Virginia Tech lost its first moderate contributor to the transfer portal on Monday when linebacker Keli Lawson went in.
247Sports reported the news first. The transfer portal officially opened today.
The 6-foot-6, 220-pound redshirt junior made 144 tackles in four seasons for the Hokies, with 11.5 tackles for a loss and 3.5 sacks.
He started 10 games, mostly in a 2023 season when he led the team with 80 tackles, earning an All-ACC honorable mention.
Lawson had a diminished role in 2024, however, playing in 11 games but starting just once. He finished with 40 tackles, getting a more significant role as a star linebacker late in the season, though he played less than half the snaps (210 from 500) he did in the previous year.
A three-star athlete signee out of Sherando High in Stephens City in 2021, Lawson began as a receiver at Tech before shifting over to linebacker when Brent Pry and his staff arrived.
His departure chips away at the Hokies' linebacker depth, though the starting inside duo by the end of the year, Jaden Keller and Caleb Woodson, returns. Mike linebacker Sam Brumfield and star Keonta Jenkins both exhaust their eligibility. Jayden McDonald could return and Will Johnson is coming off an injury.
At the star spot, Kaleb Spencer could step into a starting role, with Gabe Williams expected to be out a while after suffering a serious late-season knee injury. Freshman Brett Clatterbaugh enrolls next month.
That's five Hokies who have gone into the portal: Lawson, offensive lineman Lance Williams and defensive linemen Khurtiss Perry, Ishmael Findlayter and Malachi Madison.
For more information on Virginia Tech’s comings and goings in the portal, click here for Tech Sideline’s roster management page.