we can let that go.
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