Virginia Tech’s overhaul in the trenches brought a clear priority into focus: edge rusher. James Franklin attacked that need in the transfer portal, landing six players who can line up on the defensive edges. Most of those additions are younger, but Colorado transfer Samuel Okunlola stands out because he already brings real college experience with him.
Okunlola arrives in Blacksburg as a player whose ceiling depends on what comes back after injury. If he gets back to the form he showed before the shoulder issue, he could raise the floor of Virginia Tech’s pass rush room in a hurry.
His path has already taken him through three schools in five years. He started at Pittsburgh, moved on to Colorado, and is now at Virginia Tech.
The Massachusetts native entered college as a 247Sports three-star in the 2022 class. He was ranked as the No. 5 player in the state as a senior and checked in at No. 515 nationally in the 247Sports Composite after a huge final year at Thayer Academy. That season, he piled up 25 tackles for loss and 17 sacks, while also making noise at tight end by averaging more than 31 yards per catch.
After redshirting as a true freshman at Pittsburgh, Okunlola delivered a productive sophomore season with five sacks. That performance pushed him into the spotlight in the portal, where he was rated a four-star transfer and the No. 54 available player in the 2024 cycle by 247Sports. He also ranked fifth among defensive linemen in that group.
At Colorado, Okunlola played in all 13 games and started 10, logging 452 defensive snaps. He finished with four sacks and 23 total quarterback pressures, which ranked second on the team.
He entered 2025 with a chance to be a major piece for Colorado, but that plan changed quickly. After playing just 33 defensive snaps against Georgia Tech in the opener, he suffered a shoulder injury that ended his season.
That injury also limited him this spring at Virginia Tech. Still, if Okunlola can get back to the level he showed at Pittsburgh and Colorado, he gives Franklin and Sean Spencer a proven, high-upside piece in a room that has been completely remade.
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