Virginia Tech Defensive End Antwaun Powell-Ryland Is One of The Premier Pass Rushers in the Country
According to Sports Reference, Antwaun Powell-Ryland's four-sack performance against Old Dominion entered his name among some of the greatest defensive ends in college football, as he currently is tied for the lead in the nation in sacks with 5.5.
Like last season, he's dominated his out-of-conference opponents, tying his own team record of four sacks, and no player has been able to catch him, even though it is close.
Van Villinger of Utah and Kyle Kennard of South Carolina are with Powell at 5.5 sacks.
It's fair to say that Powell has been one of the best defensive players in all of college football, as he leads Tyler Baron, Josaiah Stewart, and Patrick Payton in sacks--some of the top defensive players in college football.
It hasn't always been this way though, Powell-Ryland has had to claw his way up the ranks of college football. Starting at Florida in 2020, he wouldn't see significant action until the 2022 season. The most action that he saw though was five starts, as he totalled 29 tackles on the year. From then on though, he's been a Hokie, vowing to return to the team instead of transferring out.
Again, it's early in the season, but he is currently on a 18-sack pace, only four sacks lower than Bruce Smith's Virginia Tech record of twenty-two, and it's known that Powell was motivated to put up big sack numbers this year, with teammate Cole Nelson saying, "He took those nine and a half sacks personally. He wanted [to have] ten."
As the season progresses, all the eyes will remain on Powell-Ryland to see if he can maintain his pace. Even if he continues at his current pace, he would smash his personal best 9.5 sacks and finish the season with twelve sacks, a number that many players would wish to have. However, The bar for Powell-Ryland is set higher, not only is he looking to eye down some Virginia Tech records, he's looking to lead the defense towards
RJ Schafer joined the On SI team in 2024, contributing to the coverage of Major League Baseball, Collegiate Basketball, and Collegiate Football at https://www.si.com/college/virginiatech/. Prior to this, RJ built a strong portfolio covering Georgia Tech and the Tigers for the Bleav Network. With a solid background in sports journalism, RJ has conducted interviews with both collegiate and professional athletes, enhancing the depth and authenticity of his reporting. RJ's extensive experience in the sports industry has equipped him with a keen understanding of the dynamics and intricacies of both collegiate and professional sports. His work is focused on providing insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage, making him a trusted voice in the sports community.