No. 11. Logan Thomas, QB, Virginia Tech

2011 stats: He started all 14 games and played nearly 1,000 snaps in his first season as a full-time starter. Thomas completed 234 of 391 passes (59.8 percent) for 3,013 yards with 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also carried 153 times for 469 net yards and 11 touchdowns.

Previous ranking: Not ranked.

Making the case for Thomas: Virginia Tech fans must love watching opponents try to tackle their quarterback. At 6-foot-6 and 254 pounds, Thomas is like a lumberjack, and as the 2011 season progressed, he became a more complete player. Thomas set a new school record for rushing touchdowns in a season by a quarterback with 11, and he broke the school's single-season total offense record set by Tyrod Taylor in 2010. His 234 completions, 391 attempts and 3,013 yards passing all rank second in school history for a single season behind only Don Strock's records set in 1972. All of that and it was only his first year.

No. 12 Blake DeChristopher, OT, Virginia Tech

No. 13 Shawn Powell, P, Florida State

No. 14 Zach Brown, LB, North Carolina

No. 15 Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina

No. 16 Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech

No. 17 Sean Spence, LB, Miami

No. 18 Zebrie Sanders, OT, Florida State

No. 19 Joe Vellano, DT, Maryland

No. 20 Lamar Miller, RB, Miami

No. 21 Chris Givens, WR, Wake Forest

No. 22 Terrell Manning, LB, NC State

No. 23 Matt Conrath, DT, Virginia

No. 24 Omoregie Uzzi, RG, Georgia Tech

No. 25 Brandon Jenkins, DE, Florida State