National CFB writer captures the power of Virginia Tech football ahead of the 2024 season

Entering the 2024 season, Virginia Tech’s football team is considered an outside contender for the new 12-team College Football Playoff. Expectations are high because the Hokies finished the season with six wins in their last nine games after a 1-3 start, including a Military Bowl win over Tulane, and because of all the retention they received from their 2023 roster.

Virginia Tech has a lot of players at many positions on both sides of the ball, but as a team, their defense is their biggest strength, according to one national football reporter.

Brad Crawford of 247Sports has ranked the strengths of each of the top 25 teams heading into the preseason. The Hokies, who were ranked No. 24 in his poll, think their defense is their strongest point.

“This could be the strongest unit in Blacksburg in a decade, given the decisions of several draftable players to return. Edge rusher Antwaun Powell-Ryland had 9.5 sacks, cornerbacks Dorian Strong and Mansoor Delane were projected mid-round selections and Duke transfer Aeneas Peebles has chosen Virginia Tech for extra consideration.”

– Brad Crawford

It’s hard to disagree with Crawford. Powell-Ryland returns and is joined by transfers Peebles, Kelvin Gilliam, Kemari Copeland and Alabama transfer Khurtiss Perry along the defensive front, making that group better and deeper. Middle Tennessee State transfer Sam Brumfield at linebacker should have a huge impact, while Dorian Strong and Mansoor Delane return to anchor the secondary.

Offensively, Virginia Tech returns the bulk of its production, but the defensive side of the ball is the side that has been front and center in the transfer portal, and the Hokies are poised to have one of their best defenses in nearly a decade. Indeed, if Tech wants to be an outside contender for the 12-team CFP, their defense will need to be their strength in 2024.