Virginia

Virginia Tech 2024 Position Preview Series, Linebacker: How Does Transfer Sam Brumfield Fit In?

Published

1 year ago

July 26, 2024

Virginia Tech 2024 Position Preview Series, Linebacker: How Does Transfer Sam Brumfield Fit In?

Linebackers is the position group on the Virginia Tech roster that is the most polarizing to me. On one hand, you return key contributors like Keonta Jenkins and Keli Lawson. On the other hand, you lose Alan Tisdale who played in five total years at Tech, and was one of the best players in the open field. It’s hard to grasp how good this linebacker room is, which may be because it is the only position group on defense that doesn’t have a player that would necessarily be deemed a “star” player.

The defense was very solid last year, placing 15th in the nation in yards allowed per game. The only areas on the defense that I would really highlight as a weakness is the red-zone defense and the rush defense, some of the blame falls on the linebackers in those situations. Virginia Tech was 105th in the nation in opponent red-zone scoring percentage, letting opponents score at an 88.57% clip. Frankly, the reason for the struggles in the red-zone, is just miscommunication, which again would put the blame on the linebackers. The other only gripe with the Virginia Tech defense last year, was its relative struggle against the run. Pass coverage was great, and so was the pressure on the quarterbacks, which made the run defense look worse than it actually was.

Virginia Tech was 68th in the country in yards allowed per rush, surrendering 4.3 yards per carry. Granted, this is not a huge number, and another reason why I think this defense is so solid, because other teams would kill to only let up 4.3 yards per rush. On the other hand, I think to be considered an elite level defense, and compete with the top dogs in the ACC, Virginia Tech’s run defense needs to improve.

It is not all bad though, as the pass coverage from the Virginia Tech linebackers is solid, and they return both starters at outside linebacker.

If there’s a star at linebacker, it is Keonta Jenkins, who ironically plays at the star linebacker position. Jenkins brings so much versatility to the linebacker room, and is an undoubtable leader in the locker room. In 2023, Jenkins forced two fumbles, caught one interception, recorded ten tackles for loss, and three quarterback hurries. Jenkins has gotten much stronger every single year at Virginia Tech, eloving from a hybrid safety, to a true linebacker that can hold his own against power four level strength. I would love to see Jenkins evolve more, especially in the run game, but he is definitely an underrated player on defense.

Another underrated player on defense is Keli Lawson, the redshirt junior who changed his number from #21 to #0. Lawson was an All-ACC Honorable Mention last year after leading the team in tackles in only eight starts. Lawson had stats everywhere you can put them on defense last year, 2.5 sacks, one interception, six pass breakups, one forced fumble, and four quarterback hurries. Chris Marve and Brent Pry are happy to have two extremely versatile guys able to start at the linebacker position. Lawson has freak athleticism, and has since high school. He played LB, DE, WR, and some snaps as a DB, and was a four-star recruit. I think Lawson is the best pure athlete at linebacker and his value to the team was and is very large.

The player who is going to be starting alongside these two at middle linebacker? That’s not a sure thing, yet. Brent Pry brought in the transfer Sam Brumfield from Middle Tennessee State, who only faced two power four schools last year, so questions have arised about his numbers possibly being inflated. Brumfield finished last season with 82 tackles, 8 quarterback hurries, and 3.5 sacks. His competition is Jaden Keller, who has started in four games for Virginia Tech, In his 2023 campaign, he tallied 23 total tackles, and two for loss.

In all honesty, it will be hard to pick between the two, even though Brumfield has a slight edge. When highlighting each team’s room for improvement, ESPN declared Virginia Tech’s biggest area for improvement was middle linebacker, and had similar things to say:

“Once a position of strength on the stout Hokies defenses of years past, middle linebacker is an area that Virginia Tech knows must improve if the Hokies are going to live up to growing expectations. Virginia Tech went into the transfer portal to bring in Sam Brumfield from Middle Tennessee State, but Jaden Keller had a great spring and could be the answer at the position. Virginia Tech has experience across the board at linebacker; if it can shore up its play up the middle, that would certainly help make a formidable front seven considering the strength of the returning defensive line.”

This is probably the biggest “position battle” to watch for as the season rolls on, and it wouldn’t shock me if multiple players take on the role of middle linebacker.

Another player who is set to reprise their role from the 2023 season, is redshirt junior Jayden McDonald. Jayden has started in eight games in his short two-year career at Virginia Tech. McDonald was a three-star recruit out of high school, according to the 247Sports Composite, and has made a bigger impact than Virginia Tech could’ve imagined. McDonald was originally committed to UL-Monroe, but flipped to Virginia Tech, and the rest is history. He made an immediate impact, tallying 3 tackles for loss, and one sack in his first year as a Hokie. McDonald should get some more starts yet again this season.

