Virginia Tech Football: Predicting The Hokies' Three Best Defensive Players In EA Sports College Football 26

Yesterday, we at All Hokies on SI predicted the three best offensive players for the 2026 edition of EA Sports College Football 26.

One of the biggest metrics we used was experience, hence why explosive players like Tennessee transfer Cameron Seldon, while Seldon is a super promising Hokie, he wasn't included in the top three since Seldon lacks massive gametime.

That, combined with statistics and talks from the Spring, led the way in how we predicted these players.

When looking at this revamped defensive core, there are a number of experienced players vying for time under new defensive coordinator Sam Siefkes.

The Hokies are welcoming 30 new transfers and all three of them top the list for today's predictions.

3. Kody Huisman (83)

Huisman posted 37 tackles and 7.5 TFLs in 2024, along with an 80.7 PFF grade for FCS powerhouse North Dakota State.

Huisman holds one more year of eligibility left.

Last season, Huisman was an honorable mention in the All-Missouri Valley Football Conference, where he played all 16 games and tallied 37 tackles in just seven starts. Huisman was third on the team with 7.5 tackles for loss, including a season-high six tackles and a forced fumble, and 2.5 tackles for loss when the NDSU took down South Dakota State en route to an FCS National Championship. Huisman also tallied two blocked field goals in back-to-back weeks, once against South Dakota State and the next week against Murray State.

In 45 career games, Huisman recorded 73 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles.

2. Isaiah Cash (85)

Cash spent last season at Sam Houston State, where he tallied 67 tackles along with two interceptions and 10 breakups. Cash totaled a 77.4 season grade as rated by PFF.

Before transferring to Sam Houston State, Cash starred at Houston Christian. Cash spent four seasons at Houston Christian, where he totaled 30 games, bringing in 217 total tackles as he ranks as the sole graduate student in the safety ranks at Tech and is one of six players who are graduate students.

1. Ben Bell (86)

Bell hails from Cedar Park, Texas, where the fifth-year edge rusher starred in the high school ranks. Bell then committed to Louisiana Tech. As a Bulldog, Bell marked 13 games over two years where Bell tallied 30 tackles and 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.

Bell then moved to Texas State, where he continued his emergence as a quality defensive front man. With Texas State, Bell muscled 25 tackles at outside linebacker in his 13 games, with zero coming from starts. The following season was when the Bobcat broke into stardom.

Bell added 57 tackles with 16 tackles for loss and 10 sacks in 13 games, seven of those being starts. Bell earned All-Sun Belt Second Team honors, Phil Steele All-Sun Belt Third Team honors, and an All-Texas First Team by Dave Campbell's Texas Football nomination.

Bell took the field just four times last season, closing in on an additional 13 tackles, which included 3.5 sacks, before preserving his redshirt for a transfer to the Hokies.

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