Virginia Tech’s fall camp is already giving the new staff some real decisions to chew on, and a few names are pushing themselves into the mix earlier than expected.
At wide receiver, redshirt freshman Brett Stuewe has started to separate himself from the pack. He didn’t log a snap in 2025, so his case entering camp came almost entirely from what Virginia Tech saw at Avon Lake High School, where he played on both sides of the ball and earned three-star ratings because of his athleticism. That mattered in a receiver room with plenty of competition, where Ayden Greene and Que’Sean Brown look like the strongest bets for starting jobs and Takye Heath, Marlion Jackson, Keylen “Brodie” Adams, Chanz Wiggins and Tyseer Denmark are all trying to carve out opportunities.
Stuewe was not supposed to be in that conversation this quickly, at least not to the eye test coming into camp. But if he keeps stacking plays, it gets harder to keep him on the outside looking in. His blend of size, athleticism and youth makes him one of the more interesting development pieces on the roster.
Denmark is another receiver who deserves attention. The Penn State transfer has already been on the field for 12 college games across two seasons, but the production has been modest: two catches for 17 yards in eight games last season, plus one rushing attempt for 12 yards, and two receptions for 28 yards and a touchdown in 2024 while appearing in four games. Still, there’s a reason James Franklin wanted him in Blacksburg.
He arrived as a highly regarded recruit from Imhotep Charter in Philadelphia and was rated a four-star prospect by ESPN and Rivals. As a junior in high school, he hauled in 35 passes for 665 yards and seven touchdowns while helping Imhotep win a state championship.
Virginia Tech doesn’t need Denmark to become a headliner. What the Hokies need is reliability, whether that comes as a receiver or possibly in the return game.
Greene and Brown still sit ahead of him, and with so many other options in the room, a starting role would be a reach. Even so, he looks like a reasonable bet for the two-deep and at least has a shot to push his way into the lineup.
Davion “FatRat” Brown deserves a mention too. The true freshman, a three-star in-state recruit, got a nod from offensive coordinator Ty Howle at Media Day on Sunday, when Howle highlighted Brown’s speed and called him “electrically fast.”
Up front, Virginia Tech is also sorting through a battle at tackle, and Auburn transfer Jaden Terry has already gotten first-team work. He was with the top group on the second day of fall camp, lining up at offensive tackle alongside Layth Ghannam, Kyle Altuner, Brody Meadows and Montavious Cunningham during Tech’s second practice.
Terry, a 6-foot-5, 358-pound redshirt sophomore, spent last season at Ohio State, where he played in six games and logged 129 total snaps, including 57 on offense. Before that, he was at West Virginia in 2024 under Virginia Tech offensive line coach Matt Moore.
Now he’s in a fight with Oklahoma transfer Logan Howland for a starting tackle spot. Howland brings more experience, having played in 13 games for Oklahoma in 2024 and started six times at left tackle. He also appeared in the first five games of 2025 before an injury ended his season.
If Terry holds that first-team spot through camp, there’s a real path for him to open the season as a starter. Right now, among these early standouts, he looks like the strongest candidate to do it.
For now, the picture points to Stuewe and Denmark as players who could crack the two-deep, while Terry has the best chance of the three to win a starting job when Virginia Tech opens against VMI on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 7:30 p.m. ET on ACC Network.
In Other News...
Virginia Tech Just Added A New Twist To Its Backfield
Virginia Tech has added another piece to its backfield in Bill Davis, a transfer from Louisiana who brings a different kind of run-game profile to Blacksburg. Davis arrives as a physical runner with more than 1,700 college rushing yards, and he gives the Hokies a sturdier option to pair with Marcellous Hawkins and Jeffrey Overton Jr. as they keep building out a deeper, more varied ground attack.
Davis track record suggests this is more than just an extra body on the roster. He has produced steadily throughout his college career and has already shown he can handle ACC competition, which is part of what makes him such an interesting fit for this offense. If Virginia Techs run game is going to stay multi-dimensional this season, Davis could end up being one of the more important additions of the offseason. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Tech's Offensive Line Rebuild Just Added An Intriguing Piece
Virginia Techs offseason push to reshape its offensive front picked up another notable addition with the arrival of Justin Bell, a former three-star lineman who transferred in from Michigan State. Bell brings size at 6-foot-6 and around 322 pounds, and while his college rsum is still in the developmental stage, he fits the kind of profile the Hokies have been chasing as they try to strengthen a unit that needs more depth and upside.
Bell did not appear in a game during his redshirt season at Michigan State, so the move to Blacksburg is as much about long-term growth as immediate production. For Virginia Tech, that makes him an intriguing piece rather than a finished product, and his development will be one more storyline to watch as the Hokies continue rebuilding the offensive line around a broader new-look approach. [Read more 🡒]