James Franklin and his staff did some serious work through the Transfer Portal when it opened in early January. There were needs on both sides of the ball. A lot of the transfers getting some hype are on the offensive side of the ball, and rightfully so.
However, there was an influx of talent on the defensive side of the ball as well for defensive coordinator Brent Pry. There was some retention as well on both sides, but one transfer who had a good spring season was Troy transfer, cornerback Jaquez White. Brad Crawford and Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports previewed the ACC for the fall, and they gave White some love.
CBS Sports gives a promising outlook for Virginia Tech transfer Jaquez White
First and foremost, White and Virginia Tech fans survived a scare during the spring game back in April when he got hurt, but he assured everyone on his X account that he was going to be fine. That's a major sigh of relief. Crawford and Zenitz listed some lesser-known players poised for breakout seasons, and White, along with Hokies tight end Luke Reynolds, were mentioned.
"The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Georgia native finished the 2025 season at Troy with 67 tackles, three interceptions, and 11 passes defended. He also held opposing receivers to a 55.4% catch rate. Multiple sources brought up White as one of the standouts this spring for the Hokies. Some NFL scouts already view him as a mid-Day 3 NFL draft prospect, too,'' Crawford and Zenitz wrote.
One look at some highlights from White last year, and there is a good reason to be excited if you're a Hokies fan. He was one of the top corners at Troy, and playing at Virginia Tech is only going to give him more exposure next season for the NFL Draft.
Virginia Tech lost some key players from last season in the secondary, but they did a nice job of grabbing some talent out of the portal to go with some of the returning players. CBS Sports is just the latest to give White some preseason love, as ESPN did last week as well. If he stays healthy, he is another player who should excite Hokies fans in 2026.
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