The Virginia Tech football team has lost a number of players on the defensive side of the ball whether it’s through the transfer portal or players using up all of their eligibility. One area that was hit hard was in the secondary via the portal. That was evident on the field last Friday night in the Hokies Duke’s Mayo Bowl loss to Minnesota in Charlotte. The Gophers tested them downfield and had success.
It’s clear that head coach Brent Pry has made the secondary a priority this portal window as the very first commit Virginia Tech got last month was Clemson transfer Sherrod Covil, Jr., a safety, and Rice transfer Tyson Flowers. Thursday, more safety depth was added and he is a good one to grab out of the portal.
New Mexico Christian Ellis commits to Virginia Tech
Thursday afternoon, Virginia Tech got another safety commit when Christian Ellis committed to the Hokies after a dominating 2024 season at New Mexico. According to 247Sports, he chose Virginia Tech over Illinois, Indiana, Arizona, Utah State, Eastern Michigan, and Hawaii.
Let’s Do It!! 🦃 #ThisIsHome #Hokies pic.twitter.com/hSNfffD8Vx
— Christian Ellis (@Christian_E22) January 9, 2025
The 6-foot-0, 205-pound Jacksonville, Florida native played in 31 career games for the Lobos. This season for New Mexico he racked up 99 tackles and had one interception while being a Mountain West Conference honorable mention, He has over 160 tackles for New Mexico and has one year of eligibility remaining.
One thing is clear right now, Pry doesn’t want to be shorthanded again in the secondary after last season. On top of the safety depth, Virginia Tech will have a lot of cornerback depth with the transfer portal additions as well as some of the younger players.