Defensive coordinator Chris Marve has done a great job rebuilding Tech’s defense. In 2023, Marve’s defense ranked in the top 20 in total defense. Remarkably, the defense finished 10th in the country in sacks with a total of 39.
Virginia Tech’s defense was no stranger to All-ACC teams last season, with Antwaun Powell-Ryland and Dorain Strong making the All-ACC second and third teams, respectively. With those two returning and a few young players coming in at the top of the 2024 season, the defense is in a very interesting spot.
However, with the ACC set to reach its full size, the Hokies will have some pretty stiff competition. Once Cal and Stanford’s transfers from the Pac-12 are official, the ACC will have 17 members. It’s important to note that football is the only sport where this is the case, the ACC will actually expand to 18 teams in other sports, like basketball, but ACC affiliate Notre Dame is an independent entity from football.
Despite this, Virginia Tech still has a very strong case for some players to receive All-ACC honors, but who has the best chance of doing so? Here are my predictions:
The Duke transfer is looking to make an immediate impact on Virginia Tech’s defense. Despite starting just once last season for the Duke Blue Devils, Peebles made a lasting impression on some members of the All-ACC voting panel and earned third-team All-ACC honors. I think Peebles does a lot more than what shows up on the stat sheet.
I think PFF agrees, PFF selected Aeneas Peebles to its first All-ACC team, over fellow Duke DT DeWayne Carter who was starting in Peebles’ place at the time. PFF gives him an extremely high grade in his pass rush, with his 90.1 grade being the second highest among defensive tackles.
The only tackle rated higher in pass-rush for the 2023 season? It’s 2024 first-round NFL Draft pick Byron Murphy II. Good company.
Frankly, Peebles is poised to make an immediate impact at Tech, and if there wasn’t a player who could be higher on this list, Peebles could have been much higher.
This pick should come as no surprise. Antwaun Powell-Ryland was a beast of a hitter for the Hokies last year. He recorded 9.5 sacks, a number that ranked second in the ACC, and was by far the biggest game-changer on Virginia Tech’s defensive line.
He’ll hopefully fill that same role this year. Especially when you’re dealing with elite defensive line transfers, as mentioned earlier, it gives Powell-Ryland an even bigger opportunity to break out next season.
Antwuan is no stranger to All-ACC lists either, as he was a 2023 All-ACC Second Team honoree.
Which only strengthens his case for All-ACC. Athlon Sports released its “ACC Football 2024 All-Conference Team” and placed VT’s star defensive tackle on its first team. Seeing this, I honestly wasn’t too surprised, Powell-Ryland is a great candidate for a breakout season at Tech, and it wouldn’t be unrealistic to say he’s a surefire first-team All-Conference possibility.
It goes without saying that Dorian Strong was a key part of Virginia Tech’s defense last year.
Despite matching up with some of the best receivers on some teams, Strong withstood over 300 coverage snaps, though he only allowed fewer than 10 receptions and fewer than 100 yards on the season.
Dorian Strong showed Tech fans what he’s really made of in the secondary. He’s another player whose performance goes well beyond the stat sheet, even though that’s impressive enough. Strong threw three interceptions, including two in the game against Boston College. Strong rarely gave up any yards last season, and in 11 passes defended, Dorian recorded eight pass breakups.
If Strong can put up more stats this season, he might be able to get ACC voters to put him on the first team. Dorian will be extremely motivated heading into the season, as they underestimated his talent last year and put him on the third team.
Big things are coming for Strong and the Hokies defense.
