With the first transfer from a Tech player being announced today, I started a tracker for our anticipated roster overhaul. Bear with me while I fine-tune the formatting of the sheets embed.
I went ahead and removed players listed as seniors or grad students, but if any of you know that someone that has eligibility remaining and will be sticking around, comment and I'll add them back. When this is all said and done I hope to have roster adds and subtractions color-coded and the composite rankings updated so we can see if there is a significant shift in projected talent level. I welcome any and all feedback for formatting and modification.
| Name | Position | Δ | 247 Composite | Other School |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Krystian Williams | Cornerback | Transfer Out | 0.8689 | Richmond |
| Joseph Reddish | Cornerback | Transfer Out | App State | |
| Kenny Woseley Jr. | Cornerback | Transfer In | 0.8842 | Penn State |
| Cam Chadwick Jr. | Cornerback | Transfer In | 0.8304 | UConn |
| Jaquez White | Cornerback | Transfer In | Troy | |
| Amauri Polydor | Cornerback | Commit | 0.8833 | |
| Zaevion Cleveland | Cornerback | Commit | 0.8822 | |
| Jahmari DeLoatch | Cornerback | 0.8903 | ||
| Joshua Clarke | Cornerback | 0.8731 | ||
| Thomas Williams | Cornerback | 0.8656 | ||
| Knahlij Harrell | Cornerback | 0.8622 | ||
| Jojo Crim | Cornerback | 0.8470 | ||
| Isaiah Brown-Murray | Cornerback | 0.8378 | ||
| Josh Jones | Cornerback | |||
| Javion Hilson | Defensive Line | Transfer In | 0.9784 | Missouri |
| Mylachi Willams | Defensive Line | Transfer In | 0.9091 | Penn State |
| Daniel Jennings | Defensive Line | Transfer In | 0.8956 | Penn State |
| Cortez Harris | Defensive Line | Transfer In | 0.8925 | Penn State |
| Samual Okunlola | Defensive Line | Transfer In | 0.8833 | Colorado |
| Randy Adirika | Defensive Line | Transfer In | 0.8825 | Penn State |
| Eric Mensah | Defensive Line | Transfer In | 0.8742 | Ohio State |
| Tyson Harley | Defensive Line | Commit | 0.9109 | |
| T- Ron Richardson | Defensive Line | Commit | 0.8844 | |
| Garrett Witherington | Defensive Line | Commit | 0.8733 | |
| Kamren Johnson | Defensive Line | Commit | 0.8511 | |
| Kamauryn Morgan | Defensive Line | Ain't Playing School | 0.9048 | Baylor |
| Gerard Johnson | Defensive Line | 0.8895 | ||
| Kemari Copeland | Defensive Line | 0.8892 | ||
| Christian Evans | Defensive Line | 0.8892 | ||
| Emmett Laws | Defensive Line | 0.8875 | ||
| Aycen Stevens | Defensive Line | 0.8786 | ||
| Sherrod Henderson | Defensive Line | 0.8753 | ||
| Jason Abbey | Defensive Line | 0.8743 | ||
| Deric Dandy | Defensive Line | 0.8625 | ||
| Andrew Hanchuk | Defensive Line | 0.8575 | ||
| Zeke Chinwike | Defensive Line | 0.8542 | ||
| Elhadj Fall | Defensive Line | |||
| Grant Karczewski | Defensive Line | |||
| Will Love | Kicker | Commit | 0.8256 | |
| John Love | Kicker | 0.8181 | ||
| Connor McLaughlin | Kicker | |||
| Aiden Daugherty | Kicker | |||
| Noah Jenkins | Linebacker | Transfer Out | 0.8678 | |
| Caleb Woodson | Linebacker | Transfer Out | 0.8667 | Alabama |
| Keon Wylie | Linebacker | Transfer In | 0.8889 | Penn State |
| Curtis Jones Jr. | Linebacker | Transfer In | 0.8500 | WVU |
| Terry Wiggins | Linebacker | Commit | 0.9263 | |
| Mathieu Lamah | Linebacker | Commit | 0.8878 | |
| John-Patrick Oates | Linebacker | Commit | 0.8733 | |
| Gabe Williams | Linebacker | 0.9061 | ||
| Brett Clatterbaugh | Linebacker | 0.8819 | ||
| Kaleb Spencer | Linebacker | 0.8769 | ||
| Noah Chambers | Linebacker | 0.8731 | ||
| Antwone Santiago | Linebacker | |||
| Brody Jones | Linebacker | |||
| George Ballance | Linebacker | |||
| Darius Taylor | Linebacker | |||
| Drew Doyle | Long Snapper | Transfer Out | ||
| Deed Capper | Long Snapper | Transfer In | Wisconsin | |
| Christian Epling | Long Snapper | |||
| Carter Stallard | Offensive Line | Transfer Out | 0.8664 | |
| Hannes Hammer | Offensive Line | Transfer Out | 0.8639 | |
| Jahzari Priester | Offensive Line | Transfer Out | North Texas | |
| Logan Howland | Offensive Line | Transfer In | 0.8917 | Oklahoma |
| Michael Troutman | Offensive Line | Transfer In | 0.8772 | Penn State |
| Justin Bell | Offensive Line | Transfer In | 0.8617 | Michigan State |
| Justin Terry | Offensive Line | Transfer In | 0.8392 | Ohio State |
| Thomas Wilder | Offensive Line | Commit | 0.8987 | |
| Marlen Bright | Offensive Line | Commit | 0.8923 | |
| Benjamin Eziuka | Offensive Line | Commit | 0.8867 | |
| Roseby 'Purgatory' Lubintus | Offensive Line | Commit | 0.8767 | |
