Virginia Tech is taking another look at a familiar name up front, and this time Eric Mensah arrives in Blacksburg with a different path and a clean shot at carving out a role.
Mensah, a defensive tackle from Stafford, Va., Mountain View, was once a major Hokies target in his high school recruitment. He originally committed to Virginia Tech on July 17, 2023, then flipped to Ohio State on Sept. 15, 2023 after the Buckeyes extended a scholarship offer and brought him in for a September official visit to Columbus.
A former 247Sports three-star prospect and the No. 11 player in Virginia in the 2024 class, Mensah’s recruiting board also included Boston College, Duke, Maryland, Virginia, Wake Forest and West Virginia. Virginia Tech was in the mix early, but Ohio State won out.
Now back in Virginia after two seasons in Columbus, Mensah is set to try to work his way into the Hokies’ defensive tackle rotation this fall. He has three years of eligibility left, which gives Virginia Tech some runway with a young interior lineman who still has room to grow.
His first year at Ohio State was a redshirt season, though he did get on the field against Akron, Western Michigan and Marshall. In those three games, Mensah logged just seven defensive snaps.
The next season brought more limited action. Mensah appeared in only one game, against Grambling in Week 2, where he played 12 snaps and finished with one quarterback hurry and 1.5 tackles. Injury issues cut that season short and kept him to just that single appearance.
At 6-foot-2 and 322 pounds, Mensah brings the kind of size that stands out in any room. Virginia Tech is looking for depth and production behind expected starters Kemari Copeland and Elhadj Fall, and Mensah now has a chance to compete for snaps as James Franklin continues revamping the program.
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