Three members of the Virginia Tech football team are getting some much-deserved love ahead of the 2024 season. On3 Sports ranked the Top 100 college football players going into the 2024 season and three Hokies were named on the list.
Two of the three are returners from the 2023 team, while a transfer portal addition was also included after their strong seasons last fall.
Dorian Strong, Antwaun Powell-Ryland, and Aeneas Peebles named Top 100 players
One storyline a month ago during and after the NFL Draft was that there were no Virginia Tech players selected. There is a good reason for that, despite Pheldarius Payne impressing ahead of it during his Pro Day. The big reason why no one was drafted was because the players who likely would have been drafted are returning to Blacksburg for the 2024 season.
Dorian Strong (ranked 45th), likely a draft pick back in April, announced last winter that he was returning to Virginia Tech as a key piece of the secondary. The Upper Marlboro, Maryland native had 25 tackles last season, 18 solo, three interceptions, and 11 passes defended. He had two interceptions against Boston College in a 48-22 win over the Eagles in November that led to 10 Tech points. Still, he only made the All-ACC Third Team. Go figure.
Defensive lineman Antwaun Powell-Ryland was ranked 72nd on the list and what a player he turned into in his first season as a Hokie after transferring from Florida. The Virginia native had 23 solo tackles, 9.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles. He too announced over the winter that he would be returning and head coach Brent Pry has built one of the better defensive lines in the ACC.
Duke transfer Aeneas Peebles was the third Virginia Tech player ranked, coming in 88th. An All-ACC Third Team selection in 2023, he had 44 tackles, five sacks, and a forced fumble for the Blue Devils and along with Khurtiss Perry and Kelvin Gilliam with Powell-Ryland, they are going to make up a deep defensive line this fall.
All the talk has been about the Hokies offense in 2024, but the defense will be just as deep and talented.