Virginia Tech football has had some good incoming freshmen who have made an impact in their first season in Blacksburg. It would have to be a special player in this day and age to come in and make an impact like that, but former Hokies cornerback Kendall Fuller did just that.
Fuller was a dominating player in his freshman year alone, and the stats back it up. Chris Hummer of CBS Sports ranked the top 25 true freshmen of the century, and Fuller came in 14th, the second-highest-ranked cornerback behind LSU's Darrell Stingley, who came in at No. 5, just six years after Fuller's rookie season at Virginia Tech. Here is what Hummer wrote about Fuller,
"The best true freshman cornerback of the 21st century prior to Stingley's emergence, Fuller was dominant with 58 tackles, three tackles for loss and six interceptions, which tied for seventh nationally. Remarkably, Fuller played next to another true freshman (Brandon Facyson), who played nearly as well, reeling in five interceptions. The Hokies finished the year eighth in passing yards allowed per game and held opposing passers to a 48.2 completion percentage, which was fourth nationally."
That year was the start of three years with the Hokies for Fuller, who recorded 119 tackles in 29 career games in Blacksburg, 73 of them were solo. He also finished with eight interceptions for Bud Foster's defense.
Fuller would be picked in the third round, 84th overall by the then-Washington Redskins and he currently plays for the Miami Dolphins in the AFC East. In 11 games in South Florida last season for the Fins, he had 50 tackles.
Fuller was a tremendous player at Virginia Tech and was a big-time addition to the lineup as a freshman for the Hokies and Foster, and it's not surprising to see him as the second-highest ranked cornerback of the last 25 years.