Spring practice is winding down, and the Hokies held another scrimmage in Lane Stadium Saturday. As detailed in last Friday's News and Notes, the depth chart has pretty much been set for the remainder of the spring, and the two-deep players are getting a lot of reps as the coaching staff works with the guys who will be the frontrunners going into the fall. Here's the latest on who's looking good, who's not, and what the feeling is about the team's depth.

"One guy that has been totally unblockable all spring is Chris Ellis," one of our insiders told us. "I think he is poised to have a breakout season, much like Darryl Tapp did a year ago."

Like Tapp last year, Ellis will be entering his third season at Virginia Tech as a redshirt sophomore next fall, and as we have said before, the third year in the program is when the light bulb usually goes on for players. Tapp posted some good statistics as a true sophomore but was often out of position and got pushed around at times. Then he became a more solid all-around player as a true junior in 2004.

Ellis exhibited the same on-again, off-again tendencies as a redshirt freshman last year. He played in all 13 games last year and finished tied for second on the team in QB hurries with 14, and fourth in tackles for loss with 7.5. But he was inconsistent, as you might expect from a redshirt freshman. He would make a great play, but then on the next snap, he would be out of position. But this spring, he has stepped up his game.

Noland Burchette, who injured his tricep last week and must sit out the rest of the spring, is generally perceived as the starter at the "stud" defensive end spot, opposite Tapp at the "end" spot. But Ellis, who backs up Burchette at stud, is every bit as good as Burchette, and maybe even better.

"I wouldn't at all be surprised to see Ellis starting this fall," our source said. "I think it would be very beneficial to the defense to have Tapp and Ellis on the field at the same time, and that duo would be our best defensive end combination since Moore and Engelberger."

That sounds like hyperbole, but there may be a ring of truth to it. The Hokies had the potential to start two great defensive ends last year in Tapp and Jim Davis, but Davis moved inside to tackle, giving way to the inexperienced Burchette to start at the stud end spot. Coming this fall, the Hokies truly could have a defensive end combination to rival Moore and Engelberger, whether Burchette -- who is scheduled to return next fall, without having surgery -- or Ellis starts opposite Tapp.

Corey Gordon continues to draw rave reviews at whip linebacker, where he recently moved from free safety. "He loves contact," we were told, "and always seems be coming up and making a big hit on either the ball carrier or a receiver. I saw Coach Cav out there coaching him up a bit in pass coverage, but I don't think it was anything major, just getting the fundamentals down."

Further towards the back of the defense, the Hokies continue to look for their third and fourth cornerbacks behind Jimmy Williams and Roland Minor, and one of our insiders thinks that Brandon Flowers, who is listed as second string behind Minor at field corner, has separated himself from the rest. "Brandon Flowers continues to impress me as well. Honestly, I'm not sure he's not better than Roland Minor right now. Not that Minor is playing poorly. On the contrary, he is playing well. But Flowers always seems to be making the big plays. He made an extremely athletic interception of a Vick pass on the sideline on Saturday. Came out of nowhere to make a great play."

Beyond Flowers, other scholarship cornerbacks who are competing for playing time are field corner Brian McPherson (r-Jr.) and boundary corners Theodore Miller (r-Fr.) and Chris Ceasar (r-Jr.). McPherson and Ceasar are the third-stringers, whereas Miller is in position to be the fourth cornerback this fall, backing up Jimmy Williams.

At free safety, an ankle injury to Justin Hamilton that will require surgery has all but handed the starting job to sophomore frontrunner D.J. Parker. The only other viable option at FS is redshirt freshman Kent Hicks, but at this point, "that ain't happening," a source says. Hicks is struggling -- "he was way behind Josh Hyman and later Jeremy Gilchrist in passing drills Friday" -- and the coaching staff feels that Hicks is at least a year away from grasping the position.

Hicks came out of high school as the third-ranked player in the state (per TSL) in 2004, and he originally signed with the Maryland Terrapins. When Maryland refused admission to Hicks very late in the ball game (try summer, 2004), he was freed from his LOI and was picked up by the Hokies, who were glad to get him, just before the 2004 football season. Those hoping for big things from Hicks will have to wait, hopefully not forever.

Also earning rave reviews from Saturday's scrimmage: Jonathan Lewis, and DT Barry Booker was said to be "playing much better."

One of our regular contacts has been harping all spring that the Hokies are perilously thin at offensive line, linebacker, and defensive back.

The offensive line comment isn't surprising, because other than center, where there is little separation between Danny McGrath and Ryan Shuman, but not much else in the way of depth. It's also not surprising to hear the comment about the defensive backs, where the Hokies are searching for backup cornerbacks and a new starting free safety and rover.

But linebacker? "I love Hall-Adibi-Anderson, but I'm not sold on [Blake]Warren-[Brett] Warren-[Robert] Parker." That comment was made before Gordon's switch to whip, when converted wide receiver and Iron Man winner Robert Parker was the backup whip linebacker. Beyond the obvious doubt about the Warren brothers, the comment says several things:

1.) Parker isn't taking quickly to the whip position. At 6-1, 212, Parker has good size for the whip position, and any Iron Man winner is starting off on the right foot. But Gordon was moved to whip, where he immediately took up residence in front of Parker on the depth chart, not a good sign for Parker. At whip linebacker, James Anderson is #1, the second string position is blank, Gordon is #3, and Parker is grouped with four walk-ons behind Gordon. Ouch.

2.) Purnell Sturdivant isn't hitting the ground running either, not enough to unseat #2 Blake Warren at the backer position. Sturdivant, a 5-10, 209-pound rising redshirt freshman, hasn't generated any buzz at the position and will apparently have to wait for senior Warren to depart the program before getting his shot at backing up Xavier Adibi.

3.) Ditto Andrew Bowman, who is third at the mike spot behind Vince Hall and true sophomore Brett Warren. The coaches liked Brett Warren enough to play him as a true freshman last year, mostly on special teams, while Bowman redshirted. And this spring, Warren has held down his spot ahead of Bowman.