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Philip Montgomery addresses the status of Keyshawn Burgos, James Djonkam with Virginia Tech

On3 imageby: Dan Morrison17 hours agodan_morrison96
Philip Montgomery, Virginia Tech
Sep 27, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies interim head coach Philip Montgomery shouts to his team during the first half of the game against North Carolina State Wolfpack at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

The calendar has now turned to October and it appears with that there’s been some turnover on the Virginia Tech Hokies roster. Two key defenders along the front seven, Keyshawn Burgos and James Djonkam, are no longer listed on the roster.

Interim head coach Philip Montgomery addressed their status going into the Wake Forest game. He shared that the two are no longer on the team. However, he didn’t expand on the reason why.

“Yeah, they’re not with our football team anymore,” Philip Montgomery said. “That is part of this process that we’ve been going through. So, our focus is going to stay with the guys who are on our roster and what’s in our locker room. Those guys continue to grow and really weld together and we’ll continue to focus on what we’ve got too, which is a Wake game right here in front of us.”

Philip Montgomery is, of course, the interim head coach due to previous Virginia Tech head coach, Brent Pry, recently losing his job. Since that firing, the Hokies are 2-0, including an upset win over NC State. However, in the modern era, that coaching change can quickly spark roster turnover.

Keyshawn Burgos initially came to Virginia Tech as a three-star recruit in the Class of 2022. He was the 712th-ranked player overall and the 56th-ranked edge rusher in that recruiting cycle. Now in his fourth season with the Hokies, he’s appeared in four games to this point. In that time, he has four total tackles. In 2023, he would set career high marks with five tackles for a loss and 2.0 sacks.

For his part, James Djonkam came to Virginia Tech as a transfer. He previously played for Arizona State and Eastern Michigan before getting to Blacksburg ahead of the 2025 season. He’s seen relatively limited playing time in three games to this point. That’s a season removed from making 98 total tackles, 12 tackles for a loss, and 3.0 sacks a season ago.

Montgomery didn’t share any insight into what the future holds for each player. Both have played four games or less this season, which allows them to use a redshirt still. Both are also in their fourth college season. So, given the coaching change, it would not be a surprise to see them enter the Transfer Portal. However, that is speculative.

As for Virginia Tech, the Hokies are set to host Wake Forest on Saturday. That game is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. EST kickoff.