The official opening day of the 2024-25 transfer portal cycle was a little crazier than expected for Virginia Tech with some surprise entries into the transfer portal including starting LT Xavier Chaplin, starting C Braelin Moore, veteran S Jalen Stroman, and starting S Mose Phillips. Those were far from the only additions with other guys who had been rumored to likely enter like RB Malachi Thomas and LB Keli Lawson also jumping in the portal yesterday.
Meanwhile, the Hokies got busy sending out several new offers and starting to set up visits in a transfer portal cycle where the Hokies will likely have room to add around 15 guys especially since they can all the way to 105 scholarships thanks to the new House rules.
So with all that in mind, let's jump into my takeaways from the opening day of the 2024-25 transfer portal cycle.
Offensive Line is Now a Major Issue
This is a major red flag moment for Virginia Tech's offensive line and OL coach Ron Crook. While money likely is at least part of the factor here, some of my sourcing suggests that there may be some frustrations about coaching as well, which is the last thing you want to hear if you are a Tech fan.
This is a unit that did not improve collectively this season, even though Xavier Chaplin and Braelin Moore were possibly the two best of the five starters. Chaplin may not have grown as much as hoped, but he was still a reliable starting left tackle even while being hurt most of the season and rightly earned All-ACC Honorable Mention honors while Moore showed promise in his first year at center.
Chaplin and Moore were supposed to be the anchors of this offensive line going forward with two years of eligibility remaining for each of them. Now, the Hokies' offensive line situation is quite bad and while you can add some quality pieces via the portal, those who have attempted to build an offensive line through the portal have failed to have success.
If you're Tech and Triumph NIL, this is a situation where you need to find a way to at least bring one of Chaplin and Moore back into the fold. There's no doubt now that the price will go up with both reaching CFB's free agency and quality, Power 4 experienced offensive linemen being at a premium. However, this is where you have to find a way if you're Tech especially in an era where play in the trenches continues to be a key separator between the better and lesser teams.