| Maddox Cochrane | Offensive Line | Commit | 0.8722 | |
| Buddy Wegdam | Offensive Line | Commit | 0.8644 | |
| Tyrell Simpson | Offensive Line | Commit | 0.8633 | |
| Layth Ghannam | Offensive Line | 0.8942 | ||
| Kyle Altuner | Offensive Line | 0.8857 | ||
| Brody Meadows | Offensive Line | 0.8815 | ||
| Gavin Crawford | Offensive Line | 0.8761 | ||
| Aidan Lynch | Offensive Line | 0.8761 | ||
| Tommy Ricard | Offensive Line | 0.8714 | ||
| Nathaniel Wright | Offensive Line | 0.8625 | ||
| Lucas Austin | Offensive Line | 0.8619 | ||
| Johnny Garrett | Offensive Line | 0.8467 | ||
| Montavious Cunningham | Offensive Line | 0.8111 | ||
| Elijah Haughawout | Offensive Line | |||
| Nathan Totten | Punter | Transfer In | Marshall | |
| Cole Byrd | Punter | |||
| Garret Rangel | Quarterback | Transfer Out | 0.8906 | Rio Grande Valley |
| William "Pop" Watson III | Quarterback | Transfer Out | 0.8714 | UMass |
| Bryce Baker | Quarterback | Transfer In | 0.9549 | UNC |
| Ethan Grunkemeyer | Quarterback | Transfer In | 0.9505 | Penn State |
| Troy Huhn | Quarterback | Commit | 0.9047 | |
| A.J. Brand | Quarterback | 0.8789 | ||
| Kelden Ryan | Quarterback | 0.8656 | ||
| Jeremiah Coney | Running Back | Transfer Out | 0.8475 | Stony Brook |
| Bill Davis | Running Back | Transfer In | 0.8611 | Louisiana |
| Messiah Mickens | Running Back | Commit | 0.9226 | |
| Jeffrey Overton Jr. | Running Back | 0.8935 | ||
| Tyler Mason | Running Back | 0.8811 | ||
| John Buetow | Running Back | |||
| Marcellous Hawkins | Running Back | |||
| Tyrell Grant | Safety | Commit | 0.8689 | |
| Jordan Bass | Safety | 0.9239 | ||
| Sherrod Covil | Safety | 0.9202 | ||
| Quentin Reddish | Safety | 0.8933 | ||
| Sheldon Robinson | Safety | 0.8819 | ||
| Brennan Johnson | Safety | 0.8533 | ||
| Tyson Flowers | Safety | 0.8450 | ||
| Zeke Wimbush | Tight End | Transfer Out | 0.8263 | |
| Luke Reynolds | Tight End | Transfer In | 0.9659 | Penn State |
| Matt Henderson | Tight End | Transfer In | 0.9024 | Penn State |
| Pierce Petersohn | Tight End | Commit | 0.9028 | |
| Benji Gosnell | Tight End | 0.9000 | ||
| Harrison Saint Germain | Tight End | 0.8585 | ||
| Cole Reemsnyder | Tight End | |||
| Ja'Ricous Hairston | Tight End | |||
| Cameron Seldon | Wide Receiver | Transfer Out | 0.9402 | USF |
| Micah Matthews | Wide Receiver | Transfer Out | 0.8908 | |
| Devin Alves | Wide Receiver | Transfer Out | 0.8633 | |
| Isaiah Spencer | Wide Receiver | Transfer Out | 0.8503 | Ole Miss |
| Charlie O'Connor | Wide Receiver | Transfer Out | ||
| Jeff Exinor Jr. | Wide Receiver | Transfer In | 0.9004 | Penn State |
| Tyseer Denmark | Wide Receiver | Transfer In | 0.8867 | Penn State |
| Que'sean Brown | Wide Receiver | Transfer In | 0.8500 | Duke |
| Marlion Jackson | Wide Receiver | Transfer In | Louisiana Tech | |
| Davion 'Fat Rat' Brown | Wide Receiver | Commit | 0.9113 | |
| Keylen "Brodie" Adams | Wide Receiver | 0.9178 | ||
| Shamarius "Snook" Peterkin | Wide Receiver | 0.9011 | ||
| Chanz Wiggins | Wide Receiver | 0.8950 | ||
| Ayden Greene | Wide Receiver | 0.8828 | ||
| Cam Sparks | Wide Receiver | 0.8825 | ||
| Luke Stuewe | Wide Receiver | 0.8550 | ||
| Takye Heath | Wide Receiver | 0.8517 | ||
| Drew Hube | Wide Receiver | |||
| Joseph Hobbs | Wide Receiver | |||
| L.J. Booker | Wide Receiver | |||
| Israel Hairston | Wide Receiver |
Forums:
DISCLAIMER: Forum topics may not have been written or edited by The Key Play staff.
Comments
i appreciate you putting this together. A lot of names here I do not recognize.
While I recognize eligibility is no longer a thing, it would help me to have something that allows me to see
who is a new recruit,who has played for VT some in previous years, and who has been here but never contributed.edit - you changed the chart faster than I can type!
I am working on it.
I have given up on adding columns for class year or eligibility, but the formatting will shown commit vs transfer status. I'll be adjusting the format a few times over the weekend so it looks better on TKP from a desktop at least.
I'd be interested in Prior & Future School columns like the coaching carousel table.
Good call. I'll add that once the portal window is in full swing.
Asking because I honestly dont know - I'm looking at the OL and CB positions specifically - are these numbers roughly what they should be? To me both of these dont look right, with possibly too many on OL and too few in the secondary.
20 is on the high end, but 15 is probably the low end of what you want.
CB looks fine but S might be low.
