There are plenty wondering how Virginia Tech will replace their recent transfers and their likely redshirts in the aftermath of Brent Pry's departure before the Hokies had played four games. This comes after VT already has had three players announce their decision to transfer while standouts like LB Caleb Woodson and S Quentin Reddish are out for the second-straight week for non-injury reason and seem headed for transfers.
So with that in mind, let's dive into how the Hokies will replace these transfers and the likely redshirts who could also end up entering the transfer portal before the 30-day window closes.
Likely Redshirt/Transfer: LBs Caleb Woodson and Michael Short
Replacement: LB Kaleb Spencer
Michael Short would have been my choice for Caleb Woodson's replacement but now that he's decided to transfer, the next man up seems likely to be Kaleb Spencer.
Spencer seemingly has decided to not use his redshirt and may get rewarded for that with an opportunity to start at inside linebacker alongside Jaden Keller the rest of the season.
He moved to inside linebacker this offseason and played sparingly the first two weeks of the season, but has played well the past two weeks with PFF grades of 67+ or better for each game including last week's start versus Wofford. On the season, Spencer has 13 tackles including 1.5 for loss with 0.5 sacks.
There isn't a linebacker in Tech's current rotation that has a higher ceiling than Spencer. He is a well above-average athlete for a linebacker who has shown that he can overcome mistakes at times with his athleticism to make a play. The floor at times can be lower for Spencer given how his linebacker instincts are still developing, but if he can take those next steps, his potential to be a high-end linebacker is significant.
Over the next eight games, Spencer will get a trial by fire at his new inside linebacker position with Tech needing him to make some plays to try and salvage something from this season. If Spencer can improve in the areas specific to playing linebacker, then he could be an important playmaker for this defense the rest of the season.
