Virginia Tech vs South Carolina week one game time is officially set

Insider Brett McMurphy recently announced the start time of a number of opening weekend broadcasts, with Virginia Tech included.

SEC/ACC opening weekend kickoff/broadcasts

Aug 30, Saturday
Syracuse-Tennessee (Atlanta), noon ET ABC
Alabama at Florida State, 3:30 pm ABC
LSU at Clemson, 7:30 pm ABC

Aug 31, Sunday
South Carolina-Virginia Tech (Atlanta), 3 pm ESPN
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) May 13, 2025

The Hokies took the prized Labor Day weekend slot with a 3 p.m. slot on August 31st, with the game set to be broadcast on ESPN.

This will be Virginia Tech's third appearance in the Aflac Kickoff Game, with the previous two coming in losses to Alabama.

Below are projected depth charts for the Hokies' offense and defense ahead of their matchup with South Carolina.

Offense

Quarterback: Kyron Drones, Pop Watson, Kelden Ryan, A.J Brand

With both Drones and Watson missing out, redshirt freshman Davi Belfort got a lot of snaps, and you could sense his development as he was quick to snap off a couple of throws that looked pretty accurate. Yet Belfort announced his plans to depart Blacksburg, meaning that a lot of what the public saw during the Hokies' Spring Game, is ridden out of the mind of Hokie fans. Despite Belfort's departure, Watson and Drones are likely to be the first and second string during the bulk of next season.

Running Back (In no specific order): Braydon Bennett, Marcellous Hawkins, Tyler Mason, Terion Stewart

There is a lot to unpack here, and the spring game probably only muddled things up. Bennett, Hawkins, and Mason all had runs Saturday. The three combined for 161 yards. Terion Stewart has yet to come to Virginia Tech from Bowling Green State. I anticipate him having something to say.

Wide Receiver (In no specific order): Ayden Greene, Donavon Greene, Cameron Seldon, Takye Heath

Each player listed above offers something different. Ayden Greene is an athletic freak who is bound to become a breakout star of Tech football. The junior had just under 300 yards on the year, and looked as if he was evolving game by game. Donavon Greene offers experience with six years already in college football (two missed out thanks to injuries), and what he offers to a largely youthful core. Cameron Seldon is a converted running back who turned wide receiver once he came to Tech. Seldon impressed at the spring game, turning three receptions into 65 yards and a touchdown. Lastly, Takye Heath. Heath won most improved on the offense, tagging a possible step up in production for his first major year under the spotlight.

Offensive line (In no specific order or position): Kyle Altuner, Tomas Rimac, Lucas Austin, Bob Schick, Brody Meadows

Saying this offensive line is something that won't be consistently chopped and changed is far off the mark. New offensive line coach Matt Moore expressed himself through the players that in order to make it in the NFL, it is key to be able to play all across the front. Virginia Tech has already been linked with a former Penn State offensive lineman, JB Nelson. So expect to see the Hokies in the market for a lot of offensive linemen in the market for a new program.

Tight End: Benji Gosnell, Harrison Saint Germain, Zeke Wimbush, Cole Reemsnyder

The tight end position is one of much interest for Virginia Tech. Benji Gosnell is the clear candidate for the number one slot as a Hokie. Gosnell established himself as one of the few consistently good fixtures in this Virginia Tech squad.

Last year Gosnell racked in 32 receptions for 341 yards and two touchdowns. A couple of weeks ago tight end coach Brent Davis spoke with the media over what Gosnell has improved on and where he still needs fixing up.

"I think just fundamentally in the run game, he continues to challenge himself to get better. um and that's one thing we made a goal as a group is to just become more physical, and more dominant in the run game, and to do that, you gotta play with good fundamentals. So we work really hard on that, and I think, you know, he's taking that upon himself, but really checks himself on that daily. Then another thing I would say is just continue to work on his conditioning, where he can you know, we can leave him in the game and he can get into a groove and...That's something he can do as we get into the offseason and the summer."

