Virginia Tech Football: The 2025 Season Simulated by EA Sports College Football 26

Happy College Football 26 release week, Hokie nation!

As a way to kick off every fan's new addiction, we're going to simulate every game for the 2025 season. The Hokies have a lot of new faces in the starting lineup this year. Expectations are all over the place from fans and analysts alike.

This season is make or break for the current foundation in Blacksburg. Here's how EA Sports envisions the Hokies' season going.

Week 1: South Carolina

Result: L 54-14

Week one woes continue for the Hokies, as the Gamecocks win in dominating fashion. Lanorris Sellers was eating turkey for dinner all night long, finishing with 346 passing yards, six touchdowns, and zero turnovers. The Gamecocks had three receivers over 75 yards, with Nyck Harbor having a 59-yard bomb to kickoff the game.

It wasn't all gloom for the Hokies. Kyron Drones didn't turn the ball over, but had a lackluster day nonetheless. Cameron Seldon had his breakout game and led the game in receiving with 98 yards. Drones rushed for just two yards, as the Hokies couldn't find their footing on the ground. The Gamecocks' blowout sent the Hokies home with gloom, but they bounced back quickly.

Week 2: Vanderbilt

Result: W 26-23

Coach Pry gets his getback in the Hokies' home opener. Virginia Tech rained on the Commodores' parade, putting them on the opposite end of a late comeback attempt. Drones improved through the air, but turned the ball over twice. He still finished with a passer rating of 153.6, with 224 yards and two touchdowns. Seldon showed out again, leading the team through the air for the second straight week.

Terion Stewart found his footing after a quiet first week, finishing with 68 yards and a touchdown. Vanderbilt won the battle in the backfield on both sides of the ball, but couldn't wake up their air raid. A pair of late-game TFLs sealed the deal for the Hokies as they charged into week three with their first win.

Week 3: Old Dominion

Result: W 35-28

The Monarchs put up a fight in Lane Stadium, but it was too late for them to come back. Their run game was silent all night long. Their leading rusher had only 27 yards. Colton Joseph tried his best to save the day, but a late fourth-quarter turnover from Isaiah Brown-Murray gave the Hokies the chance to run the clock dry.

Drones was surgical, finishing the game with 215 yards through the air, 63 on the ground, three touchdowns, and zero turnovers. Seldon had another good showing, but Benji Gosnell was the talk of the town. His 72 yards and touchdown set a standard for the rest of the night. Sledon and Ayden Greene got touchdowns of their own.

Terion Stewart was the star of the show. He ran through Old Dominion with his 111 yards and two touchdowns. Braydon Bennett had his best game yet with 77 yards of his own. This first home stand for the Hokies was off to a flaming hot start.

Week 4: Wofford

Result: W 38-10

Drones was quiet through the air, yet still impactful. His 210 total yards and three touchdowns set the pace for the Hokies throughout the game. Terion Stewart had another monster day, rushing for 109 yards and leaving with his first hat trick of the year. The two-headed monster brewing for the Hokies showed out again. Braydon Bennett improved from his game the previous week with 97 yards on just 77 attempts.

Donavon Green caught the lone passing touchdown of the night, with Seldon leading the corps once again in yardage. Elhadj Fall quickly became a consistent presence for Sam Siefkes, having his third straight week with a sack. Dante Lovett walked out as MVP. He registered two of the three interceptions that night. Clemson transfer Sherrod Covil Jr. notched his first pick of the year as well.

Just like that, after a disappointing start to the year, the Hokies were on a three-game win streak heading out for their first home stand.

Week 5: NC State

Result: W 35-27

One of the more challenging matchups in this first half of the season. At least, it's projected to be. The virtual Hokies carried themselves towards their fourth-straight victory. Siefkes has his unit firing on all cylinders, finishing with two sacks, a pick and five TFLs.

Drones is quietly putting together a strong campaign, having his fourth straight game with a passer rating over 145. The Hokies dominated the trenches more than anything, however. Stewart and Bennett are go together like a turkey leg and a slice of Benny's on game day. Both backs finished with over 100 rushing yards and combined for three scores.

Seldon had his first quiet game of the year, but the rest of the corps made up for it. They finished with 242 yards and two scores on the day, putting a dynamic offensive attack in the holster for Virginia Tech's fourth victory.

Week 6: Wake Forest

Result: W 37-34

The Deacon Demons got too close for comfort. While they were better than expected, Wake Forest finished with just one ACC win. This was almost their second. Robby Ashford has his best game of the year, slinging for 231 yards and four touchdowns with zero interceptions. Demond Claiborne had his way with the Hokies with his 136-yard day. However, it wasn't enough.

Drones continue to be leading the charge for the Hokies. After a quiet week in the backfield compared to their standards, Drones diced up Wake Forest with 317 yards and three touchdowns on 70% passing. The Donovan Greene revenge game was a success as he led the corps with 108 yards and their lone grab. Running back Marcellous Hawkins earned his first touchdown of the year, catching a seven-yard pass for the score.

A name that's getting thrown into All-ACC talks is Cameron Seldon. He's been a consistent threat downfield for the Hokies after Pry committed to his role as a full-time wideout. This offense is certainly spreading the love. But the former top player in the state is beginning to show his worth in maroon and orange.

Week 7: Georgia Tech

Result: W 28-24

Make that six straight for the Hokies heading into their bye week. It was the battle of the ground game at Georgia Tech. Haynes King and Kyron Drones showed off their dual-threat abilities, both totaling over 300 yards and three touchdowns. Jamal Haynes ran rampant with a 130-yard, two-touchdown outing.

