Recently, first-year Virginia Tech football coach James Franklin was asked about the possibility of the Hokies adding a Class of 2022 player with eligibility. He sounded like a majority of college football coaches across the country; he would be open to it.
“It has to be an option,”Franklin said. “If you want to compete in major college football, you can’t say that we’re not going to do things that give us a chance to be highly competitive when other schools are.''
One name that the Hokies were linked to, along with some other major college programs, was linebacker Trent Hendrick, who played the last four years at James Madison. After a stint with the Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns minicamp, the former Dukes standout is returning to college football, but will do so by joining a familiar face.
Virginia Tech loses out on a linebacker to UCLA
For the last week, Virginia Tech has been linked to Hendrick, along with UCLA and California; however, it shouldn't come as a surprise that he committed to UCLA on Sunday, joining JMU coach Bob Chesney in Southern California. The 2025 Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year recorded 106 tackles, seven tackles for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles, and three pass breakups.
BREAKING: James Madison transfer LB Trent Hendrick has committed to UCLA, @PeteNakos and @Hayesfawcett3 report🐻https://t.co/6IyybOgMrM https://t.co/uMLYQxborD pic.twitter.com/VVutDJ7Tvj
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) August 23, 2026
Virginia Tech's linebacker depth took a hit last week when it was revealed that Gabe Williams is going to be out with an injury. That is just the latest blow for a player who has already been through so much in his first couple of years with the Hokies. He was someone who the coaches were going to be counting on this upcoming season, but those plans are changing and the depth at the linebacker position is going to be tested.
Hendrick would have been a nice get for the Hokies given the Williams injury situation, but it shouldn't be a surprise that he ended up playing for Chesney this upcoming season. Virginia Tech will have hope for good health at the position in 2026 under first-year defensive coordinator Brent Pry.
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