Virginia Tech football: 2 Hokies enter the NCAA transfer portal

Virginia Tech’s quest to reach the 85 scholarship limit improved Friday when two more players entered the NCAA transfer portal.

Freshman offensive lineman Bryce Goodner announced that he was entering the transfer portal on Twitter. Goodner was a three-star prospect in the 2021 recruiting class from McMinn High School in Athens, Tennessee.

Goodner did not play as a freshman in 2021 and had recently spent time working on the defensive line. Considering the offensive line’s lack of depth, it wasn’t a good sign new offensive line coach Joe Rudolph allowed Goodner to work with the defensive line.

Before Goodner entered the portal, redshirt freshman running Jalen Hampton entered the transfer portal. Hampton, from Rockville, Maryland, was a three-star running back in VT’s 2020 recruiting class — which was one of the worst among Power 5 teams.

This offseason, Hampton, along with Tahj Gary, Jordan Brunson and Marco Lee as running backs leaving Blacksburg. Now, the Hokies have a more manageable six scholarship runners on the roster.

It was a busy week for the Hokies in the transfer portal. However, it was needed as Tech looked to clear space from some of Justin Fuente’s subpar recruiting classes. Goodner and Hampton should each have four years of eligibility remaining at their new school.

We wish both Bryce and Jalen the best at their next destination.