Virginia Tech CB Dante Lovett Enters the Transfer Portal

Virginia Tech CB Dante Lovett became the first player to enter the transfer portal yesterday since the dismissal of head coach Brent Pry, which opened a 30-day window for Virginia Tech players to be able to enter the transfer portal starting on Monday, September 15th.

Lovett's decision coming this week means that he will use his redshirt and preserve his two years of remaining eligibility. Lovett had six tackles during the three games he played this season. PFF gives him a 51.8 defensive grade for his 63 defensive snaps this season with Lovett allowing two catches for 40 yards on two targets his direction.

For his collegiate career, Lovett has 36 tackles including one for loss plus one interception, seven pass breakups, and one fumble recovery. He has also only allowed completions on 12 of the 28 targets thrown his direction per PFF.

This decision comes after Lovett was a rotational cornerback during the first three weeks of the season after an offseason where most expected him to take the next step and become a starter. Lovett not only was stuck behind transfers but also redshirt sophomore Thomas Williams, a shift from the trajectory he was on prior to 2025.

Clearly, something wasn't working between Lovett and the defensive scheme, with the DMV native choosing to enter the transfer portal and shut things down for this season. I would expect that Lovett will have plenty of interest from Power 4 programs given what he showed in 2023 and 2024, though his start to this season may provide slight hesitance for some P4 programs.

For the Hokies, Isaiah Brown-Murray and Thomas Williams appear to be the starting cornerbacks for now with Caleb Brown and Krystian Williams as their top backups. Jojo Crim could also see a regular role and a chance to climb further up the depth chart with Lovett's departure and the immense change around the VT program.