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With 2027 football season swiftly approaching, Virginia Tech's starting lineup is far from set with a lot of position battles to watch for in this upcoming fall camp. I'm here to breakdown the top three most intruiging position battles along with prediction how I expect them to unfold.
No. 1: Who is RB1?
Marcellous Hawkins and Jeffrey Overton Jr. are the top two candidates for the RB1 position, with Marcellous Hawkins having the clear advantage going into fall camp, though Jeff Overton accumulated 120 yards on 6.67 yards per carry — along with a touchdown — in the final two games of the season against Miami and Virginia, the ACC's premier teams in 2025.
With Overton's late-season impression after returning from injury, some expect him to be able to take a big step forward in his first healthy season as he looks to overtake the starting running back position.
My prediction is that Overton will come close, but he will not surpass Hawkins. Hawkins will get more carries, but it will be a rather even workload for both backs.
No. 2: Who starts at tight end?
The Hokies brought in some elite tight end talent in the portal, all coming from Penn State, with Luke Reynolds being the highlight commitment of the group.
Benji Gosnell brings more experience and strength, as the upcoming senior has caught 56 career passes for 564 yards and three touchdowns. Luke Reynolds brings the athleticism and ability to move in space, posting 368 yards over 35 catches, along with a touchdown.
This battle seems like a true toss-up, but who knows the season-long impact that it will have for the Hokies, who are expected to regularly rotate tight ends and use 12 and 13 personel throughout the season.
No. 3: Who starts on the edge?
The way that the defensive line will end up looking will vary on multiple things, with the primary factor being Curtis Jones Jr., who transferred in from West Virginia. He's currently listed as a linebacker, but he has seem time on the edge, though never as a full-time starter.
I expect that he will primarily play linebacker, leaving the battles between Aycen Stevens, Mylachi Williams, Jason Abbey and Javion Hilson, along with guys like Cortez Harris and Eric Mensah as guys who could make a push for a spot on the depth chart.
The edge rushers are the most intruiging to me due to the high variation of how the two spots could look, what the rotation looks like, along with the factor of Curtis Jones Jr. being a potential rotational piece on the defensive line.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/virginiatech as Top Position Battles To Watch In Virginia Tech's Fall Camp.