The workload was split down the middle for the Hokies. Stewart finished with 75 yards, while Bennett had 40 on the ground and 20 through the air. Redshirt Freshman Gerard Johnson registered his first career sack, while Dante Lovett snagged his third pick of the year.

It was a dogfight til the end, but a missed 52-yard field goal from Aidan Birr kept the Yellow Jackets' hopes under wraps as the Hokies ran out to their bye week.

Kyron Drones Virginia Tec — Oct 26, 2024; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies quarterback Kyron Drones (1) throws a pass during the first quarter against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images | Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Week 9: California

Result: W 24-9

Poor Cal. They had to travel to one of the game's best environments as well as play a flaming hot Hokies team off a bye. The Golden Bears didn't touch the endzone once. True freshman Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele had a rough outing, finishing 10-28 through the air with two picks. Sherrod Covil had his second pick of the year, while redshirt freshman Gabe Williams had a big day with his first interception and led the team in tackles with seven.

Drones sat back and let his run game do the dirty work. He got into the endzone on a short run and finished with just 150 passing yards. 75 of those yards came from the team's lead wideout, with Seldon notching a rushing touchdown as well. Bennett led the team in rushing with 92 yards, accompanied by Stewart's 67-yard, two-touchdown day.

The Hokies had swept through the ACC up to this point, but would soon face adversity to finish the year.

Week 10: Louisville

Result: L 27-13

Isaac Brown is a bad man. The Hokies dropped their first home loss of the year. Drones was given some trouble through the air, having just one score to two turnovers. Miller Moss countered that with a clean 258-yard day. All three of the Cardinals' touchdowns came from their workhorse.

Siefkes had his worst day of the year against the run. Brown ran for a staggering 178 yards and three touchdowns. This was his best performance of the year. Terion Stewart couldn't say the same. He gave up his first fumble of the year. That, combined with his inefficient 48 yards on the ground, hurt the Hokies' chance of fighting back.

The bright side was Gerard Johnson getting his second sack and first forced fumble, but it didn't ignite a spark.

Week 11: Florida State

Result: L 24-21

The woes continued for Coach Pry. On a game-winning field goal, the Seminoles toppled Virginia Tech. Drones had a nice bounce back, having his best day on the ground this year. His 105 yards combined with his 235 yards through the air had the Hokies lined up for a win late in the game.

On the last drive of the game, a quick screen pass to Ayden Greene turned into disaster as he fumbled the ball on their own 42-yard line. One turnover clouded over his 92-yard day. The Seminoles ran the clock out and approached chip-shot range. In their home stadium, they walked off the game on a 28-yard field goal.

A heartbreaker in Tallahassee couldn't cloud over the positives, though. Stewart had another 100-yard day, and Gabe Williams had his first career sack. Nonetheless, the Hokies were staring at their first losing streak in almost a year.

Week 12: Miami

Result: W 27-18

The revenge game every fan was looking forward to. The robbery at Hard Rock in 2024 was gutting. This year, there was a new gunslinger at the helm for the Hurricanes. Carson Beck just didn't have what it took.

Drones had one of the best games of his career. As a passer, he tossed for a career-high 362 yards and two touchdowns. Seldon had his best day of the season with a 115-yard performance, highlighted by a 65-yard breakaway score. Drones notched two more scores on the ground. He perhaps vultured some touchdowns from Stewart's 109-yard day.

Sacksburg was alive and well. Siefkes had his best day pressuring the quarterback. Aycen Stevens had 2 of the team's four sacks that day, alongside two more TFLs. Beck kept the ball out of harm's way, but he didn't keep it clean. Beck finished with under 50% passing on the day, as the Hurricanes were sent home with their heads down.

UVA Week

Result: W 31-18

Business as usual. Brent Pry remains undefeated against the Cavaliers as the Hokies stormed out of Scott Stadium with the Commonwealth Cup.

Bennett and Stewart took over the ground, but Marcellous Hawkins got his lone touchdown of the year on a 25-yard score. Elhadj Fall finished with his fifth sack of the season, coming on his lone strip-sack of the year. Seldon once again led in receiving, with Ayden Green and Benji Gosnell joining him with 70+ yards.

The game had Kyron Drones inactive due to an injury sustained during training, so it was the Pop Watson show. He has a knack for running over the Cavaliers, finishing the day with 238 passing yards and 51 rushing yards. His two-touchdown day solidified him as the QB of the future as the Hokies headed into bowl season.

Final Regular Season Standings

9-3 (6-2 in ACC)

17th in the AP Top 25

4th in the ACC

Bowl Game - DirectTV Holiday Bowl vs Texas State

Result: W 28-10

After a successful campaign, the Hokies had a chance to tie the 2025 season off with a maroon and orange bow.

Kyron Drones finished his Hokie career with a flawless performance. He went 16-20 for 289 yards and three total touchdowns. He's been known to take over the ground in bowl games, and he did that. All of their red-zone touchdowns belonged to Drones. He wasn't the only one making waves in the trenches. Terion Stewart had a scoreless, yet productive 125-yard outing, with Braydon Bennett snatching the lone score from the backfield.

Seldon wasn't the one to watch in this game. He was out due to an injury suffered in practice. Keylen "Brodie" Adams stepped into his role and broke out. He caught the lone passing touchdown on the day, accompanied by 115 yards receiving. An overall solid outing from everyone on offense, but the defense had some players put the unit on their backs.

Jordan Bass and Caleb Woodson, the team's leading tacklers, both registered interceptions. Aycen Stevens was everywhere in the backfield. He finished with 3 TFLs, two of which were sacks. A lot of talent is being shipped out but plenty of returning talent to be hopeful about, at least in the game's eyes.