2025 Virginia Tech Football Position Breakdown: Running Backs

Newcomers

Virginia Tech has four talented newcomers in the running back room, three transfers and one true freshman. Bowling Green's Terion Stewart, Coastal Carolina's Braydon Bennett, Central Missouri's Marcellous Hawkins, and four-star freshman Jeff Overton are all going to be major factors in the backfield for the Hokies this season.

Stewart (5'9 220 LBS) was a four-year player at Bowling Green and an All-Mac selection this past season. In four years with the Falcons, he ran for 2,359 yards and 23 touchdowns, while averaging six yards per carry. He is a tough physical running back who will fit in the Hokies system well. At Pro Football Focus, Stewart finished the 2024 season with a 78.9 offensive grade in 244 snaps, third highest on the Bowling Green offense. In 2023, PFF gave him an elite 95.3 grade on offense, including a 94.0 grade when it came to running the football. Stewart could be the bell cow running back for the Hokies next year, fitting right in next to quarterback Kyron Drones.

In a recent article, PFF gave Stewart high praise, calling him "one of the best running backs no one is talking about":

"Stewart was a three-star recruit in the 2019 recruiting class. His first year at Bowling Green was the COVID-shortened season, but he still led the team in rushing yards as a true freshman. In 2021, he started five games and missed three due to injury. Stewart sat out the 2022 campaign to “focus more on [his] health and academic responsibilities” but returned in 2023 and immediately took over as a backfield weapon for the next two seasons. With one year of eligibility remaining, he transferred to Virginia Tech for the 2025 season, where he'll replace draft pick Bhayshul Tuten.

When we evaluate running backs, PFF's missed tackles forced per attempt metric is invaluable in judging a player independent of their offensive line. And that's where Stewart shines.

The statistic is exactly what it sounds like: Whether it be from a juke move, a stiff arm or a lowering of the shoulder, it encapsulates how often a player eludes a potential tackle. The beauty of the metric is that it doesn’t really matter how good the offensive line is; a running back can force a missed tackle behind the line of scrimmage, at the line of scrimmage and beyond the line of scrimmage. Of course, getting to space at the second level makes it easier to rack up forced missed tackles, so some context is helpful to judge a back’s abilities."

You can read the full article here.

Bennett has spent the past five seasons with the Chanticleers and was their leading rusher this past season. In his career, Bennett has 321 carries for 1,954 yards and 24 touchdowns, while averaging 6.1 yards per carry. According to Pro Football Focus, Bennett finished with a 79.1 grade in 417 snaps. It was the second-highest grade on Coastal Carolina's offense. He finished with a 68.9 grade in 2023 in 291 snaps. His highest grade came in 2021 when he finished with a 79.5 grade in 313 snaps. The 6'2 215 LBS running back is experienced and a tough runner who will add experience to the running back room, while also being a potential starter.

Hawkins has absolutely game-breaking speed. One look at his film shows the level of football he was playing in comparison to his D2 opponents. His low center of gravity causes him to be able to shed plenty of tackles, often bowling balling through opponents. Any delayed handoff gets Hawkins too much time to get running, and it’s a house call from there. He’s also shown flashes of being a very solid receiver out of the backfield as well. After rolling through the tape, Hawkins is admittedly very similar to Bhayshul Tuten. A slightly undersized running back who provides plenty of upside due to his speed and ability to break tackles

Hawkins was impressive in a number of spring practice according to head coach Brent Pry:

"Some of it, you know. I didn't see the physical runs today that I know, you know, he's capable of. We saw those on his film all over the place, but he made some, he said, "Good vision today." I played, you know, good ball security. Had a nice catch out in the perimeter and then made a guy miss. You know, and he's coming off of a mild injury that had him limited, so it was good to see."

Former Writer RJ Schafer covered Overton signing with Virginia Tech in December:

"After playing three years at Freedom High School, Overton played his final year at Hayfield High School and made massive waves. Hayfield went 10-2 on the season, with one of their losses coming by forfeit, but the Hawks absolutely rolled through teams. Hayfield won by scores of 48-7, 65-0, 70-0, 63-0, 64-0, 70-6, 51-0, 69-0, 63-0, and 75-7 to wrap up the season. Overton led the way on the ground with 1,561 rushing yards and some other mind-blowing stats. Overton had 426 receiving yards and 36 total touchdowns in his senior campaign. He also had seven interceptions on the year and earned Virginia High School League National District Offensive Player of the Year honors, while also being First-Team All State on both sides of the football."

Summary

I would lean towards Steawart, Bennett, and Hawkins leading the way for the Hokies this season, with Mason and Overton having the potential to factor in as well. With the running threat of Drones, this has the potential to be a really solid rushing attack this season if they can handle the step up to ACC competition. They all complement each other well and could be one of the more dangerous rooms in the ACC.