The spring transfer portal for college football is still a month away, though the winter portal is currently more active. That said, the spring still tends to bring some player movement across the sport.

Earlier this week, Eddie George left his role at Tennessee State to take the head coaching job at Bowling Green in the MAC. This position opened up when former Falcons head coach Scot Loeffler, who was previously the offensive coordinator at Virginia Tech, took the quarterbacks coaching job with the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles. When a coach leaves a program for another job, players are given a 30-day window to enter the transfer portal, regardless of the time of year.

Sanders Ellis, a standout linebacker from Tennessee State, is no stranger to the transfer portal. After Eddie George’s departure to Bowling Green, Ellis entered the portal once again and was quickly offered a scholarship by Virginia Tech.

Ellis, one of the top linebackers in the FCS this season, initially entered the portal on December 12. However, he withdrew from it on February 12, prior to George’s move to Bowling Green. Now, with the coaching change, Ellis has re-entered the portal and received an offer from Virginia Tech.

Ellis was a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, which is given to the top player in the FCS, after recording 82 tackles with 14 of those coming for a loss and three sacks for the Tigers. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Tennessee native collected a crazy 55 solo tackles.

As of now, Sanders Ellis also holds offers from Purdue and Auburn, and it’s expected that more schools will show interest in the All-American linebacker. Virginia Tech has some promising young linebackers returning in 2025, including Jaden Keller and Caleb Woodson. However, adding a talent like Ellis is too great an opportunity to overlook. With new defensive coordinator Sam Sifkes, a former linebackers coach, involved in the program, it’s likely he will play a key role in recruiting Ellis.