It took some time, but Virginia Tech football coach Brent Pry picked up his first commitment in the transfer portal this cycle and it’s a big one. Needing help in the secondary, the Hokies got a commitment from Clemson transfer Sherrod Covil, Jr. Wednesday night and the Virginia native has one season of eligibility remaining.
There is still more work that needs to be done through the portal for Pry and his staff with all the players they are losing through the transfer portal, NFL Draft, or players out of eligibility. Here are three quick thoughts on Covil, Jr committing to Virginia Tech.
Sherrod Covil, Jr. fills a need on the backend
Virginia Tech needs secondary help after Mansoor Delane and Mose Phillips entered the transfer portal. They were somewhat surprising decisions by both players with Delane passing up the NFL Draft and Phillips, who developed into a good player, deciding to leave through the portal.
Covil, Jr. will look to fill a spot at safety, possibly across from youngster Quentin Reddish in 2025. We should get a good idea of what the future holds for some of the younger players after the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, but Covil, Jr. is a nice addition.
The top player at the position in the portal picks Hokies
At Clemson, Covil, Jr.’s numbers are not going to blow you away, but he played in 11 games this season for the Tigers and started one. He had 12 tackles and expect those numbers to go up next season for the Hokies.
Despite his numbers, he was one of the top portal safeties and this is a big get for Pry and whoever ends up being his next defensive coordinator. Virginia Tech hopes that he can have an impact next season in the secondary as Duke transfer Aeneas Peebles did in 2024 along the defensive line.
Brent Pry brings home more in-state talent to finish their career in Virginia
There are a lot of things you can question about Pry, but one thing you can’t is his ability to bring home in-state talent to finish their careers in Blacksburg through the transfer portal. He did it two years ago with edge Antwaun Powell-Ryland when he came from Florida and now with Covil, Jr. Pry knows how big it is to get and keep in-state talent in the Commonwealth and he is certainly doing it.