When it comes to the college football Transfer Portal, players come, and players go way too quickly. However, that's the current state of not only college football, but also college sports in general. Times have been tough for the Virginia Tech program over the last decade, but recently, things have hit rock-bottom.
Change has happened, and now James Franklin is on board from Penn State after he was fired to replace Brent Pry. Given how the portal is used now, there are going to be some players who come and go, even under Franklin. Over the last couple of seasons, the Hokies have had some players walk away that they wish they could have retained. Here are three portal losses that hurt Virginia Tech as players left too early, mainly because there was not enough money to retain most of them.
Virginia Tech football Transfer Portal losses that left too early
Mansoor Delane, CB
This loss hurt two years ago. What caused it to hurt even more was that instead of declaring for the NFL Draft, cornerback Mansoor Delane bolted for the Transfer Portal and landed at LSU. In three years in Blacksburg, Delane played in 33 games with 146 tackles, six interceptions, and 16 passes defended. In 2025 at LSU, he had 45 tackles and two interceptions, including a game-clinching one against Clemson in the season opener. This was a loss that won't soon be forgotten, especially after he was a first-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Xavier Chaplin, OL
During his time at Virginia Tech, offensive lineman Xavier Chaplin was arguably the Hokies' best offensive lineman. He battled through many injuries in his last season in 2024 in Blacksburg, but he gutted things out to always try to get back on the field. He hit the portal after that season and headed to Auburn, but lasted just one season there. He transferred to Florida State to land back in the ACC, but if he had stayed around at Virginia Tech, he could have thrived under new offensive line coach Matt Moore. Instead, he's bound for his third school in as many years. Given the help the Hokies needed along the offensive line, this was a big loss.
Caleb Woodson, LB
Linebacker was a big position at Virginia Tech under former coach Brent Pry, but after he was fired in September of 2025, linebacker Caleb Woodson hit the portal and landed in the SEC at Alabama. In his three seasons in Blacksburg, Woodson was a tackling machine, with 151, including 72 in 2024. There is always going to be the "What if " surrounding Woodson, who hails from Haymarket, Virginia, had he played his entire career with the Hokies.
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