Virginia Tech Football 2026 Position Preview: Special Teams

In part 9 of our Virginia Tech football position-by-position previews, I'll be giving an in-depth look at the Hokies' special teams unit, previewing the returnees from the 2025 unit and who's new, who's favored to start this year, the biggest question mark surrounding the group and what the bottom line to take away from the unit is.

Previous Installments

[Note: The returnees and newcomers does not include punt/kick returners, since those are unconfirmed.]

Returnees:

long snapper Christian Epling (r-Sr.): The 6-foot-1, 222-pound player has beent he Hokies' main long snapper; he's played in 37 games up to this point.
kicker John Love (r-Sr.): Love has been a mainstay of the program, being the Hokies' main kicker since 2023. He was an All-ACC Honorable Mention in both 2023 and 2024 going 38-of-42 on field goal tries over those two years. Last season, he was 15-for-20, booting a pair of 50-plus-yarders: 56 yards vs. South Carolina and 52 yards against California. He was named ACC Specialist of the Week in 2025 after three field goals (39, 32, 49 yards) against NC State.
kicker Aiden Daugherty (r-So.): Daugherty has not seen game action in either of his first two seasons in Blacksburg. At Oak Grove High School, the Winston-Salem, N.C. native went 6-for-9 on field goals while going 67-of-69 on PATs. He was named All-State, All-Region and All-Conference as a result.
punter Cole Byrd (r-Fr.): Byrd redshirted his freshman year; as a senior at Bassett High School, the in-state product logged 32 touchbacks and six made field goals ranging between 29 and 40 yards. He was also 31-of-32 when it came to extra-point attempts. He was a three-time All-State selection in high school.

Newcomers:

punter Nathan Totten (r-Jr.): Totten comes to Virginia Tech after three years at Marshall where he was mostly a kickoff specialist in his first season. Totten logged 2,563 yards off 40 kickoffs, resulting in 28 touchbacks. The following season, he was named an All-Sun Belt Second Team player after a 56-punt, 2,551-yard year. 19 of his kicks went over 50-plus yards, while 20 were downed inside the 20-yard line. Totten ended up setting Marshall's single-season punting average record with a 45.6-yard average.
long snapper Deed Capper (r-So.): Capper did not see game action in either of his two seasons at Wisconsin. Kohl's Professional Camps ranked him as the No. 38 prospect at his position. Capper played on both O-line (offensive tackle) and D-line (defensive end) while also serving as a snapper. As a senior, he was named Second Team All-North Shore Conference for his defensive work and as a Honorable Mention on the offensive side of the ball.
punter Luke Jones (Fr.): The Virginia Beach native punted 46 times in his senior year of high school at First Colonial, averaging 49.84 yards per boot and topping out with a 71-yard kick. He was named to the Second Team Kohl's Kicking All-American Team after his senior year.
kicker Will Love (Fr.): Love, the younger brother of current kicker John Love, was the top kicker in the Class of 2026 per 247Sports. He was named a 2025 Maxwell Football Club High School All American after making five field goals and 41 PATs in his senior year

— including a 51-yarder to lift Spartanburg High School to a 33-30 victory over Dorman on Oct. 10. He owns the top five kicks in Spartanburg history by length: a 54-yarder, three 51-yard kicks and a 49-yarder.

Who are the projected starters?

For the core special teams roles, Virginia Tech appears to have a pretty clear picture heading into the season. Christian Epling is expected to once again handle long snapping duties, while John Love returns as the unquestioned starter at kicker after three seasons as one of the ACC's more reliable specialists. The biggest change comes at punter, where Marshall transfer Nathan Totten is the favorite to win the starting job after setting a program record with a 45.6-yard average last season.

The biggest unknown remains the return game, where the Hokies will likely lean on some of their most athletic playmakers. Wide receivers such as Tyseer Denmark and Que'Sean Brown could see opportunities on kick and punt returns thanks to their speed and ability to create space in the open field. Other explosive skill-position players could also factor into those roles as the coaching staff looks to find the best combination of ball security and big-play ability.

Biggest question mark:

The biggest question surrounding Virginia Tech's special teams unit is the return game. The Hokies have stability at kicker, punter and long snapper, but they will need to identify reliable options in both kick and punt return roles. Finding a player who can provide explosive plays without sacrificing ball security will be a major priority during preseason camp. They may have that in Brown, who returned nine punts for 116 yards. Denmark is more of a question, as are most of the rest that will get a try.

Bottom line:

Virginia Tech enters 2026 with one of the more experienced specialist groups on the roster. Love gives the Hokies a proven option at kicker, Totten brings experience and production at punter, and Epling provides consistency at long snapper. If the return game develops into a weapon, this unit has a chance to become one of the team's major strengths.

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