Another player I am super excited about in the 2024 season is the sophomore Caleb Woodson. He was exceptional in high school, per his bio from Virginia Tech Athletics:

“Three-year letterman for head coach Greg Hatfield at Battlefield High School in Virginia … Captained the Bobcats during his senior season … Two-time Virginia High School League (VHSL) Class 6 All-State honoree … Three-time VHSL All-Region 6B and All-Cedar Run District First Team defensive back … Helped lead Battlefield (13-1) to the 2021 VHSL Region 6B championship, three Cedar Run District titles (2020-22), two 10-win seasons and a 28-4 cumulative record during his career … As a 2022 senior, he registered 115 tackles, 20 TFLs, five sacks, four forced fumbles and three defensive touchdowns, including one interception return and two fumble recoveries … As a 2021 junior, he recorded 10 offensive touchdowns, more than 500 all-purpose yards, 85 tackles and three interceptions … Recipient of the Coaches Award … Rated a 3-star recruit by 247 Sports, ESPN, On3 and Rivals … Ranked No.91 linebacker and No.33 recruit in Virginia by 247 Sports…No. 66 linebacker and No. 30 recruit in Virginia by ESPN … Rated No. 46 linebacker and No. 17 prospect in Virginia by On3 … No. 33 prospect in Virginia by Rivals… Academic Honor Roll … National Honor Society … Competed in the Junior Olympics as a competitive swimmer of six years.”

Woodson is a player that the Virginia Tech coaching staff wants to keep by for a while, as he definitely surprised with his first-year production. He’s definitely not done either, looking to replicate the kind of game he had against Marshall, every game. Yes, he only totaled 3 tackles, but he had 1.5 tackles for loss, and was a reason why Kyron Drones and the Virginia Tech offense coud keep themselves in that game.

Some other young players who could fight for some playing time are freshmen Aycen Stevens, Will Johnson, and Gabe Williams. I’m excited to see how this coaching staff introduces some young guys into the linebacker room, and put them in a place where they could make an immediate impact for the team.

Overall, I think it is fair to evaluate the linebacker room as above average, especially being that Keli Lawson and Keonta Jenkins both return as starters. This position should straighten itself out by the end of the year, and could be looking really good by the time we’re talking about playoffs. Other players like Jaden Keller and Jayden McDonald should be prepared for more playing time this year. It’ll be interesting to see what decisions are made at middle linebacker, but I think Virginia Tech fans should be less than worried about the current situation at linebacker.

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Virginia

Virginia lottery tickets win $400K in Saturday’s Powerball drawing

Published

12 hours ago

December 21, 2025

Press Room

VIRGINIA (WAVY) – Saturday’s Powerball drawing treated Virginia players well as there were six winners which totaled $400,000, including a ticket bought in Richmond that won $150,000.

Virginia Lottery saw an additional five players win $50,000 each, including one winner in Norfolk. The ticket that won $150,000 was bought at:

Publix, 4591 South Laburnum Avenue in Richmond.

The five tickets that each won $50,000 were bought at:

7-Eleven. 14533 Lee Road in Chantilly,
Food Lion, 1859 East Little Creek Road in Norfolk,
BJ’s, 6607 Wilson Blvd. in Falls Church,
Murphy USA, 1860 Stavemill Crossing Lane in Powhatan,
Online, using the Virginia Lottery mobile app.

Powerball drawings are held Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m., with the odds of matching all six numbers sitting at 1 in 292,201,338. No tickets purchased matched all six numbers, raising the jackpot for Dec. 22 drawing to $1.6 billion.

All Virginia Lottery profits, including those from the sale of Powerball tickets, go to K-12 education in Virginia. For more information, visit the link here.

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Virginia

Five Key Takeaways From Virginia’s 80-72 Win Over Maryland

Published

24 hours ago

December 21, 2025

Press Room

Five Key Takeaways From Virginia’s 80-72 Win Over Maryland

Virginia picked up another key win on Saturday evening after a 56 point explosion in the second-half marked by stellar shooting from the perimeter. Virginia pulled away to a double-digit lead and hit its free throws late to put the game away. Let’s take a deeper look at some key takeaways in the victory for the Cavaliers.

1. Virginia shoots the lights out in the second half

After struggling in the first half and only making nine of its 33 field goals, Virginia found its groove in the second half. The Cavaliers went 21-33 and were scorching hot from three-point range. The Hoos went 6-11 from beyond the arc, and their best perimeter shooter Jacari White went 3-3 from the three-point line in the second half. How was Virginia able to find its groove? They were sharing the basketball and continuing to find the open man. Virginia had 13 assists on 21 made field goals. Maryland had no answers for the Virginia offense and struggled to slow them down after an impressive showing in the first half. The Hoos had two players who scored double figures in the second half.

2. Chance Mallory gets it done on defense

The young guard didn’t have a great game shooting the basketball, going just 2-9 from the field, but what makes him special is his ability to affect the game in other ways especially defensively. Mallory was a pest on the defensive side of the ball and came up with five steals in the game, which led the team. He also added a block on Saturday evening. To be a small guard, he guards the perimeter extremely well. In days like Saturday when your offense is not hitting on all cylinders and struggling to score, it is a luxury to have a defense you can lean on to get you going. The Hoos have a perimeter player who can lead the charge and help the offense get back in a rhythm.

