Which 2026 Virginia Tech Men's Basketball Transfer Was The Most Important?

There’s an important caveat in this discussion, and I believe it shapes the entire discussion: it's evaluating Virginia Tech’s transfers both on what they’ve already proven elsewhere and on what they might become in Blacksburg.

With that lens, Virginia Tech’s 2026-27 transfer class breaks into two tiers: established high-major contributors and high-upside role players.

Isaiah Elohim: the offensive swing piece

Elohim brings a different kind of résumé: scoring versatility and perimeter creation. At FAU, he emerged as a double-digit scorer who could create his own shot and operate comfortably as both a primary and secondary ball-handler. That kind of shot creation is one of the most valuable commodities in modern college basketball, especially in a system that often asks guards to generate offense late in the clock rather than relying purely on set actions.

At Florida Atlantic in the 2025-26 season, he averaged 12.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game while shooting 46.5% from the field and 36.8% from three across 32 games (all starts).

What makes Elohim important in this Virginia Tech group is how independently he can score. He doesn’t need structured advantages or constant off-ball movement to get to his spots. Rather, he can get downhill and create midrange or rim pressure on his own. Beyond scoring, Elohim also offers functional playmaking. While not a pure floor general, he can initiate offense, make reads out of pick-and-roll, and relieve pressure from other ball-handlers.

Kuol Atak: efficiency and spacing value

Kuol Atak fits the modern stretch-forward mold. His importance is tied to spacing rather than volume production. He is not a focal-point scorer, but his shooting ability at his size and solid scoring in small sample size gives Virginia Tech lineup flexibility and offensive geometry that can unlock driving lanes for guards like Elohim.

Atak averaged 7.0 points in 12.4 minutes per game as a redshirt freshman at Oklahoma, and if he takes a leap with more minutes under his belt, he could be in line to be the Hokies' most impactful transfer.

Miles Heide and the depth group

I think that Miles Heide and the incoming depth transfers provide rotation stability rather than headline impact. Heide’s role at San Diego State was limited but situationally valuable, and that projects similarly in Blacksburg: size, defense, and spot minutes rather than featured production.

So who matters most?

If “most important” means proven, high- or mid-major, two-way reliability, I think the answer lies with Elohim. If it comes to upside, I think it could be Atak.

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