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Virginia Tech On SI Writers Highlight One Freshman to Watch

Originally posted on Virginia Tech Hokies on SI | Last updated Aug 25, 2025 5:45 PM ET

Today, five of our writers picked one freshman that Virginia Tech football fans should keep an eye on this season. Here's who they picked and some reasoning as to why:

James Duncan: Knahlij Harrell

Freshman cornerback Knahlij Harrell is a player to keep an eye on for this season. Recruited out of Virginia Beach, Harrell led Green Run High School to a regional championship. In his final season, he recorded 28 tackles, four of which were for a loss and an interception. Harrell shined in the Hokies’ spring game, where he made three tackles (one for a loss) and recorded a pass breakup.

Brett Holmes: Gabe Williams

Williams was one of the most exciting gets in his recruiting class for the Hokies. He's a hybrid linebacker who possesses rare sideline-to-sideline agility. He's a natural athlete who can close in tackle quickly in the open field. Simply put, he's a safety trapped in the frame of a linebacker. Williams saw snaps as a true freshman. He flashed potential down-to-down, mainly with his open-field abilities. His story is one every fan is watching next season. The talent he possesses stood out early and has shown a dedication to the craft that's hard to match. All of Hokie nation is rooting for a big 2025 campaign.

Luke Hubbard: Jahmari DeLoatch

Jahmari DeLoatch is one of Virginia Tech's top recruits in the 2025 class. The 5-foot-10, 166-pound cornerback from Chesapeake, Virginia, has performed well this offseason. The Hokies still have some questions to be answered at the cornerback position, and while he's not going to start as a true freshman, he could come in as part of a rotation or if injuries begin to pile up.

Thomas Hughes: Shamarius "Snook" Peterkin

At Friday's media availability, wide receivers coach Fontel Mines was extremely complementary of Peterkin, while still noting that there's still sizable room for improvement.

"He's looking like a freshman, but he's looking like a really talented freshman, who probably has made the most explosive plays in camp and most touchdowns, but also probably the most mental errors," MInes said. "And I think it's just a growth thing with him, of learning. He didn't enroll early. He got here late May... But I promise you, I wouldn't hesitate at all to put him in the game. He's similar to Ayden, as far as confident, like the moment's not too big for him. I don't think he's going to get out there and freak out. If it's one thing that kid's going to do, he's going to make a play."

One promising thing to note? During that same media availability session, Mines mentioned that Peterkin was not on the typical four-game plan to redshirt his freshman year. "He's in a little bit different situation," Mines said. Look for Peterkin to have a complementary role in the Hokies' receiving corps this year and possibly negate his redshirt for the 2025 campaign. In my opinion, Peterkin is the leader of the true freshmen in terms of possibly negating his redshirt, right ahead of Jordan "Jojo" Crim and Knahlij Harrell.

Kaden Reinhard: Kyle Altuner

Redshirt freshman Kyle Altuner, is set to be the starting center for Montgomery’s offense in 2025. Altuner is a transfer from West Virginia, following his offensive line coach Matt Moore to Blacksburg, virtually revamping the blocking unit in front of senior quarterback Kyron Drones. Center can arguably be the toughest offensive line position, splitting the line directly in the middle, adding a mix of responsibilities moving both towards the left and right, on top of needing to effortlessly get Drones the snap. Altuner does all of those things to perfection, and will be a huge addition for the Hokies offense in 2025.

Each player mentioned received one vote each.

This article first appeared on Virginia Tech on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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