Virginia Tech Football Adds 14 Scholarship Mid-Year Enrollees

School’s in session again at Virginia Tech, which means the Hokies welcomed nearly a full slate of mid-year enrollees.

Welcome Home dinner with our Mid-Years 🫶🏻#ThisIsHome pic.twitter.com/JPaFE4YYTy

— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) January 15, 2024

Quarterback Davi Belfort planned to enroll early, though he has to finish a few high school classes and will now enroll in May. 

That means 14 scholarship players officially joined the program today. Here’s a quick rundown on the group, listed in alphabetical order:

Transfers

LB Sam Brumfield (5-11, 226, Sr.): A plug-and-play transfer Tech hopes solves its mike linebacker issues, Brumfield was a second-team All-Conference USA pick in his lone year at Middle Tennessee, where he led the Blue Raiders with 81 tackles to go with 6.5 TFLs and 3.5 sacks. “We needed a playmaker,” cornerbacks coach Derek Jones said. “We needed a leader. … He’s a natural linebacker.”

DT Kemari Copeland (6-3, 285, Jr.): The lone junior college addition in the class, Copeland’s a Virginia Beach native who comes to the Hokies via Army and most recently Iowa Western Community College, where he had 38 tackles, 4.5 sacks, nine tackles for a loss and a fumble recovery in a national championship season. “He’s just got a ton of maturity, great awareness,” Pry said. “He’s one of those guys, when he sits on my couch, you just absolutely know he’s going to reach all of his potential and then some. He’s just wired that way.”

OL Montavious Cunningham (6-4, 315, r-Jr.): Help on the O-line, Cunningham, who started 11 games at right tackle for the Panthers in 2023, has the versatility to play tackle or guard. He earned a 69.9 grade from Pro Football Focus — higher than any player on the Hokies last year. “I think he elevates the room,” Pry said.

DT Kelvin Gilliam (6-3, 296, r-Jr.): A former top-150 recruit from Highland Spring, Gilliam comes to Tech after three years at Oklahoma, where he had 10 tackles in 19 games as a reserve and missed the final six games of 2023 with an injury. “The scheme they play, getting vertical, making plays in the backfield, I think it’ll be a good deal,” Gilliam said earlier this month.

DT Aeneas Peebles (6-1, 286, Sr.): A transfer from Duke, Peebles comes to Tech with great credentials, a third-team All-ACC pick last year after leading the Blue Devils in tackles for a loss (9.5), sacks (5) and quarterback hurries (6). “He’s just been an active guy up front,” Hokies coach Brent Pry said. “They did a nice job defensively so he had a chance to showcase his skills. I think that lends to our scheme, our structure, what we do. We’re a big movement team with our tackles, and he can certainly move well.”

High schoolers

WR Keylen Adams (6-2, 185, Fr.): A record-setter at Green Run High, Adams set a VHSL mark for a receiver with 4,400 yards and 66 touchdowns during his career. That included a 59-catch, 1,223-yard, 18-touchdown senior season that earned him Under Armour All-America honors. “The thing to me is he’s long but yet he’s still slippery,” Pry said. “He can get skinny and can still make people miss. But he’s got great length, he’s got really good ball skills, the game comes easy to him. He doesn’t get rattled, he doesn’t get nervous. … So I think he’s a guy that has a chance to help us early.”

CB Joshua Clarke (6-2, 180, Fr.): A versatile athlete who’s the only projected cornerback in the class, Clarke had 25 tackles, four TFLs, nine pass breakups and five interceptions as a senior at Flint Hill. “I think just the competitive nature, the ball skills, the length that he has is something that you want to look for, for the style of defensive back play that we play with,” Jones said. “He just fit everything.”

DE Deric Dandy (6-4, 225, Fr.): An edge rusher, he got after the quarterback at Mount Airy (N.C.), where he was a high school teammate of Mason. Dandy had 110 tackles as a senior, with 48 tackles for a loss and 11.5 sacks. For his career, he had 31 sacks. “A natural pass rusher,” Pry said. “Great bend, great lean, can get low, good feet, can turn. Pretty raw still, but has length.”

DT Andrew Hanchuk (6-5, 275, Fr.): A tall interior defensive lineman from Berea, Ohio, Hanchuk set a school record at Berea-Midpark with 21 tackles for a loss as a senior, with eight sacks. “A big, strong, motor guy — they’re hard to deal with,” Pry said. “He’s going to be a 6-4, 300-pound D-tackle that can run and plays hard, like a big ol’ St. Bernard.”

DE Gerard Johnson (6-4, 245, Fr.): The Hokies beat out UVa to sign Johnson, who had 50 tackles, 15 TFLs, five sacks and 10 passes defended as a senior at Cox High in Virginia Beach. Depending on how his body goes, he could play end or tackle. “An unbelievable frame, very athletic,” Pry said. “He’s going to be a great-looking D-lineman one day.”

RB Tyler Mason (6-0, 196, Fr.): A big-time producer at Mount Airy (N.C.) High, where he was a two-time NCHSAA 1A championship game MVP. He ran for more than 6,000 yards in his career, averaging 13.1 yards per carry, and finishing with career with 120 total touchdowns. “The kid week in and week out was the most dominant on the field,” receivers coach Fontel Mines said.

S Quentin Reddish (6-3, 187, Fr.): An athletic defensive back who had 196 career tackles, 34 passes defended and 14 interceptions for Independence High in Charlotte, Reddish is a boost to the Hokies’ safety group. “We thought Quentin was a hidden gem from Day 1,” Jones said. “When you look at his measurables, when you look at his raw ability — they did a lot of different things with him, playing him at corner, playing him at safety, just watching him in the middle of the field just be a natural playmaker.”

WR Chanz Wiggins (6-3, 200, Fr.): A big-bodied receiver who suited up with the Hokies during bowl practices, Wiggins was a two-time all-state pick as a defensive back, though he’ll play receiver with the Hokies. He had 47 catches, 815 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior at King George High entering the state semifinal round. “He’s passionate,” Mines said. “He plays with an edge, and the competitor in him is just something that stood out to me from the very beginning.”

LB Gabriel Williams (6-4, 195, Fr.): One of the more outgoing players on social media in the Hokies’ class, Williams played linebacker and safety at St. Vincent Pallotti in Laurel, Maryland, where he was timed in the 40-yard dash at 4.6 seconds. “Not only is he really, really talented, tremendous potential with his length and speed and athleticism, his intelligence,” Pry said, “but been a very committed Hokie and a strong voice in that class.”