Football is back on the doorstep in Blacksburg, and Virginia Tech’s defense has its own set of names worth tracking when fall camp opens. The Hokies already got a look at five offensive players to know, and the defensive side brings a mix of fresh transfers, returning talent and players ready to take the next step.
At the top of that list is edge rusher Javion Hilson, a 6-foot-3, 245-pound former elite recruit from Cocoa, Florida. Hilson signed with Missouri just a year ago, played in three games, redshirted, then hit the transfer portal and quickly became a coveted target.
He landed at Virginia Tech, where he joins a group of new edge rushers that includes Mylachi Williams and Samuel Okunlola. Of that trio, Hilson has the highest ceiling thanks to his blend of size, length and speed.
The upside is obvious enough that he could make the kind of impact Antwaun Powell-Ryland did a few years back. That doesn’t mean a 16-sack season is waiting around the corner, but the source material makes one thing clear: double-digit sacks are well within reach.
Another defensive end to watch is Aycen Stevens, who got a strong nod this spring when head coach James Franklin singled out one player on each side of the ball who stood out. Franklin picked Stevens, and the fit makes sense on paper.
At 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds, Stevens has the kind of frame that jumps off the page, and he’s already logged plenty of game experience after redshirting his freshman year. He has appeared in all 25 games over the last two seasons, and now the next step is obvious: lock down a starting role and keep it.
Stevens brings brute strength to the point of attack, and that’s the trait Virginia Tech will lean on.
The linebacker spot features Noah Chambers, a 6-foot-1, 228-pound sophomore who took a little time to get on the field last season before forcing his way into the lineup on Sept. 27 against N.C. State.
Once he got his shot, he didn’t give it back. Chambers made six tackles and recorded one sack in that road win, then kept improving the rest of the season as he became a priority to keep in the program.
Now the Hokies have their middle linebacker, and there’s still room for his game to grow. His former head coach, Brent Pry, is now his defensive coordinator and position coach.
In the secondary, safety Quintin Reddish is another name with real intrigue. He was one of Virginia Tech’s top recruits in 2024 and played in 12 games as a freshman, looking like a future building block.
Then an injury limited him to just three games in 2025, and there was talk that he might simply wait things out before moving on. That never happened.
Franklin talked him into returning, and now Reddish is healthy with plenty of buzz around what he can become. The source doesn’t leave much ambiguity here: he has an NFL future.
The final defensive player on the list is cornerback Jaquez White, one of the Hokies’ biggest portal wins. White didn’t take the traditional path, starting at Division II Washburn before moving to Troy after two seasons there.
Once at Troy, he earned All-Sun Belt Second Team honors and put together a strong season with 67 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions and one sack. Virginia Tech had competition for him in January, but White chose the Hokies and stepped in as an immediate starter.
If his rise keeps going at the current pace, the next stop mentioned is the NFL, and he’s expected to be one of Virginia Tech’s key players in 2026.
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