Virginia Tech made its first move in the spring transfer portal window by securing a commitment from North Dakota State defensive tackle Kody Huisman on Wednesday afternoon.
North Dakota State defensive lineman Kody Huisman rushes the passer during the Bison’s victory over Northern Iowa in November.
Courtesy of Zachary Lucy, NDSU Athletics
Huisman, who announced he was transferring to Tech in a social media post for his final season of eligibility, played 45 games over four seasons with the Bison. He redshirted in 2021 and appeared in all but one game over the next three seasons, which included two trips to the FCS national championship (2022 and 2024) and a loss in the semifinal round (2023).
The 6-foot-4, 283-pound Huisman recorded 73 tackles (32 solo), 12.5 tackles for a loss and 3.5 sacks during his time with the Bison. His most productive season came in 2024 when he posted career highs of 37 tackles and 7.5 tackles for a loss, and he also blocked two kicks during the title-winning campaign.
Huisman
Huisman helps solidify a defensive tackle rotation that gets incredibly young after starters Kelvin Gilliam and Kemari Copeland. Mercer transfer Arias Nash is entering his senior season, and he spent the spring working next to redshirt freshman Emmett Laws in the rotation.
Hampton transfer Jahzari Priester, redshirt freshmen Gerard Johnson and Andrew Hanchuk, and freshman Christian Evans are depth linemen who are still needing to be developed.
Huisman’s addition comes after the Hokies have had nine players enter the transfer portal since the 10-day window opened last week.
Offensive guard Bob Schick and walk-on kicker Connor McLaughlin entered the portal Tuesday. Schick’s departure means every offensive lineman who started at least nine games last season will not be back for the upcoming campaign. Right guard Kaden Moore and right tackle Parker Clements exhausted their eligibility, and left tackle Xavier Chaplin (Auburn) and center Braelin Moore (LSU) transferred with two seasons of eligibility remaining.