I think 20 is the new normal. With the roster number up to 105, and the need to develop OL, I can understand it's disproportionate growth compared to other positions.
I actually think it's been 20 for a lot of teams, even VT back in time. We've just neglected that position for a while, so 20 sounds extreme.
I believe that many schools aimed to sign 4 OL per year x 5 classes (almost always redshirt) = 20 OL on roster.
4x 5 years - early leavers/didn't pan out so that leaves 20 at the high end, but not absurd
Some of the dead weight will be cut, the numbers always work out.
I think this was mentioned in another thread but I'm having real trouble scrolling the site now with anything embedded, including this table and all twitters posts. Sometimes trying to grab the margins works, but this table is being extra wonky.
Are you on mobile? Embedding sheets definitely isn't as clean of a look and acts a bit wonky, especially on small screens, but it let's me quickly update the chart from any device without having to edit the html tables and allows for some additional formatting. I'll play around with the embed settings some to see if I can get it to play nicer with TKP.
Edit: let me know if it works any better now.
Thanks for trying but it still freezes up on me when I touch the table. Off the table everything works fine.
Thanks for your efforts. If there is room I think it'd be nice to have height/weight to see if there is a sizable shift.
YAY for the .9263 rated linebacker.
17 WRs seems like a lot
Maybe a couple can be moved to safety.
The ones who drop balls the most...? /s sorta
I was thinking the same thing.
5 of them are walk-ons/practice squad
This is awesome! Thanks for putting this together.
Terion Stewart isn't on this chart, but he won't chase an extra year/legal extension. He's entering the Draft per his Twitter.
You can do that?
I didn't know Hawkins could return! I thought he was a 1 year guy. That's great news.
Another thing to note when it comes to recruits-in vs transfers-out from a talent gained vs talent lost standpoint. A guy who was rated 4 stars in high school but has been in college for 1-3 years has had at least some amount of college level strength and conditioning, so it's not 100% apples to apples.
E.G; Troy Huhn and Garret Rangel were/are both 4 star high school players (247 composite). But Garret is a college junior. If you were building a roster for a game tomorrow and those were your 2 qb options, Garret is likely to be more college game ready.
Of course this also works in the reverse if/when we get a player from the portal but lose a commit/incoming freshman
I agree with that point but would also argue that it's possible that a previous 4 star could also have flamed out in college if the rating was based on tools that never got refined.
Yeah, there's not a perfect option for recruit and transfer ratings. I used on3 ratings last year, because they were quicker about getting the ratings up and seem to do a better job with transfer ratings, but switched to the composite ratings for the commits since they take all the services into account and because on3 is harder to use since the rivals merge and paywall. I might add on3 transfer ratings as a column later on.
Brody Meadows and Joshua Clarke announced they are returning.
Robinson staying
Sheldon? I think he's going to be really good
Yes. Sheldon Robinson.
We should probably always use the player's full name for this reason lol.
Charlie O'Connor is going into the portal. He has been buried in the WR room so no surprise here.
Welp, Franklins lost the locker room already...
/s
He's still relatively new, I'm sure by the spring he'll know where it is.
Looks like Knahlij Harrell is coming back
Not saying it's bad, but it is a sad state of the sport when a depth player and freshman has to get an edited photo to show he is coming back for his sophomore year. Hard to love the team and players when every year is a free for all.
Couldn't agree more. I'm going to give college football a few more years to figure this out, but I won't be a long-term fan if it continues to be like this. I don't like NFL, but at least they have things like drafts and caps on contracts. P4 turning into NFL-lite but worse and then you've got the G5/XFL.
Count me in as well, football is slipping down the ladder. CFB used to be far and away the leader. Now...
1. MLB
2. College hoops (both flavors of Hokie hoops)
3. College Football (I'll watch any good game)
4. College Wrestling (Hokies only)
5. PGA Golf (my favorite background)
6. WSBK/MotoGP/TT racing
7. NFL
At one time I had season tickets to the Suns (Chuck, KJ, Thunder Dan) but you won't catch me watching the NBA any more. For me MLB and College hoops are the only ones maintaining or improving their product.
Edit: JMFF might change my opinion of this somewhat, but the overall product isn't what it used to be.
TBF, while this is now an annual thing due to the nature of yearly contracts and the portal, this year these edits signify retainment by CJMFF. I don't think any player on the 2025 roster can be surely confident that they would be retained.
So, for this year, I appreciate it more as it speaks to the roster that Franklin is building. It would be a black box otherwise, until at least rosters are released.
The fact we have seen less than 10 of these is really telling. Expecting heavy movements Jan 2nd.
Worse when one of your best players ends up on your hated rival's team...or vice versa. I get that we have to play today's game, and it looks like we just played the hell out of it, but like the post said, it's sad.
Easy to get over it quick when we get the blast we have with Franklin's recruiting, I'll get to know 'em and hope they stick around covered in glory.
Smart move 😎
So...he's Kevin....
I think he's knowledge.
Jordan Bass returning
I definitely thought he only had one year when he came, but eligibility is all a made up thing anyway etc.
Also, am I wrong for feeling like he had a few bad penalties and always went for the boom instead of the tackle?
Did he start with one and was granted an extra? Pry was talking about redshirting him early in the spring. Or maybe he always had two years and was just that behind
He's the same year as Tony Rojas who was a junior this season
Lol, I mean sure why not
ROAD GRADER
Does he come with that jersey?
I want the bashed up helmets that unit played with. Those were tuff
Yes, please!
Running his own commercial cleaning company now
Maybe he can launder some NIL money for us
Does Blacksburg have a mafia? I'd support a bootlegging ring contributing to VT's NIL!
