When the 2024 season ended for the Virginia Tech football team in what was a disappointing 6-7 campaign, head coach Brent Pry was tasked with retooling his roster after players declared for the NFL Draft and others entered the Transfer Portal. One player who ended up leaving was cornerback Mansoor Delane, but it wasn't to where many thought he might go.
Instead of declaring for the NFL Draft, he entered the Transfer Portal and ended up going to LSU, joining head coach Brian Kelly and the Tigers in the SEC. On Saturday night, he made his impact felt early and often for the ninth-ranked Tigers in their upset of fourth-ranked Clemson in South Carolina.
Former Virginia Tech CB Mansoor Delane shines in LSU's win over Clemson
Last year, Delane struggled and was disappointing at times for the Hokies. He was beaten a lot for some big plays and just didn't seem like a player that could have been drafted in this past April's NFL Draft in Green Bay. Instead, he hit the portal, and yes, it's only been one game, but he turned in a huge game in the season opener for LSU on the road in a tough environment.
LSU opened the season with a 17-10 victory and Delane finished with an interception of Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik in the third quarter and then in the fourth quarter with just under nine minutes left, Clemson went for a fourth down in LSU territory and had a huge break up of a pass that would have picked up a first down with his team clinging to a seven-point lead.
In three years at Virginia Tech, Delane registered nearly 150 tackles, broke up 16 passes, and had six interceptions. In his first game for LSU, he only had two tackles, but two pass breakups, and the second on fourth down ended up being the difference. He looked like a different player for one night than he did last year for the Hokies.