The NCAA transfer site opened a week ago, and Virginia Tech left lineman Xavier Chaplin wasted no time inputting his information. Several others followed, but none were as serious as the probable loss of a large, athletic, and still-developing offensive tackle.
A few days later, Mansoor Delane, a three-year starting cornerback, placed his name into the transfer portal. The Hokies presumably expected to lose Delane to the NFL or the portal, but they planned to keep Chaplin.
These dreams came to an end over the last two days. Chaplin, one of the portal’s most desired players, chose Auburn on Sunday, while Delane chose LSU the following day. In the space of two days, Virginia Tech lost two of its best players to SEC programs.
Does this make the Hokies a feeder program for the SEC?
Both players were plainly offered well before they entered the portal. Several programs focused on Chaplin. That is reportedly against the regulations. What are the rules? Still, it’s a disappointing day for Hokie fans to see two homegrown athletes with NFL potential play their final season or two in another uniform.
Delane expressed it best on X.
Never forget this tweet.
Look, you can’t blame Chaplin or Delane. Other teams established their market value before entering the site, but some unproven players demanded outrageous NIL sums or threatened to transfer.
Delane is correct: It’s a business, and both players made business choices. Regardless of what they or anyone else claims, the focus here is on 2025 rather than NFL development. Again, who is to blame?
We wish Chaplin and Delane nothing but the best for 2025 and beyond.
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