Our countdown of the top 25 transfer portal era transfers at Virginia Tech has reached the top 10 as we take a look at the final 3 who just made the cut and beat out loads of tremendous athletes for 3 of those 10 spots. Check out 10-8 below along with the rest of our transfer portal era top 25 and our recent pre-transfer portal era top 5.
- Top 5 Recent Pre-Transfer Portal Era Transfers
- 25-21 Transfer Portal Era Transfers
- 20-16 Transfer Portal Era Transfers
- 15-11 Transfer Portal Era Transfers
10. Storm Murphy
Storm Murphy's inclusion in the top 10 may be a surprise and is one I am split on in some ways, but there's no doubt that Murphy played better as the season progressed and became a quality point guard for the Hokies.
More importantly, Murphy helped Tech not only reach their fifth-straight NCAA Tournament but do so in historic fashion with Virginia Tech's first ACC Tournament title ever and only second conference tournament title in program history.
Murphy didn't put up the most spectacular numbers, but he was a solid point guard averaging 8 points, 2.9 assists, 1.9 rebounds, and only 1.6 turnovers in 26.9 minutes per game for the Hokies. Though his numbers weren't the most spectacular, Murphy also had some big moments in some of Virginia Tech's best and most important performances of the season.
That started with a big 18-point game in Virginia Tech's rout of St Bonaventure that gave the Hokies their best non-conference win of the season. He also was big in the ACC Tournament with 15 points against Clemson and 16 points against Notre Dame to help get the ball rolling for the Hokies on their historic run in Brooklyn.
Storm Murphy had his ups and downs, but his impact helped the Hokies extend the longest streak of consecutive contested NCAA Tournaments in school history along with win an ACC Tournament for the first time.
9. Nathan Traxler
Nathan Traxler was a star for a Stanford Wrestling team that was poised to fold leaving Traxler and everyone inside that program needing to look for a new destination. While Stanford reversed their decision in the end and many stayed, Traxler decided to head elsewhere for his final season arriving in Blacksburg and making a big impact for the Hokies.
Traxler took over as Tech's starting heavyweight this past season with great success finishing with a 21-4 record with his finest moment coming in Charlottesville with a pair of those victories on his way to being one of Tech's 3 ACC champions this year. He followed that up with multiple wins at the NCAA Wrestling Championships putting up plenty of points for the Hokies.
Traxler was definitely valuable on the mat for the Hokies, but he also provided a great veteran for Tech in the heavyweight portion of the room especially as former big time recruit Hunter Catka continues to develop as Tech's future. Though it was only one year, Traxler left a big mark and brought home an ACC title to headline his success in Blacksburg.
8. Julia Fixsen
After winning an SEC indoor title as a pole vaulter at Georgia in 2021, Julia Fixsen decided to leave the Bulldogs for Blacksburg looking to take the next steps in her career at a Virginia Tech Track & Field program that has become one of the best T&F programs east of the Mississippi.
Fixsen has already proven to be a five-star transfer portal addition for the Hokies starting in the indoor season where she finished third at the NCAA Championships to earn First Team All-American honors after earning First Team All-ACC honors. She continued that in the outdoor season completing the sweep of First Team All-ACC and All-American honors finishing second at the ACC Championships and fifth at the NCAA Championships.
Her indoor success helped Virginia Tech repeat as ACC Women's Indoor Track & Field champs in what was the most successful indoor track & field season in school history with the Hokies sweeping both titles. The thing is, Fixsen still has two more years of eligibility and could end up being near the top of a list like this in just a couple years similar to her pre-portal era transfer teammate, thrower Essence Henderson.