3. Dallin Hall Ignites

Hall was a go-to player in the second half of the game for the Cavaliers. He finished with 20 points on 8-8 shooting. In the second half alone, he scored 18 points. Hall scored in multitude of ways by driving to the rim, hitting perimeter shots, catch and shoots, and creating offense for himself. He did a little bit of everything and was the main engine on offense for the Cavaliers, especially when their best players struggled to get it going. That is what makes Virginia so good; they have true depth on their roster, and anybody can get theirs. Tonight happened to be Hall’s night.

4. Virginia defense is a problem

As we mentioned earlier, a main part of the defensive effort was Mallory, but he didn’t do it alone. Virginia continued to apply ball pressure and make it tough for the Terrapins to bring the ball up the floor. That led to 19 turnovers by Maryland on Saturday evening. The Hoos turned those turnovers into 22 points. A stat that further brings home their performance is their 15 steals on the evening. Yes, you read that right: 15 steals. Virginia had three different players with at least three steals on Saturday. Mallory, Hall, and Jacari White. Their first-half defense was exceptionally good as they held Maryland to just five made field goals and 21% from the field. They also only made two threes and forced 10 turnovers. When Virginia is playing at that level defensively, they are tough to beat.

5. Virginia is a scary basketball team

They are ranked No.24 in the country for a reason, but the Cavaliers are one of the best teams in the country, and they continue to prove it each night on the floor. After a long break, the first half was rough for the Hoos, but they hung their hat on their defense, which came through in a major way. Then their offense came alive, and the game wasn’t even close. Virginia has one of the better offenses in the ACC, and they have hit 80+ points in 10 of the 11 games played this season. What makes that stat even better is that the scoring isn’t predicted on their best players like Thijs De Ridder, Johann Grunloh, or Chance Mallory. Anybody can be the leading scorer on any given night. In their win over Maryland Eastern, Sam Lewis was the leading scorer with 15 points. Tonight it was Dallin Hall with 20 points on a perfect 8-8 shooting. When you have the depth, defense, scoring prowess, and unselfishness that Virginia has, it makes the team a tough one to play against and stop. Virginia continues to send warning signs to college basketball about how legit they are. Don’t just look at the 10-1 record, but what they are doing in each game and how they play basketball together. This team is legit.

More Virginia Basketball News:

•How to Watch Virginia Basketball vs Butler: Tipoff Time and TV Channel

•Virginia Men’s Basketball Ascends In Latest KenPom Rankings After Win vs Northwestern

•Will Virginia Land a Spot on the AP Top 25 After Win Over Northwestern?

•Virginia Finishes Strong, Downs Northwestern

•Three Key Takeaways from Virginia’s Tight 83-78 Win Over Northwestern

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Colorado, Deion Sanders to hire former highly-touted DC as defensive assistant

Published

1 day ago

December 20, 2025

Press Room

Colorado, Deion Sanders to hire former highly-touted DC as defensive assistant

Colorado is expected to hire former Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Chris Marve as its next linebackers coach, according to CBS Sports. Marve served as the Hokies DC from 2022-2024.

Marve has previous experience on defensive staffs at Vanderbilt, his alma mater, Mississippi State, Florida State and Virginia Tech. He’s been in the coaching industry since 2014 when he was brought on as a defensive assistant with the Commodores.

By the time he left his alma mater in 2018, he had worked his way up to inside linebackers coach. He was brought on at Mississippi State in 2019 as the Bulldogs’ defensive run game coordinator and linebackers coach. His run there lasted one year before moving on to coach at Florida State for two seasons as the Seminoles’ linebackers coach.

ACC foe Virginia Tech would poach him away ahead of the 2022 season, where he stayed until he was fired following the 2024 season. He spent the 2025 season away from college football, and will now get another shot by joining Deion Sanders’ staff in 2026.

His playing days spanned from 2007-2011, where he has a three-time All-SEC linebacker for the Vanderbilt Commodores. Marve also earned Freshman All-American honors in 2008.

He’ll join a Buffaloes program that finished the 2025 season with a 3-9 record, which included a 1-8 record vs. conference opponents. This came in the fallout of their 9-win season led by current Cleveland Browns QB Sheduer Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter.

Colorado wide receiver Dre’lon Miller plans to enter NCAA Transfer Portal

Colorado wide receiver Dre’lon Miller plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, per On3’s Pete Nakos. He caught 20 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown this past season.

His 2024 season was a bit better. Miller caught 32 passes for 277 yards and three touchdowns prior. He’s shown he can get the job done when there’s some solid quarterback play on offense.

Miller played high school football at Silsbee (Silsbee, TX), where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 141 overall recruit in the 2024 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted algorithm that complies all major recruiting media services.

Time will tell where he ends up next. There will certainly be plenty of interest in his services when the time comes.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

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