This is a big return. I like this
Hell Yeah!
Hokies best offensive player, and to me the best effort guy on the team
I could never understand why a guy with no fumbles and averaging 6+ ypc did not get more than 8-12 touches a game.
RUN THE DAMN BALL. Hokies had THREE backs average 5.7 ypc or more this year...yet we all saw what you saw.
To whoever is trying to track roster moves these days ...
Altuner is back (Official announcement was posted)
Key piece
I assume that Hawkins and Oline are the top priority to retain with Overton as the only other key player for offense. We need some number of TEs and WRs but I don't think there is anyone specific
More beef returns. Aidan Lynch
According to the team web site, Lynch logged 683 snaps and only allowed two sacks. Welcome back big fella.
Didn't realize he got that many snaps.
Glad he's back. Looks like he'll really be Aidan the team with his presence on the field.
DE Zeke Chinwike returns per Twitter
Curious to see how surgical Franklin gets with the current roster...23 HS kids coming in (including Pina) who are assured spots. My guess is 25-30 players from the portal? Idk.
Cameron Seldon in the portal per 247
Bummer. Don't think we got to see the best version of him with Drones.
Not sure we saw the best of anyone this year, our receivers were pretty bland and rarely given a lot of chances
Dang
In the portal:
RBs Jeremiah Coney and Braydon Bennett
TE Zeke Wimbush - committed to Liberty
DB Caleb Brown
DL Arias Nash
Edge/OLB James Jennette
Coney and Wimbush is disappointing for depth
Depends if any of the TEs from PSU follow to VT. Coney would've been nice for depth, but again who knows what the portal brings the other way.
Portal departures picking up speed as the window approaches. Hail to the portal.
All hail, portal.
The Portal giveth, the Portal taketh
Portals portal the same.
The wait is almost over. May the portal shine upon us.
No way of tracking who we may be going after is there? Kind of just wait for announcements?
I'm sure those more tuned in on Twitter have a good idea on a few targets, but I'm just going to wait for the announcements to roll in. Anyone with PSU ties or ties to the new staffers are probably a good places to start looking.
Soooooo Jaken Ransey has a year of eligibility left/s
Kolby had an episode talking about potential portal targets. I haven't watched it yet.
Y'all got any of them Titter Announcements?!
Titter Announcements are the Brest!
Live look at people checking on the titter portal news:
That is so wrong an angle for viewing that portal.
What have I done
Quentin Reddish staying
Joseph Reddish in portal
Interesting
Q was fine, and Joe only came here to try and get lil bro Nick to commit but he signed for ND
Bat signal from Evan Watkins
Let the man cook...
Guess we wont see Micah Matthews on the baseball diamond as he entered the portal today.
I mixed him up with Messiah Mickens and was like how is he portalling out before he ever arrived?
This is good news for VT.
How so?
For beginners, I saw him live a couple of times on the football field and on the diamond and really wondered where the hype came from. I saw so many Valley District players over the years that were exponentially better than Micah was who didn't receive D1 offers. He certainly has the measurables, but I didn't see that translate onto the field/diamond. That being said, I'm not a D1 coach, so I don't get paid the big bucks for those evaluations.
Additionally, being so well networked in that area, along with first hand information about a number of things, I had serious doubts about how he would work/fit at VT for a number of reasons. I hope he continues to mature and develop and find success somewhere. I'm not disappointed that won't be at VT.
He was the 55th ranked baseball recruit in his class primarily for how he performed with Perfect Game. I expect his focus will shift to baseball and he possibly transfers inside the ACC for that. UNC, Louisville and Duke would be the ones I expect him to gravitate towards there.
As another local, I can confirm that the story has been he fits all the measurables, but it doesnt translate to the live game action. Perfect Game is extremely biased to these measurables and it doesnt shock me to see him rated so high on that front.
I'll be honest... If he were the best prospect to ever step foot on campus I wouldn't be excited about it.
Wow. I'm guessing that (1) whatever information you have, it is quite bad and (2) you are probably not willing/able to share it.
I'll just say that I hope he continues to mature and grow and find success along the way.
Ayden Greene confirmed returning
https://x.com/i/status/2007493750965318145
OL Carter Stallard is in the portal
I don't know if he's any good, but that's a shallow room and I don't like losing 6-8 redshirt freshman
Never heard his name mentioned all season even during the various injuries to the OL. Never even made backup. So seems better player to replace him is needed.
Seeing comments on Titter that he almost left team in season for how poorly practices went. With OL being a huge focus by Franklin if he is leaving going to trust the staff
Redshirt freshman OL should almost never play unless you're going to be a top 10 NFL pick. Otherwise if I'm hearing your name even as a backup, I'm concerned about the state of our line.
He is not a D-1 caliber player. Pry took a flyer on him because he was local and he didn't show any P4 potential in practice.
Jahmari DeLoatch confirms he is returning
Kemari Copeland is back!
Huge. He was my 1a with Hawkins as 1b for returners. If we provide him with some good help... he will cause some problems for offensive lineman and QBs
Fantastic news!
Dante Lovett to UCLA
Tucker Hollaway to Florida Atlantic
LB Michael Short to TCU
I looked at his timeline of events. What a flaky past, definitely not loyal.
He was not good in his time in BBurg.
Don't wish badly on guys, but I would be surprised to see him get significant playing time in Fort Worth.
Anyone else worried about the WR room? Or are we all hoping (because we have to [?}) that we a) get a new QB who can also b) make more than one read and dramatically elevate the passing game performance next year?
