Virginia Tech avoided a portal disaster, but that doesn’t mean the Hokies came out of the transfer cycle untouched. With the roster set and attention shifting to fall camp and the start of the 2026 season, there are still a few departures that sting for different reasons - experience, depth and proven production among them.
Caleb Woodson is the first name that jumps out. He wasn’t a natural fit in last season’s scheme, which kept him from standing out the way he did over the previous two years.
But with Virginia Tech moving back to the 4-2-STAR look, the Hokies no longer have a prototypical STAR linebacker in the room. Woodson’s numbers show why that matters: 152 tackles in 35 career games, plus 11.5 TLF, a pair of sacks and an interception.
He wasn’t a back-breaker loss, but he would have been in line for a starting role had he stayed for his senior season.
Safety is another spot where the Hokies can’t really afford to lose bodies, and Christian Ellis fit that need. Virginia Tech’s depth on the back end is in question, and Ellis was positioned to play a major role.
He appeared in four of the team’s first five games, broke up three passes, and made five tackles. One of those pass breakups was the game-winning fourth down stop against NC State.
After Brent Pry was dismissed of his head coaching duties with Virginia Tech, Ellis entered the transfer portal, leaving the Hokies thinner than they’d like at safety.
Then there’s Dante Lovett, who gave Virginia Tech valuable snaps in the secondary across the last two seasons. He played in all 26 games in 2023 and 2024, finishing with 30 tackles, seven pass breakups, an interception and a fumble recovery.
The Hokies already have one of the better cornerback rooms in the conference, but there’s always room for more talent at defensive back. Losing Lovett means Virginia Tech is down a player who had the kind of profile that could have given the unit even more punch.
In Other News...
Virginia Techs Cornerback Battle Could Decide More Than Fans Realize
Fall camp is set to put Virginia Techs cornerback room under a microscope, and the outcome could shape more than just the top of the depth chart. Jaquez White and Isaiah Brown-Murray are the names to watch at boundary cornerback, while Cam Chadwick enters as the favorite at nickel, giving the Hokies a few clear starting points but not a lot of certainty beyond them.
Knahlij Harrell is also in the mix at nickel, and the Hokies have some younger defensive backs who should push for snaps as the season unfolds. Joshua Clarke is back in the conversation after injury, and with Harrell among the players expected to take on a larger role, the bigger question is how quickly Virginia Tech can sort out a position group that may need to grow up fast. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Techs Safety Room Has One Fall Camp Problem To Solve
Virginia Techs safety group enters fall camp with a familiar mix of promise and unfinished business. The Hokies return six players with meaningful experience for 2026, giving the room a sturdy base on paper, and Quentin Reddish is part of that picture after flashing early last season before injury interrupted his year. Veterans Tyson Flowers, Jordan Bass and Sherrod Covil also bring snaps and know-how, which matters in a secondary that needs steadiness as much as it needs playmaking.
The issue is that experience alone does not solve everything, especially when tackling has been an issue for several of the older options. That is why the development of sophomores Sheldon Robinson and Brennan Johnson looms so large in camp, because Virginia Tech could use reliable depth behind the top names and maybe a couple of younger players who are ready to push for more. How that rotation settles in over the next few weeks will go a long way toward defining the ceiling of the defense. [Read more 🡒]