The Last Line of Continuity: Why Safety Could Anchor Virginia Tech in 2026

Nearly every position group on Virginia Tech's roster will feature many new faces this fall. Not the safeties.

Virginia Tech Athletics

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Nearly every position group on Virginia Tech's roster will feature new faces this fall. Between transfer portal departures, incoming additions and younger players stepping into larger roles, continuity has become a luxury rather than the expectation. One room, however, has largely avoided that turnover.

While the Hokies work to establish chemistry across much of the roster, the safety position returns a veteran nucleus that already understands the defensive system, has meaningful game experience and should provide stability on the back end. In a season where consistency may be difficult to find elsewhere, that continuity could become one of Virginia Tech's biggest strengths.

The Hokies return Tyson Flowers, Quentin Reddish, Sherrod Covil and Jordan Bass in the safety room, along with a pair of promising underclassmen who impressed last season — Brennan Johnson and Sheldon Robinson. It is the only position group where the Hokies retain both mainstay starters, and it's the room that has arguably the most competitive two-deep roster on the field.

"The culture and standard is everything to us, and we're constantly going to try to build it each and every day," returning defensive back Isaiah Brown-Murray said after day two of fall camp. "If you don't have a culture or a standard, you're not going to be able to win football games... That's not a spring thing or a summer thing. That's a whole-year thing."

That continuity extends beyond experience and talent — it adds crucial leadership. Last season, the Hokies ran a lot of three-high looks on the defense, putting a lot of the load on young safeties, and Flowers was one of the few bright spots on a largely unsuccessful Virginia Tech defense, though he struggled with tackling (45.4 grade on Pro Footbal Focus).

"It's just the way he works, his daily approach," safeties coach Anthony Midget said about Flowers back in the spring. "The guys respect him. He's not a guy that's a rah-rah guy, but when he does speak, guys listen. He leads by example... the thing about him, he's consistent every single day. He's the same guy, and I love where he's at right now."

Reddish offers a different kind of experience. He emerged as a cornerstone of Brent Pry's defense as a true freshman in 2024 before a shoulder injury ended his season after three games in 2025.

"He's been really good," Midget said about Reddish. "Has all the talent in the world. A student of the game. Attention to detail. Has all the range, all the tools you look for in a player at the safety position. He's been doing a good job for us this spring; he'll be a leader for us, and we're counting on him to have a big season for us."

The continuity comes with leadership. Where more than 40% of the roster is a new face in Blacksburg across a variety of positions, safety remained effectively unchanged from last season, with just the addition of incoming freshman Tyrell Grant.

More than perhaps any other position on the defense, safeties are responsible for making sure everyone else is in the right place. They communicate coverage checks, align the secondary before the snap and erase mistakes and play damage control when they happen.

With new faces expected to contribute at cornerback, linebacker and along the defensive front, having veterans who have already played together gives defensive coordinator Sam Siefkes one less position to worry about. Rather than teaching the entire back end how to communicate, the Hokies can rely on Flowers, Reddish and the rest of the room to set the standard while the newer pieces settle into their roles.

Virginia Tech's success this season won't depend solely on its safeties, but the position offers something few others on the roster can: certainty. On a team where nearly half of the players weren't in Blacksburg a year ago, the Hokies know exactly what they're getting from the last line of the defense. If Virginia Tech is going to exceed expectations in 2026, don't be surprised if it starts with the one room that didn't have to be rebuilt.