Im worried about every position except kicker.
well, we got the QB - I'm still worried about the WR room though. We haven't developed there and I don't love the talent we have. That said, it looks like we're probably going to be a heavy running team with lots of 12 personnel alignments in year 1. The passing game will go through the TEs and checkdowns to the RB who leaks out of the backfield with two WRs running deeper routes
I'm actually more than fine with that. Old enough to remember when VT used to have a strong power running game. If we can re-establish that next year and then start to build out the deep play action passes, we could have a good offense in a couple of years. Need drastic improvement with the pass blocking and the QB play and the WR play and the play calling to get to a good passing game, so won't bother me a bit if we are ground and pound for a year.
I don't know if Franklin can afford to wait "a couple of years" to have a good offense.
We need to have a good offense in 2026. Now, when I say good, I'm worried you (not you specifically, "you" the general populace) think I mean we need to have an elite offense in year one. That is not what I'm saying. We need to have a good offense. That means we need to be able to move the ball down the field, buy time for the defense, and score points. All things that offenses are expected to do. I'm not expecting to do any of those things at elite clips. 40 PPG is an unrealistic expectation. Good isn't.
Now, that said, I also don't think we need to have a fully developed passing attack to have a good offense. We need to be able to run the ball well, and find ways to get the ball into the hands of playmakers on the perimeter to keep defenses honest but I'm not subscribed to the idea that we need to have 4 and 5 WR sets and run RPOs every other play to rack up 300+ passing yards just to be good at offense. Ground and pound can be very good and very effective. The west coast offense, while fun to watch, isn't the only way to be good at offensive football.
Ultimately, I'd love to be "fun to watch" as well and we may get there. But if in year one we are good at running the ball and managing the game and it helps us win a bunch of 24-21 type games I'm fine with that. I don't expect our passing offense to be elite any time soon (if ever) but if we can run the ball reliably that will be a big plus.
I think people grossly underestimate the legitimacy of simply grinding out first downs and getting some decent FG attempts along the way. I know you aren't winning all of your games doing that, but you're giving your team a chance at the very least... Something we haven't had in the recent past.
eh... I don't disagree, but it's really hard to win games without (a) explosive plays and (b) scoring touchdowns.
Yes, I understand 3 of the 4 remaining CFP teams recently won games against marque opponents by just "grinding out first downs and getting some decent FG attempts along the way" - But those teams also adjusted to play some top defenses, and are quite capable of blowing out some other pretty decent teams.
I absolutely agree with this.
I guess I was speaking in terms of the next year or so. I just want to see some competence and consistency along the way. The type of competence and consistency that doesn't force our defense to be on the field for 40+ minutes a game.
I think, for example, Miami has done a really good job with this during their little playoff run here. Commit to the run... Manage the clock really well... get the game into the 4th quarter.
How I read your second paragraph
Perfect! That's exactly what I was going for
#ronswansonismyspiritanimal
Here are the last 10 year-end SP+ rankings for VT.
A top 40 offense and defense would put us in the top 30 by SP+. Add some good in game coaching (not CJF strong suit lol) and we're a 8/9 win team
Am I hallucinating or is this 20 not ten?
In the last 20 years we've had a top 40 offense only 5 times. All 5 under previous coaching staffs and one of them during the covid season, so asterisk. In fact, not counting the covid season, our last top 40 offense (39) was Fuente's first year (2016) where it was largely talent overcoming coaching rather than actual coaching, as it turns out.
I think if JMFF is able to get our offense and defense both into the top 40 in year 1 that would be a remarkable achievement. On the one hand, I wouldn't expect that. On the other, top 40 isn't asking for a tremendous lift given our status in the P4. With VT's resources and commitment to football being in the top 40 should be a fairly reasonable expectation. Elite (top 15ish) would be every fans dream but not a reasonable expectation, imo.
We'll see. I'd be content with a top 40 offense in year 1.
Well, of course, considering the current coaching staff has zero seasons under their belt at VT... 😉
I think one of the variables with WR is Chanz Wiggins and Keylen Adams who were highly rated guys, but dealt with injuries this year and that's why we didn't see them. If neither of those guys is ready to play next year, that would be a pretty strong indictment on Mines as a WR coach.
Additionally like you mentioned, a more competent offense and passing game would likely let us get more out of everyone.
Kolby suggesting the Gosnell wants to stay but Indiana has offered him A LOT of money. He is not in the portal.
If we pick up Luke Reynolds, we'll have a really strong TE group. Love to keep Gosnell, but not sure matching $ with the potential national champs is necessary.
Are our goals to be competing on the same stage as Indiana? If so we should try to match for Gosnell who is one of the best TEs in the country especially since we can expect heavy TE usage in next year's offense and we don't know what we'll get out of our WRs. Keeping Gosnell would show an increasing seriousness about our program.
What Cig is doing at Indiana is unprecedented, and they have Mark Cuban to fund their NIL (plus apparently IU churns out CEOs?).
It sounds weird to say but my answer would be, no I do not expect VT to be competing on the same stage as Indiana.
Agree on paying Benji, he has earned it. But for him to leave would be a little crazy IMO. You are close to home, in a place I imagine you love, with a coach who has a track record of putting guys in the league, and as OC will most likely emphasize TEs. You WILL play. Definitely as important to keep him as the guys we bring in.
I get all of this but I imagine he's at least somewhat bitter about his usage this year. I get that our scheme wasn't expected to use the TE a lot (compounded by needing a lot of help blocking) but when he's easily the most reliable non-running back out there you probably want to make sure he's involved.
Good point on usage but a completely new staff (almost). I can see him going with the NIL money and I wouldn't blame him. I just think there are a lot of positives for him staying. As a Hokie fan I will back him either way.
On what planet is Gosnell one of the best TE's in the country? He's a pretty good receiving TE but he's a below average bordering on plain bad blocker.
