Virginia Tech lands DL Aeneas Peebles from Duke

Duke senior defensive tackle Aeneas Peebles has found a new school in the same league.

Peebles had narrowed his list to Virginia Tech, SMU, Louisville, Missouri and Penn State, but picked the Hokies on Monday.

Duke lost coach Mike Elko on Monday, and Peebles entered the transfer portal. Peebles was a key cog on Duke’s impressive defense, racking up 40 tackles, four sacks and one fumble recovery this season.

The 6-foot-1, 286-pounder from Knightdale (N.C.) High has 84 career tackles, eight sacks, three forced fumbles and three passes defended the last four years. He formed an effective rotation off the bench behind DeWayne Carter and Ja’Mion Franklin for the 7-5 Blue Devils.

Rivals.com had Peebles as a three-star prospect in the class of 2020, and the No. 16 overall player in the state of North Carolina and No. 48 defensive tackle in the country.

Peebles had offers from Duke, Appalachian State, The Citadel and Navy, coming out of high school. His father William Peebles played at Appalachian State and his grandfather Doug Wilkerson at North Carolina Central, with the latter a first-round pick of the Houston Oilers in 1970. His mother was a softball standout at Long Beach State and coached a year at NCCU.