Three Burning Questions for Virginia Tech's Safeties Room Ahead of Fall Camp

Virginia Tech's safety room enters the 2026 season in an interesting spot. On paper, it's one of the more experienced position groups on the defense, returning six players who logged meaningful snaps in 2025. There's veteran leadership, promising young talent and a player in Quentin Reddish who looked primed for a breakout before injury struck last fall.

The Hokies have enough pieces to believe this group can take a step forward under a new coaching staff, yet there are still several important questions that need to be answered once fall camp gets underway. Here are the three biggest in my eyes.

No. 1: Can Quentin Reddish return to his pre-injury form?

Reddish appeared to be in the middle of a breakout campaign before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury after just three games. During that stretch, he totaled 15 tackles and intercepted a pass while establishing himself as one of Virginia Tech's most impactful defenders.

His Pro Football Focus grade reflected that impact as well. Reddish posted a 73.5 overall grade, the highest among all Virginia Tech defensive backs and sixth-best on the defense. If he's fully healthy, Reddish has all the tools to become one of the ACC's better safeties. He's athletic, instinctive and showed the ability to impact both the run and passing game early last year.

The biggest question is whether he can immediately pick up where he left off after nearly a full season away from game action.

No. 2: Can the veterans become more consistent tacklers?

Experience is valuable, but it has to translate into dependable play.

Tyson Flowers returns after leading the room with 49 tackles while starting all 12 games last season. Jordan Bass added 22 tackles across 12 appearances and five starts, while Sherrod Covil provides another experienced option entering his final collegiate season. The issue, however, is consistency.

Flowers finished with just a 45.4 tackling grade from Pro Football Focus despite his production. Bass (29.1) and Covil (27.8) struggled even more in that category, creating too many missed opportunities to get opposing offenses off the field. The encouraging part is that all three graded significantly better against the run than they did as tacklers, suggesting they're often in the right position but simply need to finish plays more consistently.

If those missed tackles become routine stops instead, Virginia Tech's defense could eliminate several of the explosive plays that haunted it throughout 2025.

No. 3: Which young safety — if any — takes the next step?

While Reddish and Flowers appear locked into starting roles, the battle behind them could shape the entire room, and sophomores Sheldon Robinson and Brennan Johnson both flashed encouraging potential during their freshman seasons.

Robinson recorded 21 tackles and four starts while posting an impressive 73.6 tackling grade and a solid 65.1 run-defense grade. Johnson appeared in eight games, totaled 17 tackles, forced a fumble against Cal and earned an excellent 79.3 run-defense grade.

If either — or both — make the expected sophomore leap, the Hokies suddenly have quality rotational depth capable of keeping the starters fresh throughout the season. That would also lessen the pressure on veterans like Bass and Covil. Now, fall camp will determine whether this experienced group can finally turn that potential into consistent production. If the answers to these three questions are positive, the Hokies may have one of the more dependable safety units they've fielded in recent years.

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