Virginia

Fielding the Virginia Tech Football Team with Exclusively Transfers

Published

12 months ago

on

May 14, 2025

By

Press Room

Fielding the Virginia Tech Football Team with Exclusively Transfers

Virginia Tech has tallied 30 transfers since the end of its disappointing 6-7 season. Virginia Tech has also shifted its coaching staff, by replacing offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen with Philip Montgomery, and defensive coordinator Chris Marve with Arizona Cardinal linebacker coach Sam Siefkes.

The Hokies have fielded a number of transfers across nearly every position. Today’s task? to create a Virginia Tech team where every position is fielded by transfers.

Rangel played three seasons in Stillwater, with 2022 being the year he saw the most snaps. That season, Rangel threw for 711 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 51% of his passes. According to PFF (Pro Football Focus), Rangel had 229 snaps during the 2022 season and finished with a 49.0 overall grade on offense. In 2023, Rangel played 68 snaps, and then he played 66 snaps last season. While the numbers won’t blow you away, Rangel has experience and could be better in Phillip Montgomery’s offense than the one he was in with Oklahoma State. With his addition, it will be worth keeping an eye on the backup quarterback spot now.

Bennett performed at the Hokies’ annual spring game. There, Bennett ran for 74 yards on nearly seven yards a carry. At Coastal, 781 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground, with a further two caught through the air.

Greene, the oldest wideout in this current room, brought in 13 touchdowns and over 1,800 yards in his time at Wake Forest.

Spencer has spent the first two years of his time at Jackson State, where the Tigers went 19-6 through Spencer’s two years.

Combined, Spencer tallied 861 yards and five touchdowns, although last season is where Spencer really broke out.

Last season, en route to a Tigers’ Cricket Celebration Bowl victory, Spencer marked four touchdowns and 660 yards, all while raking in nearly 20 yards per reception (18.9).

Austin spent his sole year at West Virginia as a redshirt; however, coming out of high school, Austin was ranked as the No. 40 tackle and the No.12 ranked player in Illinois.

Rimac earned a 78.6 PFF overall grade in 2024 ranked fifth among Power Four guards, and he was one of only six in that group who earned 75.0-plus grades as a pass blocker and a run blocker. Rimac was also named a Big 12 Honorable Mention.

Altuner, the 55th highest ranked commitment in the history of West Virginia’s high school recruiting, according to 247Sports. Altuner held 20 offers out of high school and was ranked as a top 20 IOL. He was also the 5th highest ranked commitment ever by an offensive lineman to West Virginia.

Muskrat spent two years at Auburn. As a Tiger, Muskrat played in every game at Auburn, including as a backup at left tackle last season, for an Auburn team that went 5-6, including losses to six different SEC schools.

Below is an excerpt from All Auburn on SI about Muskrat’s transfer.

“Muskrat, a Tulsa transfer, where he was coached by Auburn Offensive Coordinator Philip Montgomery, was the lone offensive lineman signed by Auburn in the Spring portal. He played in all 12 games for the Golden Hurricanes in 2022, and was a starter at right tackle for the last nine. At Auburn, he projects to be an interior lineman at one of the guard spots.”

Crawford was a highly touted center prospect out of Maryland. He was a consensus three-star by ESPN, 247Sports, On3, and Rivals. Rivals had him ranked 15th in Maryland as well as the eighth-best center in the 2025 class. Crawford was not initially on the Hokies board. Pitt, Duke, and Syracuse were the only ACC teams that recruited him among the 19 total teams. Matt Moore made sure the Hokies did their due diligence this time around.

Last season for the Eagles, Djonkam racked up 98 total tackles, 3 sacks, 1 FF, 3 PDs, and was a 2nd team All-MAC selection. He began his career at Arizona State before transferring to Eastern Michigan.

Huisman was an honorable mention in the All-Missouri Valley Football Conference, where he played all 16 games and tallied 37 tackles in just seven starts. Huisman was third on the team with 7.5 tackles for loss, including a season-high six tackles and a forced fumble, and 2.5 tackles for loss when the NDSU took down South Dakota State en route to an FCS National Championship

Nash had 53 tackles and nine sacks last season for the Bears, who were one of the top teams in the FCS, as Nash and Mercer reeled in 11-3.

Bell started his career at Louisiana Tech before transferring over to Texas State. For his career, he has totaled 126 tackles and 19 sacks, with his season-high in sacks coming in 2023 when he totaled 10. According to Pro Football Focus, Bell played 206 snaps this past season and finished with an 80.8 grade, the third highest on the defense. What is notable is that he finished with a 91.1 pass-rushing grade. In 2023, Bell finished with a 90.9 grade in over 500 snaps and an even better 93.0 pass-rushing grade. In 2022, Bell received a 71.2 grade from PFF in 272 snaps, including an 83.9 pass-rushing grade. The Hokies are getting themselves a seasoned pass rusher who should be an impact player for the defense next season.

Short hails from Charlotte, N.C., where he spent one season as a Tar Heel. Short spent his sole season. Short tallied 23 tackles with 17 of them being solo, including a season-high five against Duke in the Tar Heels’ 21-20 loss to the Blue Devils.

Bass finished his Panthers career with 25 total tackles, 1 sack, and one pass deflection. Bass was considered the No. 4 player from Virginia in the class of 2023 by 247Sports, as the site rated Bass as a four-star recruit.

