On Wednesday, it was reported that the first domino of James Franklin taking over at Virginia Tech had fallen, with backup quarterback Garrett Rangel reportedly entering the Transfer Portal when it opens next month. That really doesn't come as a surprise.
Speaking of the Transfer Portal, when it opens up next month, there are going to be some needs that Franklin has going into 2026. Adding some veteran players is going to be key, and a quarterback is going to be one of the positions he'll look to add. As far as the defense goes, there are going to be multiple needs, and two players who are rumored to be entering the portal give him interesting options.
James Franklin has two interesting Transfer Portal option on defense
Tyler Thompson: LB
Bill Belichick's first season at North Carolina wasn't one he expected, going 4-8. There was one bright spot on his defense with linebacker Tyler Thompson. A four-star recruit out of high school in North Carolina, Thompson had a big season for the Tar Heels with seven sacks, which placed fourth in the ACC in terms of sacks.
Linebacker is a position where the Hokies could use an addition, and Thompson would shore up the position for Brent Pry's defense. That's right, Pry is reportedly returning to Blacksburg to run Franklin's defense as he did at Penn State. This is certainly a name to watch when the portal opens next month.
Tawfiq Byard: Safety
This would be a home run addition if Franklin were ever able to pull off landing Colorado safety Tawfiq Byard in the portal. In 2025 for the Buffaloes, he registered 79 tackles, eight for a loss, and forced two fumbles. He did all of that while Colorado finished the season with the same record as the Hokies at 3-9.
Virginia Tech has some young players in the secondary who got some valuable experience this fall, but Byard is someone who would come in and instantly upgrade the safety position and be a big-time, impactful player. He has two years of eligibility remaining, but there is a potential roadblock for Byard. He began his college career with Alex Golesh at South Florida, and you would have to think a reunion at Auburn with Golesh in the SEC is certainly on the table. Virginia Tech's news NIL package that Franklin has will certainly be put to the test over the next month.
I'm not saying that Virginia Tech will land both or even be in the mix, but you have to think that with Franklin and his NIL package and budget, he'll be in the mix for big portal additions this cycle.