The Virginia Tech football team has been dealt some tough losses in the transfer portal in the last week and offensive lineman Xavier Chaplin is near the top of the list. Over the weekend, he took a visit to Auburn and it didn’t take long for him to commit.
On Tuesday, Chaplin announced on his X page that he is committing to the Tigers and he released an interesting tweet, to say the least. His trip to Auburn was one where he was going to eventually land, which kept the Virginia Tech to SEC train alive after Mansoor Delane committed to LSU Monday afternoon.
Let’s work!!! #WarEagle🦅@AuburnFootball pic.twitter.com/inKSwNRCJj
— Xavier Chaplin (@chaplin_xavier) December 17, 2024
Chaplin is going to step in right away and the Tigers and solidify their offensive line. This past season at Virginia Tech, he was their best lineman and he battled through numerous injuries and was still on the field for 12 games. When he was not in the game, his absence was noticeable for the Hokies, especially with an offensive line that has struggled over the last couple of seasons, which forced a coaching change last week.
As far as Virginia Tech goes, replacing Chaplin won’t be easy. Brent Pry has a ton of needs in the portal and with every passing day, it feels like a new position of need pops up. They are going to be very thin for the bowl game against Minnesota next month. Some promising younger players could see some big action against the Golden Gophers in Charlotte and gain valuable game experience.
Gunnar Givens commits to Vanderbilt
Another Virginia Tech offensive lineman who entered the portal, Gunnar Givens, also committed to an SEC school and one that Hokies fans are familiar with. Givens committed to Vanderbilt and it just so happens that the Commodores will be in Blacksburg next fall in Week 2. You don’t need to be reminded of what happened in Week 1 this season when the Hokies went to Nashville and suffered an overtime loss.