B to B+ receiver
C- to D blocker
He's one of the best receiving TEs in the country. I can't say much for his blocking because I'm not a great judge of that, but I'm confident he's one of the best receiving. B+ receiving grade for a TE is pretty elite. The fact that Indiana/Cig wants him validates that.
CJF won't just match like that. He has a pay band for each position/level of player, and won't go outside of it.
If Gosnel stays, it means either IU didn't offer him that much, or money isn't the primary factor.
I also think we should keep Gosnell because of his production when used properly and he seems like a good, team kind of guy. So unless Indiana knows something about him that we do not, which shouldn't be the case, we have to set a limit on what we'd be willing to pay for him, just like as though we were dealing with a salary cap, and even Cuban should understand that. There's a reason bad teams in the NFL stay bad, Cleveland Browns as an example - because for a while they constantly overpaid for players. If Indiana, or any team for that matter, wants him bad enough to way overpay, good for the player, but not necessarily the team. I also like Cignetti, but I'm sure even he can make a mistake when trying to fill a position of need. Then again, he and/or his staff seem to be excellent evaluators of talent, cause they certainly saw something in Fernando Mendoza that other teams did not, and they see something in Gosnell that either we do not, or we do not value as much as they do. I would find that to be surprising, however, considering the number of TEs that PSU (under Franklin) his put in the League.
It is sad we have gotten to the point where teams are offering money to players who are not in the portal (which is still against the rules) and no one bats an eye.
Hope he stays. It seems like Franklin's system is a much better fit than Montgomery's.
Is it though now that most players have agents? They make the offer to the agent. Not sure how or even if the NCAA wants to try to regulate that.
NCAA Bylaw 13.1.1.3 specifies that athletics staff members or other representatives of the
institution's athletics interests shall not make contact with the student-athlete of another NCAA or
NAIA four-year collegiate institution, directly or indirectly, without first obtaining the written
permission of the first institution's athletics director (or an athletics administrator designated by the
athletics director) to do so, regardless of who makes the initial contact. If permission is not granted,
the second institution shall not encourage the transfer and the institution shall not provide athletically
related financial assistance to the student-athlete until the student-athlete has attended the second
institution for one academic year. If permission is granted to contact the student-athlete, all applicable
NCAA recruiting rules apply. If an institution receives a written request from a student-athlete to
permit another institution to contact the student-athlete about transferring, the institution shall grant or
deny the request within seven business days (see Bylaw 13.02.1) of receipt of the request. If the
institution fails to respond to the student-athlete's written request within seven business days,
permission shall be granted by default and the institution shall provide written permission to the
student-athlete.
Unless Whit is saying contact is okay, it is against the rules.
Here is the gray area we likely never see. The agent is the one submitting the request to contact other schools to see about the interest in their player and the school doesn't respond in seven days. No school is going to come out and admit they failed to respond. Its also possible the school approved it. I dont think we have ever seen a school confirm they gave permission. They dont want to answer the questions from their own fan base to be seen as facilitating the loss of top players.
Jahzari Priester in the portal
Him and Stallard are non Matt Moore guys, makes sense Moore is shaping the room to what he wants. And maybe opening up some spots for a couple portal guys 🤞🏼
Wow, I thought this whole time that Priester was a DL not OL
I would assume at this point that most of our portal entries are the result of "tough conversations" and we are hoping to bring in upgrades.
247/VTScoop bat signals are up at 5:25 ET
Need some LBs and Secondary...badly...
Suspect it's not a total coincidence that we still don't have clarity on who will be coaching those positions....
You love to see it. K John Love returns
I will say I'm not a fan of a kicker using something that says "Run it back"
I didn't realize he could come back. That's awesome. Teach the young bro all he can and hand it off
Auf Wiedersehen, Hannes. Hammer is portal bound
https://x.com/i/status/2008678782513840329
247 VT portal is listing Noah Jenkins, but I haven't seen any announcement
TSL and 247 are reporting Jaquez White as commiting to the Hokies as well. CB from Troy.
Deserves its own post
Just put one up before I saw this
LS Epling confirmed return
Noah Jenkins and Krystian Williams likely portal
Krystian confirmed portalling
Noah Jenkins officially portaling
Williams going to Richmond
Montavious Cunningham looks to be returning via medical redshirt
Eagle-eyed @DamienSordelett noticed on the #Hokies' online roster that OL Montavious Cunningham is still listed. Only played in four games before getting injured last year. Used a regular redshirt in 2021 at Georgia St, so he must have recouped a year with a medical redshirt.
The Chambers are full again
HELL YES! One of the few young bright spots from last year.
He should really consider changing his number to 36
Franklin is a professed hip hop fan. If he is not coaching up Chambers to change is number to 36, then what are we even doing here? James Franklin is for the children!
Emmett will continue laying down the Laws in O&M
M-O-O-N, that spells Emmett
I got rid of the sheets embed since it was getting too cumbersome and freezing the page for mobile users. I miss my color coding, but I think this will work better for everyone. I will try to update it at least once every evening as the roster continues to change over the next week and a half+.
Once the dust has settled I hope to break down the position groups and incoming vs outgoing ratings for some fun comparisons.
I'm gonna say it....
This is really beginning to feel like an old school Beamer roster a little bit. We have retained guys who can contribute and be solid ACC players... We have recruited well... Now we are filling the gaps with excellent portal acquisitions.
I don't know if we will have all the right guys or how they will gel. But we've focused heavily on the OL and DL. We have a really good stable of RBs. We have a solid, albeit unproven WR group. We've upgraded at the QB position. And it looks like we are building the back end of the defense (that one will be interesting to watch in the Spring). Outside of the LB group (I really can't make a judgment call on that group until after the Spring) I feel really good about the roster for the first time in a long time.
