11 Virginia Tech Players Named To American Bowl Top 1000 Preseason Watch List

Six defensive players and five offensive players made the list for the Hokies.

Virginia Tech Athletics

Eleven Virginia Tech players were named to the American Bowl Top 1000 Preseason Watch List.

Congratulations to the NFL Draft-eligible seniors at @HokiesFB on making the American Bowl Top 1000 Preseason Watchlist!#VirginiaTechFootball#TheAmericanBowl 🇺🇸#PreseasonWatchlist#NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/SpR9qS2kk0

— The American Bowl (@TheAmericanBowl) August 27, 2026

The American Bowl is in its second year after being held this past January; any NFL Draft-eligible Hokie was able to be placed on the list. Here's the full list of Hokies that were nominated in alphabetical order.

• Jordan Bass, Safety
• Isaiah Brown-Murray, Defensive Back
• Kemari Copeland, Defensive Lineman
• Montavious Cunningham, Offensive Lineman
• Elhadj Fall, Defensive Lineman
• Tyson Flowers, Safety
• Johnny Garrett, Offensive Lineman
• Ayden Greene, Wide Receiver
• Marcellous Hawkins, Running Back
• Marlion Jackson, Wide Receiver
• Kaleb Spencer, Linebacker

Ten of Virginia Tech's 11 nominees were on last year's team that went 3-9. The lone nominee that was not is Jackson, who spent the last four seasons at Louisiana Tech prior to venturing to Blacksburg.

Bass started four games in 2025, recording 22 tackles (12 unassisted), 1.0 tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry. Brown-Murray, who came to Virginia Tech after three years at East Carolina, started all 12 games in the secondary, accumulating 39 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, five PBUs and an interception against Wake Forest.

Copeland was named All-ACC Third Team last season after a 48-tackle, 7.5-TFL, 4.5-sack campaign in 2025. He was named ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week after totaling seven tackles and three sacks, becoming the first defensive tackle in the program since his then-position coach J.C. Price (1995) to log at least three sacks in a single game.

Cunningham, a graduate student entering his third year at Virginia Tech after as many at Georgia Southern, has played in 17 games for Virginia Tech. His 2025 season was abbreviated due to injury, he started all four games he played. Cunningham figures to be Virginia Tech's starter at right tackle this season.

Fall started six games for Virginia Tech in 2025 at defensive tackle, logging 25 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and two quarterback hurries; he will presumably start alongside Copeland on the interior.

Flowers made 49 tackles in 2025, amassing two pass breakups and starting all 12 games for Virginia Tech.

Garrett started all 10 of the games in which he played in 2025, logging 619 offensive snaps and conceding only two sacks. Prior to this season getting underway, however, he sustained a "long-term injury", per Virginia Tech. The exact duration of the injury is unknown.

Greene led the team last season in receptions (31), receiving yards (516) and receiving touchdowns (three), accruing 95 yards against Miami in the home finale last season. Hawkins, meanwhile, paced Virginia Tech in rushing yards with 749, including a 167-yard game against California on October 24, 2025.

Jackson logged 753 yards against Louisiana Tech over the past three seasons; in 2025, he recorded 370 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns off 20 catches. Spencer started five games in 2025, pacing the team with 67 tackles and nine tackles for loss. He logged 11 tackles against NC State on Sept. 27.

Virginia Tech opens its 2026 season next Saturday on Sept. 5 against VMI at Lane Stadium. The contest will kick off on the ACC Network at 7:30 p.m. ET, and it will be the first matchup between the two programs since the 1984 season.