Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.
Virginia
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.
Related Links:
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
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In this world of college football, with the transfer portal and recruiting battles, bad blood is present more than ever before between head coaches.
That’s not the case between the Virginia Tech head coach and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, however. In fact, Franklin revealed at ACC Kickoff on Thursday that the two are actually close friends, dating back to their time at the Nike trip that various coaches take over the summer.
“Dabo’s my guy,” Franklin said on Thursday. “We go way back. We’ve been on the Nike trip for a long time. His wife and my wife are friends.”
The long-time Penn State head coach is making the move to the ACC after being fired from the Nittany Lions in October. 12 seasons of being with the program had Franklin hold a 44-21 record against top 10 opponents, an impressive record for a new conference foe of Swinney’s.
But when that trip comes around, there’s a camaraderie between Swinney and Franklin and both of their wives. In fact, the two hang out with each other instead of the other coaches at times. It simply comes to an “edgy” time in college athletics that raises tempers.
“I’m going to be honest, I wouldn’t say we’re necessarily like the type of people that love a lot of other coaches and a lot of other programs,” Franklin said. “It’s hard when you just compete year-round.”
On Swinney’s end, there are a few who could immediately come to mind among Clemson fans. Perhaps the most recent would be Ole Miss coach Pete Golding, who played the most significant role in the tampering of former linebacker Luke Ferrelli.
It’s a select list of coaches who make the good side of the Tigers’ head coach, and Franklin is certainly on that list. On the other hand, Hokies’ head coach has Swinney on his own shortlist.
“Obviously, tremendous respect for what he has built at Clemson and what he’s done at Clemson, and what he’s done for the ACC,” he said.
The two will see that close relationship face off at Memorial Stadium this upcoming season. Clemson will host the Hokies on Oct. 24 in what could be a potential title-eliminator for the ACC Championship.
Of course, the last game that we’ve seen the Tigers play in was against Franklin’s former team in Penn State at the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. That game ended in a 22-10 contest that saw a foundation of Franklin players end Clemson’s season in disappointment.
Swinney will see many of those players once again in October, including starting quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, in that contest. The anticipated Hokie starter recorded 260 yards and two passing touchdowns on the Tigers in the Bronx that day.
Although friends become foes, another ACC coach has given Swinney his flowers for what he’s been able to do for the conference. In the upcoming moments, Franklin will look to prepare his team to prove itself on one of the biggest stages in the ACC, while Swinney looks to put his team back at the top of a conference he’s dominated for over 15 years.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Follow
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (WSET) — Extreme drought conditions in parts of Virginia have prompted an emergency drought warning for a wide swath of the region, including Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Pittsylvania and Roanoke counties, along with the cities of Danville, Roanoke, Salem and Martinsville.
The governor has warned that if conditions worsen, she will activate mandatory nonessential water-use restrictions.
In Martinsville, city leaders have issued a voluntary water conservation notice and are urging residents and businesses to cut back where they can. The request comes as local businesses that rely heavily on water say the drought is already affecting day-to-day operations.
SEE ALSO: Botetourt County residents adjust daily routines as voluntary water restriction continues
John Hughes, owner of John’s Car Wash, said the dry conditions have hit his business hard in recent weeks. “For the last 3 weeks, it’s been hitting pretty hard. We done three yesterday and haven’t done anything today with the drought and hot weather. Yeah, I’m really concerned about it,” Hughes said.
Restaurants are also feeling the strain. David Kitzmiller, an owner of Be Wiched, said water is essential for routine tasks such as washing dishes and preparing some menu items.
“We use a lot of water for washing dishes and some of our recipes if they limit us in anyway defiently can’t produce and its a scary aspect,” Kitzmiller said.
Kitzmiller added that cutting back is not always realistic for businesses that must meet sanitation needs. “Not really feasible for a business that depends solely relies on water to wash their dishes, so that can’t definitely be an impact there,” he said.
City leaders emphasized that the conservation request is voluntary for now, but they are encouraging everyone to do their part by taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet when it is not in use, washing only full loads of laundry, and limiting outdoor watering whenever possible.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Five people were charged after Virginia Beach Police conducted a two-day human trafficking and vice operation on July 3, according to the Virginia Beach Police Department.
The department’s Special Investigations Bureau conducted the operation, which was aimed at identifiying human trafficking victims, reducing the demand for commercial sex and targeting individuals seeking to exploit or recruit children for prostitution.
Detectives used many investigative techniques to proactively identify individuals involved in criminal activity related to prostitution, human trafficking and offenses against children. The operation was conducted in Virginia Beach, involving personnel from all of the bureau’s squads.
As a result of the operation, five people were identified and charged with offenses ranging from solicitation of prostitution to sex trafficking and crimes involving minors. Two vehicles and U.S. currency were seized during the operation. Other people were connected to victim services through Samaritan House.
The operation led to the following people being charged:
- Shane Carter, 28, of Norfolk, was charged with solicitation of prostitution.
- Robert Harris, 64, of Virginia Beach, was charged with solicitation of prostitution and assault and battery.
- Larry Pittman, 53, of Portsmouth, was charged with sex trafficking and use of electronic devices to facilitaate certain offenses involving minors.
- Kenric Frazier, 46, of Portsmouth, was charged with sex trafficking, use of electronic devices to facilitate certain offenses involving minors and solicitation of child pornography.
- Cameron Lewis, 24, of Norfolk, was charged with solicitation of prostitution.
Investigators also developed leads about people who are suspected of trafficking and exploiting others for commercial sex. Those are now active and ongoing investigations. There may be more charges and arrests pending further investigation and consultation with the Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
If you’re a human trafficking victim or know someone who is, you can report it to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
-
News9 minutes agoFlood sirens blare in South Central Texas as rivers reach perilous heights
-
Los Angeles, Ca2 hours agoArrest made in deadly shooting at 4th of July gathering in Compton; search for 2nd suspect continues
-
Detroit, MI2 hours agoDetroit crime hits decades-low as Michigan governor candidates debate how to keep progress going
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoOperator of boat that capsized near Alcatraz mourns brother as search continues
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoMavericks vs Thunder Game Preview and Injury Update
-
Miami, FL3 hours agoMiami Dolphins Fans Vs. The Media
-
Boston, MA3 hours agoMan who allegedly shot at Boston Police officers arrested after foot chase in Dorchester
-
Denver, CO3 hours agoSwan, dragon and duck boats are back pedaling around City Park
