Three Questions For Virginia Tech's Running Backs Room Ahead of Fall Camp

Virginia Tech's running back room looks much different than it did a year ago. After leaning on a two-headed Hydra of transfers Marcellous Hawkins (Central Missouri) and Terion Stewart (Bowling Green) in 2025, the Hokies enter 2026 with a backfield led by Hawkins, Jeffrey Overton Jr., Louisiana transfer Bill Davis and four-star freshman Messiah Mickens. Stewart exhausted his eligibility after last season, leaving behind an opening atop the depth chart that several talented backs are capable of filling.

With fall camp approaching, here are the three biggest questions facing Virginia Tech's running backs.

No. 1: Can Marcellous Hawkins seize the RB1 role?

On paper, Hawkins appears to have the inside track entering camp. The Central Missouri transfer impressed last season with a team-high 749 rushing yards in Year 1 in Blacksburg and sat out most of spring practice while recovering from injury, allowing younger players additional reps. Even with that absence, Hawkins should still be viewed as the favorite to lead the room entering August.

With him as the No. 1, Virginia Tech's offense should have the stability it needs in the backfield.

No. 2: How quickly can Jeffrey Overton Jr. force his way onto the field?

Few players generated more buzz towards the end of last season than Overton. The former four-star recruit possesses the size, athleticism and home-run ability to become one of the program's next stars, and his development could dramatically raise the ceiling of the running game. Overton missed the first eight games of the 2025 campaign rehabbing from a torn ACL sustained in 2024 bowl prep, but in the last four games, he accumulated 146 rushing yards and one touchdown.

Overton's combination of power, explosiveness and slithery elusiveness gives him a skill set that differs from the rest of the room, which seems to lean towards more of a bruiser style. If he proves reliable in pass protection and ball security during camp, it would not be surprising to see him become a more significant part of the rotation early in the season and settle in as the second-string back.

No. 3: Who wins the battle for the complementary carries?

The Hokies have more than enough bodies to build a committee behind Hawkins and Overton, though how many snaps that committee takes and who emerges at the forefront seems to be a still-ongoing battle. Louisiana transfer Bill Davis arrives after producing nearly 1,800 rushing yards over the past three seasons and brings experience to the room. Meanwhile, highly regarded freshman Messiah Mickens gives Virginia Tech another talented option with long-term upside, though he missed the spring with an injury.

How those pieces fit together will be one of the most intriguing storylines of fall camp. Does Davis become the short-yardage specialist? Can Mickens develop quickly enough to earn meaningful snaps? Or will the coaching staff lean on a true three-back rotation rather than two?

Those answers will likely evolve throughout camp, but competition should make the room stronger.

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