Virginia Tech addressed its pass-rushing shortcomings in a big way Thursday, getting a commitment from defensive end Antwaun Powell-Ryland out of the transfer portal. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
Powell-Ryland, who made his announcement on social media not long after a midweek visit to Blacksburg, is a 6-foot-3, 233-pound edge rusher who spent the last three years at Florida. He came on strong as a starter late last year, finishing with 29 tackles, six tackles for a loss and three sacks.
https://twitter.com/TwaunPowell/status/1654160370792005633
Originally from Portsmouth and having attended Indian River High, Powell-Ryland was the No. 4 in-state prospect and No. 184 overall player in the 2019 class, a four-star recruit the Hokies pursued but didn’t land.
He redshirted in 2020, appeared in 12 games as a backup in 2021 and moved into the Gators’ starting lineup for the final five games of 2022, playing outside linebacker in Florida's 3-3-5 scheme. All three of his sacks came in those final five games along with 11 quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus.
That’s welcome news for a Hokies pass rush that managed just 23 sacks last year, which ranked 96th nationally. Powell-Ryland figures to be a defensive end in Tech's 4-3 scheme, a spot where it bid adieu to senior TyJuan Garbutt, who led the Hokies with 6.5 sacks.
Cole Nelson and C.J. McCray figured to be the top options at defensive end exiting the spring, though they’ve combined to make just three career starts. No returning player on the Hokies’ roster had more than two sacks last year, and the group was further thinned out by Kyree Moyston recently entering the transfer portal.
His addition puts the Hokies at 83 scholarship players when accounting for the summer arrivals, giving Tech two more potential slots to fill with transfers. For a full breakdown of the program’s offseason roster movement, click here.