With Steve Greer graduating and attempting to ply his wares at the next level, we're left with a 376-tackle hole in the heart of our defense. Now, I remain bullish on Kwontie Moore as our Ray Lewis, and I like Henry Coley enough to feel comfortable with him at the Mike if that's what it comes to. But the key to being a really good college football team is stacking up talent at key positions, and no matter how you slice it, middle linebacker is absolutely a key position in a 4-3 defense. Enter Micah Kiser, a 4-star linebacker recruit (according to 247, he's a high 3-star on Rivals) earmarked for the Mike position. Kiser is not the biggest linebacker prospect, at just 6-2, 215, but he's got the speed, movement skills, and relentlessness in pursuit that can add up to a pretty special sum. He's an athletic guy, who adds some desperately-needed depth at the linebacker position. In my mind, Kiser is one of the key recruits in this class.
UVA Projection: Assuming a 2013 redshirt, there will be two seasons of spacing between Moore and Kiser. Therefore, I project Kiser to get on the field in sub packages and special teams as a redshirt freshman (2014) and sophomore (2015) before taking over the Mike spot for 2016 and '17. And during those two seasons, I fully expect Kiser to emerge as a star, and a Sunday player by the time he leaves Charlottesville. I really like this kid and his potential. (Kiser reminds me of Odell Thurman, if any of you are Georgia or Cincinnati Bengals fans.)
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