Nine Hokies Land On Phil Steele's Preseason All-ACC Teams

One Hokie cracked Steele's Preseason All-ACC First Team list, while three made the Second Team.

Virginia Tech Athletics

Virginia Tech football landed nine Hokies on Phil Steele's Preseason All-ACC teams. While preseason accolades do not guarantee on-field success, Virginia Tech's nine honorees speak to the roster being a significant cut above last year's 3-9 output.

• defensive lineman Kemari Copeland - Preseason All-ACC First Team
• wide receiver Que'Sean Brown - Preseason All-ACC Second Team (All-ACC Honorable Mention as kick returner)
• tight end Luke Reynolds - Preseason All-ACC Second Team
• offensive lineman Layth Ghannam - Preseason All-ACC Second Team
• running back Marcellous Hawkins - Preseason All-ACC Third Team
• defensive lineman Elhadj Fall - Preseason All-ACC Third Team
• linebacker Kaleb Spencer - Preseason All-ACC Third Team
• kicker John Love - Preseason All-ACC Honorable Mention
• long snapper Christian Epling - Preseason All-ACC Honorable Mention

9 Hokies land on Phil Steele’s Preseason All-ACC Team 👏#LetsGoHokies pic.twitter.com/2qPo7PvfyP

— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) June 12, 2026

Copeland, Ghannam, Hawkins, Fall, Spencer, Love and Epling were each on last year's Hokies roster, while Brown and Reynolds transferred from Duke and Penn State, respectively.

In 2025, Copeland logged 48 tackles, 11 solo tackles, seven tackles for loss and amassed a team-high 4.5 sacks — including a three-sack performance against Cal on Oct. 24. Copeland was named All-ACC Third Team last season and was one of only two Hokies to garner All-ACC honors (DT Kody Huisman; All-ACC Honorable Mention). He is the only returning all-ACC player.

As a redshirt sophomore at Duke, Brown started 12 games, finishing with 846 receiving yards and five touchdowns, finishing 17th in single-season receiving yardage for the Blue Devils. He also served as a punt returner for Duke, returning nine punts for 116 yards and one touchdown, which was against Elon in the season-opener. Against Arizona State in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl, he totaled 178 receiving yards on 10 catches, including the game-winning touchdown with 2:10 left.

Reynolds comes to Virginia Tech after two years with Penn State. In 29 games with the Nittany Lions, he totaled 368 receiving yards and one touchdown on 35 catches. The 6-foot-4, 250-pound junior from Westford, Massachusetts, finished with 69 receiving yards on five catches in Virginia Tech's spring game April 18.

Ghannam started 10 of Virginia Tech's 12 games last season and played for 598 snaps, contributing to a Virginia Tech run game that totaled 182.4 rushing yards per game (No. 4 in ACC). Ghannam's 55.0 overall offensive grade was tied for 24th out of 33 players, though his pass block grade of 35.8 ranked No. 17 out of 21 players.

Hawkins functioned as the Hokies' primary running back, rolling up 749 rushing yards and a touchdown on 118 carries. Hawkins totaled 167 rushing yards against California on Oct. 24 on 21 carries, and he produced 101 rushing yards agaisnt Florida State on Nov. 15.

Fall came to Virginia Tech in 2025 after three seasons at Georgia Southern; in his first year with the Hokies, he started six games (played in all 12), logging 25 tackles (10 solo), 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a blocked field goal. Fall finished with a 63.0 grade on Pro Football Focus and totaled 70.2 and 72.9 grades in run defense and tackling, respectively.

Spencer finished with a 76.2 grade against the run, though he graded out at a 58.4 (No. 32 on Virginia Tech's 2025 team of 47 defenders). He led the team in tackles in 2025 with 67 (31 solo tackles), also pacing the team in tackles for loss (9.0). He finished with 11 tackles against NC State, eight against California and seven against Louisville.

Love logged a 56-yarder against South Carolina in the season opener against South Carolina and a 52-yard kick against California; he also totaled three field goals (39, 32 and 49 yards) against NC State Sept. 27 and was named ACC Specialist of the Week for his efforts. Love went 15-for-20 on the year in 2025 and has an active streak of 114 consecutive made PAT attempts. He has never missed a PAT in college and currently sits seventh all-time in scoring at Tech (276 points). Love was named All-ACC Honorable Mention in 2023 and 2024.

Epling logged two tackles last year and will be a redshirt senior in the 2026 season. He has played in 37 career games for Virginia Tech as the team's long snapper.