If there is a squad on the team that is a bigger “unsure” label than the offensive line, it would be the linebacker room on the defense. There are good starters but an untested layer of #2s and #3s behind them that we need to talk about.
Hokies Haven’t Been #LBU for a While
Recent history hasn’t been too kind to the Hokies in the way of elevated linebacker play. Tech has had a sprinkling of really good, capable linebackers, to be sure. Most everyone remembers Andrew Matuapuaka, Dax Hollifield, Terrell Edmunds, and Tremaine Edmunds, but
the roster is also a lineup of good players who played over their heads but just never ended up with any sort of star status. Really the hashtag label of #LBU really goes more to the coaching legacy of the team in Penn State and not a baselevel Hokie assembly line.
This season there are some good players in the depth chart, who might be bubbling up to star status, but the group has what could be considered few natural #1s in the chart. That’s going to mean the success of this group is going to depend heavily on preparation, conditioning, education, and elevated execution on the field. That mostly falls on the players, of course, but at the collegiate level the responsibility for setting up the success for the step ups goes to the coaching staff. That nearly entirely falls on the shoulders of Defensive Coordinator/Linebacker Coach Brent Pry.
Key Assistant
We already noted the experienced Defensive Analysts that Coach Pry will depend on for the three dimensions of the defense, but one face that has stayed the same for the defense, this time moving to full-time assistant coach is Jan Johnson Jr. – Virginia Tech Athletics. Johnson has been under Pry’s wing since Penn State as a player, and again as a Graduate Assistant and full-time D-Line Assistant for the Hokies during Pry’s tenure as Head Coach. It’s not surprising that Pry would lobby to keep an assistant who has a depth of experience with both him and Head Coach Franklin.
There are a number of GA’s and managers, but Pry seems to be handling the bulk of the field detail work, himself. There is really no more important single position group on the defensive side of the line of scrimmage than the linebackers. If they cannot execute at a high and confident level, the run stops beyond the first level, and pass coverage under the zone become nearly impossible. Pry is going to lean heavily on Johnson since his overall defensive coaching responsibilities will demand that sort of concentration be on Coach Johnson’s plate.
The Squad
The same legend applies to this chart that applied to the Defensive line. There can be multiple comments that apply. It’s also important to remember that the linebackers can end up playing quite deep into the roster on Special Teams. Often times that’s the way coaches get them introduced to open field coverage.
The chart, above, is directly from the current roster from Hokie Sports. The big issue with the position designations is that, like all of the general positions on the roster, the team only notes the player as being a linebacker. We know that Pry’s system is pretty traditional in its position designations. The Mike (middle) Linebacker is the principal core linebacker with the greatest number of varied duties with run stops and blitzing being his primary tasks. The Sam (Short Side) Linebacker’s primary responsibility is the boundary (sort side of the field) for pass coverage and run containment. The Will (Wide Side) Linebacker is usually assigned to primary pass coverage under the zone for the Field (Wide side of the formation). Each player requires a slightly different set of skills, size, and capabilities.
As we noticed over the last few seasons, the actual positions of each of the linebackers in any game seemed to change operational form. Sometimes the Sam and Mike would switch responsibilities in the defensive formation. Sometimes both would play a more balanced role as an old “Oklahoma Defense” Right Side/Weak Side Middle Linebacker setup.
Coach Pry seems to keep things “interesting” for the offensive key reads. With almost every linebacker listed above the 200/210 pound mark, and everyone above 6-feet tall except George Balance, we are unlikely to see specific assignments until the first depth chart is published closer to the VMI home opener. Suffice it to say that last year’s assignments might get stirred around a bit. That makes it interesting for us trying to figure out where he’s going to play people. The Position listed in the chart is an educated guess and will contain multiple potential positions.
What’s also interesting about this list is that there are four starting quality players on the roster. Most often the coaches settle on “starters” who begin the games’ first plays but then get subbed in an out to keep the defensive momentum going, or make critical adjustments to the defensive midfield depending on the offense being run at them. Suffice it to say Tech hasn’t seen the speed, size, and range that it currently has, in a while.
Potential Starters and Significant Subs
We will take these in order of legacy with the Hokie recruits coming first, and then the transfers who have some potential to press the legacy players hard for the six starting positions.
The Hokies have three returning players from the 2025 squad who are going to be listed high on the depth chart. Kaleb Spencer, Antwone Santiago, and Noah Chambers.
