Hokie ClubCHARLOTTE, N.C. – With the conclusion of the 2024 regular season, multiple Hokies were recognized for their production and impact on the gridiron. Ten student-athletes with Virginia Tech football earned recognition from the conference, with two defensive standouts named to the All-ACC First Team.
Defensive end Antwaun Powell-Ryland earned All-ACC First Team honors after a historic season in which the redshirt senior tied for second in the nation with 16 sacks. Powell-Ryland was one of just three players in college football to post at least 16 sacks. Throughout his impressive season, the Portsmouth, Virginia native recorded two separate outings with four sacks. The first of which came on the road at Old Dominion with legendary Tech defensive lineman Bruce Smith on the sidelines, and the latter at Lane Stadium against Boston College in primetime. APR’s production is strong across the board with 43 tackles, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, a blocked kick and 19 tackles for loss, the highest total for a Tech player since 2002.
Overall, Tech’s defense showcased a strong ability to get after opposing quarterbacks. While Powell-Ryland led the charge off the edge, he was tremendously accompanied by graduate transfer Aeneas Peebles on the interior. In his first season with the Hokies, Peebles joins his talented counterpart with an All-ACC First Team nod of his own. The former Duke standout immediately made his impact felt around Blacksburg and on opposing offenses. Peebles started all 12 games, recording 31 total tackles with 6.5 TFLs, three sacks, four quarterback hits and three passes defended. Even more impressively, the fifth-year defensive tackle recorded a 90.1 pass rush grade in consecutive seasons, according to Pro Football Focus.
On the offensive side of the ball, running back Bhayshul Tuten was named to the All-ACC Second Team after amassing 1,159 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground in essentially 10 games. Although he dealt with injuries in the latter part of the year, Tuten displayed his consistency as a ball carrier, reaching the century mark in six contests and averaging 6.3 yards per carry. It can’t go without mentioning that the senior tailback also set the all-time Virginia Tech single-game rushing record with a 266-yard, four-total touchdown performance against Boston College. He also went on to co-lead the ACC in total touchdowns (17), which included a stretch of seven straight games with at least one score to open the year.
With talented and dynamic playmakers across the roster, three Hokies were also named to the All-ACC Third Team. Cornerback Mansoor Delane, wide receiver Jaylin Lane and punter Peter Moore round out the group with strong showings in their own right. In a year where his coverage and ball skills were on full display, Delane led the team with four interceptions and co-led all players with 11 passes defended. A versatile player in Tech’s secondary, the Silver Springs, Maryland product added 54 total tackles and two forced fumbles to his regular season resume. Flipping the script to the specialists, Moore and Lane set the standard in the 2024 campaign with their consistent special teams’ play. Moore had another solid year, averaging a career-best 45.1 yards per punt average on 54 boots with a season-long of 61. The redshirt senior also downed 16 punts inside the 20 and hammered 13 kicks over 50 yards. Lane, while leading the Hokies in receptions, was recognized for his dynamism as a returner. The redshirt senior played in all 12 games, accumulating 245 punt return yards, including a 58-yard touchdown return against Marshall. Lane finished the year with 848 all-purpose yards and five total touchdowns.
Additionally, offensive linemen Xavier Chaplin and Kaden Moore, cornerback Dorian Strong and kicker John Love were named All-ACC Honorable Mentions. A veteran leader and defensive captain, Strong amassed 32 total tackles with a forced fumble and eight passes defended in coverage. Love displayed his kicking prowess in another season, handling full-time kicking duties, going 15-for-17 on field goal attempts and a perfect 41-for-41 on extra point attempts. Chaplin and Moore protected the trenches, with the powerful offensive tackle recording a 77.9 PFF run-blocking grade and a 78.4 PFF pass-blocking grade on the interior for Moore.