After a 2-3 start to the season, Cincinnati won their last seven games to finish 9-3 and 7-1 in the AAC. While the Bearcats enter the Military Bowl hot, Virginia Tech needed a win over Virginia in their final game to become bowl eligible. Even with that victory, the Hokies have lost four of their last six games, including a 6-3 double-OT loss to Wake Forest on Nov. 22.
While this year’s Military Bowl doesn’t feature any legitimate top-100 prospects, each team has a few players that could attract attention from NFL teams in the later rounds.
By: Chris Tripodi
Virginia Tech
Detrick Bonner, S, #8
Tasked mostly with playing centerfield for the Hokies, Bonner shows the skills to make an impact against the run and the pass. The 6-0, 195-pound safety comes up quickly in run support, but has a tendency to overpursue plays and doesn’t always break down effectively. His light frame is a detriment to his tackling ability, as most of the time he slides down to the ballcarrier’s legs to take them down.
Against the pass, Bonner can match up with tight ends in man coverage as well as play deep. He has fluid hips to stay close in coverage but his size leads to him getting boxed out often on passes. Despite showing good speed, Bonner doesn’t have great range to the sideline and often find himself late to help cornerbacks. His limitations will prevent him from being an NFL starter, but he will likely be drafted on the third day and could settle into a backup and special teams role thanks to his athletic ability.
Kyshoen Jarrett, S, #34
While Jarrett is listed as a safety for scouting purposes, he plays more of a rover role in the Virginia Tech defense. Despite being listed at just 5-10, 188 pounds, Jarrett is a tough defender who often plays in the box to help out in run support. A hard hitter for his size, Jarrett is a sure tackler who rarely lets ballcarriers out of his grasp. He shows good field awareness and puts himself in position to make plays.
The Hokies’ leading tackler, Jarrett also leads the defense with three interceptions. He can hold his own in downfield coverage and has good hands to create turnovers. Like Bonner, Jarrett’s skill set isn’t that of an NFL starter, but he will definitely be a useful piece to have on a roster thanks to his versatility lining up at different positions, and his hard-nosed style will fit well on special teams as well. He should come off the board late on Day 3.
Cincinnati
Eric Lefeld, OT, #71
At 6-6, 309, Lefeld’s biggest advantage is his length, which he relies on heavily to keep opposing linemen off his body and sustain success at the college level. A limited athlete, Lefeld is slow in his kick slide and doesn’t show much quickness moving in the open field either, but his length helps offset his slow set and slide. The senior does get a little push as a run blocker, again mainly thanks to his length.
The common theme to Lefeld’s game has made him very effective for Cincinnati, but a lack of other top traits limits him to the late-round discussion. Lefeld has a chance to be drafted late in Day 3, but could also fall out of the draft entirely.
Terrell Hartsfield, DE, #95
A breakout senior season has put Hartsfield on the prospect map, as he leads the Bearcats with eight sacks and also has 9.5 tackles for loss this season. Despite the numbers, Hartsfield projects as no more than a nickel rusher at the NFL level. His lack of size (6-3,246) is a detriment to his projection, as Hartsfield is slow off the snap and lacks the natural bend necessary to be a top-notch edge rusher.
Hartsfield’s best bet for professional success would be to gain enough weight to hold his own on the inside, where his limitations as a rusher aren’t as pronounced as they would be on the outside. He’ll still likely go undrafted.
Jeff Luc, LB, #1
A five-star recruit coming out of high school, Luc committed to Florida State and spent two seasons with the Seminoles before transferring to Cincinnati. With last year’s leading tackler Greg Blair graduating, Luc stepped into his role in the middle and led the Bearcats with 120 tackles this year, adding 6.5 sacks as well. Like Blair, however, Luc is short (6-0, 253) and looks heavy and slow at times.
His instincts and gap-shooting ability are his best traits, and it’s possible that those could even improve if he sheds weight and increases his explosiveness. His speed and fluidity in coverage also suffers from the extra weight and Luc seems likely to fall out of the draft despite his pedigree and production.
Others to Watch:
Virginia Tech
Caleb Farris, OG, #79, 6-3, 307
Laurence Gibson, OT, #63, 6-6, 272
Cincinnati
Gunner Kiel, QB, #11, 6-4, 208
Mekale McKay, WR, #2, 6-6, 195
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