CB Mansoor Delane Returning to Virginia Tech Over Entering the Transfer Portal

There was some speculation on message boards that Virginia Tech CB Mansoor Delane might enter the transfer portal. However, the Maryland native delivered a gift to Hokie fans on his birthday, declaring that he will be returning to Blacksburg in 2024.

This means that the Hokies will have both Delane and All-American Dorian Strong as their starting cornerback duo for the second-straight season, giving the Hokies arguably the best duo of starting cornrerbacks in the country.

After shining as a freshman and earning All-ACC Honorable Mention honors, Delane played well in 2023 having 47 tackles including 2.5 for loss, plus one interception and one pass breakup.

Despite playing 651 defensive snaps, Delane only allowed 39 targets his way though teams were able to get 23 passes completed on him. However, when teams did feel they could get one past Delane, he did well at limiting them to under 12 yards per reception.

While he primarily worked at cornerback this season, Delane played just over 200 snaps at safety or at the nickel spot to help Tech fill some of their depth issues at safety due to injuries.

There's no doubt that Delane still has plenty of room to grow as a cornerback and another year in Blacksburg should continue his strong trajectory. It wouldn't be surprising if the Hokies had a pair of All-ACC cornerbacks this time next year when the regular season is over.

For Tech, this means that their biggest defensive playmakers are back with Delane joining Strong and star pass rusher Antwaun Powell-Ryland next season to lead what could be a very good defensive unit in 2024.