Five Virginia Tech Football Players Who Will Emerge As Fan Favorites

Believe it or not, football is coming. While we are just now entering the dog days of Summer and the season may still feel like an eternity away, the Virginia Tech Hokies are slowly heading towards the official beginning of the James Franklin era.

While there are still plenty of questions about this team that can only be answered when the season gets underway, there are plenty of players who could be primed to become cult heroes in Franklin’s first season.

WR: Shamarius “Snook” Peterkin

Peterkin made his name towards the end of last season, which was capped off with a 57-yard touchdown catch in the Cavaliers’ 27-7 win over the Hokies.

Fans were calling for him to make appearances as the season wore on; however, while only making two catches on the season, he did not seem fazed. He will naturally find himself a bit further down the depth chart next season, but with Fontel Mines and Cam Phillips providing some needed tutelage, he remains one of the holdovers from the Pry era who will compete for a starting spot for years to come

WR: Que’Sean Brown

Virginia Tech’s passing offense was, at best, discombobulated in the 2025 campaign. When former quarterback Kyron Drones could hit his target, reeling in those passes was not always a guarantee.

Brown comes from Duke after a stellar season, which saw the four-star transfer notch 847 yards on 64 receptions to go nicely along with five touchdowns. While Brown brings a lot that will make him a top wideout, the comfort in having him is his sure hands.

DL: Javion Hilson

With former head coach Brent Pry now Franklin’s defensive coordinator, fans are hoping to see the Hokies get back to the stalwart defense that dominated the nation for so many years. While Hilson may not make an instantaneous impact in year one, as he will just be a redshirt freshman, he is bound to find minutes as the season wears on, and the Hokies cannot afford to waste a talent who was regarded as a top-100 talent by 247Sports heading into his one season at Missouri last fall.

DL: Aycen Stevens

Stevens was starting to etch out a role before Pry’s dismissal in the 2025 campaign. The now redshirt junior finished last season with 14 tackles, including .5 tackles for loss and one quarterback hurry.

In 2024, Stevens played in all 13 games, making three tackles, including a sack, one pass breakup and one hurry.

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