The advent of the NCAA transfer portal completely changed college football. Some of it is for the better, some not so much. This is not an issue that affects just the Virginia Tech Hokies, but all of college sport.
Now for any gamer like Khalil Herbert, there are stories like Doug Nester who moved from Virginia Tech. So you gain something, you lose
Every school has seen movement this off-season. Recently, a couple of former hokies who entered the portal earlier this off-season have now found a home.
Defensive back Tyree Rodgers, a three-star engagement in 2016, announced that he will join Norfolk State over the weekend. Rodgers had entered the transfer portal shortly after the 2020 season.
Rodgers appeared in 32 games for the Hokies over the years, in which he made three starts. His best season was in 2019 when he played 12 games for VT. He finished his career in Blacksburg with 21 tackles, 1.5 of them for losses. He played three games in 2020 before signing out.
Also, looking for a new home on Monday meant Zion DeBose went to Kansas. DeBose was hired with three stars in 2017 and never really found a foothold in Blacksburg. He wore the red shirt in 2017, appeared in 12 games in 2018, missed 2019 due to injury and played four games in 2020.
DeBose still has a term of two years. The 6-foot-1,245-pound DeBose is from Spencer, North Carolina and graduated from Virginia Tech earlier this month.
Good luck to Rodgers and DeBose in their future endeavors on and off the field.
