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Fresh Faces At Virginia Tech: Clemson Transfer Sherrod Covil Jr Looks To Make His Mark in the Secondary

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Fresh Faces At Virginia Tech: Clemson Transfer Sherrod Covil Jr Looks To Make His Mark in the Secondary


As we begin to wrap up our “Fresh Faces” series, it is finally time we talk about one of the most high-profile transfers that head coach Brent Pry has wrapped up during his tenure.

Now, why is Virginia Tech in this position? It is simple: The Hokies were matched with massive expectations heading into the 2024/25 season. Some people were expecting the Hokies to be a dark horse for the College Football Playoff, at least a contender for the ACC. Instead, the Hokies fell well below the standards, totaling just six wins and ultimately being faced with a lot of incoming changes.

Even before the Hokies fell to Minnesota in a 24-10 loss to the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, before that game, the Tech had announced they were moving on from former defensive coordinator Chris Marve. After that loss, offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen departed the Hokies to move to Ohio State, where he will stand in line as the offensive line coach.

It wasn’t all changes for the Hokies staff alone, over 30 players left the squad either to graduation, the NFL Draft or the 30 names through the transfer portal.

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While Pry was in the midst of a shuffling staff and team, the Hokies made a major snag, Clemson safety Sherod Covil Jr.

Covil was a reserve safety for the Tigers, and for his career, he totaled 32 tackles and one pass deflection. He is originally from Chesapeake, VA, and was a four-star recruit in the class of 2022. As a prospect, the 247Sports composite ranked him as the No. 205 player in the country, No. 16 safety in the country, and No. 7 player in the state of Virginia. At Pro Football Focus, Covil finished with a 50.8 defensive grade in 124 snaps, including a 74.2 grade in run defense. In 2023, he finished with a 60.3 grade in 120 snaps and in 2022, he finished with a 68.2 grade in 258 snaps.

Covil took the offer before Christmas, and it was reported he committed to the Hokies in mid-December.

Covil won’t necessarily be a shoo-in for the Hokies but his depth of experience will prove vital in a new system by new defensive coordinator Sam Siefkes.



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Virginia

Virginia man who had 155 pipe bombs pleads guilty to federal crimes and more state headlines

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Virginia man who had 155 pipe bombs pleads guilty to federal crimes and more state headlines


• “Virginia politicians’ spending gives glimpses into campaign tactics.” — Richmond Times-Dispatch • “More than 1.4 million Virginians affected in Radiology Associates of Richmond data breach.” — WRIC • “Virginia Supreme Court upholds state commission’s decision to deny Dulles Greenway rate hike.” — WTOP News • “Virginia public media stations brace for impact of federal […]



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Zaevion Cleveland Content With Virginia Tech Commitment

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Zaevion Cleveland Content With Virginia Tech Commitment


Zaevion Cleveland
Cornerback, Class of 2026
Green Run, Virginia Beach, Va.
6-4, 187

A pipeline might be what most would call it. Recently, there’s been a direct route of players from Green Run High School (Va.) to Virginia Tech.

The Hokies already had three Stallions on their 2025 roster, in wide receiver Keylen Adams, cornerback Knahlij Harrell and defensive lineman Zeke Chinwike. Now, Virginia Tech has three more headed its way in the 2026 class. But it wasn’t necessarily planned that way.

The second of those three came June 22 when three-star cornerback Zaevion Cleveland announced his commitment to the Hokies. That decision took place just before he left his official visit weekend in Blacksburg.

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Republican Winsome Earle-Sears shakes up campaign staff in Virginia governor’s race

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Republican Winsome Earle-Sears shakes up campaign staff in Virginia governor’s race


Virginia Republican Winsome Earle-Sears’ gubernatorial campaign said Thursday that it demoted one key staffer and parted ways with another less than four months out from the general election, as the candidate lags in the polls and fundraising.

Will Archer, a pastor with no prior major political experience, was removed from his post as Earle-Sears’ campaign manager, Mark Harris, a general consultant for the campaign, said on a call with reporters.

Archer will remain on the campaign in a role that focuses on voter turnout in the Northern Virginia area, said Harris, who also indicated there was not a plan to announce a new campaign manager imminently.

“Will, who was the campaign manager, is transitioning out,” Harris said. Asked when a new campaign manager would be announced, Harris replied, “When we decide to let you guys know.”

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Harris also told reporters that Richard Wagner, Earle-Sears’ political director, has left the campaign.

“Richard has moved on to another race,” Harris said.

The Washington Post first reported news of Archer’s new role in the campaign.

The staff shakeup comes as Earle-Sears, the state’s lieutenant governor, has struggled to gain traction against Democrat Abigail Spanberger, a former congresswoman, in the race to succeed GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

A poll released Wednesday by Virginia Commonwealth University found Spanberger leading Earle-Sears 49% to 37% among registered voters. Those results were outside of the poll’s margin of error of plus or minus 4.16 percentage points.

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And new fundraising reports released this week showed Spanberger with an advantage over Earle-Sears. Spanberger raised $4.3 million during the most recent reporting period, June 6 to June 30, and had $15.2 million in cash on hand. By comparison, Earle-Sears raised $2.4 million and had $4.5 million in cash on hand.

Republicans have criticized Earle-Sears’ campaign, saying that it lacks discipline and consistency. In interviews last month, Republican operatives in Virginia and elsewhere grumbled that the campaign has lacked a central message. But they also cautioned that it remained far too early to write off Earle-Sears — a message that was reiterated by the campaign itself on Thursday.

“We are at the very beginning of this fight,” said Harris, who noted that Youngkin won four years ago after starting the race behind.

“Our goal is to win and beat Abigail Spanberger,” he said. “I know that everyone is treating this race much like a fait accompli, and I think much like that was wrong in 2021, once again it will be wrong in 2025.”

Harris acknowledged that they “definitely are the underdog” but said that “there is a clear path to victory” for them to win.

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“We need high turnout. We have to work hard to get high turnout,” he said.



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