Again, I'll tamper my cautious optimism with the reality that these guys have to pan out early and the team has to gel. But this roster, in its early stages, is beginning to feel like one of those Beamer rosters that was just solid from top to bottom (and there may be a "great" spot here and there)
that little O&M glasses voice in the back of my head has been telling me the same thing ever since JMFF brought all those guys down from PSU in this first recruiting class. Hard not to get a little excited
I also like the foundation we seem to be building. My concern right now is that most of our additions are young. This is concerning for next year's two-deep, but if it works out and we can be successful with a team full of young players, then the future looks bright (assuming we can hang on to them).
It definitely seems he's setting up for 2027 and 2028 more so than for 2026. Seems like a good plan to establish his culture, identify personnel weaknesses in 2026, and win championships in the beyond.
We'll see how it works out, my concern is the Portal has made "building for the future" tremendously more uncertain.
I don't think any of us should be expecting miracles in 2026, but I would feel alot better about our prospects if we had a couple seasoned and ready-to-play LB and Safties coming in.
Our schedule is brutal in 2026 with the new league schedule, like the ACC has a vendetta against us due to hiring Franklin, so 6 wins would be amazing.
I would say LBs and Edge on defense. We don't *need* a safety, but we could use one to shore up the room. I would feel better about our prospects with an LT in addition to LB & edge.
The latest OLineman that announced transferring in played as LT in 2024.
I do think that when people talked about Pry potentially modernizing Beamer's methodology for running a program, this is what it would look like. You have physical guys in the trenches on offense, depth at RB, and athleticism in the secondary. You have a mix of 4-star guys that we beat out other schools for, a bunch of 'tweeners' who are scheme fits (historically, applied mostly to the front 7), and then a bunch of guys who are high upside projects. Really just need a mobile QB.
I think the boomerang recruit (recruited in HS, didn't pick VT, comes back) is the new twist that VT staffs can lean on.
Doesn't have to be a mobile QB just an accurate one who can make quick decisions.
It doesn't have to be, but when I think of Beamerball, I think of aggressive defensives, aggressive special teams, and a mobile QB.
Druck in '95 begs to differ. And I don't disagree, but Mike Vicks don't come around every day.
Druck was a freak of nature. I remember watching one of his preseason games for the 49's and the defense came in for a blitz and Druck grabbed him with his off hand and threw him to the side and then passed the ball. The LB said I have never been tossed to the side by a QB before.
Unfortunately the 49ers forced him to lose a bunch of weight to be similar to Steve Young. His game wasnt the same after that.
Watkins bat signal up 48 minutes ago so time for everyone to F5
F5?
hot key to refresh your browser.
Thnx lol
Elhadj Fall back
Hokies back up to 5th in On3 2026 College Football Team Transfer Portal Rankings after slipping to 7th yesterday.
uva down there at 27th with their whole portal over recruiting strategy. Also LSU a ton of transfer activity but not really much of an overall improvement.
Penn State added three more recruits and dropped nine spots. Now at 63.
I don't understand how Penn State ends up any better next year. They signed one high school recruit, have ~40 (?) players portaling out and they are being replaced by mainly ISU players. Rocco is a good QB but I think they take a big step down.
Two recruits. Up to 30 incoming now. Average in vs Out is at a -1 right now. They likely will be about normalized by end of portal. Then its on Campbell to put it together. I dont see it either though but they were 7-6 this year and have a pretty soft Big 10 slate next year.
That soft schedule is gonna have them thinking they're Kings next year
Gabe Williams announced his return
5'8 Slot WR
3 🌟 in both rating sites
247Sports
On3sports
64 receptions, 846 yards, 5 TDs this season
THAAAATS GREAT!!!
Now we just need a Nacho to line up with him.
I like this idea of a Nacho on the line.
Bat signal back up, we bak?
But wait, there's more! Watkins signal up for the 2nd time today
We're a bit over the roster limit now, so I checked Hokiesports to see if anyone had quietly dropped off the 2026 roster. I didn't catch anyone that had disappeared, but I did notice that Sherrod Covil was still listed as a graduate student. I thought he was done, so this was a welcome surprise.
Jeremiah Coney committed to UTEP
Now has decommitted from UTEP.
Ends up at....Stony Brook. Kinda strange series of event here he was pretty good would have been the premier back at UTEP and likely a top RB in the MW.
Yeah that's odd
Stony Brook must have their NIL $$$ on point...
Joseph Reddish commits to Appalachian State
Kaleb Spencer returns to vt. Priester to UNT
Pop Watson to UMass
Super depressing looking announcement though
I hope he gets a year of good playing time and can hop back to the p4.
Hope he is able to put on some size. Best to you young man!
With 2 years of eligibility left, he's probably better off just trying to do good things there and move on to whatever is next. Doubt his future is the NFL, so try and start for 2 years and have fun with it.
In the NIL world a one year hop for a QB back to P4 could be a significant payday.
Valid. Maybe UMass gave him the bag 😂
Yeah...he looks like someone just shot his dog.
I guess committing to a team that has won 7 games since 2020 is hard to get hyped for.
I wasn't necessarily as high on Pop as some people, but I honestly thought he'd find a bit better landing spot.
I was never was on the Pop train and honestly for me, this might be a better landing spot than I expected if he is getting the guarantee to start. I actually expected him to announce a D2 landing spot as a starter.
Unfortunate is that even if Pop balls out at UMass they probably lose a ton of games. 0-12 this season. Three of the four OOC games were buy in games to make them money. Their defense was awful. Gave up 40+ in 8 of 12 games. Pop cant fix that. He may help the offense that scored 14 or less in 10 of 12 games.
