Which Virginia Tech Freshmen Look Ready To Play?

Virginia Tech has several freshmen that could push for playing time this fall.

Virginia Tech Athletics

The “redshirt freshman” designation is becoming something of a bygone label. With the NCAA’s new five-in-five eligibility model, there’s little reason to keep a player on the sideline for an entire season just to preserve a year of eligibility. In reality, these players are essentially second-year players. So which of the first-year players do I think stand the best chance of playing this year?

So, for the purposes of this exercise, I'm separating Virginia Tech's true freshmen from the players who technically carry the redshirt-freshman designation but are really entering their second year in Blacksburg. I'll cover that latter designation at the conclusion of this piece:

Davion "FatRat" Brown

The main true freshman who has consistently generated buzz entering the season is wide receiver Davion "FatRat" Brown.

The 6-foot-1, 204-pound receiver was a regular enrollee and has already found himself in the conversation for the third receiver spot. He came up during multiple

That doesn't necessarily mean Brown is going to start. Ayden Greene and Que'Sean Brown give Virginia Tech an established top two, and there are plenty of other options competing for snaps.

Benjamin Eziuka

The offensive lineman isn't necessarily generating the same volume of buzz as Brown, but there is something notable about where he's been placed early in camp — the second-team offensive line.

Eziuka arrives at Virginia Tech at 6-foot-2 and more than 320 pounds after starting four years at left guard for Detroit Catholic Central. He was a three-time all-state selection and helped his high school win the 2025 Michigan state championship.

There's also the obvious caveat that offensive line is one of the positions where true freshmen tend to have the hardest time making an immediate impact. Still, if Eziuka is already working with the second unit, he's at least positioned to be an option if Virginia Tech needs to go deeper into its offensive-line rotation.

Amauri Polydor

The 6-foot cornerback enrolled early, participated in spring practice and opened some eyes enough to earn recognition as one of the ACC's freshmen to watch entering 2026.

At St. Frances Academy, Polydor was a highly regarded defensive back who intercepted eight passes as a junior and finished that season with 40 tackles, a sack and seven pass breakups.

Virginia Tech has plenty of bodies competing at cornerback, including Troy transfer Jaquez White and several returning players, including Joshua Clarke (missed 2025 season due to injury) and redshirt senior Isaiah Brown-Murray.

Will Love

Then there's Will Love, whose path to playing time is perhaps the simplest to understand.

John Love is still the guy at the top of the depth chart, and for good reason. But Will is currently sitting behind his older brother and could have the kind of leg that makes him an intriguing developmental option.

Love was a 2025 high school All-American, made five field goals and 41 extra points as a senior and owns the top five longest field goals in Spartanburg history.

The Redshirt Freshmen

If we're expanding the definition to include any player that's either a freshman or a redshirt freshman on the team's roster page, two names jump out to me, either from proven production or what names have come up during fall camp: Jeff Overton Jr. and Luke Stuewe.

Overton already has college production. After missing the first eight games of 2025 with an injury, Overton played in the final four, rushing 25 times for 146 yards and a touchdown while adding a 36-yard reception against Florida State. His first touchdown came on a 38-yard run against Miami.

Stuewe, meanwhile, is the more intriguing unknown. The wide receiver enters his second season in the program and now finds himself in a much more competitive receiver room, but his size and skill set give him an opportunity to carve out a role.