We are nine days away from the Virginia Tech football team kicking off the 2025 season at the Mercedes-Benz Dome in Atlanta against South Carolina. This has been hyped as a game between a team that has aspirations of crashing the 12-team College Football Playoff and one looking for a bounce-back season. I think you can tell which team is which.
When the two teams gather at midfield for the coin toss, a former Hokies star on defense, linebacker Divine Deablo, will serve as an honorary captain for Virginia Tech.
Former Virginia Tech standout Divine Deablo to serves as honorary captain for season-opeenr against South Carolina
Deablo was a defensive standout for the Hokies from 2016 to 2020 before being drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft. While in Blacksburg, he racked up 206 tackles in 51 games with six interceptions and a touchdown. His highlight for Virginia Tech was a 98-yard fumble return for a touchdown against Notre Dame in November of 2019.
After spending the first four seasons of his NFL career in Las Vegas, Deablo now plays for the Atlanta Falcons, which makes him the right choice as an honorary captain for the game. During his time with the Raiders, Deablo started 42 of 50 games and collected 288 tackles, 10 for a loss, two sacks, two fumble recoveries, and six passes defended.
A safety at Virginia Tech, Deablo has transitioned to linebacker in the NFL, and in his first minicamp with the Falcons back in June, he quickly won over his head coach, Raheem Morris, and teammates, mainly fellow linebacker Kaden Elliss.
“I mean, you can see what makes him sick,” Elliss said. “I think he had probably the best play today in practice, a really good tip. Just came in and knocked the ball out, and I broke it up for us. And he’s got the length, he’s got the speed, he’s got the athleticism, and he’s got the mentality.”
It's not surprising to see Deablo have a good NFL career to this point, and spending the weekend as Virginia Tech's honorary captain will be fun for the 6-foot-3, 223-pound linebacker looking for a good year with Atlanta.