Can someone please recap who we got in the portal this weekend? My head is spinning, and I've lost count.
Sunday was probably the greatest recruiting weekend (non-signing day edition) in the history of Virginia Tech football.
Edit: Okay, that was a lazy ask, so I did the work. Anyone I miss?
Kamauryn Morgan, EDGE, Baylor, Friday @ 1619
Bryce Baker, QB, UNC, Saturday @ 1401
Que'Sean Brown, WR, Duke, Saturday @ 1624
Marlion Jackson, WR, Louisiana Tech, Saturday @ 1957
Michale Troutman, OL, Penn State, Sunday @ 1032
Eric Mensah, DL, Ohio State, Sunday @ 1427
Cortez Harris, EDGE, Penn State, Sunday @ 1540
Mylachi Williams, EDGE, Penn State, Sunday @ 1541
Luke Reynolds, TE, Penn State, Sunday @ 1830
welp; there were these big guys...i dunno...maybe 3 or 4 of 'em...one right after another, and there was this fast guy, and this one guy we'd never heard of but caught this long touchdown pass, and this guy that we thought was coming and then he didn't say anything but then he did! who knows what's gonna happen next; there are rumors
Thomas Williams confirmed returning
LB Will Johnson portalling out
Devin Alves portalling out
Where are people going to find roster numbers? I am sure you aren't just counting from Hokiesports. I wanted to check where we stand with the scholarship limit.
The roster count above started with the Hokiesports roster from the conclusion of the 2025 season, adds every commit and transfer in, and subtracts every transfer out. I update the spreadsheet anytime I see a player announcement or reliable reporter post something. Thanks to everyone that posts the updates in here, there has been a lot of movement.
Teel just mentioned this afternoon that we have to get rid of a few.
Not the worst problem to have, eh?
Burgos lands at Purdue
I like Barry Odom and think he's got them moving in the right direction... but Burgos quit on the team allegedly, so not too sad to see him go.
Why Exinor decided to join us.
Jeff Exinor heard who VT's QB will be
Joe Montana confirmed...
photoshop hokie bird head on this and it's hit TKP gold gif level
Or JMFF's head. It'd go plaid.
WR Isaiah Spencer to the portal
edit: That was a fast turn. Headed to Ole Miss
He showed some flashes, thought he was a pleasant surprise.
But with the Portal guys coming in and (presumptively) Wiggins and Adams back and healthy next year, he should go somewhere he will be more likely to get more targets.
Best of luck to him.
The roster count is down to 115. Drew Doyle, backup long snapper, is no longer listed on the Hokiesports roster page. I'm going to double check all the sources and update the table this evening.
Kolby Crystal ball in for Hokies to land Ohio State Offensive Tackle Justin Terry
Bring in the beefy Turkey as disturbing as that was.
The size of these OL recruits are riGRUNKulous!!!!!
Paying back TyBo for leaving us high and dry for a demotion.
Take that, douche.
Franklin named #1 by ESPN as new P4 coaches with best recruiting. Its a bit Captain Obvious but still great to see VT continue its positive media trend.
Article Here
Yes, that's definitely a "feel good" article for VT fans. Thanks for posting it.
It's becoming a bit surreal, isn't it?
Jojo Crim returns and feels like many of us do about return announcements
Hope he has a great season just for this.
He'll be the crim of the crop for sure
Keylen Adams returns
That's good
Ten of the Hokies that went into the portal still have not committed elsewhere or in Coney's case committed and then decommitted.
If you enter the portal, you don't have to leave VT right? you are still accepted as a student and could pay if no on picks you up right?
This is what AI says...
As they're already enrolled at the university, nothing stopping them from continuing on their own dime.
It looks like VT socials are making official posts for the transfer class this morning. So far they have one for Daniel Jennings, Matt Henderson, Bill Davis, Justin Bell, and Javion Hilson.
Maybe we'll get an official announcement for the staff sometime soon too.
Edit: Curtis Jones Jr. is listed as LB on the HokiesFB official posts.
Classes start today for spring semester, so we will know soon enough if all the transfers showed up. I understand most got their student IDs last Friday.
Looks like Franklin clearly emphasized Academic expectations to the team...
That is what I want for our team.
I envision a similar satirical post from Carson Beck. He's at a Yoga studio with the photo including several very qualified females and the caption reads "First day of class, 15 minutes early..."
Yea, ... What was 15 minutes early? ... lol
Cam Seldon goes to USF
Same place RB coach Elijah Brooks went
Was hoping we might keep the NCHS guy in the fold. Oh well, there's still Chanz Wiggins. #KG2VT
Benji Gosnell announced he is returning
$$$$ I assume if IU was taking a run at him
Most
Loaded
TE Room
Ever
FIFY
S/
Drones plays tonight in the Shriners Bowl on NFL Network at 7pm
Not surprising but Drones not mentioned in any of the highlights or players who performed well.
Only surprise of note on Drones is seeing him receive draft predictions of 5th/6th round and listed as the 10th best QB in this draft by several draft sites.
Does that mean that this is one of the weakest QB classes in recent memory that he is 10th?
That or when Drones is behind a competent O Line at these Senior Bowl games, he performed well.
I can see maybe in drill situation performing well. But even when protected with no pressure he had trouble with reads and over/under threw way too often.
The only weakness I see on this is that we lost better rated receivers than we have transferring in.
Add the TEs to that.
Following the press conference today, the HokieSports roster page was officially updated with the coaches, transfers, and early enrollees. Upon first glance, the only name I see that has dropped off is Connor McLaughlin, one of the backup kickers.