It's safe to say that there were some surprises when it came to players entering the transfer portal for the Virginia Tech football team last week. Some starters entered the portal on both sides of the ball and they are key losses.
One area that has taken his huge hit depth wise since the regular-season ending victory over Virginia just over two weeks ago is the offensive line, which has been an issue the last couple of seasons for the Hokies. Two starters, Braelin Moore and Xavier Chaplin entered the portal, and losing both players is a huge blow to the line for 2025.
Moore has yet to commit to a new school, but Sunday, Xavier Chaplin committed to an SEC school for next season after visiting this weekend.
Xavier Chaplin commit to Auburn
Chaplin visited Auburn this weekend and it didn't take long for him to commit to the Tigers for the 2025 season, according to Pete Nakos of On3.
Virginia Tech offensive tackle Xavier Chaplin has signed with Auburn, @On3sports has learned.
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) December 15, 2024
The 6-foot-7, 323-pound tackle started all 12 games this season. https://t.co/VxSGJEUisH pic.twitter.com/DljAcygS7P
Virginia Tech's offensive line is going to look a lot different next season, but both Chaplin and Moore leaving are giant losses. Chaplin was as tough as they come for the Hokies as he was injured multiple times this past season and he still managed to make 12 starts for Virginia Tech. He was their best lineman, hands down, but he wasn't in the portal long before committing to Auburn.
Brent Pry and his staff have a ton of work to do in the transfer portal and the offensive line is just another area that they need to add players to with quarterback Kyron Drones and Pop Watson both returning for 2025. Chaplin is a nice addition to Auburn's offensive line and should do well in the SEC.