Kaleb Spencer – 2026 Football Roster – Virginia Tech Athletics
Kaleb Spencer has played in 25 games over the past two seasons. He’s totaled five starts, and is most likely going to compete heavily for the Mike #1 Depth Chart position this season. This is especially because over 2025, he developed into the leading tackler for the team at 67(31 solo), with 9 TFLs, and a half of a sack (we didn’t see much blitzing last season). Spencer is really expected to have another banner year inside, and even made Bruce Feldman’s Freaks list for the season. Two Hokies named to Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List – Virginia Tech Athletics
Look for Spencer early, and on the field often.
Antwone Santiago – 2026 Football Roster – Virginia Tech Athletics
Antwone Santiago came to Tech from Temple before last season and has stuck with the team in 2026. He played 11 games for the Hokies in 2025 with a modest showing as a sub with 9 tackles and a TFL. Santiago was also spotted on Special Teams assignments regularly. This will be his last season of eligibility, and last chance to make a big impression for the draft. He will be seen often, and if he has made progress in solidifying the #2 slot in the Depth Chart he might actually get a chance to start with some regularity.
Noah Chambers – 2026 Football Roster – Virginia Tech Athletics
Noah Chambers wasn’t far behind the team leaders in total tackles for the season in 2025. He played in eight games with 6 of those being starts. He helped pulled down 44 opposing players (17 of which were solo tackles). That includes 2 TFLs and a sack. He really made an impression on the team as a True Freshman, and with it only being his Sophomore season, Chambers is likely to step right back into the top level of the Depth Charts again.
Transfers, Both with Starting Potential
The Hokies also have some new faces who will be challenging hard for the top slots in the depth chart; both Keon Wylie and Curtis Jones, Jr. have the game time and stats to challenge for the #1 and #2 slots in the 2026 chart.
Keon Wylie – 2026 Football Roster – Virginia Tech Athletics
Keon Wylie followed Coach James Franklin from Penn State. He is arguably the most field experienced linebacker in the room time wise. He missed two seasons with the Nittany Lions due to redshirting in 2022 (after 3 games), and then sitting out a season with an injury in 2024. Wylie did play in all 13 games for Penn State last season and if he stays healthy will present real competition for a starting role. Whether or not he starts, he’ll probably play significant time.
Curtis Jones Jr. – 2026 Football Roster – Virginia Tech Athletics
Curtis Jones comes to the Hokies from Huntington, WV. He played two seasons in Morgantown with the Mountaineers and put in 12 games last year. He had 23 tackles with 3 for a loss and a sack. Jones also played some running back for the other side of the line of scrimmage and has a reception and 11 carries. He might well be contending for one of the OLB (Will/Sam) slots in the chart.
Returning and New Hokies Rounding Out the Squad
George Ballance – 2026 Football Roster – Virginia Tech Athletics
George Ballance has contributed a good deal to the defense and special teams for the Hokies since 2023. Last season Ballance was seen actively playing Linebacker for the Hokies in several games of the 9 in which he appeared. He netted 11 tackles last season and had a pass breakup to his credit. Ballance will probably still be a regular on Special Teams, but his breakthrough on snaps last season will definitely point the coaches to using him more often on the defensive side of the LOS.
Mathieu Lamah – 2026 Football Roster – Virginia Tech Athletics
Terry Wiggins – 2026 Football Roster – Virginia Tech Athletics
John-Patrick Oates – 2026 Football Roster – Virginia Tech Athletics
Mathieu Lamah, Terry Wiggins, and John-Patrick Oates are Freshmen this season, and we have no real collegiate level information on where they’d fit into the Pry defensive scheme of things. What we do know is that they will probably see some field time under the redshirt rules, and most of it might be Special Teams coverage assignments.
Wrapping Up the Midfield
Tech’s list of Linebackers is a real cypher this season. There is some quality experience, but every player taking the field in 2026 will have some level of questions following him. The Linebacker Room has been a headache issue for the coaching staff for the past several seasons, with problems of “run fits”, zone coverage underneath in that critical plus-5- to 12-yard range between the hash marks and missed tackles before runners get to the second level. This season Coach Pry is going to have to push the foot speed, and the play recognition.
He’ll also need to get the players to focus hard on ball position awareness. Often times the linebackers would lose track of where the ball and the ball carrier were in the flow of the play. This season they need to pick that up and own it. Of the defensive squads, the Linebackers worry Hokie Nation the most.
The challenge is for this crew to step up and erase those doubts.
