Peter Casey – USA TODAY Sports
The Virginia Tech Hokies put together a strong 2013 recruiting class this offseason that they hope will pay immediate dividends next fall and for the next four to five years down the road. With 10 four-star recruits joining the roster, none may be as important to the team’s success in 2013 as cornerback Brandon Facyson. The talented early enrollee should make an immediate impact on the Hokies’ defense next fall.
Facyson was the No. 26 overall cornerback prospect in the country last year and signed on with the Hokies last summer. He enrolled early so that he could participate in spring practice and worked his way onto the two-deep depth chart for next season. During the spring game, he spent time with the second-team defense and is currently slotted behind starter Kyle Fuller. As he continues to learn and grow in the defense, he could earn a much bigger role in the gameplan for next fall.
At 6-foot-2, Facyson is a tall, athletic defender with the fluid ability to drop his hips and change direction with a receiver, making him a dynamic man-to-man defender. He also possesses the closing burst to make plays in zone coverage and the ball skills to go up and make a play on passes in the air, demonstrated by his two-way standout prep career as a cornerback and defensive back. There is room on his frame to add some bulk, but he has the instincts and ability to be solid right away.
That lack of bulk could be what keeps Facyson from cracking the starting lineup next fall, along with the experienced veterans ahead of him, but his performance this spring has certainly opened up opportunities to get on the field. Every pass defense must have quality coverage specialists who can rotate in at any point, and Facyson could turn out to be that guy for Virginia Tech in 2013 before transitioning into a No. 1 caliber corner in the very near future.
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