2026 VT Position Previews: Coaches Show Confidence in the Safeties

We have arrived. As the Hokies prepare to begin Fall Camp and finish laying the foundation of James Franklin’s first season in Blacksburg, the time for previewing, predicting, and prognosticating is almost over. We have just one more position group to cover before camp begins: the safeties. If you’ve been reading through these positional preview articles, you will notice that most of Virginia Tech’s position groups feature a healthy mixture of returning players from last year’s squad and several transfers or recruits brought in to increase competition and help reshape this roster into Franklin’s vision for the program. However, that trend does not apply to the safety position. All but one player in the safety room was on the Virginia Tech roster a year ago, and the one newcomer is not a transfer, but rather freshman Tyrell Grant Jr., a three-star prospect who flipped his commitment from Syracuse to the Hokies back in December. 

The lack of turnover in the safety room highlights confidence from Franklin, Defensive Coordinator Brent Pry, and Safeties Coach Anthony Midget that what the Hokies have in-house is sufficient enough to perform on Saturdays, an evaluation I agree with. The Hokies will likely roll out two veteran safeties that could evolve into one of the best back-end duos in the ACC. Behind them sit a host of talented players trying to dethrone the projected starters, or at the very least earn rotational playing time and backup jobs.

The star of Virginia Tech’s safety group is no doubt redshirt sophomore Quentin Reddish. Reddish played sparingly in 2024, but did score a touchdown on a 77-yard blocked field goal return against Clemson. Then last season, he looked on his way to a major season before a shoulder injury ended his campaign just three games in. Before he went down, Reddish had the highest Pro Football Focus grade among Virginia Tech defensive backs. Reddish came out of Independence High School as a four-star safety and possesses great size and athleticism for his position, standing at 6-2, 193 pounds. If Reddish can return to his 2025 form, he could be one of the best safeties in the entire conference. Early returns from the coaching staff on Reddish have been extremely positive, with Brent Pry saying, “Everything I’ve seen to this point, I’m very happy with.” Pry added that he would rank Reddish as the number one safety right now. Anthony Midget echoed Pry’s praise, stating, “He’s been really good, has all the talent in the world…he has all the tools you look for in a player at the safety position.” The Hokies are counting on Reddish to make a big impact this season, and it sounds like he has had a positive offseason and will be ready to show the country what he’s capable of come week one. 

Reddish’s projected partner at the safety position is redshirt senior Tyson Flowers. Flowers transferred in from Rice last season and started every game for the Hokies. Flowers made 49 tackles and established himself as a veteran leader of the defense; however, he struggled with tackling at times last year. Flowers should benefit greatly from Reddish’s return, as Flowers can now serve as a complementary piece to Reddish’s big-play ability. The coaches have immense confidence in Flowers, with Anthony Midget saying, “Guys respect his work ethic and daily approach…he doesn’t speak a lot but when he does speak, guys listen.” Flowers has been one of the most consistent players on the Hokies’ defense this offseason, and seems in line to lock down the other starting safety spot this Fall. 

After Reddish and Flowers, the Hokies lack experienced safety depth, but do have some intriguing prospects. Jordan Bass enters his second season in Blacksburg after playing two seasons at Pitt. Bass converted from linebacker to safety when he arrived at Virginia Tech, and it has taken some time for him to get comfortable at his new spot, but it seems like he is in a much better spot now than he was a year ago. Midget says that Bass looks much more comfortable at safety than he did at the beginning of the offseason, and his focus is on getting more consistent daily. Bass’ five starts last season, combined with Midget’s veteran coaching experience, should allow him to blossom and become an impact player in Virginia Tech’s secondary. Knahlij Harrell enters his second season with the Hokies, and his first at safety after playing cornerback last season. Brent Pry spoke highly of the Virginia Beach product last Fall, so if he can make the position transition quickly, he could be another depth option for the Hokies. Finally, sophomores Brennan Johnson and Sheldon Robinson are back after earning some good experience last season. Like many young players returning for the Hokies, Johnson and Robinson earned more reps than expected a year ago because of defensive injuries and opt-outs. Robinson made four starts and made 21 tackles, earning him a very good tackling grade from Pro Football Focus. Meanwhile, Johnson appeared in eight games, made 17 tackles and a forced fumble. Johnson seems very comfortable playing the run, an asset that could help him stand out in the safety competition. The Hokies will be counting on these young players to make major strides to provide depth at the position behind Reddish and Flowers. 

That’s a wrap on the 2026 positional previews. The next time you will read an article from me will be our very first Tech Transcript post-practice report, so stay on the lookout across our channels because things are about to ramp up in Blacksburg! In the meantime, check out my latest podcast for the Sons previewing everything I will be looking for when Fall Camp begins.