Times are crazy in college football, and there is nothing that can be ruled out. However, just one day after Virginia Tech football coach James Franklin asked about adding a fifth-year player out of the Transfer Portal, the Hokies have done just that.
South Carolina safety DQ Smith has committed to Virginia Tech and will be added to defensive coordinator Brent Pry's secondary for the 2026 season. It is very unlikely that he can play this weekend against VMI, but Tech won't need him. Getting him ready for the last couple of non-conference games against Old Dominion and Maryland before ACC play begins at the end of the month is the likely goal.
DQ Smith adds secondary help for Virginia Tech
Smith will begin practicing right away with the Hokies, but as mentioned above, getting him up to speed for the opener on Saturday night is a bit of a reach. However, he brings added depth to a position that has some good players but still faces some questions.
During his time with the Gamecocks, Smith logged over 3,000 snaps for Shane Beamer, and he can play in the secondary or come down and be a force near the line of scrimmage and make some one-on-one tackles. Experience in invaluable and that is something the Hokies hope to find out with quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer after he got his feet wet last season in place of the injured Drew Allar over the final seven games of the season.
Smith went through South Carolina's Pro Day before the Draft, but he went undrafted and by returning to the college game and a season with Franklin, Pry, and Virginia Tech, he could raise his draft stock for next April's draft.
He'll join a mixture of experience and inexperience in the secondary, which is somewhat raw, and Smith's experience could be huge. Overall, this is a good pickup for the Hokies, and it is well within the new rules and guidelines. They aren't the only ones taking advantage of it. We'll see how it ends up working out, but it could be a very big pickup when all is said and done. It also points to a potential concern in the secondary after camp.
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