Going into the 2024 season, the Virginia Tech football team is considered a darkhorse contender for the new 12-team College Football Playoff. Expectations are high because the Hokies finished the season winning six of their final nine games after a 1-3 start, including a Military Bowl win over Tulane, and also because of all the retainment that they got from their 2023 roster.
Virginia Tech is deep at a lot of positions on both sides of the ball, but as a unit, one national college football writer believes that their defense is their biggest strength.
Brad Crawford of 247Sports listed each of their preseason Top 25 teams’ biggest strengths entering the upcoming season and the Hokies, which were ranked No. 24 in his poll, thinks that the defense is their biggest strength.
“This might be the strongest unit seen in a decade in Blacksburg given the decisions by several draftable players to return. Edge rusher Antwaun Powell-Ryland tallied 9.5 sacks, cornerbacks Dorian Strong and Mansoor Delane would’ve been mid-round selections and Duke transfer Aeneas Peebles has chosen Virginia Tech for added spotlight.”
– Brad Crawford
It’s very hard to disagree with Crawford. Powell-Ryland returning and being joined by transfers Peebles, Kelvin Gilliam, Kemari Copeland, and Alabama transfer Khurtiss Perry along the defensive front makes that group better and deeper. Middle Tennessee State transfer Sam Brumfield at linebacker should make a huge impact, while Dorian Strong and Mansoor Delane return to anchor the secondary.
Offensively, Virginia Tech returns most of their production, but the defensive side of the ball is the side that was the focus in the transfer portal and the Hokies are set up to have one of their best overall defenses in nearly a decade. If Tech is going to be a dark horse and contender for the 12-team CFP, their defense will indeed need to be their strength in 2024.
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Publish date : 2024-07-24 06:00:00
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