Flowers earned a 76.8 grade from PFF in 544 snaps and was the third-highest graded defender on the Owls’ defense last season.

Cash racked up 68 tackles and two interceptions, and he brings plenty of experience. Cash came to Sam Houston State from Houston Christian and has five years of experience under his belt. For his career, Cash has 173 tackles and five interceptions. This past season, Pro Football Focus gave him a 77.4 grade in 881 snaps, including an elite 91.0 tackling grade.

Brown leaves Hawaii after spending the last two seasons with the program, racking up 41 tackles in his tenure along with 14 pass breakups–totaling an overall Pro Football Focus grade of 77.1 with the Rainbow Warriors.

According to Pro Football Focus, Brown-Murray played 830 snaps and finished with a 74.0 grade, including an 80.4 tackling grade. He has played a lot of snaps over the past couple of seasons and should bring some experience and playmaking ability to the Hokies’ secondary.

ESPN Predicts Who Will Be Virginia Tech’s Top Three Transfers in 2025

NCAA Baseball Field of 64 Projections: The Virginia Tech Hokies are out of contention

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Virginia

Virginia governor signs paid leave law, first in the South – WTOP News

Published

8 hours ago

on

May 12, 2026

By

Press Room

Virginia governor signs paid leave law, first in the South – WTOP News

Virginia’s governor has signed the state’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Law, making the commonwealth one of more than a dozen states offering similar benefits and the first in the South to do so.

Virginia’s governor signed the state’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Law last month, making the commonwealth one of more than a dozen states offering similar benefits and the first in the South to do so.

Gov. Abigail Spanberger made it official, saying the law is designed to help smaller businesses retain employees who encounter difficult times.

“Whether you punch a timecard, swipe a badge or work primarily for tips, you will be able to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave to address serious health needs for you and your family,” she said.

The program works similarly to unemployment insurance. Employees and employers will pay into it through payroll deductions starting in 2028. If needed, a person can receive up to 80% of their wages for up to 12 weeks. Benefits are expected to become available in December 2028.

The law is expected to apply to most workers across the state, including many who don’t currently have paid leave through their jobs.

“Three million Virginians who previously lacked access to paid family leave will have the ability to care for a loved one, to recover from a serious illness or to welcome a new child without sacrificing their pay or without ending that time with additional credit card debt. Because no one should have to choose between spending time with their newborn and paying their bills,” Spanberger said.

It also covers caring for a sick family member and can help someone dealing with domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking.

Speaking at the signing, Monica Jackson, who owns a childcare center in Springfield, said the program will help small businesses compete and better support working families.

“Enabling programs like mine to remain open, to operate sustainably and to continue serving the families who rely on us for their financial stability,” Jackson said.

State Sen. Jennifer Boysko, the bill’s chief sponsor, said she worked on the policy for eight legislative sessions and is happy to see it officially become law.

“Virginia families are going to have the grace to care for themselves and their loved ones during these most serious events without going bankrupt,” Boysko said.

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Virginia

Virginia Supreme Court voids voter-approved redistricting referendum

Published

20 hours ago

on

May 11, 2026

By

Press Room

Virginia Supreme Court voids voter-approved redistricting referendum

On May 8, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that the General Assembly violated the state constitution when it tried to redraw congressional districts, nullifying the results of the April election in which Virginians narrowly approved redistricting.

Electoral maps are usually redrawn once every 10 years, but multiple states began redrawing them early after President Donald Trump urged Republicans to redraw district lines to ensure more favorable results for the party in the November 2026 elections.

This started a nationwide political battle for control of the U.S. House of Representatives. Texas was the first of several states to redraw districts favoring Republicans, and Virginia Democrats had proposed a constitutional amendment to allow redistricting in order to favor Democrats.

As of May 8, Republicans had initiated redistricting efforts in eight states; Democrats had led redistricting efforts in three states, including Virginia, the Washington Post reported.

In April, Virginia voters supported the redistricting amendment with 51.7% voting for it out of more than 3 million ballots cast. It could have given Democrats up to four extra seats in the U.S. House, according to the Washington Post (subscription required).

But the Virginia Supreme Court, in a 4-3 ruling, found that there were procedural errors in how the Democratic legislature handled the process, nullifying the election results.

The Virginia Constitution says that proposed constitutional amendments must pass in the General Assembly twice before the public can vote on them: once before an election of the House of Delegates, and again after an election. According to the Virginia Supreme Court majority opinion written by Justice D. Arthur Kelsey, early voting for the general election had already been open for six weeks when the General Assembly cast its first vote on the amendment in October 2025, with more than 1.3 million voters having already cast their ballots.

“This violation irreparably undermines the integrity of the resulting referendum vote and renders it null and void,” the court majority opinion stated.

The court’s ruling means the state reverts to the old district maps adopted in 2021. Based on those maps, Virginia voters elected six Democrats and five Republicans to the U.S. House.

Following the court’s ruling, some Virginia Democrats who planned to run for the U.S. House told the New York Times that they have to abandon their campaigns, while others, such as Tom Perriello who is running for the 5th District, face much more difficult campaigns.

Virginia Democrats on Friday asked the court to pause the nullification of the referendum results while they prepare their appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, according to VPM.

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