Defense

Defensive Line

Ben Bell: Bell started his career at Louisiana Tech before transferring over to Texas State. For his career, he has totaled 126 tackles and 19 sacks, with his season-high in sacks coming in 2023 when he totaled 10. According to Pro Football Focus, Bell played 206 snaps this past season and finished with an 80.8 grade, the third highest on the defense. What is notable is that he finished with a 91.1 pass-rushing grade. In 2023, Bell finished with a 90.9 grade in over 500 snaps and an even better 93.0 pass-rushing grade. In 2022, Bell received a 71.2 grade from PFF in 272 snaps, including an 83.9 pass-rushing grade. The Hokies are getting themselves a seasoned pass rusher who should be an impact player for the defense next season and he fills a massive need.

James Djonkam: Djonkam should be a name Virginia Tech fans should be excited for. The former Eastern Michigan linebacker has experienced a change of usage since his move to Southwest Virginia.

"I started off at outside linebacker, and then they moved me to defensive end, and I was probably the best change that without a doubt I made since playing college football, like playing defensive end is so freeing I get it just hit, don't got a think, just go."

"I love how simple and see ball get ball it is, like, as soon as the ball snaps, look at the running back's alignment and base my stance off of that, and then boom, just go."

Kemari Copeland: Copeland hails from the JUCO system, where he tallied 38 tackles, 4.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss. Copeland then transferred to Virginia Tech where he only played in four games before enduring a season-ending injury.

Kelvin Gilliam Jr: Gilliam was a previous transfer from Oklahoma. as a Hokie last season Gilliam raked in 35 tackles including 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack.

Linebacker

Jaden Keller: Last season, Keller led the Hokies with 83 tackles while also recovering two fumbles. Keller saw an increased role last season and expect him to be a versatile piece in Sifkes' system.

Jordan Bass: Bass is a transfer from Pittsburgh, where he spent two seasons as a Panther. In two years at Pitt, Bass reeled in 25 total tackles and a sack. Bass has spent time in the Star role, which became a prized position under legendary defensive coordinator Bud Foster.

Kaleb Spencer: Spencer marked 32 tackles and showed versatility in the pass game with two pass breakups and an interception against Miami.

Secondary

Isaiah Cash: The safety held a pivotal role during his time at Sam Houston and Houston Christian. For five years, Cash brought five interceptions in his career thus far and 67 tackles last year alone.

Christian Ellis: Possibly filling in another safety position, Ellis also is a transfer, Ellis came from New Mexico, where he was all over the field, tallying 99 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and an interception.

Caleb Brown: The Hawaii transfer could hold big role at Virginia Tech. Brown leaves Hawaii after spending the last two seasons with the program, racking up 41 tackles in his tenure along with 14 pass breakups--totaling an overall Pro Football Focus grade of 77.1 with the Rainbow Warriors.

Dante Lovett: Lovett played in 13 games last year where he recorded 20 tackles and added four pass breakups. While there is room for Lovett to improve, there is enough potential for Lovett to become a star in the Hokies corps.

Isaiah Brown-Murray: More commonly reffered to as IBM, offers the Hokies a strong secondary defender with a desire to stick out among the rest.

"I really was looking for a better opportunity to go to the NFL, that's the ultimate goal, my dream when I got to Virginia Tech...It just felt like home, and it felt like they would be able to develop me to get to that next step."

IBM also referred to Siefkes as someone who has helped his development, despite not knowing who the future defensive coordinator for the Hokies was going to be at the time of Brown-Murrays recruitment.

"It's been really good. He has a lot of knowledge, and you could tell that he's been around football a long time. He's been great. Like he's taught me a lot and it seems like he's got a lot of belief and trust in me, so I appreciate that."

Virginia Tech vs South Carolina week one game time is officially set

Offense

Defense

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