Virginia Tech Football: National Analyst Gives Pick For Who Has Been The Hokies Best Transfer Addition
Virginia Tech brought back a veteran team this year, but they made some important transfer portal additions to help bolster the team. Not all of them have been a success, but one that has has been Duke defensive line transfer Aeneas Peebles. Peebles has made a strong defensive line even stronger and 247Sports analyst Grant Hughes named Peebles as the top transfer addition on the Hokies this season:
"Virginia Tech found a handful of defensive contributors in the transfer portal, but none have been as impactful as Peebles. He leads all ACC defensive tackles and ranks third in the nation at his position with 31 pressures. The fifth-year senior has turned five of those into sacks."
Peebles and Antwaun Powell-Ryland form one of the best defensive line tandems in the country. Peebles is the top rated player on Virginia Tech's entire team according to PFF (Pro Football Focus), checking in with an elite 88.3 defensive grade and an elite 90.8 pass rushing grade. He has been one of the top transfers in the country and is an easy choice for who the top transfer on the Hokies is.
Virginia Tech is off this Saturday, but they are going to be facing Peebles old team next Saturday.
Duke and Virginia Tech played each other each year when they ACC had divisions, but they did not face each other last season. The last meeting between these two teams was in 2022, where the Blue Devils won 24-7. Virginia Tech leads the all-time series between the two programs 19-11 and have won 5 out of the last 7 against Duke.
Duke has been one of the best stories in the ACC this season. There were not high expectations for Manny Diaz in his first season in Durham, but he has Duke at 7-3, he led Duke to its first ever win over Florida State, and has beaten both North Carolina and NC State. He has a chance to get Duke a 10 win season if they defeat Virginia Tech and Wake Forest to end the season and then win their bowl game.
Virginia Tech now had their backs against the wall in the final two weeks of the season. They must defeat one of Duke or rival Virginia to get to a bowl game, something that is not guaranteed. Duke is 7-3 and is playing better on a week to week basis than than the Hokies and Virginia just pulled an upset against Pitt to get to 5-4. The game against the Cavaliers could determine whether either program gets to a bowl game.
Additional Links:
Virginia Tech Football: Hokies Open As Small Road Favorites vs Duke
Virginia Tech Recruiting: Hokies Receive Prediction To Land 2025 Cornerback Target
Virginia Tech Women's Basketball: 5 Takeaways From Hokies win vs UNC Asheville
Jackson Caudell has been covering Georgia Tech Athletics For On SI since March 2022 and the Atlanta Hawks for On SI since October 2023. Jackson is also the co-host of the Bleav in Georgia Tech podcast and he loves to bring thoughtful analysis and comprehensive coverage to everything that he does. Find him on X @jacksoncaudell