After a quiet 2023 transfer portal, things are a lot different in 2024. One year after getting a ton of retainment, Virginia Tech has seen somewhat of a mass exodus out of Blacksburg with some key starters and contributors leaving the program.
Over the last 10 days, the Hokies have lost some players to the portal and some have already found new homes in the SEC. Mansoor Delane committed to LSU, Gunner Givens and Chance Fitzgerald committed to Vanderbilt and Xavier Chaplin committed to Auburn. The pipeline from Virginia Tech to the SEC continued on Thursday.
Mose Phillips commits to Missouri
Former Virginia Tech defensive back Mose Phillips committed to Missouri on Thursday, making him another key player from 2024 to leave and head to the SEC. Phillips, who has two years of eligibility remaining, is a huge loss for the Hokies on the backend as he really came on in 2024 and was a key part of the secondary.
This season, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Phillips had 65 tackles this season, one sack, four pass breakups, 3.5 tackles for a loss, one forced fumble and one interception. When it was announced he was entering the portal, it was a surprise, to say the least.
Wednesday night, Virginia Tech got their first portal commitment and it was safety Sherrod Covil, Jr. from Clemson and a Virginia native. Bent Pry and his defensive staff have their work cut out for them between making more additions through the transfer portal and bringing the younger players along. Phillips was a player that the coaching staff talked a lot about leading into 2024 and he didn't disappoint. Now he'll be playing at Missouri and the SEC, which has become a trend over the last couple of weeks.