When Virginia Tech takes the field against Pitt this Saturday, one of the most impactful defensive players will wear the honorary No. 25 jersey. Divine Deablo has received the honor for this week’s game, the team announced on Thursday afternoon, the second time he’ll wear the jersey in his career.
“Two years ago as a true freshman, he wore the same jersey up there and made a big play. He’s always got a smile on his face, always has a good attitude,” head coach Justin Fuente said in a tweet by the HokiesFB Twitter account.
The first time that Deablo wore the No. 25 jersey was in 2016 at Pitt, a game in which he made two tackles against the Panthers. Deablo was a true freshman at the time, and two years later he receives the jersey honor again as one of the leaders of the Hokies’ young defense.
Deablo has registered 37 total tackles this season, including 3.5 tackles for loss. He’s also forced a fumble and has two passes defended. In last week’s game against Boston College, Deablo registered a career-high 14 tackles.
Deablo joins Ricky Walker, Eric Kumah, Jovonn Quillen, Oscar Bradburn, Khalil Ladler, Chamarri Conner, Dax Hollifield and Dalton Keene as the players to be honored with Frank Beamer’s legendary No. 25 jersey this season.