Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 73-3vs VMI | 4 | 2 | 1.5 | 1.5 | — | 0 | Season-high 4 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 44-21vs Old Dominion | 2 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 6 | 3 | 2.5 | 2.5 | — | 0 |
#42
Aycen Stevens
Junior defensive lineman for Virginia Tech. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
6′5″ · 260 lb · Indianapolis, IN · Decatur Central
Returning to Virginia Tech for 2026
The numbers
2.5
sacks · 2026
2.5 TFL · 6 tackles · 1 hurries
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 1.5 sacks, 1.5 TFL, 4 tackles, vs VMI
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
3 defensive lineman for Virginia Tech. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Virginia Tech in 2023.
Aycen Stevens
Wins his gap play after play. Aycen Stevens has played for two head coaches in three seasons at Virginia Tech. The receipt: 4 tackles, 1.5 sacks against VMI — Week 1, 2026.
6 TACKLES · 2.5 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
2023
- Signed with Virginia Tech3-star out of Decatur Central
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Virginia Tech
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
2 coaches2024–2025
Virginia Tech
Coaching transition mid-career: Brent Pry → James Franklin. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2024Virginia Tech6-7HC: Brent Pry · Run-leaning
2025Virginia Tech3-9HC: Brent Pry · Run-leaning
2026Virginia Tech2-0HC: James Franklin · Balanced, fast tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: sacks (99th percentile). Strength: tackles for loss (91st percentile). Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 3.0 TKL/g, 1.2 TFL/g, 1.2 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
James Franklin
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Rotational
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Virginia Tech | 6 | 3 | 2.5 | 2.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Virginia Tech | 14 | 3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Virginia Tech | 3 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| Career | 23 | 8 | 4.0 | 2.5 | 1 | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 73–3
vs VMI
4 TOT · 2 SOLO · 1 SACKS
Dominant 70-point win at home against VMI.
With Q. Brown — 6 rec · 109 yds · 1 TD · E. Grunkemeyer — 224 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · 6 rush yds (2 car)
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Virginia Tech
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · Virginia Tech
Returning around him
- Transfer portal: +2 net (29 in / 27 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Virginia Tech · Last season: 3-9 · Talent rank #27 · 2026 recruiting class #30
DNA match
Player DNA
Two-Gap Base
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
IDL
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Anthony Jones’s 2023 season.
Matches Anthony on
Sack rate
TFL rate
Hurry rate
Differs from Anthony on
Class year (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Kenyon Agurs's sophomore season at Colorado State (2025).
Matches Kenyon on
Class year
TFL rate
Weight
Player DNA
Players who play like Aycen Stevens
The defensive line · Virginia Tech
- #13Kemari Copeland8 tackles for loss · 2025
- #94Elhadj Fall3.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #31Jason Abbey2 tackles for loss · 2025
- #99Emmett Laws1 tackle for loss · 2025
- #42Aycen Stevens0.5 tackles for loss · 2025
19 more on the roster · Virginia Tech team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology